Comparison Sony DSC-RX0 vs Samsung Gear 360 2017

— Action camera. In other words, all models that are not panoramic or 360° cameras (see below). Note that in some models, the viewing angle can be 180 ° or even more. The difference from panoramic cameras in such cases is that action cameras do not shoot panoramas.

— Panoramic camera. A type of action camera designed for shooting panoramic photos and videos. A distinctive feature of this type of camera is the fisheye lens protruding from the body. Such a lens completely covers the hemisphere in front of it, which provides interesting additional features: for example, by installing such a camera with the lens up under the windscreen of a car, you can capture both what is happening on the road and the behaviour of the driver and passengers at the same time. When viewing ready-made panoramas, the user can shift the image at will, directing his gaze in any direction within this hemisphere (this applies to both photos and videos); also similar photos and videos are well suited for viewing in virtual reality glasses.

— 360° camera. Further development of the idea of the panoramic cameras described above: devices that have several lenses and can cover the surrounding space completely or almost completely, 360° along any axis. Most 360° cameras are equipped with two lenses on opposite sides of the body. However, there are models with 4 and even 6 lens...es (see "Lenses" for more details). Anyway, cameras of this type provide maximum coverage but are not cheap.

— Oblong. Oblong action cameras — they look like an elongated rectangle (parallelepiped) or a cylinder, while the lens is placed on one of the narrow ends. This is the difference between the oblong cameras and the conventional ones described below. This layout is convenient primarily because it allows you to hold the camera in your hand securely. On the other hand, the control panel and display during shooting are often turned away from the user, which can create some inconvenience. However, this can be offset by the use of folding displays and other similar features; and in some situations, the side display and controls even prove to be an advantage.

— Vertical. Oblong action cameras that are stretched up and have a lens at the top. Such models are very similar to chest cameras and can be used for such purposes. However, their main use is shooting yourself and holding it in your hand. It is for this purpose that the case is made elongated, which makes it convenient to cover it with your hand.

— Conventional. The camera body has the shape of a rectangle, but the lens is placed on its wide, frontal edge. Outwardly, such models are most similar to classic digital cameras. Some may have a fairly large display, placed on the opposite side of the lens, as in the same photo cameras, which allows the user to see the shooting scene in real time. Howev...er, the location of the lens, usually, does not affect the technical specs of the camera itself, and therefore both conventional and oblong models can provide the same video quality.

— Cube. A fairly specific type of action camera, the body of which has the shape of a compact cube. Usually, such models are relatively small in size, but the size reduction, in turn, affects the video capabilities and overall functionality. For example, such models are extremely rarely equipped with displays (although many of them can be connected via Wi-Fi to a smartphone or tablet, which compensates for this disadvantage).

— Glasses with a camera. Devices in the form of sports glasses with a built-in camera. The lens of such a camera is usually located between the glasses lenses, less often on the side, based on one of the temples; during normal use, it constantly “looks” approximately in the same direction as the user himself. Also, the advantages of cameras of this type include accuracy and stealth. On the other hand, in glasses, the additional electronic filling must be very tiny, which makes it difficult to use advanced optics and severely limits the battery capacity. And even with this in mind, such devices are heavier and bulkier than ordinary sports glasses. Another disadvantage is that the camera and frame with lenses cannot be matched separately — as a result, a model with a suitable camera may not be suitable due to the size or style of the glasses, and vice versa.

— Camera mask. A protective mask with a built-in camera. Note that such masks can have different specializations — for scuba diving, motocross, skiing, etc.; these details must be clarified before purchase. However, the lens in such devices is usually located in the middle of the forehead, so the camera takes POV photos and video. The main disadvantage of such devices is that when choosing, you need to take into account both the technical specs of the camera and the purpose and convenience of wearing the mask. In other words, a good camera can be built into an inappropriate mask, and vice versa.

— Camera with a clip. Action cameras fall into this category, for which a clip-on mount is standard. Many of them can be additionally equipped with other mounts, but primarily designed for this type of use and may not be the best purchase for extreme video shooting. On the other hand, such a mount is quite versatile, since it allows you to attach the camera to almost any piece of equipment (backpack strap, unloading belt, belt, etc.).

— Sphere. The shape of the body is found mainly in panoramic and 360° cameras (see "Product type") — it is in such devices that the spherical body is often the most convenient. In the case of conventional action cameras, "sphere" usually means a cylindrical body with a lens on a flat end; such cameras are similar to conventional cameras (see above) and do not have fundamental differences from them.

The number of lenses provided in the camera.

This parameter in our catalogue is indicated only if there is more than one lens. The most common variety of these cameras are 360° cameras (see "Product type") with a pair of lenses on both sides of the body. In conventional action cameras and panoramic cameras, two lenses can also be provided — in such devices, they are placed on one side of the body and are used for shooting in 3D. Noticeably rarer are other, more specific design options — for example, cameras with 4 or 6 lenses around the circumference of the body.

The level of dust and water protection provided by the body of the camera itself. Most action cameras are designed for recording in extreme conditions, but the level of protection of each model can vary significantly — from the ability to shoot in the rain, to full tightness, allowing for a long immersion under water.

To characterize the security level of the camera, the international IP classification is used. Each device is assigned a code of the form IPXX, where instead of the first X — the level of protection against the ingress of foreign objects (including dust), and instead of the second X — the level of protection against the ingress of water.

