Smartphones have more and more into our lives, including taking place in photo and film equipment. But electronics like a gentle attitude, a broken screen, and case - the most frequent problems of gadgets. What if you are going to shoot in conditions of shaking, dust or even underwater?
Nick Woodman created a separate direction of action cameras - compact devices for which this is not a problem. The success of his GoPro is eager to replicate other companies, ranging from nameless Chinese to the great giants of the industry Xiaomi, Sony and Olympus. To help you navigate the current state of the market of the year, we have prepared a collection of the best action cameras of 2019.
Olympus Tough TG-Tracker
Meet the leader of our collection - the battle chamber Olympus Tough TG-Tracker. It is equipped as a paratrooper in the raid, there are fasteners and a pistol grip. The device is assembled on screws and looks like a manual movie camera.
Among other things, Tough TG-Tracker is equipped with a powerful flashlight and protected from the box - withstands a 30-meter dive.
The lens sees the district as a fish - by 204 degrees, without compensation of the “barrel”. The viewfinder works flip display 1.5 inches, control only with buttons. The camera has a resolution of up to 4K / 30 with stabilization, but in Full HD / 60 frames are more detailed and there is stabilization. Photos are just still images from video.
A 1350 mAh battery gives you up to 1.5 hours of recording. The result - a harsh camera for harsh people.
GoPro HERO6
The second place in the top action cameras 2019 is taken by GoPro HERO6. The team of Nick Woodman worked on the upgrade of the “fifth hero”, the gadget received its GP1 processor, thanks to which the device takes 4K / 60 from the entire rating. But that is not all.
Impact-resistant case of complex shape is already protected from water (IPX8), on the back - a fast 2 ″ touch screen (480 × 720, 430 PPI) is normally readable in the sun.
The lens is 170 degrees, the “barrel” is corrected programmatically, there is a good software stabilizer, it works in modes up to 4K / 30.
Element at 1220 mAh gives 50-70 minutes of recording, which is not very much. The result - a great camera from the classics of the genre.
SONY FDR-X3000R
The next place in the collection is given to the advanced sister SONY FDR-X3000R, its kit is supplemented with fasteners and a very convenient wrist remote for remote control and sighting. Otherwise, this is the same monoblock with an LCD screen and buttons, a Zeiss Tessar lens with an optical stabilizer.
Of the proposed resolutions, the coolest is 4K / 30 (3840 × 2160), thanks to the Bionz X processor, software stabilization works in conjunction with optics in this mode, the results are comparable to a professional gyro platform. The only problem is that the lens unit with floating lenses does not tolerate falls, which is somehow strange for a sports camera.
Overall - an expensive action camera is only suitable for sightseeing tourism.Sony HDR-AS300
The Grand Master of Video Equipment presented his vision of the best action cameras. In the fifth place of the rating - the younger model Sony HDR-AS300. Its tiny case 83x47x29 mm is arranged as a large video camera, button control, modes shows an LCD indicator, no more visible.
Zeiss optics sees at an angle of up to 150 degrees with almost no distortion, a lens with optical stabilization gives excellent smoothness of the video. The resolution is clamped to Full HD 1920 × 1080/60, the picture in the frame is beautiful in the light and not bad in the dark, but static photos are not the end of the camera.
A lithium battery of 1240 mAh is enough for 100 minutes, which is not very much. Overall - a glamorous action camera, light version.
SJCAM SJ5000x Elite
Serious Chinese firms also joined the race - a good model SJCAM SJ5000x Elite got in our action cameras collection, but only in seventh place. Equipment - the richest, there are fasteners on any sports projectile. The case is available in seven colors, covered with waffle rifting, there is no tripod nest.
4K / 24 modes are stated in it, in fact, it is interpolated.
Lens angle - decent, 170 degrees, matrix Sony IMX078 12 MP, processor Novatek 96660 well encoding Full HD/60 with stabilization, visier - color LCD 2″ without touch layer. The photo makes bad.
Battery at 900 mAh is enough for 90 minutes of video. The result is an inexpensive replacement for the old GoPro.
YI 4K Action Camera
After breaking up with MI, YI alone continued to develop action cameras, YI 4K is the eighth place in the rating. The equipment is not available, like Xiaomi. The case is a rounded soap dish, and the plastic gets dirty and slides, the boxes are not compatible with YI1. The lens views the world at a modest 155 degrees and projects the image onto the Sony IMX377 matrix. Delightfully bright display — 2,19″, 330 PPI (Retina), it is touch and covered by Gorilla Glass. Shooting is done in 4K, but only 30 fps without stabilization. It is better to write in 1920×1080/60, turn on the right software stabilizer. As a camera, in light, the camera usually shoots very well. The battery of 1400 mAh lives up to two hours. There are defects in design and software. The result is a good continuation, YI!
Xiaomi MiJia 4K Action Camera
One step higher is Xiaomi's own development (already without YI partner) under the name MiJia. Engineers turned the DVR Xiaomi Smart Dash into an action camera — it came out unbalanced. No equipment, but on the back wall is placed huge by standards action cameras (2.4 inches) touch screen. Excellent Sony Exmor IMX317 matrix, but the lens viewing angle is only 145 degrees.
Waved at 4K, but took the processor Ambarella A12S75, which takes only 30 fps without stabilization (it is only in one mode Full HD/30).
Battery - a reason for pride, more than GoPro - enough for two or even three hours of recording. There are errors in the software. The result is that the camera has potential, but it is not revealed.
YI Action Camera Basic Edition
As first in our best action cameras collection, we want to show you a cheap option developed by Xiaomi in partnership with the company YI. In the kit, there is nothing but a cable, for trecking and walking in the forests or outdors you need to buy some kind of protection. The rectangular case is similar to the GoPro, the tripod socket is already built-in.
The manufacturer saved on the display by transferring control to the mobile application.
YI Action Camera can shoot Full HD / 60, but at the same time it slows down and heats, the resolution is better to lower. There is no stabilization, a headache from watching the competitions in running is provided, the sound from the microphone is blown by the wind. Battery gadget runs up to an hour. The result is an inexpensive entrance ticket to the world of action cameras.
Let's sum up
In 2019, the sports camera market became very diverse and GoPro was no longer the leader. Not only Uncle Liao’s factories reached for the founder, but also well-known companies. Answering the question of which action camera is better has become much more difficult.
In addition to the new GoPro Hero6, budget gadgets from Russia's favorite Xiaomi and Sony and Olympus professionals appeared.
To choose a suitable action camera, you need to decide on a budget, as well as future scenes.
Dear beauty Sony perfectly shoots, but is good only for easy excursions, the brutal Olympus will survive any hike, and HERO6 shoots the coolest 4K video. By other low-cost cameras need to be approached more carefully, watch the packaging and restrictions.
