Top 15 Handheld Recording Gadgets

15 Best Action Cameras - From Beginners to Pros

Liza Brown

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

If you are planning to buy a good action camera then you must have collected enough information about all available brands in market. There are so many cameras that can assist you in your sports competitions in upcoming holiday season. But selection of right device as per your need is little complicated because you have to focus on so many factors at a time. It is time to think about hardware, performance as well as budget so that you can plan for something good that fits your requirements in every possible manner. In the article below, you will get information about top 15 camera units that are suitable for beginners to professional photographers.

Want to buy an action camera but short of budget? Check these top 10 cheap/budget friendly action cameras.

• Best 15 Action Cameras and Reviews
• Comparison Table for all the Action Cams

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15 Best Action Cameras

• For Professionals
• For Semi-pros
• For Beginners

Best Action Cameras for Professionals

1. Hero5 Black

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• Pros: This device is waterproof without housing and comes with built in type touch screen. You will be able to enjoy tons of shooting modes with this device and the video quality is rated to be excellent.
• Cons: Battery use to drain quickly especially when you are using touch screen feature and there is no support from external mic system without adapter.

It is one of the most advanced action camera available in market with waterproof design up to 10 meters. Hero5 can shoot videos up to 4K resolution whereas location tags can be generated automatically with inbuilt GPS. It serves with improved noise reduction feature and the footage can become much smoother with active voice control commands.

Related article: Complete review for GoPro Hero5 Black

2. Hero4 Black

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• Pros: This camera is designed with nearly indestructible material and possesses a functional form factor. You can mount it over anything as it comes with amazing mounting accessories. The video quality is amazing.
• Cons: Hero4 Black camera do not serve with digital image stabilization feature and you need to provide it additional housing in order to protect from water. Battery life is shorter as it can run only up to one hour.

Hero4 is expensive but fantastic camera unit that can shoot videos with breathtaking appearance. This 4K-30fps camera is rated to be most suitable for adventure sports activities but always prefer to carry extra batteries with you on tour.

Related article: Full Review for GoPro Hero4 Black

3. Hero5 Session

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• Pros: It can record footage with 4K resolution; this is excellent video quality for cameras in this size range. It offers better wind noise reduction and is designed with waterproof material.
• Cons: This camera unit do not possess viewfinder and controls are little awkward. On the other side you will not be able to enjoy external mic support without any adapter.

It is so simple yet offers fancy 4K recording as compared to other costly competitors. The lightweight construction with attractive design and waterproof material make it more suitable for underwater applications up to 10m. The microSD card storage can be extended up to 128GB and it can be mounted over helmets easily.

Related article: Full Review for GoPro Hero5 Session

4. Drift Innovation Ghost-S

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• Pros: This Camera has longest battery life as compared to all action cameras available in market. It generates automatic tags for your captured videos and photographs and the rotating lens serves better focus in all directions.
• Cons: Ghost-S is larger and bulky device so it becomes little difficult to handle it during adventure sport activities.

Ghost-S is one of the most robust and durable camera units that serve with excellent video quality. Battery life is impressive and preview screen offers better results. It can shoot up to 1080p full HD view and maximum frame rate goes up to 240fps.

Related article: GoPro Hero4 Black VS Drift Ghost-S

5. Garmin Virb Ultra 30:

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• Pros: It offers 4K video resolution with high speed shooting feature. Chassis is designed with waterproof material and it is powered with Bluetooth sensor and ANT connectivity. Electronic image stabilization goes up to 3 axis and Wi-Fi facility provides easy connectivity with smart phones.
• Cons: Poor battery life and you need bulky case for water protection.

Garmin Virb Ultra 30 can offer impressive video quality with active voice control features and you can also enjoy live YouTube streaming on this device. This camera is designed with LCD panel but the touch screen feature cannot be accessed with casing. You can add tags with voice control feature.

Related article: Garmin VIRB Ultra 30 Action Camera Review

6. Olympus TG Tracker:

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• Pros: It comes with bright f2 type fixed focus lens that offers field view of 204 degrees. Flipout LCD screen and multitude type sensors include temperature, accelerometer, manometer and GPS control. You will also be able to have built-in LED light.
• Cons: Video quality is not that much impressive and you cannot have any manual control over exposure and sensitivity. They are much heavier than other competing action cameras.

Olympus TG Tracker is best camera for outdoor athletes as it can track unlimited data with huge storage capacity. It is waterproof up to 30m and can serve in temperature range up to -10 degrees. The resolution is good for 4K at 30fps and you can also enjoy slow motion tracking. All sensors like GPS, Compass, acceleration, barometer plus thermometer are well packed inside its compact case and it offers built in type stabilization.

Related article: Olympus TG Tracker Review

7. VehoMuvi K-Series K2 Black

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• Pros: Professionals call this camera a well built model with impressive design and high quality. It comes with removable LCD screen and can serve users with 4K, 1080p and 720p recording facility. The video as well as photo quality is amazing and battery life is also good with 1500mAh capacity.
• Cons: You will not get waterproof housing with package and the additional LCD causes increment in camera size. You need additional custom tripod mount to this device but it becomes heavier when used with waterproof housing.

