Till yesterday my life was full of adventures and today it got a new twist of the fourth dimension after adding an action camera to my accessories! So now I am capturing my adventures of cycling and hiking activities easily using this brand new top notch action camera which is wearable, super compact, lightweight, small but rough and tough for use.

In this post I shall update you with my own research done before finalizing the best action camera in India.

I have reviewed almost every options available in market today, checked the user reviews thoroughly, customer feedback’s, pros and cons against each other, recording performance, durability against rough use and waterproof capabilities and each aspect that will make sure that I select the best value for money action camera for me.

At the end of post I have also added an Action Camera Buyer’s Guide, plz take a look if you have some free time.

While I first started searching on Google, I found that like Xerox has became synonym for Document copier, GoPro is almost synonym for an action camera! Maybe since they are world market leaders, in face one of the pioneers in action camera generation. However there are other competition brands with almost same quality of performance still selling at some lower prices, I looked upon those options too for finalizing the best of best.

Of-course by now GoPro has sold over 30 million HERO cameras since they sold the first HD model in November 2009 and they are the best sellers in North America. The model HERO5 Black has crossed 4 million mark!!

While I will look deep into each of these shortlisted actions cameras for some of the key features such as 4K footage, faster frame rates (slow motion), still image quality, Wi-Fi, GPS and touchscreen controls. And finally value for money the price at which I can get all the said features with long life from drops during use.

Here are my top picks of the best action cameras you can buy right now in India.

Although the action cameras are gaining popularity in India, in 2021 not all options are available across easily and you need to mostly buy them online (local stores do not provide all options and brands, also they are comparatively costlier than online stores like Amazon or Flipkart)

As it is my hobby, I keep on updating the list, every time a new camera is launched, keeping an eye over the prices, offers. If you happen to buy any of action cameras, do not forget to share your experience to me and my blog readers by putting comments below the post.

Best action camera in India 2021 – Top 10 Cameras Reviewed

Latest launches are Hero 7, Hero 8 and 2021 Hero 9

1. GoPro Hero6 Black

If you look at Hero6 version, it is exactly similar looking from its predecessor Hero5, however the technology updates has gone inside the camera.

With high power GP1 processor you can now record super high-quality 4K video footage at whooping 60fps.

Further changes include an improved image stabilization system, a wider dynamic range with great low-light performance as compared to the predecessor Hero5 Black.

Its fully Waterproof allowing you to dive upto 10 meters!

Thing which I liked in the Hero6 Black is super quality, fully functional 2-inch touchscreen, further magnifies the utility with voice commands, which means you can go truly hands-free during your adventures..

You get an updated app with QuikStories, to automatically transfer and edits your video footage!

So for those who like always to be in water, diving deep, wish to know location you traveled at what speed, while you look at the video, simply go for GoPro Hero6 Black.

All these micro details make this top my list of best actions cams, simply go for it!

2. GoPro Hero5 Black

With latest upgrade of the Hero series by GoPro, you can get this predecessor at pretty descent price.

Its still one of the best action camera in market, with 4K video shooting capability at 30fps, which is more than sufficient for most of the adventure activities.

Most favorite thing is to incredibly smooth video raw footage, which means more post processing flexibility in all light conditions.

And for a water-sports activities like scuba diving, this camera acts like a charm, with its 10 meter dive down capability without any add-on accessory of protective case, so you save some money spending on case.

Simple to use, intuitive touch screen, remote voice control capability with GPS makes it a perfect action cam, you need not touch it for any reasons with your wet hands.

I can say that as on date this is one of the most feature packed value for money option available in the market.

And after introduction of Hero6, you have attractive offers available for Hero5, making it most tempting proposition for buying in 2021.

3. Yi 4K+ Action Camera

The third pick is value for money product, simply work on basics, go for one of the best designed action camera around.

With Built in new gen Ambarella A9SE75 chip, backed by the Sony IMX377 image sensor, YI 4K+ Action Camera delivers super performance in low light conditions.

The high speed processor enables enconding of 3840×2160 ultra-clear 4K video resolution at all conditions.

If action cam is your first time buy, consider going for Yi 4K+ action cam which almost delivers what a GoPro can.

4. GoPro Hero

If you buy action camera first time and want to go for top notch brand like Hero, still want to be in budget, then go for the stripped down version GoPro Hero.

