With the advent of action cameras, capturing extreme scenes on video has become much easier. These indestructible "babies" will withstand almost any adversity, will allow you to relive the bright moments of outdoor activities again and put them in your memory for a long time. However, choosing the right camera for action shooting can sometimes be tricky. We will try to help resolve this issue.

Action cameras have a combination of compactness and a high degree of security, which eliminates the inconvenience when working with them and allows you to get high-quality video footage in extreme video shooting conditions. When choosing a camera for shooting in the style of "action" should be guided by several key points of the programme.

Form factor

The traditional body shape for "Action" style cameras is considered to be a "pod" with a convex objective lens on the front panel. Well, how is the "pod"? .. Rather, the body is a rectangle. This form factor is found in 9 out of 10 action cameras on the market, and for the first time it was “run in” on board GoPro cameras.

Elongated camcorders with a lens at the end are the lot of Sony and Olympus products. They are much more convenient to hold in one hand, which increases the attractiveness of such cameras for vloggers.

The oblong body shape is a special feature of Sony action cameras.

With the rise of “all-seeing cameras”, new form factors of the cube and the vertical layout of the case appeared. They also come with a round "head" ( AirOn ProCam 360).

Cameras of other formats are found as an exception and the form of their “body” has not received mass distribution.

The era of 4K video

To view the captured video in good and clear quality, you need a high recording resolution. And now most action cameras offer 4K video. Even if your abode does not have a TV or monitor that supports the notorious UltraHD, it is best to shoot in this resolution. Firstly, 4K video boasts excellent detail, and secondly, at the stage of post-production of footage from ultra-high-resolution videos, you can easily cut out unnecessary without losing quality.

A clear difference between different image formats - from HD to 4K.

The simplest of the category of action cameras are shooting in HD-format (1280x1080 pixels). The bulk is in FullHD resolution (1920x1080 pixels). It can achieve the perfect balance between high quality video and its small volume on the memory card.

An important aspect! In the pursuit of purebred 4K resolution, the frame rate of video recording must be taken into account. For example, some models of action cameras record videos in UltraHD at a speed of only 15 fps, which is completely unsuitable for highly dynamic scenes.

Models with support for recording in 2K and 4K formats often shoot video at a frequency of 30-60 fps. At lower resolutions, the recording speed increases significantly - in FullHD up to 60-120 fps, and in HD up to 120-240 fps. Values above 100 fps allow you to get the SlowMotion effect. It consists in the possibility of slowing down the final video several times and freezing the movement in it (a spectacular trick on a skateboard, jumping from a springboard on a bicycle, conquering the crest of a wave on a surf, etc.).

Another item of the programme falls under the same comb - video bitrate. Simply put, the volume of data stream transfer per unit of time from the action camera matrix to the memory card. Top models of cameras for active types of filming have a bit rate of 100 Mbps. Accordingly, for the correct processing of large arrays of incoming information, you will need to buy a high-speed flash drive in pair with them. These are described in the article “Speed is our everything! 5 microSD cards for 4K video recording.

Lens

For the optics of action cameras, the characteristic of the viewing angle is important. Traditional format camcorders are usually armed with fisheye lenses with an apparent field of view of about 170°. At the same time, the "eye" of the camera sees the maximum of the environment, which allows you not to lose sight of an important event in the frame. To concentrate on the shooting target, the width of the field of view can be reduced in the settings: often the field of view values of 140°, 120°, 90° and 70° are available to the operator.

A new trend of recent seasons is 360° panoramic shooting. Cameras with support for this function are equipped with two multidirectional ultra-wide lenses (180 ° each), the image from which is stitched together by software.

Panoramic cameras with a 360° field of view are a new milestone in the development of the action camera squad.

But the parameters of the aperture ratio of the standard optics of action cameras can be safely neglected. Because the specified characteristic is the same for the lion's share of players on the "Action" field - f / 2.8. However, in the case of other numbers , follow the rule "The higher the sensitivity, the better!".

Remote control

The built-in screen in the equipment of cameras with the prefix "action" is not common. And if it is, sighting on a miniature display is a thankless task. Especially when the camera is attached to something and access to it is limited or undesirable. A way out of the situation is offered by wireless Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modules. The first "finishes" at a distance of 100-150 m in the line of sight, the radius of the second is about ten times less.

It is proposed to control the filming process remotely using a smartphone, tablet, smartwatch and special wearable remote controls(attached to the operator’s wrist). Also, remotely, the user has the right to change the settings and transfer the footage to the attached gadget.

Action camera remote controls come in a variety of formats.