Levels of protection against dust and foreign objects in modern action cameras are never lower than 5 — lower protection classes would provide unacceptably large gaps in the body. Specifically, level 5 provides that dust can get inside in small quantities, but does not affect the performance of the device. A higher level — 6 — provides full dustproof.

To characterize the level of protection from water, the following classification is used:

0 — no protection;
1 — drops of water falling at a right angle relative to the operating position of the device cannot cause dangerous consequences;
2 — protection against drops falling on the equipment at an angle of up to 15°;
3 — at an angle up to 60° (splash protection, minimum rain protection);
4 — protection from rai...n with strong wind;
5 — protection against water jets falling at any angle (water jets, for example, from a hose or heavy rain cannot harm the device);
6 — from temporary flooding;
7 — from temporary immersion under water to a depth of not more than 1 metre;
8 — from prolonged diving to depth (maximum time and depth are specified by the manufacturer separately).

In some cases, a model may only be IP-certified for one type of protection (only against sand or water). In this case, instead of the second parameter, simply X is put. So, for example, IPX6 security means that the camera is protected from temporary flooding and heavy rain, but the level of protection from dust is not defined and, accordingly, is not certified.

It is important to note that this parameter characterizes the protection of the camera itself, but does not take into account the capabilities of protective cases. Do not confuse it with the protection of the outer case, which sometimes comes with the device (see "Dust-, moisture-proof of case").

The ability of the camera to shoot Ultra HD 4K video.

This format covers several resolutions in which the horizontal frame size is approximately 4K pixels. The most popular in action cameras is 3840x2160 (twice the FullHD frame on each side), but there are other options — for example, 3840x1920, corresponding to an aspect ratio of 2:1. In general, 4K is a kind of successor to Full HD: among HD standards that surpass Full HD, UltraHD is the most popular, in particular, many advanced TVs are produced with 3840x2160 screens. On the other hand, this format is quite demanding in terms of processing power and memory, so it is relatively rare in action cameras, mainly among premium models.

Another important parameter given in this paragraph is the frame rate. The higher it is, the smoother the movement in the frame will be, and the details in dynamic scenes will be visible clearly. However, in UltraHD mode, most modern action cameras produce a very low frame rate — most often 30 fps, and in some models 24 fps or even 15 fps. This video is quite viewable, but fast movement in the frame may look blurry. There are cameras capable of shooting UltraHD at a solid speed of 60 fps — the blurring effect during such shooting is almost imperceptible. However, such a model cost is high.

For models with several lenses, as a rule, this parameter is indicated for each lens.

Most often (unless otherwise indicated), the specifications indicate the field of view by the diagonal of the frame; in some ultra-wide-angle lenses it can exceed 180°. A special case is made up of lenses for which a 360° view is declared: this means that the optics cover the entire hemisphere in front of it. Such lenses are found in panoramic and 360-degree cameras (see “Product type”).

In general, the field of view primarily determines what area of the scene is being captured into the frame. Accordingly, the wider it is, the more space the camera captures, and the lower the likelihood that something that is happening will be off-screen. On the other hand, it is worth considering that a strong increase in the field of view leads to distortions of the “picture”, especially at the edges, as well as, to a decrease in the size of visible objects and a decrease in detail. Detailed recommendations regarding choosing a camera based on this parameter can be found in special sources.

The presence of a digital (electronic) stabilization system in the camera design.

Any stabilization is intended to compensate for small juddering of the image that occurs due to the instability of the hold in the hands, vibrations from the motor or road roughness (when used in transport), etc. Digital stabilization is carried out as follows: a reserve area is allocated along the edges of the sensor, which under normal conditions does not participate in the formation of the final image. If the device is being shaken, the camera electronics select certain parts of the image from the reserve and build the image in such a way that in the end, it remains stable.

Compared to other methods of stabilization, digital systems are extremely simple and reliable. Moreover, they are inexpensive and have almost no effect on the weight, dimensions, and price of the camera. At the same time, with this method of stabilization, the effective area of the image sensor is reduced, which can adversely affect the image quality and the amount of noise on it.

The number of megapixels in the action camera sensor, in other words, the resolution of this sensor(1 megapixel is 1 million photosensitive points).

There is an opinion that the higher the resolution, the better the image quality. It is true from the point of view that manufacturers are trying to install high-resolution sensors in advanced cameras. At the same time, there are no strict dependencies here, and from the technical point of view, the number of megapixels determines only the maximum image resolution that can be captured using this sensor. The quality of this picture will depend both on several features of the sensor itself (size, type, special design solutions), and the specs of the camera. So when choosing, you should focus not so much on the resolution of the image sensor, but on the general class of the camera and reviews with examples of footage.

The maximum resolution at which the action camera can take photos. Specified in pixels horizontally and vertically.

This parameter is directly related to the resolution of the image sensor(see above): the total number of pixels in the photo, usually, corresponds to the number of pixels in the sensor. For example, a photo resolution of 4608x3456 corresponds to a sensor of 15925248 pixels, or approximately 16 megapixels. If the number of pixels in the photo is greater than the claimed resolution of the sensor, then the manufacturer uses software tricks that allow you to improve the photo resolution to a higher one than originally. This reduces the cost of devices but also affects the quality of images.

Theoretically, high-resolution images can provide good detail, but in fact, much depends on the specs of the sensor (primarily physical size) and image processing features.