Sports cameras are lightweight and compact devices that allow you to capture your sporting feats in situations where holding the equipment in your hand is impossible or may pose a risk. They can be mounted on a helmet, a steering wheel or a car window. What should you consider when choosing a webcam? Here are a handful of tips that may prove extremely helpful when shopping.
One of the most important parameters of each sports camera is its resolution. We can deal, among others, with models offering Full HD quality, which record at a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels and record images at 60 or 120 frames per second. Other available solutions are HD cameras offering resolution of 1280×720 pixels. On store shelves you can also find 4K devices that record at a resolution of 3840×2160 pixels. Each camera of this type should offer the possibility of recording images with a resolution of 10-16 megapixels.
It is worth for a sports camcorder to have a wide-angle lens, which is great for recording athletic feats, allowing you to capture all the necessary details. The best solution is a model that covers a field of view of 170 degrees. However, you should be aware here that a wide-angle lens creates a fisheye effect and contributes to the curvature of straight lines at the sides.
Also worth recommending are sports cameras with a gimbal, that is, a mechanically-electronically stabilized mount in which you place the equipment. This is a proven way to prevent jittery picture. In stores you can meet with two types of accessories of this type. The first of available solutions is a mechanical stabilizer. It is inexpensive and efficient, but requires manual configuration. The second is a slightly more expensive, but much easier to use, electronic stabilizer. Additionally, it effectively eliminates shocks and guarantees smoothness of individual shots.
It is worth investing in a sports camera with a display, thanks to which it will be possible to preview the recorded video in real time and make the necessary configurations. We can deal with models with a touch screen or with two screens – one at the front and one at the back, which significantly facilitates the use of the equipment. An alternative solution is a camera that displays live video on the screen of a smartphone. How to remotely start and stop recording? Cameras with remote control come to the rescue.
When looking for the perfect sport camera, pay special attention to the connectivity modules. We can choose among other models with Wi-Fi, which allow to connect the equipment with a smartphone – whether to display the image or to change individual settings. More and more often we are dealing with cameras supported by Bluetooth, allowing you to pair them with your accessories. How to connect such equipment to a TV set or monitor? To make it possible, it has to be equipped with HDMI video port.
Lovers of modern solutions will certainly like sports cameras equipped with GPS or other sensors, which are able to record the location, route and details such as speed of movement, distance traveled or current height.
What should be the battery life of a sports camera? On a full charge it must work for at least 1 hour. We especially recommend models that allow you to quickly and conveniently remove the battery and replace it with another one, without having to charge the camera using a micro USB port or cigarette lighter socket in the car.
Lovers of all water sports should invest in a sports camera equipped with a waterproof casing. It will perform excellently during diving, among other things.
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