Sony Action Cam

[seattlepaul1975]

I just got my REI Catalog in the mail this week.
They have this: http://www.rei.com/product/856841/sony- ... t-in-wi-fi
for $199. Thoughts? Is it worth it for diving and have it strapped on?
Thoughts?

[Dusty2]

I would advise caution. It is new and that curved lens designed has been proven to cause problems for underwater videos. As with all new products there are bound to be kinks to show up after they have been used on the open market. Wait till you see some reviews from actual divers.

There are a bunch of these action cams out there now and more jumping into the market everyday. I am not surprised to see Sony entering the fray. Sony usually produces a good product and I would hope that this is the same. These action cams have become very popular and they can be fun to use. Most do a reasonable job above water but introducing them to the underwater world sometimes brings problems that are not seen above water. I have tried a couple of models but wasn't overly impressed. One big problem with almost all of them is low lights performance. Not much of a problem above water but in our lovely green waters it rears it's ugly head. Speaking of green, if you want to take anything other than green video you will need a powerful light to bring back the color to underwater photos and video lighting is a limited market and very expensive. Though the inexpensive camera market is booming it is not so in the lighting field. And no this isn't an add! For the time being in our lovely Northwest waters if you want to produce good looking videos the camera will be the least costly item. Now if you do clear tropical waters they are great but you will get blue pix instead of green but at least there is enough light for most cameras to perform well.

This market has blown wide open in the last year or so with rigs with underwater housings are coming to market frequently and as a result prices have been dropping. I have seen prices as low as $159 for a complete camera, case, and several mounts. They are a fun toy but tread softly and do your research. Though they all look very similar the fit and function varies a lot. Finding reviews that address the underwater side of these cams is really hard especially actual video.

[seattlepaul1975]

Dusty....I hear that, I have seen some videos and also have seen reference to a "flat" lens for it...so looking for that....for 199 I thought it was good option to get in rather than the GoPro3 Black...but I might just go with the GoPro.

[Dusty2]

The go pro has the advantage of a proven track record and a lot of improvements to address the problems that have arisen but I have heard a lot of bad reports on the new models and don't know if they are ready for prime time yet. It seems every new model comes out before it's really proven. Midland makes an inexpensive HD cam that looks very similar to the Sony and goes for around $160 if you shop around. It all depends on what you expect from your cam. At $160 bucks your not in for a huge hit if it doesn't work out but $400 is a pretty big chunk to toss.

[seattlepaul1975]

Dusty...agree..that is why I thought the 199 entry on the sony wasn't too bad. I will look at the Midland one.

[Matt S.]

The GoPro has proven track record... Of quirkiness. Hey, I have 2, I don't hate them... But they can be fussy. Options are good.

[Dusty2]

You might want to read this before you pop for the sony
http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-camcord ... 26716.html

[Dusty2]

The GoPro has proven track record... Of quirkiness. Hey, I have 2, I don't hate them... But they can be fussy. Options are good.

Matt, Seems it travels with the pack. I haven't seen one of the POV cams yet that doesn't have quirks.

[ljjames]

I have a gopro hero 3 black.

It has not been quirky. It is great for the small size, I have it on a nice baseplate that gives me the option of two handles (with 1" ball mounts) which also double as attachment points for Ultralight system arms that I use with either 2 X SOLA 600 or 2 X SOLA 2000.

I do not use the LED back, which might be the cause of some of the current reports of quirkiness from what i can tell, but imagine they'll get it sorted out. For longer underwater timelapse sequences we do use the bigger battery backpack.

I've used a couple of the other POV type cheap cams along with a couple of iPhone housings and nothing currently on the market comes close to the GoPro for the size/quality of image/ease of use. Obviously there are bigger systems that do things better, but again, for the size and flexibility you can't go wrong. I pretty much always mount the gopro on my 'bigger' system.

A couple bits of advice: use some kind of leash so that it doesn't completely get away if it decides to go on walkabout, and if you put it on your head, use a chin strap. (I have not had either of these happen to me but do a search for lost gopro or found go pro and you'll be convinced)

[Matt S.]

My Black locks up whenever it is plugged in, and will not charge. Eventually, I figured out a magic ritual of taking out the battery, pressing buttons, and giving hugs. It's completely stock, no LCD back. I decided to live with it because if you study the support forums, lots of people have much worse problems like overheating and random shutdowns while filming. Mine is at least reliable once I do the recharging rain dance. (I'll probably invest in an offboard charger, they aren't expensive and it will address my problems.)

My GoPro 1 had similar issues.

They can be great gadgets but based on my experience, GoPro gear is not something I would buy unless I could get it at local retail with an easy replacement policy. The chances of getting a lemon are too high.

[seattlepaul1975]

Thank you all for the advice...I am still reading and thinking on it.