These are the best HD action adventure cameras as selected by the public.
10 of the Best Action Cameras
Thanks to the increased use of mobile devices, the continued improvement of photo-taking apps and the prevalence of social media, even your most daring stunts can be viewed by not only you, but the entire world. However, shooting a skydiving activity just wouldn’t cut it. This is where action cameras come in to give you the best coverage of your most dangerous and insane adventures.
Since there are lots of models out in the market, here are the top ten that you can choose from (not in particular order):
1) Ion Air Pro 3
When you think about buying an action camera, you probably wouldn’t think about the Ion brand straight away. However, this underdog does have quality features that would make it a worthwhile device to own. It comes with the following features:
- shoots at 1080p at 60 frames per second
- captures 12MP stills
- comes with WiFi for pairing with smartphone
- designed with new custom-built lens
All of those features are easily available with more well known brands, but the Ion Air Pro 3 gives all of that to you at a fairly competitive price.
What’s also great about it is its one-switch design. Meaning, all you have to do is flip it and start recording.
2) Drift Ghost-S
The Ion Air Pro 3 and the Drift Ghost-S are the same in that the colors they both produce are very neutral. However, in the case of the Ghost-S, the colors are much more sharper. Here are other features of this model:
- 1080p @ 60 fps
- 12MP CMOS sensor
- rotating lens (up to 300 degrees)
- 2-inch TFT color screen
The Ghost-S also comes with a two-way remote control that can be strapped to your wrist. Having this makes starting and stopping the recording process a whole lot easier.
3) Garmin VIRB Elite
Garmin is better known as a company that creates GPS watches and the like. However, they have released an action camera of their own called the Garmin VIRB Elite and it is quite impressive.
What’s great about this model is its sharpness. The video produced by the camera not that compressed and the detail is just really good. An even better feature of this model is its capability to perform well even in low-light situations. It can give you really good image quality with the least amount of noise.
Here are the other features of the VIRB Elite:
- WiFi
- GPS
- accelerometer
- barometric altimeter
- ANT+ radio
- temperature sensors
4) Sony Action Cam 2
This is a newer iteration of the Sony Cam, and most of its features remain the same. On a physical level, the shape has been retained. Other features of the Sony Action Cam 2 include a basic LCD screen and buttons for navigating.
One thing that’s great about the Action Cam 2 is that it is small and light. Which is great for those who want to strap the device onto their head because it wouldn’t bear much weight.
Here are the rest of the features of this device:
- 1080p/60fps, 720p/120fps
- 170 degree field of view
- WiFi
- NFC
- GPS
Another thing that stands out about the Action Cam 2 is its audio quality. Even when submerged in water, the sound is really impressive still.
5) JVC Adixxion GC-XA2
The best way to describe the JVC Adixxion GC-XA2 is that it is small yet great. Once you get past the rather quirky way of naming the model, you’ll find that this is quite the nifty little device you need.
What stands out about the device is that its detail is very impressive. The colors are really well balanced and it’s not that bad when it comes to low-light situations and audio quality. In short, the Adixxion produces good audio and video.
Other features of this model include:
- 8MP back-illuminated CMOS
- 1080p/60fps, 720p/120fps
- 160 degree field of view
- WiFi – allows you to directly stream what you shoot to Ustream and upload your content directly to YouTube
Another nice feature of the Adixxion is that it supports a full-sized SD card which is really helpful because these are the types of extra storage that are much easier to find than microSD’s.
6) GoPro Hero 3+ Black
This is an upgrade from its predecessor, the Hero 3 Black. It is without question that GoPro makes the best action cameras, and it is evident in the GoPro Hero 3+ Black.
When it comes to image quality, this device cannot be beaten. It captures images in the best detail and they always come out clear and sharp. Even better, the Hero 3+ Black also performs really impressively in low-light conditions. The praise doesn’t just stop there because the microphone – which is an improvement from the previous model – it comes with has great quality.
Here are the rest of the features of this model:
- shoots at 4K – just keep in mind that it only shoots at this level at 15fps
- shoots at 2.7K @ 30 fps – this it does quite well
- SuperView mode – great for board sports
- shoots in Protune – allows you to capture video in raw video format which gives you tons of options when post processing
- WiFi remote control
Above all these things, the GoPro is so small that you won’t even notice it.
7) Rollei Actioncam S-50
Rollei claims that its Rollei Actioncam S-50 can do everything that to GoPro can and more. Given its similarity in physical appearance, it’s not easy to deduce that the Actioncam S-50 does take inspiration from GoPro. However, when it comes to the actual size, the Rollei is smaller.
Other features of the Actioncam S-50 include:
- 14MP sensor
- 1080p @ 30 fps
- integrated WiFi
8) Polaroid C3
The Polaroid C3 is a cute cube of a camera. It is capable of capturing videos and still images at 120 degrees. Although it doesn’t quite capture the same quality as cameras from GoPro, it’s still a steal given its unique design and features.
The C3 comes with the following features:
- 5MP sensor
- 1280×720 videos and photos
The planned release for this is around the summer of 2014.
9) Panasonic HX-AH100
The Panasonic HX-AH100 sports an earhook design which is great for you as it doesn’t need to be attached to a helmet. Instead, the camera will be hooked on to a separate recorder which will be attached to you.
Here are its other features:
- full HD 1080p @ 60fps, 720p HD @ 120 fps
- 160-degree viewing angle
- WiFi – allows you to live stream the video you shoot
- f/2.5 lens
10) Toshiba Camileo X-Sports
The Toshiba Camileo X-Sports comes with a rugged casing that allows it to be submerged in water for up to 60 meters. Not only that, it is also shock proof from 1.5 meters. With these features, you can push the device to its limits without damaging it.
Other features of the Camileo X-Sports include:
- wrist-worn remote – for easy control
- WiFi – for easy and quick video upload
- 1080p @ 60fps
- wide angle lens
- 12 MP CMOS sensor
With these options, hopefully you can find one that suits your needs best.