It will surely justify for the price paid for, although it does not shoot at 4K resolution, but basic video footage is HD quality without any fuzz.

This is the perfect camera for novice or amateur users  who do not want to be expert in selecting micro level settings to get professional shoot, but just want to capture some action for fun without even worrying what happens to the frame rate fps settings or which resolution to choose from! Simple click the button and go for it.

Of course in similar price-point, there are many competition products available, however GoPro refined designs and intuitive usage is simply superb, yo just can’t beat GoPro in this area.

So for the basics, go for GoPro Hero.

5. TomTom Bandit

GoPro brought a trend of box type cameras, but still  TomTom bandit with its bullet shaped camera a high seller mainly due to the features as well as the brand name in the GPS navigation market.

Backed by powerful Navigation expertise, TomTom has fitted in the G sensor, which can identify action moments automatically based on the G-force changes. It an understand the motion, speed, altitude, acceleration and each moment that triggers an action to capture the footage, so there is no chance of missing the moment.

Other most powerful feature is auto edit with Companion App, just open the App, connect it to your phone and the app will automatically edit your footage ready for upload!

I mean all this editing happens without spending intelligent hours of work! So in today’s world where you want to share the highlights in no time, TomTom bandit beats all the competition with its super powered App, I think this is one of the best point making it high seller in today’s social world.

6. Olympus TG-Tracker

The TG-Tracker by Olympus is one of the toughest camera in world.

While most of the action cameras in sold today reach upto IPX7 or max IPX8 waterproof rating , TG Tracker extends its sturdiness not only dust-proof, but also shock proof and crush proof! Yes, it can sustain crush force of 100 kgf and drop heights of 7 feet!

I mean this is the camera you can easily give to your kids without worrying about damages of any sort, it can handle every type of rough use. So if you have toddlers at home, simply go for it.

One more points for stability for kids is 5 axis image stabilization system, so that your kids can easily capture moments of adventure without fear of being shaken!

With the Green color, it looks futuristic. Powered by an ultra wide 204 degree lens and various sensors this camera makes it a future of actions cameras.

Starting from standard video resolutions of 4K at 30fps, 1080p at 60fps it can get to the extreme frame capture of about 240fps at 720p for super slow motion capture.

The TruePic VII for 4K image processor with Back-lit CMOS sensor provides high ISO performance and keeps noise to a minimum. And again in low light conditions, the camera is provided with built-in LED video light.

And why I said it is futuristic, is also due to the number of sensors this camera is packaged with, with GPS, compass, acceleration sensors, a barometer and thermometer all capturing data simultaneously triggers an automatic chapter creation at points of dynamic movement.

All the sensors keep capturing the field data, which can then be displayed in chronological fashion for say changes in altitude (or water depth), all of these can be recorded and displayed as your achievement.

Nothing to say more, but only to tell you that it can survive the freezing temperatures upto – 10 degree centigrade!

So in all I recommend this toughest camera for those going for extreme adventures or having kids at home.

7. Yi 4K Action Camera

Already I have spoken about Yi 4K+ model, wherein here I am talking about the model without Plus, I mean only 4K and not 4K+.

Yi 4K model is available which is not a waterproof version, if at all you wish to take it under water photography, then select a separate case.

It comes with a large and responsive touch screen, powerful battery and super speed file transfer ability (50Mbps).

While it do have some lacuna’s like lens distortion correction and absence of image stabilization, however still it remains in my top list with cheap option giving value for money proposition.

8. Yi Lite Action Camera

Yi’s has a range of cheap action cameras, still meeting basic requirements of action photography.

While Yi Lite is the cheapest model in this range, while you use it at 4K mode, the video can be pretty slow and jerky. which means you can’t get great footage while going to 60 fps speeds.

However for beginners, it provides easy to use touchscreen navigation, a decent app and all the essential startup features.

It is a tough, reliable and affordable entry level action camera in my list.

But if you wish to go for cheapest model than this one, have a look at Yi’s Discovery Action Camera!

Yi Lite is also powered by Hisilicon Hi3556 chipset, HD videos can be recorded for longer duration without fear of camera overheating, even in warm environments. And its SONY IMX206 image sensor delivers full 1080p HD, crisp recording with ability to capture 16MP photos too.

