Sony Action Cam

The Sony Action Cam is a good entry in the POV camera market that includes a waterproof case with a standard tripod mount; is available with or without Wi-Fi; has a small, lightweight body; and offers a decent number of recording options.

Video quality is disappointing viewed at larger sizes; can't rotate lens or flip video 180 degrees; camera can't stand on its own and can't easily be used without a door on its case; no access to mic jack when inside case; no still photos beyond...

The Sony Action Cam is a solid first effort and worth its price, but some design shortcomings may be enough to put off some potential buyers.

Inexpensive. Rugged build. Good battery life.

Cumbersome controls. Struggles in low-light situations. Loses finer details.

Video Quality and Conclusions The Sony Action Cam can shoot video at 1080p60, 1080p30, 720p30, and 720p120 resolutions and frame rates. It's a respectable variety, but still falls short of the Hero3's 4K shooting mode, even though that's limited to 15...

Compact and light ; High-quality 16-megapixel Exmor R CMOS sensor ; Image stabilization works well ; Easy to use ; Built-in Wi-Fi

Mounts one-use-only ; Can only be mounted in waterproof case ; Outgunned by new GoPro Hero3

Compact and light ; High-quality 16-megapixel Exmor R CMOS sensor ; Image stabilization works well ; Easy to use ; Built-in Wi-Fi

Mounts one-use-only ; Can only be mounted in waterproof case ; Outgunned by new GoPro Hero3

Sony is a relative latecomer to the burgeoning action camera segment, which is something of a surprise given its heritage as a camera maker and AV in general. The segment leader is undoubtedly GoPro who were inspired by people using standard (but bul

Smartphone control with built-in WiFi; Two slow-motion options that are simple to use

Oversaturated colors in bright and low light; Ports and menu buttons not accessible inside waterproof case

The Sony Action Cam may not have everything we want from a wearable camcorder, but this is an excellent first step for Sony nonetheless. The Action Cam HDR-AS15 was built on some great ideas—the WiFi functions work well, the slow motion options are...

—a lighter, smaller camera with built-in Wi-Fi. It can also do that 720 slo-mo trick (and shoot at 1080p/60fps, for full frame slow-mo, or 4K at 15fps, just to show off). Plus, with the Contour and the GoPro, there are just way more mounting...