Do you love extreme sports and would like to record your exploits? Forget half-measures and look for equipment that will survive even in the most difficult conditions. Only a sports camera can overcome such a high bar.
Today, recording is not a problem, as it is enough to climb into the pocket where there is a mobile phone or a simple digital camera with a standard video mode. Problems begin when the operator enters the field: starts the motor, skis... Dust, water, strong vibrations and breathtaking speed - let's face it - standard image-recording equipment will fall apart faster than you feel shortness of breath.
For such situations you need to buy a sports camera, which, unlike usual, can be indispensable. And that is why the market is becoming more and more of this technique. This, in turn, is accompanied by the growth of the range, which means there is an opportunity to choose the appropriate equipment.
What you need to focus on when choosing a sports camera:
The purpose of a sports camera is determined primarily by the corps. It has to be very strong and resistant to impact. It's not out of the question for the camera to get damaged after a fall or a crazy ride. Low temperatures, falls, wind, rain or swimming in a river or sea is not so much a threat as its elements. So check if the camera is waterproof. Otherwise, the kit must have a special case that allows you to work with the camera even a few tens of meters underwater.
The sports camera should be comfortable and easy to use. It is advisable to know in advance whether it is possible to perform at least basic functions in gloves and not go to the LCD panel. This will make it much easier to operate in winter or while riding a motorcycle. Some models feature a wireless remote control, whereby the user does not need to mess with the camera to turn on, stop or change settings.
Depending on the price and the manufacturer's decision, you can purchase additional holders that can also go bundled. Sometimes it can only be one element, other times even the whole set. Of course, the extra mount will be useful for placing the camera on your helmet, bike, car body, shoulder or safety glasses.
Resolution is nothing more than the number of points or pixels (vertically and horizontally) that make up the displayed image. The simplest format for recording digital cameras is SD (standard definition) with a resolution of 768 × 576 pixels.
However, it is quite common to find HD quality, under which there are four standards:
HD Ready (720p) - 1280x720px
HD (1080i) - 1920x1080px
Full HD (1080p) - 1920x1080px
Ultra HD (2160p) - 3840x2160px
It's one of the most important elements in the chamber. Her task is to convert incident light into electrical pulses, which in turn are the basis for creating a digital image. By studying the technical characteristics of the equipment, you will encounter different types of matrices. They will be first and foremost:
CCD
CMOS
MOS
The resolution of the converter is also an important parameter. It determines the number of pixels that make up the matrix. This affects the quality of the recorded image. The larger the number of pixels, the better, because it means good sharpness, contrast, and color saturation. In HD standards, the absolute minimum is 2 million pixels. However, watch out for very high values (like 10 or 13 million). Looks great on packaging, but useful only when shooting. In turn, with SD technology, high resolution is an even more illusory parameter because the matrix uses only 400,000. pixels. If it's not 3CCD, then - 3 times 400,000.
If it were a simple camera, the number of frames would be much less significant. On television, this value is set at 25 frames per second for the PAL and SECAM systems and 29.97 frames for the NTSC system. Movies in theaters are displayed at a speed of 24 frames/s. And that's enough. But if you're recording a motorcycle ride, jumping a banjo or ski, 30fps can be completely unsatisfying. Therefore, sports cameras record images of 30 and 60, and in some models - up to 120 per second.
This is very important for sports cameras. If it is wide enough, about 170º, when skiing or cycling you will be able to record an image that will cover not only the landscape, but also part of your ski or bike, as well as your hands and feet. It's called POV, or viewpoint. That means you get a very subjective clip that gives the impression of being filmed really in the first person.
This is another parameter that determines whether you will get satisfactory results when shooting in low light conditions. Defines the degree of opening of the aperture (f/). The lower it is, the more light enters the lens. Many sports camera models have a brightness of about f/2.8. Very bright move below 2.
Theoretically you have multiple media to choose from. In fact, DV mini-cassettes, dating back to the 90's, are now out of date. The DVD failed in terms of capacity. Hard drives are good, but not in sports cameras - they have a high demand for energy and are easily damaged even under the influence of small bumps. What's left?
Flash Memory - The media is small, lightweight and consumes little energy. They are housed in slots that feature cameras - SD, SDHC or SDXC (possibly MS - Memory Stick in Sony cameras). Currently, the most popular cards provide 16, 32 or 64 GB of free space. Sometimes the cameras are also equipped with internal memory.
In addition to everything, I would like to say that now on the market there are sports cameras and with other additional features and capabilities. First of all, you need to define your needs in order to purchase the equipment that is as suitable as possible throughout.