Bluetooth remote capability is a boon for solo adventurers and travelers, it works upto 10 meters range.

9. GoPro Hero5 Session

The Hero5 Session DNA is from its predecessor the Hero4 Session, sharing many specs of Hero5 Black.

It can capture 4K videos at 30 fps, supports image stabilization, voice controls as well as sterproofing upto depth of 10 meters.

Simple and large Record button on the top starts and stops recording, that’s it. No selection of different options, modes or settings. Everything is controlled by an App

So its simple basic camera, easy to use, still providing the great video quality carrying DNA of GoPro.

10. Sony FDR-X3000R

Sony was one of the pioneer in camcorders, where they also introduced their own patented image stabilization system. In this case Sony has come-out with a Balanced Optical SteadyShot advanced camera-shake compensation which eliminates camera shake effects.

Also this camera has special live view remote control, also the camera can be turned on/off via smartphone with PlayMemories Mobile.

During low light situations there are two things which helps, one is the Sony’s Exmor R CMOS sensor which  provides improved image clarity and drastically reduced grain, and second is ZEISS Tessar lens, which provides crystal clear sharp images.

Coming to the video resolution, Sony specialty is delivering 120fps high frame rate recording at Full HD resolution.

Something super interesting in this series is Multi Camera Control which allows you to use up to five cameras to get exciting real time ground-up or head-down shots! I think this feature makes FDR-X3000R unique for serious adventurers. Giving complete control over what you shoot. All this can be done simply using  Live-View Remote or smartphone with PlayMemories Mobile app.

Similar to GoPros, this camera is also designed to be tough, facing all conditions of splash, freezing temperatures, dust-proof, shock proof and waterproof, which is extremely useful for those who hike on rainy days, skiing, snowboarding, making dirt biking movies, surfing the waves or exploring undersea, every possible adventure on this earth!

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Action Camera  – Buyer’s Guide

What is an action camera?

An action camera is a digital camera which is specially designed for sports & travel photography. Its its super compact, lightweight, portable, wearable gadget which is designed to be used during adventures like Cycling, Hiking Skydiving, Skateboarding, Climbing, and Surfing and hence are mostly waterproof, dust-proof and shockproof.

Compared to standard digital camera these adds more life to the capture by shooting videos in difficult locations, on the move or at high speeds. Specially a wide-angle fish-eye adds different perspective in itself.

Generally they are designed to be mounted firmly to practically almost everything like bikes, helmets, surfboards, so that you can operate it hands-free mode concentrating on your main activity and a simple quick start button facilitates the video capture operation.

Their micro size with dramatic POV (‘point of view’) footage makes them indispensable for extreme sports, where normal digital camera will give you narrow field of vision as well as fail to operate in extreme weather conditions.

Action cameras so bring a life to your photos and videos, their special design to record an action, sometimes with higher frame rates, enabled to withstand shocks, knocks, bumper and jolts during adventure activities, makes them an unbeatable action machine compared to traditional digital cameras.

Further they are much cheaper than traditional digital cameras in market, may be due to the size, technology or higher selling numbers have make the economics practical. Who know, but the result it you get them cheaper.

Most of the action cameras are waterproof hence allows inside water videography too.

Needless to say that the Standard digital cameras are too bulky and fragile, it simply can’t last with the kind of torture it will go through an adventure activity, so never ever think of mounting your standard digital camera on bicycle handle, it will simply give up in a ride or two.

As already said, the single button start-stop function with mounting capability allows a hands-free operation, which have made them popular across travelers too. Say if you are on a solo travel and want to film your visit to a historic monument, if you want to capture the entire visit by holding general camera in hand, it will be too difficult to concentrate on what the guide is telling you and enjoy the actual sightseeing of nature or history. But if you simple mount the action cam on your chest and complete the visit, you get automatic video+audio recording of each moment, which can be later edited to get a nice complete journey report.

Or even you can fix it onto car dashboard and get the journey footage or record your ski run, show it to your family and friends on return! Virtually and practically everything you can convert into HD quality or 4K quality high speed videos to get slow motion shots of your adventure.

Action cameras today are also used on pets!

