For each TVs and camcorders, 4K is that the new premium feature to own, and Sony has the market lined on each ends. Its flagship 4K Action Cam can't solely shoot 4K videos, it'll bang at a bitrate of one hundred Mbps. For a POV camera, it produces beautiful photos and really sleek videos, and it’s straightforward to use. however at $500, it competes directly with GoPro’s Hero4 Black, a smaller camera that’s loaded with options. will it contend to be king of the 4K hill?
Besides the camera, you’ll notice a small USB cable, battery, waterproof case, attachment buckle (used for inserting the camera into a mount), flat adhesive mount, incurvate adhesive mount, and a starter guide.
Design and options
The 4K Action Cam retains the signature look Sony uses for all of its Action Cam models, however is perceptibly larger and heavier than non-4K versions; moreso than the photos recommend. Compared to the Action Cam mini we have a tendency to last checked out, it feels large within the hand, just like the size of AN old-school electronic device. You’ll undoubtedly feel it if you place it in garments pocket; it’s additionally a trifle cumbersome once it’s mounted on your body. The larger size, however, permits for a firm grip between the fingers.
style and operation simplicity area unit key: you'll be able to begin recording by pressing the red-dot button on high, right out of the box. Besides the record button, there area unit terribly controls: a hold switch, and 2 buttons that handle on-screen navigation (pushing each along activates and off Wi-Fi). On the aspect is additionally the near-field communication (NFC) tag and speaker. very cheap features a stand screw and a microphone-input.
On the front could be a 170-degree Zeiss Tessar lens with AN f/2.8 aperture (120 degrees with SteadyShot image stabilization turned on) and stereo mics. It’s an equivalent lens employed in alternative Sony Action Cams, however with a minimum focus distance of virtually twenty inches, compared to just about twelve inches within the others; you can’t get as close-up if you would like things focused .
Whereas the LCD within the Action Cam mini is usually useless, the 4K Action Cam’s show has additional information. It additionally helps you to amendment settings and modes. this is often helpful on the fly, after you don’t have the camera paired to your smartphone. however it’s AN concerned, generally frustrating method that needs various button pushes to scroll through menus (one wrong button push and you’re forced out of the menus); but, over time, we have a tendency to got therefore accustomed it that it will become intuitive. victimisation the PlayMemories App remains the simpler and faster technique, if you have got smartphone pairing came upon.
At the rear could be a two-door panel: One opens to reveal the small USB and HDMI ports, the opposite features a protection switch, smallSD/Memory Stick Micro slot and battery. each doors area unit sealed to forestall against water splashes. like all Sony Action Cams, the body is splash proof, however needs the enclosed housing to form it waterproof; in our tests, the housing has continually worked well. However, it’s tough to grasp that thanks to properly insert the MicroSD card.
Sony offers lots of optional accessories and mounts, however the stand screw permits you to use your existing tripods. For our review, Sony provided the optional Live-View Remote, a wrist-worn color show that helps you to read what the camera see. This remote is handy once you’re victimisation the camera whereas engaged in some type of activity, once employing a smartphone isn’t possible. The remote connects via Wi-Fi, and whereas the initial pairing setup is stubborn, and therefore the affiliation isn’t continually stable, we have a tendency to found it worked as designed.
Compared to the Action Cam mini, the battery here lasts longer. On one full charge, we have a tendency to we have a tendency tore able to get some days of on-and-off use; we were stunned by the standby power, once the camera turned on when many days of not victimisation it. You’ll run through the battery a lot of quicker once the camera is employed unceasingly, of course, however you’ll get a minimum of a pair of hours if you’re shooting the lowest-setting Full HD with everything turned off (GPS, Wi-Fi, SteadyShot stabilization); expect but AN hour if you’re shooting higher resolutions.
Specs, performance, and use
The 4K Action Cam shares nearly an equivalent specs because the alternative models, as well as the 1/2.3-inch back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS detector, Bionz X image processor, 170-degree f/2.8 Zeiss Tessar lens, and icon stabilization (SteadyShot). The 4K Action Cam additionally has what Sony describes as full component readout while not component binning, that improves image quality by reducing false coloring and jagged edges. several of the camera’s functions area unit doable due to the Bionz X processor. alternative options embody loop recording (overwrites a video when a collection time), live streaming via Ustream, continuous still shooting, motion picture, and Motion Shot lupus, that creates a picture that shows a trace of a moving image.
