LIGHT CAMERAS ACTION
IT’S BEEN ALMOST 20 YEARS SINCE GOPRO REVOLUTIONISED THE INDUSTRY WITH THEIR TINY CAMERAS THAT COULD WITHSTAND ALMOST ANYTHING. THEY’RE STILL MARKET LEADERS, SAYS GEAR EDITOR MATTHEW STERNE, BUT THERE ARE A LOT MORE BRANDS DESERVING A SLICE OF THE ACTION
1| Insta360 One R Twin Edition
R10 999 ormsdirect.co.za Video: 5.7K at 30fps, 4K at 60fps Stills resolution: 12MP Waterproof: 5m
Released at the start of 2020, this is an enticing camera as it can be used both as an action and a 360º camera, with the different modulars snapping together like Lego bricks. One turns it into a straight 4K action camera, the other gives it 360°-shooting capability at 5.7K, a feature which real estate agents have embraced during the pandemic when buyers could not view homes. One neat feature: the core module can be attached in either direction, allowing you to place the screen at the back of the camera or facing forward (useful for selfie mode). There’s also the option of buying the one-inch Leica lens
(R7 199), which blows every other action cam out of the water in terms of sensors – it’s three times larger than that of the Hero9, which allows it to work better in low-light conditions, creating less noise and greater detail.
2| GoPro Hero8 Black Action Camera R7 195 ormsdirect.co.za Video: 4K at 60fps Stills resolution: 12MP Waterproof: 10m
The Hero8 may lack a couple of features you get on its successor (namely, a front-facing screen, 5K video and 20MP stills) but it’s still a fantastic allrounder that’s compatible with GoPro’s accessories. Its 4K video is just as impressive as the Hero9’s, while the HyperSmooth stabilisation is almost identical, too. It’s also the smaller and lighter option. For many people, it’ll be the best choice, once you’ve factored in value.
3| DJI Osmo Action R4 595 ormsdirect.co.za Video: 4K at 60fps, with 8x slow motion Stills resolution: 12MP Waterproof: 11m
DJI is known for producing some of the best drones around but turned its attention to the action camera market in 2019 with the arrival of the Osmo Action. It shook things up with its introduction of a front-facing LCD screen (as well as one on the back), which was particularly appealing to vloggers. Since then, however, GoPro has released two models with front-facing screens so this does feel slightly outdated. Nevertheless, it has impressive features: an f/2.8 lens that performs well in low-light, decent stabilisation, waterproof out the box, 4K video at 60fps and in-camera slow-motion mode. The image stabilisation, however, only works with a heavy crop and there’s no support for GPS. A cool feature is that the Osmo uses the same sensor as the DJI Mavic Air, and supports the same frame rates and video options, which is handy if you’re mixing footage from the air and ground.
4| GoPro Hero9 Black Action Camera R10 395 ormsdirect.co.za Video: 5K at 30fps, 4K at 60fps, with 8x slow motion Stills resolution: 20MP Waterproof: 10m
The current big kahuna of action cameras, the Hero9 is better than its GoPro predecessor in many ways. It upped the resolution to 5K for video, increased photos to 20MP (that’s quite a jump from 12MP) and added the ability to capture 14.7MP stills from video, too. That's high enough resolution to use in print, not just on the web. Add astounding gimbal-esque image stabilisation, front and back display screens, improved time-lapses and a longer battery life (30% more than the Hero8) and you see why it’s considered the best. It also addressed one major flaw in the Hero8’s design: the lens cover is replaceable (should you scratch it).