I'm surprised nothing from SJCAM made it into the comparison, they tend to be good deals in terms of dollars vs. features.
Remember back in the 1970s, when video cameras were large, expensive and heavy implements that were complicated to use and produced, at best, mediocre images? And do you also remember how many pictures of Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster and UFOs we saw on a near-daily basis?
Nowadays, literally everyone is carrying a high-quality camera 24 hours a day. The result? We have thousands of hours of video from a regional autocross in Des Moines, Iowa, yet no better shots of everyone’s favorite proto-humanoid, never mind our visitors from the Andromeda galaxy.
Friends, this can prove only one thing: Motorsports are more important than Bigfoot.
Today the options for ignoring forest-dwelling bipedal abominations in favor of recording your racing antics are better than ever. You can now walk into any number of big-box retailers and leave, just a few hundred dollars lighter, with a tiny camera capable of shooting feature-film quality moving images. But which one should you choose?
We’ve tried to collect the info for some of the most popular offerings in the ever-shifting marketplace, and provide them along with some feedback based on our hands-on experiences. Although any guide like this needs to be prefaced with a caution that any technology market is highly volatile and prone to frequent changes, two of the heavy hitters in the market–GoPro and Garmin–just released new hardware, so things should be relatively stable at the moment.
Here’s a quick rundown of what we reviewed for each camera.
Price: Listed here are MSRP. Street prices are frequently lower, and promotions in this market are frequent.
Max resolution: We list maximum resolution and frame rate of a video file. All cameras are capable of shooting at lower resolutions than the max listed, and lower resolutions frequently can be used with higher frame rates to produce excellent slow-motion video.
Image stabilization: Both digital and optical image stabilization are finding their ways into high-end action cams. Good stabilization can turn otherwise unusable video into something perfectly watchable. If you drive a kart or a formula car, or a particularly stiff door-slammer, this might be a feature you want to consider as it can considerably reduce shake.
Built-in screen: Most action cams don’t have actual screens, meaning the camera can’t show what it’s recording. Many are Wi-Fi- or Bluetooth-compatible, though, so you can use your phone as a viewfinder. Most cameras do, however, have small interface displays to allow you to navigate menus.
*This guide was published in the June 2017 issue of Grassroots Motorsports. Prices listed are MSRP at the time of publishing and do not include promotional prices.
Price:
$299.99
Max res:
1440p/30fps
Image stabilization:
Yes
Built-in screen:
Interface only
We like:
Excellent quality and usability. Recording switch is beefy and positive, and it works well even with gloves or wet hands. Mounting interface is the same as other popular brands. GPS and accelerometer overlays are a neat touch for videos. Excellent battery life.
We’re less fond of:
5 Hz GPS and overly sensitive accelerometer make the data overlays a little inaccurate for autocross use or with very stiff cars.
Bottom line:
The VIRB XE’s quality and ease of use make it one of our favorites. The data overlays are a nice novelty, but not quite accurate or consistent enough to use for hardcore data analysis.
Price:
$399.99
Max res:
4k/30fps
Image stabilization:
Yes
Built-in screen:
Yes
We like:
One of the better user interfaces in the market. Software is easy to use. Lots of additional data overlays from built-in 10hz GPS and accelerometers make the VIRB a nice little data acquisition package. Controls are positive and easy to use when wearing gloves. Same mounts as other popular brands mean wide availability of mounting options.
We’re less fond of:
High quality comes at a high price. No ability to connect an even higher-resolution outboard GPS.
Bottom line:
The new flagship in Garmin’s action cam lineup gives us more of what we liked about Garmin’s previous offerings, albeit at a higher price.
Price:
$199.99
Max res:
1440p/30fps, 1080p/60fps
Image stabilization:
No
Built-in screen:
Interface only.
We like:
Self-contained form factor requires no additional case to be waterproof. Grab-and-go usability. GoPro’s typically excellent image quality. Better battery life than most of the GoPro lineup.
We’re less fond of:
Like much of the older GoPro lineup, the user interface lags behind the rest of the industry.
Bottom line:
The Session series simplifies the GoPro usability curve, which is both a plus and a minus. It’s easier to use in most situations, and no case makes for easy mounting and less overall fuss. Typical GoPro weaknesses like small buttons (although the start button on the Session is much better than the standard models) and tricky menus persist. Video quality is top-notch, though.
Price:
$399.99
Max res:
4k/30fps
Image stabilization:
Yes
Built-in screen:
Yes
We like:
FINALLY! With the Hero 5 Black, GoPro addresses many of the complaints that have plagued their cameras since their inception, most of all usability. The addition of a touch screen greatly simplifies and streamlines the user interface.
We’re less fond of:
Battery life is still an issue, as is operation with gloves.
Bottom line:
It’s good to see that GoPro didn’t rest on their laurels as the industry leader and made some real improvements to their flagship offering. Though there are still some weaknesses (like battery life), it’s always refreshing when the most ubiquitous product also offers exceptional quality.
