action cam
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Insta360's Ace Pro is a Leica-branded action cam with AI enhancements
Insta360's Ace Pro is like a GoPro on steroids, thanks to its flip screen, large sensor, Leica tuning and dedicated AI chip.
Insta360's latest tiny action cam comes with a wireless display
The Insta360 Go 3 is basically a GoPro with a detachable camera and a flip screen.
DJI Osmo Action 3: Far more battery life, fast charging and a spiffy new mount
With the Osmo Action 3, DJI has brought back the action-cam form factor and made numerous small improvements from the mount to the displays to the battery.
Insta360's latest modular action cam has built-in video stabilization
The Insta360 One RS has onboard video stabilization and supports "Active HDR" video capture. It can be bundled with a new "4K Boost Lens" which packs a larger 1/2-inch 48MP sensor.
Insta360's upgraded Go 2 action cam will have a 'Minions Edition'
Insta360 Go 2 is a thumb-sized action cam bundled with several handy accessories, and it no longer has a time limit for normal video recording.
Insta360 One R gains webcam mode and major image improvements
The modular Insta360 One R is already receiving its third major update since its launch about nine months ago.
GoPro Hero 9 Black review: More power, more affordable
The new GoPro Hero 9 Black is here, and we've put it through it's paces. The new front screen, the improved 5K resolution, extra battery life all add up to an impressive camera that grows beyond its action roots.
GoPro turns your Hero 8 Black into a wide-angle webcam
If you need to host online fitness classes, GoPro's Hero 8 Black could do the trick with the company's new webcam software.
Insta360's modular action cam gets 360-degree and 'Leica' mods
Just as the few other 360 camera makers decided to focus on boosting resolution or sensor size, Insta360 took a surprisingly different route for its next flagship device. The One R announced at CES today is a modular action cam-type device, with the idea being that you can swap between a 360 camera mod and either of the two wide-angle camera mods to suit your needs. Better yet, advanced users can opt for the high-quality 5.3K 1-inch sensor mod which is co-engineered with Leica -- the first collaboration of such for Insta360.
GoPro Hero 8 Black review: Minor redesign, major pay-off
Typically, each year's flagship GoPro touts a marquee feature. In the past, that's included 4K/30fps video (Hero 4), built-in waterproofing (Hero 5) and really good stabilization (Hero 7). The new Hero 8 Black ($399) does not have a single showstopping feature. Instead, it brings several updates, each of which is good on its own, but together, I think they add up to the sort of big step forward that fans of the brand have been waiting for. There's actually quite a lot to get through, so we'll dive right into what's new.
Motorola's latest cheap phone tries to double as an action camera
Apart from its real-but-not-ready foldable, Motorola is best known these days for churning out respectable smartphones for people on a budget. Those devices — like those in the Moto G and E series — offer some of the best performance you can find for under $300, and over the past year, they've helped Motorola creep steadily toward profitability. They aren't, however, all that interesting as phones. Motorola gets that, and it's changing. Those classic G and E product lines aren't going anywhere, but the Lenovo-owned smartphone brand has been breaking out of its rut lately with the help of its Motorola One devices — more stylish mid-range phones with an emphasis on novel features. And of Motorola's small handful of One devices, the new Motorola One Action is easily the strangest.
DJI Osmo Action review: A worthy GoPro rival
Well, here's a surprise. After GoPro trod on DJI's foot with its ill-fated Karma drone, DJI is stomping right back with a rugged camera of its own -- the Osmo Action. It looks like a GoPro, is similarly priced ($349 -- $51 cheaper) and pretty much goes toe-to-toe with the Hero 7 Black on key specs. Can DJI pull off what GoPro couldn't, and give its rival a run for the money? We'll get to that, but at the very least, the king of action cams has a new challenger to fend off, and that can only be a good thing for video-loving action fans.
GoPro turns the Hero 7 Black white
The GoPro Hero 7 Black lived up to part of its namesake by actually being, well, black instead of silver or gray like previous models. If that new lick of paint wasn't enough, you'll soon be able to get it in a limited edition white (or "dusk white" in GoPro's words) version. According to the company, this is the first special colorway of its flagship snapper. And, yes, it's still called that despite being the tonal opposite.
