ANATOMY OF AN ACTION CAMERA

Thinking of buying an action camera? Here are key elements to look out for…

LCD SCREEN

LOOK OUT FOR ACTION CAMERA MODELS THAT OFFER A DECENT

LCD, SO YOU CAN LINE UP YOUR COMPOSITION WITH EASE AND REVIEW WHAT YOU’VE CAPTURED. A LOT OF BRANDS NOW OFFER MODELS WITH TOUCH-SENSITIVE SCREENS THAT ALLOW YOU TO ACCESS MODES AND FEATURES QUICKLY. THERE ARE EVEN ACTION CAMERAS WITH FRONT-FACING

LCD SCREENS, SO IT’S EASIER TO CAPTURE THAT PERFECT SELFIE SHOT.

BUILD

THESE CAMERAS ARE GOING TO BE PUNISHED IN THE FIELD, SO LOOK OUT FOR A GOOD LEVEL OF WEATHER SEALING. BE SURE TO CHECK HOW WATERPROOF YOUR MODEL IS AND WHETHER YOUR ACTION CAMERA CAN OPERATE IN SUB-ZERO CONDITIONS. SOME OLDER ACTION CAMERAS WILL SIT IN A PROTECTIVE CASE THAT MAY ADD EVEN MORE PROTECTION AGAINST WATER.

LENS

THE GREAT THING ABOUT ACTION CAMERAS IS THAT THEY HAVE ULTRA-WIDE-ANGLE LENSES. USUALLY USED TO CAPTURE ALL THE ACTION OF A MOUNTAIN BIKER VIDEOING THEMSELVES HITTING THE TRAILS, THIS VAST FIELD OF VIEW OFFERS STILLS PHOTOGRAPHERS THE ABILITY TO SHOOT WIDE AND STRETCH PERSPECTIVES. FOR EXAMPLE, THE DJI OSMO ACTION FEATURES A FIELD OF VIEW OF 145-DEGREES. MOST ACTION CAMERAS ALSO USE A LENS WITH A FAST, BRIGHT MAXIMUM APERTURE SO THAT THE CAMERA CAN PERFORM IN LOW LIGHT. THE OSMO ACTION FEATURES A F/2.8 MAXIMUM APERTURE.

FILE SIZE

IT WILL COME AS NO SURPRISE THAT, DUE TO THEIR SIZE, MOST ACTION CAMERAS CAN’T MATCH THE HUGE FILE SIZES THAT FULL-FRAME DSLRS OFFER. THEN AGAIN, IT’S UNLIKELY YOU’LL BE SHOOTING BILLBOARD IMAGERY ON AN ACTION CAMERA.

THAT SAID, THE DAYS OF ACTION CAMERAS CHURNING OUT TINY STILLS ARE LONG GONE –

IN FACT, THE DJI OSMO ACTION OFFERS A MAXIMUM FILE SIZE OF 4000X3000 PIXELS, THANKS TO ITS 1/2.3-INCH 12-MEGAPIXEL SENSOR.