Action camera

Last updated
Action-Cam with underwater housing Sony HDR AS5 Action Cam 2 -- Sven Volkens.jpg
Action-Cam with underwater housing

An action camera or action cam is a digital camera designed for recording action while being immersed in it. Action cameras are therefore typically compact, rugged, and waterproof at the surface level. They typically use CMOS image sensors, [1] and can take photos in burst mode and time-lapse mode as well as record high-definition video (as of 2019, mid-range to high-end action cameras can record 4K video at 60 fps). Slow-motion video recording at 120 or 240 fps is also a common feature.

Contents

Overview

The camera is typically worn or mounted in such a way that it can shoot from the point of view of the shooter. Some examples of common places to mount an action camera are on a hat or helmet, on the chest, or on the handlebars of a bike or similar vehicle. They may also be mounted on a tripod or on a monopod for handheld use. An action camera is usually designed to require minimal interaction once recording has begun, as this allows continuous capture of the action without having to interact with the camera. A typical action camera records onto a micro SD card, and has either a Micro-USB or a USB-C connector.

Navy parachute demonstration team member wearing a helmet cam on a jump The Leap Frogs train over San Diego. (9971308184).jpg
Navy parachute demonstration team member wearing a helmet cam on a jump

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 their reactions.

GoPro Hero 4 Silver Edition, one of the most recognizable action cameras Cyclisme & GoPro - GoPro Hero 4 (02).JPG
GoPro Hero 4 Silver Edition, one of the most recognizable action cameras

The category is commonly associated with the GoPro range of cameras, and many action cameras come with a GoPro mount adapter to take advantage of the accessories available for these cameras. However, there are many GoPro alternatives which are entering the market of action cameras in recent times.

In 2014, worldwide action camera sales increased by 44 percent from the previous year and half of them have the capability to shoot Ultra High Definition at 4K resolution. Action camera sales have surpassed traditional camcorder and compact camera sales, and it is predicted that in 2019, action camera sales will surpass all types of cameras due to the sales of other camera types declining or stabilizing. [2]

By 2021, the Ultra HD category of the action camera market is expected to reach $3.3 billion. The Full HD category, meanwhile, is expected to reach $2.2 billion, with the surveillance/security industry driving growth. [3]

8ten action camera, low budget HD camera Arya.8ten.action.camera.jpg
8ten action camera, low budget HD camera

In 2018 Sony launched a shock and waterproof camera with a 1" sensor in a body size similar to an action camera. However, Sony is not marketing it as an action camera; rather, as a video professional camera with the capability to shoot with up to 15 cameras at the same time. [4]

Product lines

Besides the GoPro line, other models of action cams include the:

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Digital camera</span> Camera that captures photographs or video in digital format

A digital camera is a camera that captures photographs in digital memory. Most cameras produced today are digital, largely replacing those that capture images on photographic film. Digital cameras are now widely incorporated into mobile devices like smartphones with the same or more capabilities and features of dedicated cameras. High-end, high-definition dedicated cameras are still commonly used by professionals and those who desire to take higher-quality photographs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camcorder</span> Video camera with built-in video recorder

A camcorder is a self-contained portable electronic device with video and recording as its primary function. It is typically equipped with an articulating screen mounted on the left side, a belt to facilitate holding on the right side, hot-swappable battery facing towards the user, hot-swappable recording media, and an internally contained quiet optical zoom lens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HDV</span> Magnetic tape-based HD videocassette format for camcorders

HDV is a format for recording of high-definition video on DV videocassette tape. The format was originally developed by JVC and supported by Sony, Canon, and Sharp. The four companies formed the HDV Consortium in September 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyber-shot</span> Brand of Sony digital cameras introduced in 1996

Cyber-shot is Sony's line of point-and-shoot digital cameras introduced in 1996. Cyber-shot model names use a DSC prefix, which is an initialism for "Digital Still Camera". Many Cyber-shot models feature Carl Zeiss trademarked lenses, while others use Sony, or Sony G lenses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sony camcorders</span>

Sony Corporation produces professional, consumer, and prosumer camcorders such as studio and broadcast, digital cinema cameras, camcorders, pan-tilt-zoom and remote cameras.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exmor</span> Digital camera technology

Exmor is technology Sony implemented on some of their CMOS image sensors. It performs on-chip analog/digital signal conversion and two-step noise reduction in parallel on each column of the CMOS sensor.

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX5 is a digital still camera announced by Sony on February 18, 2010. It boasts advanced features like Backlight Correction HDR, Hand-Held Twilight aided by the Exmor R CMOS sensor, and the intelligent panorama stitching mode, called the iSweep. The camera also has a waterproof body, which also makes it dust-proof. It is also freeze-proof for up to -10 °C and shock-proof, when dropped from a height of about 1.5 meters. Sony describes it as a rugged camera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">8K resolution</span> Resolutions with approximate width of 8,000 pixels

8K resolution refers to an image or display resolution with a width of approximately 8,000 pixels. 8K UHD is the highest resolution defined in the Rec. 2020 (UHDTV) standard.

