Anyone who loves outdoor activities with a little adventure or good measure always wants to capture the great outdoors. Fortunately, we are blessed with plenty in Australia.
Luckily, with tech advancements, we can now capture images that were unthinkable only a decade ago: up above, down below and in the water.
However, with a mobile phone carrying so much more than just our contacts on it for three days even though they come waterproof now, you don’t want to risk losing that while scuba diving or swimming, so we go back to the good old camera!
Other than mounting action cameras on personal accessories like:
- Helmets
- Chest Straps
- Selfie Sticks
- And Drones…
Many other outdoor action cams and adventure cameras typically adorn multiple vantage points and angles.
Many Aspects Make a Great Camera
Whether it be the best action cameras, outdoor action cams, adventure cameras or more the market is buzzing with new cameras with rapidly advancing features.
Here are some of the factors that you should consider before buying an action camera:
Resolution and Frame Rate
A resolution and frame rate are parameters that will cause your video to be either blurry and stutter or have a great quality and even smoothness.
The more the resolution and frame rate, the better the footage details and the less pixels jitter. Undoubtedly, with its full HD and frame rate comes the increased demand for more memory storage and battery power. Concerning the maximum quality, an action camera to go for needs to have ability to record in 4K resolution at 30 frames per second or Full HD at 60 frames per second, at least.
Stabilisation and Field of View
Proper video stabilisation and field of view are the two big factors that predict coverage and clean video. The higher the degree of the stabilisation the clearer and noiseless the video is.
In general, this wider point of view allows you to see a wider range of the scenery in addition to actions. It is recommended that you get an action camera which has a professional stabilisation system, including optical, electronic or gimbal, and has the widest field of view, that is 170 degrees, 140 degrees, and 120 degrees, to get the ultra HD quality.
Battery Life and Storage
Time and space constitute an acoustic voyage of self-discovery. The longer the battery life, the longer you can spend recording before the camera power shutdown for recharging is occurring.
The more space you have, the more videos and pictures you will be able to hold, resulting in never worrying about ending up with a zero-byte free space again.
The best result shall be from a power supply camera with a decently long life, and at least one hour or even more, and a sizeable storage, the bigger the better but not less than 32GB either.
Features and Connectivity
This is the nitty gritty when it comes to selecting the camera you want regardless of the purpose. Remember this will be with you for the foreseeable future so choose wisely, based upon the following:
WiFi and Bluetooth
Thus, these devices can connect your sports camera to your smartphone or tablet and run an app from which you can:
- Manage
- Preview
- Edit
- And share the media content.
GPS and Sensors
A built-in capability that comes in handy while saving your location, the speed and altitude among other parameters, and they can be superimposed on your videos and pictures.
Voice and Touch Control
These tools allow you use voice control or gestures of touch, thus you do not need to occupy your hands with controlling your action cameras.
Waterproof and Shockproof
It makes it possible to submerge the action camera underwater or use it in extreme conditions without any damage.
At the same time, let us see what we consider the best action cameras of the current year and everything that would follow such as that of its advantages and disadvantages as well.
A Look at Two Cameras With Different Specifications and Features
Best Overall
DJI Action 2
Is a Youtuber specific action cam, which is also waterproof up to 50 meters, enabling divers to get as close to the action as possible.
Design
It has the modular and modern design characteristics that are not found in any similar camera. Therefore, its an ever-growing popular option.
The basic principle of this action camera is a main module with:
- A Built-in Camera and Screen
- Battery
- And Several Optional Modules…
These can be assembled or disassembled, such as:
- A Power Module
- A Front Screen
- A Wireless Microphone
- And a Double Screen…
The integrated component can be used exclusively as a high-quality standalone action cam of 56g in weight.
The DJI Action 2 12-megapixel camera not only supports 4K video but feature a frame rate of 120 fps and a full HD video with a frame rate of 240 fps.
It does so by using a 1/1.7-inch sensor, which ensures an increased number of photons are captured and a 155-degree field of view that is able to include the environment as well as the hustle and bustle.
Ado to this a 4-axis Hybrid Stabilisation System, which can eradicate vibrations and tiny bumps, & has HDR video mode, which is used for increasing the color and contrast.
Also, its battery has a life of 70 minutes and a recharge time around 30 minutes.
It has microSD cards (up to 256GB) and a built-in internal storage of 32GB (256GB). It also comes with a smart app that permits you to control your action camera via your smartphone and features such as voice and touch control, which allow you to use voice or touch commands to control your action cam.
Pros:
- Flexible and pioneering design
- Superior camera and stabilisation
- The extended battery life and quick charging
- Intelligent app and voice and touch control
Cons:
- Expensive
- Non-waterproof or non-shockproof without a case
Best Budget
The LE version of Akaso Brave 7
The Akaso Brave 7 LE is a top-budget action camera that provides a lot of value for little money.
The 20-megapixel camera of this action camera allows recording of 4K video at 30 or Full HD video at 60 frames per second.
This model also has a 6-axis stabilisation system that eliminates shaking and fuzziness and a 170-degree field of view that can shoot wider scenes and action.
A dual-screen design of a 2-inch touchscreen on the back and a 1.5-inch front screen on the front is also offered by the Akaso Brave 7 LE.
This enables you to quickly compose and view your images and snap selfies and vlogs. It also has a waterproof and dustproof design, which can resist water of 1-meter and both dust without a case and 40-meters with a case.
The also battery life of the Akaso Brave 7 LE is 60 minutes, charging time 180 minutes. It also can accommodate up to 128GB of microSD card storage with no internal storage. It also comes with a basic app through which you can operate and share commands of your action camera using your mobile phone and remote control to trigger the start or stop of recording from afar.
Pros:
- Inexpensive and economic
- Dual-screen design
- IP67 waterproof and dustproof design
- Basic app and remote control
Cons:
- Low-grade camera and image stabilisation
- Poor battery life and long charge period
- No internal storage
SUMMARY
Cameras are evolving at a rapid pace, so keeping up with each and every new entry on the market is almost impossible. However, if you need adventure cameras or outdoor action cams, they are out there. What we’ve done in this article is give you a couple of examples of what’s on the market and what spec’s and features they carry. The most important rule of thumb to follow is what you should be looking for in a camera before you buy. If you find a camera with all the features we’ve listed at the start, you should be well on your way. Good luck!