Action camera alternatives?

The_Arbiter · 18 Jun 2020 at 14:33

Are there any camcorders or compact non dslr cameras that compete with action cams at sub £500?

I ask because i don't plan on using the selfie, underwater, gps, and chest/helmet mount stuff that action cams offer.

I mostly (90% of time) stick the camera on a tripod and let it film without any human control.

Am looking at the DJI Osmo Action for replacing a Canon G25 with a Raynox 0.3x lens. I'm after 60 or 60+ FPS for sport, and 1080p or maybe 1440p ish.

My current camera is 50i/25fps at 1080p.

Wants to be wide angle, but i like how these action cams correct distortion and warping. My output will be 1080p, so filming above that should allow me to zoom in during editing, and with warping correction above, my footage should all come out at 1080pm nicely enough- i'm guessing?

Any thoughts?

Spleen Sauce · 18 Jun 2020 at 16:49

I’m actually quite impressed with my wife’s iPhone 11 Pro - the video footage out of the wide angle lens on that with the built in stabilisation is actually really impressive. It’s certainly better than my (admittedly ageing) Go-Pro.

The_Arbiter · 18 Jun 2020 at 17:27

Spleen Sauce said:
I’m actually quite impressed with my wife’s iPhone 11 Pro - the video footage out of the wide angle lens on that with the built in stabilisation is actually really impressive. It’s certainly better than my (admittedly ageing) Go-Pro.

Yeah it's kinda crazy. You'd think camcorders which are big would pack much better tech, but (my limited knowledge tells me) even some new camcorders lack superior sensors to those on action cams. And from seeing some of the mobile phone footage, they look decent also. Though i'd rather keep my phone and camera separate at the moment. Sticking a flashy high end phone on a tripod some distance away from the owner isn't the most reassuring. Phone screens aren't great at surviving impacts either

Spleen Sauce · 18 Jun 2020 at 18:23

Ha

fair point - but you can get some pretty robust phone cases now, certainly going to be cheaper than buying a dedicated camera. All depends what the priorities are really. Osmo Action is really decent. A couple of my mates who are into downhill mountainbiking bought the AKASO V50 Pro and they get superb footage so worth a look.

The_Arbiter · 19 Jun 2020 at 12:49

Spleen Sauce said:
Ha fair point - but you can get some pretty robust phone cases now, certainly going to be cheaper than buying a dedicated camera. All depends what the priorities are really. Osmo Action is really decent. A couple of my mates who are into downhill mountainbiking bought the AKASO V50 Pro and they get superb footage so worth a look.

I watched a comparison of the Iphone 11 vs Gopro on YT. The Iphone seems very impressive, but it is a full grand in cash. That is one liability i can't be dealing with, there's a reason i still use an old phone, it goes everywhere with me, and far too easy to lose or damage.

I ran into a potential issue, when filming at 4k, the file splitting of 4gb due to the file system of FAT32/exFAT, something that even didn't cross my mind! The Osmo Action apparently breaks clips up not very well, and they don't piece together properly when editing.
The registration thing of the Osmo is absolutely rubbish also. I would even have to borrow a phone to register it if i bought one.