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Photograph: Sam Kieldsen
HoverAir
If I had to pick a video trend of the year, it'd be solo adventures shot from a third-person point of view—as if you have a film crew following you. If you want to imitate a film crew, without, well, having a film crew, a drone is going to be an essential piece of kit. Of all the drones I've tested, the Hover Air X Pro is the best at being a flying action camera. It's spendy, and not without its quirks, but no drone is better at following you through all kinds of terrain, and no other drone is this easy to use.
All you do is unfold it, hit the power button, select the video mode, and then place the drone on your outstretched palm facing you. Tap the power button again, and it’ll head out to capture your shot. When you're done ,it'll land in your hand again. It can follow you at up to 26 mph, shoots up to 8K 30-fps video, and offers 50 GB of built-in storage (expandable by 1 TB via microSD card). The one thing I don't like is the battery life, which is only about 15 minutes in my testing. The flip side to the poor battery life is that the battery is small, meaning you have to carry two or three when you go out.
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Courtesy of Olympus
Olympus
The Om Systems TG-7 isn't a strap-it-to-your-head-and-shred camera, but if you're shooting underwater—a common use case for these cameras—this is your best bet. The sensor in the TG-7 is the largest of the bunch (it's a 1/2.33'' CMOS sensor), and this is a seriously tough camera: freeze-proof, crush-proof, dustproof, and shockproof (you can drop it from 7 feet). It also has "real" camera features you won't find elsewhere, like focus stacking for close-ups, an extensive set of add-ons, extra lenses, and even an underwater case that extends its depth rating. The catch is that you probably don't want to strap it to your head, but for a certain use case this will give you better looking photos and video in many situations.
Alternative: Ricoh's Pentax WG-8 ($477) looks very similar to the TG-7 but costs a bit less and uses a 20 MP sensor to the TG-7's 12 MP. Images are sharp, and the LED lights around the lens work remarkably well for macro images. The major limitation is that it only shoots JPG, not RAW photos. But if you don't care about editing your RAW files and just want images straight out of the camera, the WG-8 is a cheaper alternative to the TG-7.
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| Max Video Specs | Battery Life | Max Bit Rate | FOV | Screen | Weight (including battery) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DJI Osmo Action 6 | 8K (16:9): 7680×4320@24/25/30fps (FOV options to Standard, Natural Wide, and Wide), 4K Custom: 3840×3840@24/25/30/48/50/60fps, 4K (4:3): 3840×2880@100/120fps | 122 minutes 4k/60 fps | 120 | 155 degrees, expandable to 182 with the BoosBoost t Boost FOV lens. Aperture: f/2.0-f/4.0 Focus Range (at aperture f/4.0): 0.2 m to ∞ | Rear: 2.5-inch rear OLED touchscreen Front: 1.46-inch OLED touchscreen | 149g |
| GoPro Hero 13 Black | 5.3K/60 fps (with 10-bit log), 4K/120 fps, 2.7K/240 fps, & 720p/400 fps with Burst Slo-Mo | 75 minutes 5K/ 60fps, 91 minutes 5K/ 30fps, 4k/ 60fps 88 minutes | 120 (200 with GoPro Labs firmware) | 156 degrees, expandable to 177 with Ultra Wide Lens Mod | Rear: 2.27-inch Touch Front: 1.4-inch Color Display | 159g |
| Insta360 Ace Pro 2 | 8K/30 fps, 4K/120 fps (with 8-bit color, no log) | 105 minutes at 4k/30 fps | 180 (but only 8-bit color) | 157 degrees | Rear: 2.5-inch flip touch LCD | 177g |
| DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro | 4K/120fps (with 10-bit D-Log), 1080p/240 fps with Slo-Mo mode | 118 minutes 4k/60 fps | 100 | 155 degrees, expandable to 182 with Wide Angle lens | Rear: 2.5-inch rear OLED touchscreen Front: 1.46-inch OLED touchscreen | 145g |
| DJI Osmo Nano | 4K/60 fps | 53 minutes at 4K/ 60 fps | 120 (10-bit color) | 143 degrees | 1.96-inch touchscreen LCD | 124g |
| Insta360 Go Ultra | 8K/60 fps | 65 minutes 4K/ 30fps (pod only)/195 minutes 4K/ 30fps (using base station) | 180 (but only 8-bit color) | 156 degrees | Rear:2.5-inch flip touch LCD | 53g (pod)/160g (with base) |
| GoPro Hero 12 Black | 5.3K/60 fps (with 10-bit log), 4K/120 fps | 49 minutes 4K/ 30fps | 120 | 156 degrees, expandable to 177 with Max Lens Mod | Rear: 2.27-inch Touchscreen Front: 1.4-inch color | 154g |
| Olympus TG-7 | 4K/30fps | 330 shots/~50 4K/ 30fps | 100 | 4x optical zoom (35mm equivalent: 25mm to 100mm) | 3-inch 1080p LCD | 249g |
All those cheap cameras on Amazon: Readers often ask, why spend $400 on a GoPro when they can get a camera with 4K video for $100? It's a fair question, and the answer comes down to software, primarily image stabilization. Action cameras are designed to be strapped to helmets or clipped to your chest while you skydive, rock climb, and race through the city on a scooter. Without stabilization, the results are something even your closest friends won't sit through. So yes, you'll get 4K footage with the cheaper cams, but it'll be footage no one wants to see. In our view, you're better off spending another $100 for an older GoPro (Hero 11 or 12) on sale.
