With the GoPro Hero5, you still get all the familiar features like the Time-lapse mode, Photo modes, and pro settings, etc. depending on how fancy you want to be. But do make a note that you won’t get all the features in all the modes. For instance, while shooting in 4K, you won’t get the image stabilization, etc. But do make note that you are not getting optical stabilization and only electrical one. You also get a built-in GPS this time around that you can toggle on or off from the settings. There are three microphones this time around. One of them is near the shutter, one to the side and one is near your charging port. And as far as the battery life goes, it’s battery is rated at 1220 mAh and it dies really quick.

The battery will get you through half of your day if you record here and there. But can’t complain here since it has a display, 4k recording, microphone and what not. So it is indeed recommended that you carry a spare battery or two to keep you going. It also supports voice commands like the Garmin Vivofit. There is also a GoPro capture app for both iOS and Android that lets you pair your smartphone or tablet that essentially becomes your viewfinder. This app lets you add media to your GoPro Plus account, and you also get cloud storage for backup. So overall, it is a great camera, but it is going to cost you around $399 and in India it is priced at about 38,000 INR. It is reasonably priced especially for all the different features and everything.

The Garmin VIRB Ultra 30 camera also comes with a very nice touchscreen at the back which is really convenient. It can also do slo-mo in 720p at 240 FPS or 1080p at 120 FPS. And talking about the video quality, Garmin has done an exceptional job here with this camera, and when you compare it with something like the GoPro Hero 4 silver, then the quality is considerably sharper and overall it is much nicer to look at. And as of now, it is on par with other professional cameras when it comes to 4K. The quality of the stabilization has also increased considerably, and it is way better. It is genuinely impressive at times. However, it will drain your battery life, but i think it is well worth it. And another area where it excels is the user interface. It is way better than the previous versions, and it is very intuitive. One of the best thing to note here is the fact that you can use the touch screen through the waterproof case.

The company claims that this can record for 2 hours 30 mins of 1080p 30FPS footage per charge. This can’t be vouched for since it you will only get up to an hour and a half for best. So don’t have any high expectations with the battery life here. So overall, the VIRB ultra 30 is a very good camera, and it gets the basics very right. It works on par with the other action cameras in the market, and you will not have any issues whatsoever. This guy is retailing for about $400 now in the US and for that price, you should be totally considering this if you are in the market for an action camera right now.

The Cube + is the second edition of the original polaroid cube launched earlier, and as the name suggest it is exactly like a small cube. It is nice and small, and it has two buttons. The first button up top is the power button which you can hold for 2 seconds to activate the camera. The another button is the Wi-Fi button. And at the back, there is a microUSB port and the microSD card slot as well, and it can hold up 128GB of storage. Spec-wise, it has a built-in Wi-Fi, image stabilization and it can also record at 1440p at 30 FPS also 1080p & 720p at 60 FPS. This camera is also capable of taking 8MP stills, and it is weatherproof and not water proof. So the is something to keep in mind that you can’t dunk this thing in the water. The battery will last you for about an hour and a half which is good for a camera of this size.

Using the cube + is very simple as well. You just have a couple of options like clicking on the button will take a still and clicking on the button twice will start the video recording. All the other options and settings can be changed within the app. So if in case you don’t have the app running then you will indeed fall short of some of the options. Accessory wise also i feel this is a bit basic. It just comes with a rubber bumper case, a carabiner to latch it anywhere and a USB cable. You can buy the others for a price like a monkey stand or a tripod mount. Once you are ready to record, just fire up the camera and the app to see the live footage there. Well, that is pretty much what you should know about the camera and it is definitely worth the price if you want something for a casual usage.

At the bottom, there is the battery and the micas-xc compartment along with the female quarter inch mount. At the front is the f/2.8 seven elements 155-degree wide angle lens covering a Sony IMX37712.35 M effective pixels image sensor. This is capable of 4k video or 12MP still along with a status indicator light. On the other side is a micro USB port and on the top are the dual microphone port and a speaker grill. Now if you are wondering as to why there is speaker grill here in this camera, then let me tell you that there is a display at the back which covers the entire surface. Nothing crazy here since it is a 2.19” display with a resolution of 360 x 640. The view finder is butter smooth and so is the menu navigation. So if you are changing a setting or either reviewing a clip you just shot, it works really well. It also has an app to do all this but still having this built right into the display is any day better.