The LG Action Cam LTE undergoes a minor evolution
The LG G5 has a lot of expensive "Friends." LG's series of accessories meant to be used with the phone have included to date a VR headset, camera grip, 360 camera and Hi-Fi audio module. The latest to join the fold is the LG Action Cam LTE. We first saw the camera back in May, but it's now finally ready to see some real world action, albeit only in South Korea for now.
With 4K in mind, Sony refreshes its Action Cam and Handycam lines
CES 2015 wouldn't be the same without Sony announcing new cameras. As such, the electronic giant is today revealing updated Action Cam shooters and Handycam camcorders. The main change is the addition of 4K to both lines, though there are still some models that will be limited to 1080p. Not surprisingly, those are going to come with a lower price tag than their higher-res siblings. For starters, there's the Action Cam FDR-X100V and FDR-AS100V, with the former being the one that supports 4K at 30 fps. Other than that main differentiator, both the FDR-X100V and FDR-AS100V feature a high-precision, ultra-wide-angle lens, Advanced SteadyShot (to help with stabilization), stereo microphones, manual settings and the ability to control your frame with a companion mobile app.
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.
GoPro's Hero4 cameras offer 30 fps 4K shooting or touchscreen controls
GoPro started life as a home-brew wrist-mounted 35mm camera, but it's come a long way since. Today we're getting a look at the next installment of that story: The Hero4. The latest cameras from the action sports behemoth bring some anticipated features, along with a few surprises. Most notably, while the Hero4 still comes in three tiers/editions, there are greater differences between them. Black is still the top-specification model (more details of which after the fold), but Silver has a few neat tricks of its own. Finally, the White edition is out; in place is a new camera simply called "Hero." The new family structure is essentially: professionals, prosumer/consumers and entry level -- which isn't that different from before, just this time around it's more pronounced. "Enough already. Tell me about the features," I hear you say. Glad you asked, follow on below for details.
Gadget Rewind 2009: GoPro HD Hero
Not everyone's compelled to backflip across a canyon on a BMX bike or dive from suborbital space in search of extreme sports thrills. In fact, most of us armchair enthusiasts prefer to get our kicks secondhand. And, more often than not, that footage comes from the likes of a helmet-mounted GoPro camera. Action sports enthusiasts have been wearing these nearly "invisible cameras" (as GoPro calls them) since the company launched in 2004. It's proven to be a very a lucrative niche for founder and CEO Nick Woodman, too, considering the company's recent IPO filing pegged its valuation at $3.86 billion dollars.
Sony recruits sheep to film the Tour de France
When watching a gang of cyclists chase someone in a yellow jersey (aka, the Tour de France) we're used to seeing the action from bike- or car-mounted cameras. But we've all come away disappointed, never truly knowing the tournament from the ovine point of view (some say, the only point of view for cycling). To tackle this, Sony has kitted out a flock of five from Harewell Hall, Harrogate with Action Cams so they can grab grass-roots scenes of the race. The publicity stunt might not result in world-class footage, but it does mean we get to tick "gallery of camera-wearing sheep" off the Engadget bucket list.
GoPro reveals Hero3+: smaller, sharper, faster and available now
If you were thinking it's about that time of year that we might see a new GoPro, then you'd be right. The king of the action cams has just announced the GoPro Hero3+. The flagship Black edition is now 20 percent smaller -- no mean feat if you've seen the existing model. There are also improvements to the optics, which GoPro claims gives a 33 percent increase in image sharpness, while reducing artifacts by a factor of two. Feature-wise there's a new 1080 "SuperView" mode which takes footage from 4:3 aspect ratio, and presents it in an immersive 16:9 view. Other improvements include a new auto-low light mode that will adjust the frame rate on the fly, revised audio internals, four times faster WiFi and wireless camera updates via your phone. Despite all of these additions, and the smaller form, it's claimed that your new GoPro will potentially offer up to 30 percent extra battery life, too. The Silver edition gets some love, also, with 1080p now possible at 60fps, and 720 at 120 fps. So, all that's left is for you to get 30 percent better at your daredevil activity of choice for 30 percent longer, and we're all even. The Hero3+ will be available starting this week, with prices starting at $299 for the Silver addition, and $399 for the black. The previous flagships now retail for $329 and $249 respectively.