Photograph: Scott Gilbertson
Once you have an action camera, you're good to go for most use cases. GoPro, Insta360, and DJI all provide helmet mounts and other ways to stick your camera where you want it. But there are some nice extras that can make getting that shot you're dreaming of even easier. Here are a few:
A good microSD card: You may get an SD card with your camera. Insta360's SD cards are pretty good actually, but I tend to use SanDisk's Extreme cards because they're fast and, as a bonus, waterproof. You can pick up a 512-GB card for around $70. I also like Samsung's Pro Plus microSD cards, which are a little faster in my tests. You can grab a 256-GB for around $96. DJI has some specific recommendations for microSD cards to use with the Action 6. Of their list the one I recommend is the Lexar Professional Silver Plus ($24).
GoPro Media Mod for $79: GoPro's sound is OK out of the box, but if you want higher-quality audio, this is where you start. Not because the Media Mod produces great sound—it's better than the camera, but still not great. What it offers is a microphone jack. Plug in a high-quality microphone and you'll finally have awesome sound. (Not recommended while skydiving.)
Handlebar/seatpost/pole mount for $40: This is my favorite mount for mountain biking, but it'll also work on ski poles and any other round object you want to clamp it to.
Motorcycle accessory bundle for $50: If you ride, this mount for Insta360 cameras (Ace Pro, X5, etc.) is a must-have. It's one of the most secure clamps I've ever used, almost as good as a bench vice.
Yallsame tripod mount for $10: Action cameras offer many ways to mount them, but one that's curiously missing is the traditional quarter-inch tripod screw mount. The GoPro Hero 13 has one, but this three-pack of adapters solves the problem for the others.
Polarizer and ND filters: If you shoot around water, through glass, or in any other high-glare situation, a polarizing filter will help cut that glare. Neutral density (ND) filters hold back light to let you shoot at a wider aperture in bright light, helping to increase the amount of motion blur. Both are great additions to your action camera kit. If you have the Hero 13 Black you can get the new GoPro ND filter Four-Pack ($90), which automatically adjusts the camera settings when attached. This is huge since getting the shutter speed right with ND filters can take some trial and error. The GoPro ND filters handle all that for you. If you don't have a HEro 13, I've tested and like DJI's ND filter set for the Action 6 ($79). For older GoPros, I like Freewell's polarizing and ND filters ($20). I suggest starting with an 8-stop ND or combo ND and polarizing filter.
Floaty for $35: Another one for the water shooters, but well worth the money since it'll keep your GoPro from ending up at the bottom of the sea. I haven't tried it, but here's one for the Insta360 Ace Pro 2 ($20), and at the time of updating the Action 6 is so new there doesn't see to be a case. I can confirm that the older case will work, but the buttons don't quite line up and it's a pain to use. Hopefully DJI will get out an updated version soon.
Selfie stick for $25: I've tested a lot of selfie sticks and they're almost all fine, but I keep grabbing this Insta360 version when I head out the door. It's lightweight, small enough to fit at the bottom of my bag, and it's affordable. If you want to go big, this Insta360 Extended Edition Selfie Stick ($100) can imitate a low-flying drone, perfect for use in national parks and other places where drones are forbidden.
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