Rating of the best action cameras in 2022 (TOP 5)

2022 action camera rating table

DJI Osmo Pocket

Opens my TOP DJI Osmo Pocket. The slogan of this model is “A Powerful Tool for Unlimited Imagination”. Osmo Pocket is shaped like a dosimeter, has a camera with special stabilization, and a little lower — a screen with a control panel. The feature of the model is mechanical three-axis gimbal. In short, this is a mechanism that adapts to our movements during shooting, so the video is smooth and to some extent even resembles a movie.

Despite the small size of the camera, the pictures are simply amazing, the aperture plays a significant role. As far as video recording is concerned, 4K and 60 fps at 100 Mbps are guaranteed! The device can also shoot slow-motion video, but here the figures are much more modest — 1080p and 120 frames per second. Let’s say a little about the functions and features that the company is promoting in every possible way:

• Active Track Mode — press the button, fix the object, and the camera automatically fixes it, following it.
• Panorama 3×3. This is an improved frame, they especially worked on detail and clarity. Frames taken in this mode will be perfect for your Instagram account.
• «Night». Everything is so clear here. I will say on my own: the pictures are clear, even if there are sometimes grainy shots.
• DJI Mimo. This is a special application that combines the company’s device control panel and video editor. Works well, but with its own nuances. Available on iOS, Android and PC. Even more functional than Go Pro Quick.
• And as a bonus — universal portwith which you can connect a smartphone and many special accessories.

Has many settings, so the picture can be customized according to your professional preferences. The big disadvantage is the average microphone and the inability to connect a more professional one, because of the connectors there is only one for a memory card and USB-C for charging the built-in battery, its work will be enough for you for 140 minutes of battery life.

The price of the device in the DNS is 250$. But the model also has unpleasant surprises in the form of a lack of HDR, bluetooth, and it will be possible to use it to the full only if you have accessories, but, for example, you bought the same GoPro HERO9 and use it to the maximum.

An action camera is a great accessory for you if you’re into videography and will be a great replacement for a professional camera — the only difference is that the Osmo Pocket will be much easier to transport.

Sony HDR-AS50

The fourth place is occupied by Sony HDR-AS50. The designers did not bother much and made a Sony camera familiar to all of us. There is only one lens, but it can shoot at an ultra-wide angle of view and in 4K resolution. The SteadyShot stabilizer is a proprietary development of the company and shows itself in difficult conditions quite well. The zoom has also been worked out to the maximumyou can change the viewing angle from wide to narrow, and the image does not lose focus, color reproduction, and the approximation is quite smooth.

Slow motion takes place at 120 frames per second and HD resolution — modest characteristics, if you take into account the rest of the rating models. With the help of advanced features such as white balance, brightness optimization and others, you can greatly simplify the work in the video editor later. In addition to the slow mo mode, there is also Motion Shot LE, this function allows you to capture several different positions of the object in one frame at once. As for me, this function is from the series «For pampering».

Continuous shooting allows you to shoot up to eight images in high quality when performing a trick or element. Loop recording — this is a technology for people whose camera constantly has to shoot, the material is stored on the memory card, and as it fills up, new material replaces the new one. The camera was endowed with three indicators so that the user can see and control the charge of the camera, whether recording is in progress, and other functions of the device. Action Cam App for editing and controlling the camera is available on IOS and Android. An unexpected surprise here is the shockproof and waterproof case included in the kit. Of the shortcomings, there are a small number of accessories and overpriced — 200$.

A simple camera for a person who is just getting acquainted with action cameras or when you need a small handy camera at hand. But due to the inflated price tag, it is better to look at other positions in the rating.

GoPro Max

Top three opens GoPro MAX. The name of this camera speaks for itself — shooting to the maximum. Four digital lenses and two cameras at once for shooting 360-degree video. Like all cameras of the company, it is a square with rounded corners, on which 6 microphones for good and clear sound. The model is made in a dark color so that the external environment does not affect its appearance so much, because it will have to work in difficult conditions. There are two cameras — they provide ultra-realistic shooting, and here the point is not even in spherical shooting, but in the fact that the camera can shoot in 5K, the quality is excellent, and here we will add stabilization with horizon alignment thanks to electronic stabilization technology — Max HyperSmooth. True, shooting at 30 frames per second is somehow not very good at such and such a resolution, but if we reduce the latter, we will get 60 frames per second.

