Action Camera

An action camera or action-cam is a digital camera designed for filming action while being immersed in it. Action cameras are therefore typically compact and rugged, and waterproof at surface. They typically record video as a priority over stills, as this allows continuous capture of the action without having to interact with the camera or indeed removing it from its housing, if an additional protective housing is used. Most record on a micro SD card, and have a Micro-USB connector.

Action cameras are associated with outdoor sports, and, often attached to helmets, surfboards or handlebars, are an integral part of many extreme sports such as base jumping and wingsuit flying.

Sometimes several cameras are used to capture specific perspectives, such as a helmet camera that sees the perspective of the actor in combination with a second camera attached to the environment of the rider, such as a board, wing, handlebar or wrist, that looks back onto the rider and records his reactions.

Action cameras are mainly used to record videos instead of pictures, as they typically have much better stabilization than normal cameras. Most action camera companies focus on improving the stabilization capability by developing their expertise in hardware, software, and firmware. For typical DSLR cameras, it’s hard to improve the stabilization without configuring a tripod and other additional equipment which often makes the setup bulky and difficult to operate.

GoPro was an early pioneer in the field of action cameras and put down some high benchmarks for the industry. My understanding of action cameras was built from using GoPro. It can be said that GoPro sparked many people’s interest in action cameras and that their high level of hardware performance has been maintained over many years.

When purchasing an Action camera the points you should take in consideration are the following:

Video Quality

Unless you are buying an action camera just for the sake of owning one, video resolution is an important factor to consider when choosing a specific brand and model. At present, 4K resolution is the highest video quality available on most high-end action cameras, followed by 1080p and 720p. The right video resolution for you depends on what you will be using your camera for and on what devices you foresee yourself using to view your footage. If you don’t own a 4K TV or computer monitor, getting an action camera with 4K is pointless.

Size, Shape, and Weight

Some shapes are more convenient for certain applications than others. Most action cameras are box-shaped, making them ideal for chest mounting. Others have a bullet-shaped design, which some people prefer for helmet mounting. As for size and weight, it may be best to go with the lightest and most compact model for maximum portability.

Durability

If you plan to use your action camera in rain, snow, or underwater, look for words like “waterproof” and “weatherproof” when looking at a certain model’s list of features. Some action cameras have a water-resistant exterior, while others need to be placed inside a waterproof case.

Image Quality

If you are planning to use an action camera for taking still photos, you may want to take the camera’s image quality into consideration because the higher the megapixels, the higher the photo resolution. But in any case, you can still optimize your image to suit your needs.

Battery Life

Most action cameras only last about one to three hours of continuous use before their battery runs out of juice. But of course, this will vary depending on usage, because shooting higher-resolution videos drains your battery faster, so does having Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and other connectivity features turned on.

Most people often choose devices with the longest battery life. But sometimes, a camera with a longer battery life might be more expensive, or may not have the features you are looking for. If longer battery life is not an option, make sure to look for cost and availability of spare batteries from action camera you are considering.

Connectivity

It is ideal to have quick and easy methods to upload or transfer your video footage and images to the web, your computer, or smartphone, especially if your camera doesn’t have a screen for preview and playback. Also, connectivity features allow you to use your camera with other add-on accessories that require Wi-Fi or other connectivity options.

Memory

You need the fastest memory card you can afford to get the best performance out of your action camera. A card that doesn’t have fast enough write speed will cause dropped frames, resulting in jerky footage.

Accessories

If you are planning to use your camera vigorous sports activities such as surfing, you will need the right mount to secure your camera on your surfboard—and not all brands will have that type of mount or the proper accessories you may need.

To solve this issue you can check each brand’s website or the store you are buying from to see what accessories and mounting options are included and which ones are available as add-ons for each brand and model you are considering. This way, you will not end up buying a camera and finding out later that you cannot buy a certain accessory that is crucial for the sport or

Mega pixels?

As action cameras also take photos you should check how many megapixels the action camera has.  The average smartphone has around 8 mega pixels if that helps.  We wouldn’t recommend any lower than that.

How much storage?

You want to make sure you have a decent amount of storage as you don’t want to run out of space just as you are filming something amazing.  If you are going to be filming a lot (rather than just taking photos) this will take up more space on the SD card so it might be a good idea to get an action camera with a bigger capacity although it’s not essential as you could just take a few space micro SD cards so you can change to a new one when the exiting SD card is full. Something to keep in mind is that if you choose to go for a 4K action camera the videos are higher definition which take up more room on the device.

 Conclusion

Konga offers a variety of Action cameras specification covers all the factors you need to look for when buying one. Their 4K Ultra HD 16MP Action Camera has a whopping 128GB storage capacity with a microSD card. As a rough calculation 1 minute of a 4K recording uses just under 400MB of space. With this camera and a 128GB microSD card you can record 5 hours’ worth of 4K video. Before you need to worry about moving anything to cloud storage.

You can spend lots of money on an action camera, but if you’re not using it for professional reasons. And you just want something that is a decent quality and easy to use. Then something like the this action camera is ideal as it gives you ultra HD. It has huge storage, a fisheye lens, 16 mega pixels and it has Wi-Fi.