A 3D camcorder can record 3D video.

GoPro, Inc. is an American technology company founded in 2002 by Nick Woodman. It manufactures action cameras and develops its own mobile apps and video-editing software. Founded as Woodman Labs, Inc, the company eventually focused on the connected sports genre, developing its line of action cameras and, later, video editing software. It is based in San Mateo, California.

XAVC is a recording format that was introduced by Sony on October 30, 2012. XAVC is a format that will be licensed to companies that want to make XAVC products.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dolby Vision</span> Set of technologies by Dolby Laboratories

Dolby Vision is a set of technologies developed by Dolby Laboratories for high dynamic range (HDR) video. It covers content creation, distribution, and playback. It includes dynamic metadata that define the aspect ratio and adjust the picture based on a display's capabilities on a per-shot or even per-frame basis, optimizing the presentation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000</span>

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000 is a digital superzoom bridge camera by Panasonic. It went on sale in June 2014. It has a 20 megapixel 3:2 BSI-CMOS sensor and Leica-branded 25–400 mm equivalent focal length lens with a maximum aperture of f/2.8 to f/4. It has a 1-inch CMOS sensor and supports ISO film speeds from 80 to 25600, shutter speeds from 1/16000 s to 60 s and RAW capture, while the lowest physical shutter speed is 1/4000 s. The unit is equipped with five "Fn" function buttons which can be allocated to custom shortcuts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sony RX</span> Digital camera range

The Sony RX is the name of a range of fixed lens compact point-and-shoot digital cameras created by Sony in 2012. All cameras are equipped with Carl Zeiss lenses.

Arashi Vision Inc., doing business as Insta360, is a camera company headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong, with offices in Los Angeles, Tokyo and Berlin. It makes action cameras, 360-degree cameras, editing software for mobile and desktop and 180-3D cameras.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sony Xperia 1</span> 2019 Android smartphone

The Sony Xperia 1 is an Android smartphone made by Sony. Part of Sony's flagship Xperia series, the device was announced to the public at a press conference held at the annual 2019 Mobile World Congress event on February 25, 2019. It’s the world's first smartphone with an ultrawide 21:9 aspect ratio 4K HDR OLED display, dubbed Cinema Wide, and Sony's first triple-lens camera system featuring Eye AF eye-tracking technology seen in the company's Alpha line of professional-grade cameras. The Xperia 1 was later joined by a more compact, the Xperia 5, which was revealed on 5 September 2019. Compared to the Xperia 1, the Xperia 5 has a smaller 1080p screen, a smaller battery, and a non-centrally aligned camera module.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Redmi K30 Pro</span> Smartphones manufactured by Xiaomi

Redmi K30 Pro is a line of Android-based smartphones manufactured by Xiaomi and marketed under its Redmi sub-brand. There are four models, the K30 Pro, K30 Pro Zoom, K30 Ultra and the POCO F2 Pro, which is a rebranded version of the K30 Pro.

References

  1. ↑ "CMOS Sensors Enable Phone Cameras, HD Video". NASA Spinoff . NASA . Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  2. ↑ "Action Camera Market To See Growth Through 2019" . Retrieved April 2, 2017.
  3. ↑ "Global Action Camera Market to Grow at a CAGR of Almost 15% Through 2021- Forecasts by Technavio". May 22, 2017. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  4. ↑ Lars Rehm (August 31, 2017). "Sony RX0 puts a 1-inch sensor into a rugged and ultra-compact body".
  5. ↑ "Sony treads on GoPro's turf with WiFi-capable Action Cam series". August 30, 2012.
  6. ↑ "Sony takes thrills to the next level and expands cam lineup of premium point-of-view video capture devices". September 4, 2013.
  7. ↑ Pachal, Peter (20 Aug 2013). "Garmin Takes On GoPro With the VIRB Waterproof Action Camera" . Retrieved 16 Mar 2015.
  8. ↑ "Panasonic HX-A500". Engadget. AOL. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  9. ↑ Chris Hall. "Toshiba Camileo X-Sports action camera review" . Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  10. ↑ "Polaroid Cube – The New HD Action Camera from Polaroid". Polaroid Cube. Archived from the original on 12 August 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  11. ↑ Sean Keach. "TomTom Bandit action cam is the latest GoPro rival" . Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  12. ↑ "Xiaomi launches GoPro video camera rival at a fraction of the cost". 2 Mar 2015. Retrieved 16 Mar 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.