While the Action Cam mini is in a position to shoot stills at eleven.9 megapixels, the 4K Action Cam maxes out at eight.8. though picture quality is extremely sensible for AN action camera, you’re shopping for this camera for its video operate. The camera supports 4K (3,840 x 2,160) up to 30p and 24p, and Full HD 1080 at 120p, with a bitrate of one hundred Mbps. If you have got the hardware to method and look at 4K content, by all suggests that you must shoot at the upper resolution. however most users can continue Full HD, as it’s a resolution that almost all computers and TVs support. The profit here is that the higher bit rate for smoother-looking videos. And, 4K is there whenever you upgrade.
There is a caveat: Sony uses its new XAVC S codec, that is what permits the camera to shoot those high-resolution videos and high bitrates. However, it needs the utilization of small SDXC cards, that tend to be costlier than small SDHC. while not one, the Action Cam can solely record within the normal AVC codec at up to Full HD 1080 at 60p, at 28 Mbps. It’s a lesser-quality format, however it’s additionally universally supported and prepared for transfer to YouTube or alternative video sites; XAVC S needs post-processing on your laptop, however additionally appearance cleaner. Whichever format you employ can rely on what matters additional, convenience or quality. Note that shooting at higher resolutions can have an effect on battery life. (Tip: we have a tendency to found reasonable, quality SDXC cards on-line and at membership stores like Costco.) we discover that for many users, the quality AVC video quality are over satisfactory.
As mentioned, the 4K Action Cam is simple to use. To power it up, press any of the buttons. in contrast to the Action Cam mini, there’s no dedicated power button. we have a tendency to were disquieted that the camera would possibly power itself on and drain the battery after we place it in our bag or pocket, however that ne'er happened to US. The camera has Wi-Fi and NFC for fast pairing with robot devices. we have a tendency to tested victimisation AN iPhone 5S, and had no problems with pairing. Through the PlayMemories app, it absolutely was straightforward to alter modes and settings and regulate white balance and exposure compensation, and that we used the live-view for framing our shots. in contrast to the Action Cam mini, the 4K Action Cam has GPS intrinsical, therefore location information is recorded. victimisation Sony’s Action Cam motion-picture show Creator desktop package (free download), you'll be able to overlay the GPS information on the video; convert XAVC S videos to alternative formats and bit rates; and create video clips from time-lapse pictures, among alternative piece of writing tools.
If you don’t wish to pay time on piece of writing a video, you'll be able to use the Highlight producer feature (via the app) that makes a brief, shareable video that mechanically finds the key components of the video and edits out what it thinks area unit the boring stuff, whereas adding music to the background. The camera uses GPS information to make your mind up wherever to tag those moments. for instance, you'll be riding on on a skateboard for many minutes, so perform a trick; the camera acknowledges a amendment in activity, and can tag that moment. Let’s hope that you simply truly succeed the trick and don’t fall on your face. after we tried out this feature, we have a tendency to found the method to be a trifle long, and we’d rather edit offline anyway to avoid wasting battery life on each the camera and our phone.
There is a caveat for shooting high-bitrate videos: the XAVC S codec needs the utilization of pricier small SDXC cards.
Sony says the 4K Action Cam’s SteadyShot image stabilization is three-times additional stable than previous models. for normal movements, the system can keep things steadier than while not it, however it won’t do something for violent shakes. Turning it on can drain battery life, and it’s not obtainable once shooting in 4K.
In terms of image quality, the 4K Action Cam delivers some terribly pretty photos. colours area unit correct, with sensible details (while image quality is subjective, some folks would possibly notice the colours a trifle too amped up). It’s not continually perfect: Some pictures, underneath extremely bright, direct daylight, look washed out with loss of details, whereas some appeared uproarious and aren’t as sharp as we might have liked . you'll be able to manipulate with the exposure compensation to regulate the intensity. For sharing functions, or viewed at smaller sizes, they give the impression of being nice. You’ll notice imperfections if you blow photos up to full size. Like most cameras with tiny sensors, the 4K Action Cam stumbles in low lightweight. pictures came out blurred, despite standing to a lower place a bright street lightweight in one situation. Still, for AN action camera, this model undoubtedly shoots higher stills than most.
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