Action cameras: an extreme point of view
Not everyone wants to be in the driver's seat when it comes to experiencing extreme action -- in fact, most people prefer to do it remotely. But with today's ultra-small wearable cameras and high-def resolutions, the less outdoorsy among us can experience a bit of the rush without any of the broken limbs. The action camera tech we now use is the product of decades of experimentation by fearless filmmakers and adrenaline junkies alike. Join us in the gallery below as we explore the emergence of the action camera from its clunky early days to today's go-anywhere POV devices.
![<p>If you look at photos from the early 1900s, it's likely they were taken with a Graflex camera. The company was formed around the turn of the 20th century as Folmer and Schwing Manufacturing Company, but soon became a division of Eastman Kodak.</p>
<p>Its popular 5 x 7 model could be modified with larger lenses to help capture close-up action at sporting events, even from the sidelines. Cameras like this one offered a full-sized viewfinder and had shutter speeds that could be adjusted from 1/10 to 1/1000 of a second.</p>
<p>[Image: Library of Congress (Herman "Germany" Schaefer of the Washington Senators, 1911)]</p>](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/YZLTs0DSNNCy5alRXIXf3Q--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTk2MA--/https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/kxP5pwm1udtqrrI7SkrlGg--~B/aD04MDA7dz04MDA7YXBwaWQ9eXRhY2h5b24-/https://www.blogcdn.com/slideshows/images/slides/298/534/2/S2985342/slug/l/germany-graflex-1911-800-1.jpg)
![<p>When Aerial Video Systems (AVS) equipped rider Dick Garcia with a microwave transmission rig during a 1986 motocross championship race, a milestone in live point-of-view action was achieved. A Canon CI-10 color video camera with a CCD image sensor was able to stream video directly to ABC production trucks so it could incorporate shots from the rider's perspective into the broadcast.</p>
<p>[Image: <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:VideoJoe&action=edit&redlink=1">VideoJoe</a>/Wikimedia]</p>](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/3MxYEGk_CrXIsnFe4TM_ng--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTk2MA--/https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/U.Gs5BY7nUVSNxNNQtJt6w--~B/aD04MDA7dz04MDA7YXBwaWQ9eXRhY2h5b24-/https://www.blogcdn.com/slideshows/images/slides/298/534/4/S2985344/slug/l/avs-helmet-cam-800-1.jpg)
![<p>While cameras like GoPro's have provided a convenient and affordable way for coaches to follow along with their quarterbacks, it was a different story in 1991.</p>
<p>That year, USA Networks teamed up with Aerial Video Systems (AVS) to incorporate small "lipstick" cameras and microwave antennas into VSR-3 Riddell helmets. The rigs were also wired to a two-pound battery pack that was molded into the player's shoulder pads. The transmission was sent to production trucks in the stadium and allowed segments of actual on-field play to be shown to audiences.</p>
<p>[Image: AP Photo/New York Giants]</p>](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/vMNwGKRMbBD24DU6Rg6KRg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTYwMQ--/https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/PPNkHsgdPXBkZPFR5SyrUQ--~B/aD0xMjUyO3c9MjAwMDthcHBpZD15dGFjaHlvbg--/https://www.blogcdn.com/slideshows/images/slides/299/129/3/S2991293/slug/l/giants-camera-technology-football-1.jpg)