Just like the GoPro Hero 4, this one is also capable of shooting at 4k in 30 FPS. And overall, whether you are talking about low-light performance, auto white balance, scene brightness change response or really anything else, it is really impressive. And all this is without the access of some of the mode which only works on low resolutions. The six axis electronic image stabilization only works if you shoot at resolutions below 4K and no higher than 60 FPS, is also great. And now about the battery life, well, lets just say that you are not going to need as many battery packs as you would need with the GoPros. Also, the sound quality is yet another point here. And do make a note that if you are expecting them to throw away some free cases for this, then you will be disappointed here. You have to get them separately, but they are not all that expensive as well.

Coming to the final part which is about the accessory support this camera, you are going to be fine. Most of the accessory which works with GoPro cameras will definitely work with this also since it has a similar mounting slot. But do make, only a few of them are compatible so don’t expect a full support here. With that said, the price, screen, and the overall footage quality should make you forget about these small drawbacks. With that said, as of now, if you want a great action camera which will not break your bank, then this is a way to go.

The footage taken from the camera looks great, especially the 4K when viewed on a proper 4K display. The company’s stitching algorithm does a great job as well with the footage, and it looks impressive. Yes, there might be some minor issues with the stitching where the content could tear in the middle where the camera meets. This can ruin your experience for a split second but other than that, you should not be having any kind of issues whatsoever. Although this is a minor issue and should not affect your decision of buying one. They also have an app called Snapbridge 360/170 on both Android and iOS, which you can use and take your footage to your mobile devices. The software’s electronic Vibration Reduction function uses information recorded by the KeyMission 360 during shooting to calculate horizontal, vertical, and rotational camera movements, allowing it to compensate for vibrations in the video. With this feature, you can always make sure that the footage you record using this is ready to go online to be shared with your friends and families.

The Nikon Keymission 360 is highly portable too. It measures only about 65.7 (W) x 60.6 (H) x 61.1 (D) mm with the AA-15A Lens Protector attached. It weighs only 198g including batteries, microSD memory card, and a lens protector. So now you can imagine how portable this thing can be despite having so much potential. If you are a professional photographer or maybe someone with just an active lifestyle, this could be the best device to carry around and show the people what you and how you do it. With that said, the price tag of $500 is totally justified with its functionalities. Although this might sound quite a bit expensive considering the fact that other action cameras such as few of the GoPro’s etc. can’t even record 360-degree footage, this is totally worth the price.

First of all, when you wear one of these, you can’t help but feel like a cyborg sent from the future to hunt someone. Be it the way you wear or maybe the color by itself, it just gets you every time. As mentioned earlier, the camera is separated into two parts which are connected through a 70cm cable. You don’t have to leave it hanging there obviously, and hence they have included an armband in which you can rest it. When you wear it, it captures the world as you move, in your point of view. There are other optional mounts as well that increase the versatility of the HX-A500 like the handlebar mount or the multi-mount. The camera is light in weight but the operating unit, on the other hand, is comparatively heavy. The included cable could have been even longer as it may come in the way while performing some activities. The camera lets you shoot 4K at 25 FPS and if you can also get it down to 1080p and record at 50 FPS. If not, you can get it down to 720p and get a 100 FPS footage out of it. Or if you want some great slow-motion videos and don’t mind the low resolution, then maybe go with the 480p and get 200 FPS footage. There are two FOV here with this one i.e. the normal one and the wide angle view. The Wide setting provides 160o of coverage but results in some barrel distortion.