Price:
$149.99
Max res:
1080p/30fps
Image stabilization:
No
Built-in screen:
No
We like:
The bullet form factor is well-packaged and convenient. Available on the shelf at major retailers. Industry-standard ¼-20 threaded bung in the housing makes for tons of easy and secure mounting options. Controls are positive and easy to use with gloves. Great price point.
We’re less fond of:
Resolution and image quality are falling behind the rest of the industry. No screen makes use and menu navigation a little more complex.
Bottom line:
The industry has overtaken the iON Air Pro during the last couple of years, but the ability to walk into Walmart and buy one is still a big plus. Size, shape and the ¼-20 port make for lots of mounting options.
Price:
$299.99
Max res:
1080p/60fps
Image stabilization:
No
Built-in screen:
No
We like:
Same great form factor as the rest of the iON Air Pro lineup. Controls are simple, but among the best and easiest to operate of any action cam.
We’re less fond of:
This was a great camera when it came out, but the rest of the industry has made great strides while iON hasn’t made many improvements.
Bottom line:
iON’s ease of use, wide availability, and integral ¼-20 mounting bung still make it a solid choice, even though the rest of the industry has upped the ante.
Price:
$399.99
Max res:
4k/30fps
Image stabilization:
Yes
Built-in screen:
Interface only. Wearable add-on screen available.
We like:
Excellent video and audio quality. ¼-20 threaded mount provides tons of easy and secure mounting options. Prostyle features like multi-camera sync support. Among the best image stabilization we’ve seen.
We’re less fond of:
We could complain about the price, but you get a lot for the money. Battery life suffers with add-ons like a color screen.
Bottom line:
Definitely a heavy-hitter in the action cam segment, the top-of-the-line Sony is worth consideration. Oddly, for one of the world’s largest companies, they don’t have the distribution horsepower of brands like GoPro and iON, so you can’t just walk into a store and grab one. The ¼-20 bung is always a huge plus for us, though.
Price:
$299.99
Max res:
1080p/60fps
Image stabilization:
No
Built-in screen:
No, but some indicator function lights.
We like:
Nice form factor and good optics. Lots of pro-quality accessories, like aluminum mounts and adaptability to commercial video support gear. Excellent battery life, and provision for add-on batteries as well.
We’re less fond of:
Interface is a bit clunky and controls are not as positive for someone wearing gloves.
Bottom line:
Replay doesn’t have the name recognition of some of the other brands, but the product is solid and the video quality is on par with the market leaders. The availability of high-quality mounts and industry-standard adapters, as well as user-serviceability features like DIY lens replacements, make this a good choice for people using action cams to make their living.
I'm surprised nothing from SJCAM made it into the comparison, they tend to be good deals in terms of dollars vs. features.
Jon's looking good ;)
Couple notes on this article, the Replay Prime-X is no longer in production and Replay as a company has been sold.
Cam-Do offers GoPro controller interfaces now, basically, it connects to select Hero models and allows them to be remotely triggered via USB. Handy for Traqmate owners.
Another company that offers interesting camera solutions and bluetooth audio integration is SENA.
Mobius is a great budget option and can be constantly powered via USB. Perfect for rear view as well.
I like my Virb Ultra 30 because of the ability to connect it to a bluetooth OBD2 reader and get data from that as well as the built in GPS for speed and track mapping.
In reply to Andre33:
Thanks for the update notes, Andre33. It's amazing how quickly this market moves.
In reply to moxnix:
for $400 I would hope you'd like it. Sheesh. I'd have to be damned serious about track events to pony up that kind of coin. Cool footage though.
Hero 5 does not offer spot metering so it's functionally useless in a closed car. We found out the hard way. Ironic that the company founder is a "car guy" but so detached from his billion dollar company that this oversight made it through product development and into production.
In reply to moxnix:
The GPS track/speed overlay is exactly why I want a VIRB.
Be neat if someone could get one to talk on Megasquirt's CAN protocol but I am not going to hold my breath.
Emilio700 wrote: Hero 5 does not offer spot metering so it's functionally useless in a closed car. We found out the hard way. Ironic that the company founder is a "car guy" but so detached from his billion dollar company that this oversight made it through product development and into production.
It's especially strange that they made this oversight after putting spot metering into the 1st-gen GoPro!
so having caught up on this and seeing a deal on the hero 5 black at costco.
https://www.costco.com/GoPro-HERO5-Black-Action-Camera-Bundle.product.100376560.html
Thats still not an option due to the spot metering? i would primarily be mounting this in a car.
caffeine357 said:so having caught up on this and seeing a deal on the hero 5 black at costco.
https://www.costco.com/GoPro-HERO5-Black-Action-Camera-Bundle.product.100376560.html
Thats still not an option due to the spot metering? i would primarily be mounting this in a car.
Probably not. The inside of a car is real dark, and comprises the "majority of the frame"... so anything outside is blown out whiteness / out of focus... unless you mount it to the dash and all it sees is outside (but, then, no "driver view" is available)
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