An NFC chip will help you quickly “legalize” a smartphone with an action camera. In addition to the category of wireless communications, a GPS module is included, which is responsible for determining and remembering the location of the camera in order to link it to video geolocation.

autonomy

The issue of autonomy has been on the minds of active shooters since the birth of the action camera family. “On average in the ward”, a regular battery of a modern camera provides 1.5-2 hours of autonomy when recording FullHD video and about 1 hour of “survivability” when shooting 4K videos. This time may be shortened due to the use of wireless communications, electronic picture stabilization, active screen, etc.

A useful accessory for any action camera is a spare battery. A couple of batteries are better, since they are removable almost everywhere and cost adequate money.

Additional options

The price tag directly depends on the level of functional charge of the action camera. Therefore, you will not find a wide variety of options in budget models. Whether it's the middle class and the flagships, in which the "buns" from the list below are found everywhere:

Image stabilization

Stabilization systems are designed to compensate for the shaking of the operator's hands (or the object on which the action camera is attached) and, accordingly, help in obtaining a smooth picture. Without a stub, a video from a bike when moving across rough terrain or a snowboard when descending a steep mountain would simply be unwatchable due to strong shaking.

An effective way to make the video sequence smooth is offered by digital and optical stabilization systems. The principle of operation of the former is based on the use of not the entire area of \u200b\u200bthe matrix when shooting - the edges of the image that are sensitive to shaking are simply cut off. An optical stub is a more advanced solution. In this case, the matrix is used in its entirety and there is no need to provide a margin at the edges. However, cameras with optical stabilizer are more expensive.

An optical stub on board an action camera is the most effective option for compensating camera shake and smoothing out camera shake.

In the absence of a stabilizer in the characteristics of a particular instance, the camera does not need to be upset - all kinds of mounts, monopods and other devices from the accessory park perfectly fulfill its role. More about him below.

A photo

A number of action camera models are capable of taking photos while recording video. The shooting process in this case is not interrupted, and the user gets a better result than when trying to extract a still frame from an already captured video sequence. The thing is that the camera takes a photograph in a higher resolution and uses other tools for processing it than when recording video.

Time Lapse Camera Action

time lapse

In the time- lapse shooting mode, the camera records a video sequence with a low frame rate - 1 frame every few seconds. At the end of the filming process, these frames are combined into a video that plays at a normal frame rate. As a result, the motion in the captured video looks accelerated (sunset or sunrise, construction work, etc.).

When shooting time-lapses, you can achieve interesting effects.

Online streaming

Without the ability to live stream in the era of vlogging, the action camera family would look backward. Specially for traveling streamers and vloggers who share everything that happens with the audience, cameras have been released with support for the online streaming function.

Key Point Labels

Another interesting "trick" of a certain number of camera models for active shooting is the ability to mark key moments. A special tag is assigned to a recorded video with a single press of a button on the body of such camcorders, making it easy to find the specified recording among many others.

Camera action with highlight labels

accessory park

With the help of various mounts, the "carcass" of action cameras can be easily attached to any surface, whether it is a motorcycle racer's or snowboarder's helmet, a car body, a bicycle handlebar, or directly on the operator's body. Auxiliary devices protect the camcorder from mechanical damage and moisture penetration, help facilitate video shooting, and allow you to get a better angle on what is happening in the frame.

The photo shows only a small share of accessories for the GoPro family of action cameras.

The widest variety of accessories is available for Sony and GoPro cameras. Moreover, the “gouproshnye” mounts fit perfectly with many other action cameras of a similar rectangular form factor. In order to understand what exactly you need, you need to decide on the areas of operation of the camcorder for active filming.

Application cases

Cameras with the prefix "action" are usually used in everyday life, on vacation and at work. For example, adepts of scuba diving will fit models in a waterproof design, plus they need an underwater box. Travel enthusiasts need to focus on the longevity of the camera. Action cameras are also used for filming sporting events by bloggers, the same rescuers and the police (for example, the Globex GE-911 chest camera). Models with the function of cyclic video recording will serve as a car recorder.

Significant Players

We say "action camera" - we mean GoPro. This American company has become a household name when it comes to action cameras. GoPro's flagship to date is the HERO 8, which can withstand deep-sea dives without outerwear, shoot stabilized 4K video, and is flexible with optional body kit.

GoPro HERO 8 is the current flagship of the American "breed" action camera squad.

A huge horde of Chinese “breed” action cameras, led by Xiaomi and SJCAM, breathes into the back of expensive GoPro products. Most of these cameras have a similar “body” structure, and many of them also support branded “gopro” accessories.

Sony camcorders have a remarkable potential in the action arena. Unfortunately, in recent years, the Japanese company has been reluctant to update the range of action cameras, but old-timer models from it are still relevant today ( Sony FDR-X3000, Sony RX0M2, etc.).


Good luck with your shots!