Overall, the image quality of the camera is sharp and will give you a nice and smooth footage. Shots have a great exposure in both shadows and highlights, and the camera captures a lot of details. The camera uses electronic stabilization to reduce the shakes and jitters in the footage. Now talking about the battery life, it will last you easily for about 2 hours with 4K recording and even more with the standard FHD recording. The HX-A500 has a built-in Wi-Fi adaptor that lets you connect a smartphone or tablet to the HX-A500 and use the free Android or iOS Panasonic Imaging app to control the HX-A500 remotely or play pre-recorded footage. Alternatively, you can also connect the camera to an access point, and broadcast live through the internet service Ustream. And now if you ask for a verdict, in short, the user experience is very good and the footage is also very smooth and good looking. However, if you compare this guy to other action cameras in the market, then you might change your opinion since this once doesn’t offer many options when it comes to mounts, etc. So this is more like a wearable camera other than being an action cam. However, the choice is completely yours.

Along with the Sony POV Action Camera, you also get a useful adapter which you can screw at the bottom of the camera itself, and you can use it without the optional casing as well if you want to mount it on certain accessories. Although the choices are very limited here so do keep that in mind. Also, with some of the configurations, of the action cam, you also get an included live view remote. This separate accessory has a built-in battery. This battery uses a micro USB port to charge. You also have a power switch and a couple of buttons to change some settings on the go. This attaches to a velcro and sits on your wrist. However, it is very limited since you cannot view the footage that you record. However, if you want the functionality of playback and all that, then you have to use the app. Now speaking of the application, there is Wi-Fi and GPS on the camera as well as NFC for easy one-tap configurations. And now, to the most important part i.e. the photos and the video quality, the regular 28Mbps footage which is what you are going to be using most of the time can get you either 30 or 60 FPS on 1080p and the quality is decent. If you put it side by side to something like a GoPro camera, you will notice that the exposures are a little bit more dynamic on the Sony. This means that it has a lot more contrast and has lot more areas where the highlights are blown out as the GoPro is a little bit more even when it comes to the footage.

As mentioned earlier, there is a 50Mbps shooting mode as well where things are comparatively better. But one thing to note here is that the Sony is good with image stabilization. When you are shooting some moving subjects and maybe going handheld with it and so on. And the another thing which is slightly problematic with Sony is, you have to use microSD X cards, in order to record those XAVC-S or that 50Mbps high bit rate video. With that being said, if you are alright with all the cons of this camera as mentioned above for the price tag, then you should go for it. Well, if not, then there is always a GoPro to rely on.

The screen also offers you the ability to playback your videos directly on the camera itself. This feature may not be a deal breaker for many, but it comes handy if you are one of those, who is always wondering how your footage came. The outer shell provides multiple protective backs, that can either protect the screen when the camera is submerged or allow for the use of the display while the camera is in the protective casing. Now as for the software inside, not much has changed here from the previous generations. If you have already used them before then, you will feel like home here. You can record in three lens modes with the GoPro Hero 4 Silver Edition. They are narrow, medium or wide. Also, the 1080p recording is, of course, available at multiple rates including the 60 FPS for slow motion video and 720p at a 120 FPS which will result in an even slower video. Although, it is worth noting that modern smartphones are capable of recording a full 1080p video at 240 FPS, which looks far better than what we have here. 4K recording is also there if in case you are wondering, but it comes in at 15 FPS. Hence, don’t expect to make use out of it anywhere in typical situations where you need good footage. Alternatively, you can also take 12MP photos either in a burst mode at 30 FPS or even do cool time-lapse videos, and they look amazing. For recording video with the screen fully on, you get about an hour of battery life.

While doing time-lapses, the battery seemed like it would last all day with the screen off. All the videos and the photos look about the same as videos and photos from the older models on standard, but thanks to pro-tune settings, you can have video either automatically adjust, or you can set settings such as ISO, exposure compensation and even have the video shoot in flat/RAW, so that you can go back and tweak them according to your liking. All the videos, with or without the pro-tune looks great. Daylight is obviously great, and even the little light is also surprisingly good. The only issue here is the lack of proper 4k recording. Overall, the GoPro Hero4 Silver edition is trying to create a different experience for GoPro users. The display at the back comes in handy to watch the footage that you recorded on the go. Like i mentioned before, to some people, this may not be a big deal since GoPro has apps for phones that allow you to view the content that way. With that being said, if you are new to the GoPro family or maybe you have an older one, and if you don’t mind the lack of 4K feature, then this is a great upgrade.