A New Waterproof Action Camera

The Sony FDR X3000 action camera.     

The other day, I wrote about how video resolution keeps increasing exponentially rather quickly. Unfortunately, my old Fuji waterproof camera that we've been using at the lake for video is a bit dated and is showing its age. This put me on a search for an affordable waterproof video camera (rather than a waterproof stills camera) which will hold me over for the next five or more years.

I quickly found that, once again, Sony has proven that they are listening to what the consumers and professionals want and need.

It seems the best action video camera on the market today is a Sony camera... the Sony FDR X3000, to be exact. It has 4K resolution... comes with a waterproof housing... has a separate controller with LCD screen that I can wear like I would a watch (or I can mount it on an accessory)... it has an app which allows me to sync and control with my cellphone... and has perhaps the best video image stabilization on the market today. 

Waterproof to 197 feet in its waterproof housing!

After researching this for about two weeks and then tracking prices for months, I decided to purchase one of these tiny gems.

While I was researching the available waterproof cameras (both still cameras and video cameras), I quickly eliminated many from the bunch...  GoPro was out for many reasons not the least of which was image quality... Fuji simply hasn't improved this line of cameras in the past five years so they were out... Ricoh, pleeease, I wouldn't even buy a Ricoh office machine which is their primary business so I'm definitely not going to buy one of their secondary products... Olympus, I vowed to never again buy another Olympus product many years ago and they didn't really have anything interesting anyway... Panasonic didn't have anything interesting... Canon and Nikon, they both seem to only have their names to sell and not outstanding products for today... then, there are some new manufacturers in the fray today but I didn't want to be a beta tester testing new, unproven technology this time around... I wanted an outstanding video camera while maintaining value for the money.

Sony X3000 with its Live View Remote, LVR3,
mounted on a wristwatch type of strap.

That left Sony and two of their action cameras... the AS300 and the slightly pricier X3000.

Both of these Sony cameras sport top of the line image stabilization so that is a plus when it comes to video. I don't have many feelings toward image stabilization for still photography (fast moving subjects are the biggest problem and image stabilization does absolutely nothing for stabilizing fast moving subject motion blurring) but, for video, image stabilization makes a world of difference when it effectively works as advertised. The Sony BOSS (balanced optical steady shot) image stabilization is definitely effective.

Both cameras produce stunningly sharp video...  nice color... simply very pleasing video by today's standards. 

The difference is the AS300 is a Full HD camera while the higher priced and newer X3000 is a 4K camera with a few more features and high speed recording options. Since I wanted a video camera which can hold me over for at least the next five years, I chose the 4K X3000. 

A size comparison image... the banana is thicker than this action
camcorder... the banana is longer... the banana actually
dwarfs this little action cam!

I plan to use this camera primarily to record video of kayaking and sailing and any other in-the-water activities. For the safer, drier things, I will use my Sony a6000 and my Sony a7 depending upon the situation. Each camera has its advantages and each has its disadvantages so I choose which camera to use based upon which will fit the task at hand better.  

When I pulled this new Sony X3000 out of the box, I was stunned by its diminutive size! This thing is tiny! I can't believe all the impressive features Sony has miniaturized enough to fit into this tiny package. It truly is amazing. Sony is on a roll with amazing products and this one seems to fit right in there. 

I'm sure I'll write more about this video camera the more I get to use it and test it out. Of course, I'll be sharing video produced from this camera too. I really haven't had an opportunity yet to capture some decent test footage but I'm looking forward to seeing what this tiny thing is capable of out in the real world. I'm really looking forward to mounting it on the sailboat and our kayaks at the lake house. 

Maybe I'll carry this camera around with me for the next few weeks so I can test it whenever an ideal situation arises.