5 practical accessories for Sony action cameras

Wrist Mount Sony AKA-WM1

One of the most affordable mounts for Sony action cameras consists of a Hook-and-loop strap and a turntable for installing a camcorder.

The advantage of the Hook-and-loop strap is the ability to adjust the girth of the accessory to any size of the hand — from a fragile female to a brutal male wrist. The weight of the attachment is only 40 g, which is completely not felt during prolonged wear. Nevertheless, it sits very tenaciously on the hand, without slipping or scrolling randomly.

The action camera is mounted on a special turntable, which provides 16 fixed positions of rotation of the camcorder in the 360° range. Before that, you only need to fasten a tripod pad to the camera, which is inserted into the mount itself. You will not have to worry about accidental loss of the action camera during operation, because the accessory holds it very tightly.

The arm and the platform with the camera are separated by a rubber base. It provides additional fixation of the camcorder, especially in case of contact with water. Thus, the scope of application of the attachment is limited only by your imagination — it will fit equally well both for filming the underwater world, and for capturing an extreme ski descent or skydiving on video.

Sony BLT-CHM1 Head Mount

The head mount not only allows you to leave your hands free when shooting, but also provides an opportunity to get a first—person view — the picture will be visible as it is perceived by the operator's eyes.

The accessory provides two ways of attaching to the head: by means of a belt with an adjustable girth range (similar to headlamps) or by means of a large clip, which is convenient to use when it is necessary to attach an action camera to a baseball cap. Especially savvy users use a latch to install the camcorder on the strap of a backpack or any other suitable surface.

The use of the belt does not cause discomfort even when the accessory is worn on the head for a long time. It does not squeeze anything and holds firmly in one position. The camera itself is no less firmly fixed, which is held in the mount with a micrometer screw. It will only take a few seconds to remove or install it back.

The mount is not suitable for a camera in an underwater box. Therefore, for lovers of underwater filming or adherents of video recording in the rain, it is advisable to get a fellow model in the person of Sony BLT-UHM1, capable of taking on board a camcorder paired with a sealed case.

Useful advice. To make the video more dramatic, you can slow down the playback speed of the most acute moments of the video sequence during post-processing of the footage. To do this, it is necessary to shoot at a high frame rate (at least 60 fps, and preferably 120 fps and higher).

Chest Mount Sony AKA-CMH1

By attaching the Sony action camera to the chest mount, you can fully concentrate on driving a bike or snowboard without worrying about the camera angle. This is the main advantage of the Sony AKA-CMH1 in comparison with wrist or head mounts, when using which it is necessary to control the position of the camera lens to obtain a more favorable angle.

The belt system tightly fits the shoulders and chest of its owner in the girth range from 74 to 140 cm. The tightness of the fit must be adjusted to suit yourself only when using the attachment for the first time. In the future, there will be no problems with dressing him — this is as easy to do as throwing a backpack on his shoulders.

The camera, paired with a protective box, is attached to the socket using a tripod platform, and its position is regulated by a micrometer screw. The angle of inclination of the action camera varies in both horizontal and vertical positions within 360°, which opens up wide possibilities in choosing an interesting shooting angle.

The chest mount is designed to create the effect of complete immersion in what is happening. With its help, you will be able to experience all the delights of an extreme sport or an active pastime in the first person. And especially spectacular when using Sony AKA-CMH1 are the scenes shot from behind the handlebars of a bicycle when traveling over rough terrain, and underwater hunting shots.

Sony AKA-LU1 boxing

The Sony AKA-LU1 box helps to turn a camcorder for active shooting into a full-fledged video camera with an LCD display that rotates along all axes in just a couple of movements.

The accessory is connected to the action camera by means of an expansion slot. In order to get the hang of docking both ports, it will take some time — the protective plug on the camera body will constantly interfere with putting the camcorder in the box. The frame of the accessory increases the total weight of the action camera by 132 g.The keys for starting video recording and controlling file playback are duplicated on its body, and there is also a socket for installing the entire structure on a tripod. However, access to all camera ports is cut off when using the box.

The 2.7" folding colour display is used as a viewfinder or to reproduce the footage (video and photos). But unfortunately, it is impossible to control the menu functions with its help. You will have to change the shooting parameters directly on the camera, since its screen and keys remain freely available.

The box is powered by the battery of the action camera, which affects the duration of its battery life. Therefore, for a long-term shooting, it is advisable to stock up on an additional battery. And then an interesting frame certainly will not slip out of sight of the camera object for active filming.

Sony RM-LVR2 Remote control

The remote control provides access to all the parameters of the action camera at a distance of up to 5 m — this signal reception radius supports Wi-Fi connection.

The remote control screen has a diagonal of 1.5" and is securely attached to the operator's wrist with a Hook-and-loop strap (similar to a wrist mount). The bulky dimensions of the accessory do not really contribute to the convenience of wearing it on a small hand. But the ability to be seen in the process of filming allows you to forgive large sizes.

6 control keys are placed on the remote control body. With their help, you can change all the settings of the associated action camera (set shooting modes, video recording quality or colour settings, turn off the stabilizer, etc.), as well as easily start recording video and play back the footage. You can do this under water — the waterproof case of the remote can withstand diving to a depth of 3 metres.

Another nice feature of the remote control is the support for simultaneous connection of up to 5 Sony action cameras. At a minimum, this opens up more features in the post-processing of the footage, allowing you to switch between different camera angles.

The screen of the remote shows the remaining charge of the built-in battery (in the upper left corner) and the battery of the tethered action camera (bottom right). One charge ensures the operation of the accessory for up to 4 hours, about the same time it lasts charging, which is carried out through the microUSB port on the side of the remote.

Useful to know. Under water, the connection radius between the remote control and the camera is significantly reduced (up to 0.5-1 m), which is due to the properties of water to absorb Wi-Fi signal radiation.