Let’s move on to one of the most important details in modern cameras — lenses, there are 4 of them.: Narrow, Linear, Wide + Max SuperView with the widest viewing angle. The body of the model is durable, which the company likes to boast about, but remember that anything can be broken! Not without water resistance here — up to 10 meters with a degree of protection IPX8. Here it is worth adding that any mount from Go Pro will fit the model. The manufacturer made the functions according to the capabilities of this camera:

• Max TimeWarp lets you create incredibly smooth time lapses in sphere mode as well as HERO modes.
• Power Pano — panoramic shots now with 270 degrees of view.
• Publication in all known social networks immediately after shooting.
• Voice control is possible, up to 12 voice commands are supported, in addition, the interface has been worked out: control from the screen is now easier, although turning on the camera by voice, as it was in HERO 8, is no longer available.
• The vertical shooting mode is suitable for fans of short clips of 15-30 seconds.
• Possibility to enter live broadcasts on many well-known platforms in Full HD.
• Thanks to the company’s proprietary application, you can edit and share the created content. This camera is equipped with a special function — «Recompose», thanks to which you can easily convert mind-blowing spherical materials into traditional photos and videos.

But the camera also has unpleasant surprises: its weakness is shooting at night and in low light, so consider this factor.

The price is 470$. The model turned out to be really interesting, with its own individual functions, but not suitable for all users. If you want to shoot an action video in all its glory and not lose details, then this camera is for you, and if you like to shoot landscapes or vlogs, then take a closer look at other models from the company’s Hero line.

GoPro HERO9

In second place GoPro HERO9. The guys do not change their traditions, and in front of us we see a familiar square with a camera module, two screens, as the company itself says — front for selfies, back for easy control. If we talk about the calling card of the camera, then I would say that its indestructibility, as always, decides. Immersion up to 10 meters and durability, thanks to which the camera is not afraid of bumps and drops, but I do not advise abusing this. Well, shooting 5K is a nice bonus.and the difference is decent when compared with the same DJI Osmo Pocket, which has a peak resolution of 4K.

Photos are also pleasing and clear, thanks to a twenty-megapixel camera. If you’re taking a freeze frame from a video, it’s good here too — 14.7 megapixels. More in this model the guys presented their proprietary stabilization of the third version, and even with the alignment of the horizon. All those horizon level and stabilization tricks were done for time lapse and slow motion, it’s still in 1080p but now at 240 fps. Other features were either taken from HERO8 or developed and added more recently.

• Delayed shooting allows you to set the time to start recording — very convenient if the camera, for example, is mounted on a headgear.
• LiveBurst allows you to create a series of shots 1.5 seconds before and after pressing the capture button.
• You can set the length of the video in advance.
• And where without various mounting options?

You can buy various modules and make a real monster out of your camera! For example, a microphone that makes the sound clearer, or a lens with which it will be possible to improve autofocus and increase the level of view, and also a bright flash, which may not replace softboxes, but will definitely add light to the picture. The battery life has become 30% longer than the previous model, now its volume is 1720 mAh. A branded application called Quik allows you to share the footage and edit it, the functionality is very diverse.

I did not say anything about the software for the computer, as it is very raw and unfinished, and the camera itself looks not quite finished in places. But we can’t call her bad, she copes with her main task with a bang. Well, additional features please.

Insta360 One X2

Insta360 One X2 takes the gold medal. The model is a continuation of the popular camera — Insta360 One X. The manufacturer itself positions the continuation of the bestseller as “a high-end competitor to the GoPro Max camera.”The appearance of the camera is unusual: the shape is similar to the player from those that we used about 8 years ago. There are two cameras on the body, thanks to them the device is able to conduct spherical shooting.

The main camera is an external, ultra-wide-angle, capable of shooting in 5.7K resolution.which is a decent result considering its size, but for smooth 60fps video, you will need to lower the resolution to 4K. The photo does no worse than an indirect competitor from Go Pro, there are useful modes: HDR, continuous shooting, interval shooting, night shooting and PureShot. The latter is something like HDR, only the picture is processed even more by artificial intelligence.

For video shooting, there is HDR, slow motion. Bullet Time — This is a mode that creates the effect of a slow-motion flight of the camera around the owner. But the mode that people use most often is Steady Cam, which allows you to shoot ultra wide-angle shots. In the near future they promise to bring Starlapsethere are few details, but it is clear from the name that this is a special function for shooting the starry sky. You can control the camera and watch the recorded content through the screen in the form of a circle.

The main differences from ONE X were the presence of two new modes — the SteadyCam and MultiView already mentioned by me. Artificial intelligence in the camera is now much more and, as well as a slightly redesigned. But the guys put a lot of emphasis on the tool with which the cameras will work, and they chose an apple company as an example. Now the insta360 branded application works with their phonesbut keep in mind that it works slowly with older models.

It can be used in non-standard conditions due to the strong case and Water resistant up to 10 meters. You can record voice commands: this function makes it easier to control the camera. The official website of the manufacturer has a lot of accessories for the model.and some have just been announced. Users do not like the fact that when you start the camera, you need to enter the video mode through your smartphone. We hope that the manufacturer will fix this soon. The price of the device in the CSN is 410$.

This model was originally planned as a cosmetic update, but after looking at the work of competitors, it became clear that it needed to be done with high quality and a lot, and this is how the new One X2 turned out.