There is no doubt to say that VehoMuvi K-Series K2 Black is a very good action camera with low price tag. It is capable of capturing 12MP stills and offers 4K resolution for videos. You can easily connect it with iPhones, android, tablets using Wi-Fi connectivity and remote operations are possible. You can enjoy video recording with this device up to 3 hours and it can be mounted on any place easily.

Best action cameras for Semi-pros

1. Hero3+Silver

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• Pros: This device is designed with compact structure and offers excellent video quality along with ultra high resolution type modes. Waterproof and sturdy design allows users to use it in tough areas whereas built in Wi-Fi connectivity offers easy remote control.
• **Cons:**It has very short battery life and 4K videos work only with 15fps.

The compact design and small size of this camera provides best service to athletes. Its lower price along with top notch video quality is rated to be best among all competitive cameras. Professionals as well as beginners love to carry this camera for adventure sports. The 1080p with 60fps serves users with perfect white balance and great colour.

2. TomTom Bandit:

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• Pros: It comes with special sensors that can make your footage more interesting and one can enhance view with creative editing features.
• Cons: In order to make this camera capable to assist you in diving applications you need spend spent on few accessories.

This bullet shaped camera features all incredible functions that are desired by action camera seekers. You will get best GPS experience with TomTom Bandit and the best thing to know about this camera is its shake feature that initiates auto upload to websites. The series of sensors make it much easier to operate.

Related article: TomTom Bandit Action Camera Review

3. Ricoh WG-M2

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• Pros: It serves with angle of view up to 151 degrees and 204 degrees so that much better view can be captured. Ultra HD clarity can be obtained at 4K with 30fps and for photos it offers 8MP focus.
• Cons: Battery life is shorter and you can find many other cameras in this range with additional features.

This stylish and most advanced 4k type action camera can serve you will all amazing features. You can buy this device in beautiful silver as well as orange colour. The video quality is super cool with brightness adjustment of f/2/0 lens so that you can capture beautiful shots even in low light. The GPS module along with clock generates perfect time tags for all images.

4. iON Air Pro 3 WiFi:

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• Pros: It offers impressive video quality along with slick flash light type design and the waterproof structure allows users to enjoy live streaming even below sea level.
• Cons: Poor application support of iON Air Pro causes lack in functionality and it serves with least quality as compared to price and other competitors in same category. Battery of iON Air Pro 3 WiFi is also non removable type and jellylike effect of stabilizer is really a big trouble.

This device can be easily mounted on helmet so that your hands can stay free and the lightweight as well as waterproof design makes it suitable for diving needs. You can enjoy full HD videos with smooth action at 60fps using this camera and wireless connectivity can serve you with great results.

Best action cameras for beginners

1. Hero + LCD

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• Pros: The build in type display makes everything much easier for framing whereas its rugged design allows users to take it on tough rides. You can enjoy built in Wi-Fi facility and it offers 1080p per 60fps for video recording. At very affordable range you can have extremely wide field view.
• Cons: This device loses its rating due to clunky interface and LCD is non removable type. You cannot swap its battery and the bad part is its ineffective image stabilization. You need to buy additional accessories in order to mount it on tripod.

With awesome image quality and non removable waterproof case it becomes one of the best choices for all casual users. You will definitely appreciate its resolution as well as frame rate and the comprehensive design that is available at attractive price range.

2. HTC Re

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• Pros: It comes with wide angle lens and is much easier to handle with firm and natural grip over it. You can enjoy super easy operations with this device and it can shoot full HD videos with immersive quality. There is no distraction with viewfinder and people love to enjoy its sand proof and waterproof construction.
• Cons: Terrible battery and average video quality in low light conditions are some of the biggest drawbacks of this device. Other then this there is no zoom settings and shutter lag seems irritating. Sensors also do not respond properly.

HTC RE camera unit is one of the best personal camera unit with 16mp picture quality and it can be easily connected to iOS as well as Android devices. The slow motion video capabilities make it more interesting whereas extremely wide angles are more advantageous.

3. Polaroid Cube + 1440p WiFi:

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• Pros: This camera come sunder affordable range and can be easily mounted on metal surfaces.
• Cons: The video quality offers by Polaroid Cube is much less than most of phone cameras.

Same as many new arrivals in this category Polaroid Cube makes use of WiFi instead of Bluetooth to develop an interface between camera and smart phone. Videos can go up to 1080p resolution but it cannot serve you better at low light areas.

4. Xiaomi Yi

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• Pros: It comes with waterproof design and have lightweight so that sport persons can handle it easily. Picture as well as video quality is impressive and its battery can serve you up to 90 minutes with impressive video quality. WiFi and easy remote application control makes it suitable for travel needs.
• Cons: You need to buy few additional accessories to make it workable for all rough and tough conditions.

It offers stunning results with awesome video quality so that beautiful memories can be captured while travelling. They are designed to serve with small size and light weight whereas remote operations are possible with Wi-Fi connectivity. You can easily share your videos and images on social media via this device and the best part is that it can be easily mounted on pets, helmets, body parts, bicycles, drones, surfboards as well as on skateboards.

Related article: Top 6 Cheapest Action Cameras to Buy Under $100

Comparison Table

Liza Brown

Liza Brown is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Liza Brown

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