So, While you want to purchase an Action camera simply look for the following points:

And if you don’t want to get into all the technical mess below, simply forget about this gyan and goto the to of this post to see my top picks of action cams 🙂

Durability

By nature action cameras are build to be rough and tough, they are designed to sustain hard conditions of shocks, drops, water, dust so don’t worry, you can use it with kids too without any worries.

But remember every protection will have its own implications about cost and weight, so look for what is main purpose of buying an action camera.

As an example, if you are planning to get an action camera for water-sports, cycling in rain, getting outside in snowy weather or scuba diving under water, then look for “waterproof” and “weatherproof” camera. ( Read more on waterproof rating terminology ) Like IPX8 waterproof rating means continuous immersion in water beyond 1 meter depth. (and for comparison in your mind, Apple Watch have IPX7 waterproof rating)

If you feel fully waterproof camera is bit pricey, you can opt to buy separate waterproof casing for the camera, which you can put on only during use inside water.

Now if your purpose is creating journey stories, then you may go for the lower end cheaper model which do not need extreme toughness but shall provide good quality footage for longer duration, what I mean is for a traveler you may focus on connectivity, battery life rather than the toughness of the camera.

Resolution and Frame Rates

After durability you need to look for what you are going to get, the main purpose – video, audio, photo shooting quality. Means look for the picture resolution and capability of the camera to video shoot at higher speeds, i.e. fps ( Frames per second rate – Read more ) High fps means you can get good quality blur free slow motion video footage.

Video:

The best action cameras in market provides 4K video capture at 30 fps to 60 fps. But do keep in mind that high resolution video / still shooting means lot of memory requirements.

General playback of movie at home takes place at 30fps which is perfectly fine, higher fps means you get an ability to capture finer details of actions without being blur of motion.

Anyway if you video shoot at 4K gives an advantage of cropping your footage till 1080p quality to get focus on main activity by removal of unwanted background things (Crop), this is an advantage you get from basic ultra-wide view you get from typical action camera.

Or alternatively you can select lower resolution option during video shoot to keep the file size down to minimal. (in case you are running out of space during your tour)

Still photo:

Sometimes you may need to take still photos using an action cam, in that case the still image quality becomes important, higher the camera megapixels means higher quality photo (I mean you can enlarge and print it without being blur of edges)

Just for reference, today’s smartphones generally have approx 8 mega pixels camera! So at least you should get to that level of picture quality using your action cam and anything lower than that will be NoGo.

Low light captures:

Many of the actions do happen with no sunlight availability, or on the twilight or even at night in flood lights, so it is important that your camera aperture allows low light photography. So before buying do look for low light shots from the camera. In-general any low quality camera works best during sunlight! so be careful and check the low light scenes too.

Field of View aka FOV

Field of view ( FOV Definition ) is the visible area to your camera at any given moment.

Typical action camera have a wide-angle FOV, and may result into fish-eye effect (slight edge distortion of images), however this also adds a flavor to the dynamism of action activity and one of the reasons of making action cams so popular!

Some cameras do allow you to choose between wide, medium, and narrow FOV.

Just for information a typical camcorder will have an average 45° FOV as against action cams with wide field of view, of around 170°, so naturally an action camera can look at more wide area within the same distance.

Simply look at below info-graphics explaining you “What is Field of View?”

Battery Life

Again depending upon purpose of buying an action camera, you may need different battery backups. Generally most of the action cams provide 1 to 3 hours of continuous battery operation depending upon the usage, like on HD resolution high fps shoot or connectivity through WiFi or Bluetooth. More features you use simultaneously more battery consumption will happen.

So even you want to have a gadget with highest battery life, do look at the basic purpose. Since high end battery powered device means more weight and more cost.

As an example, if you are mostly using it for road trips, you may power the camera with portable power-bank. or during shooting visit to a historic monument, you can power it up with portable charger in your bag. So in such case you may like to choose an action camera with more memory rather than powerful battery.

Alternatively instead choosing expensive camera with powerful battery, go for spare battery set which you can backpack for quick replacement during use.

What I mean don’t just harp for powerful battery but take your call judiciously considering alternates.

Connectivity

Today everyone wants to post their achievement on social media as soon as possible! Also it is important to move your data to web for safe backup making you free from worry of corrupt memory cards.

Both of above can be achieved if you have WiFi connectivity, so as to directly move / post data to internet servers, may be to your Google account or post on social media.

Sometimes if the camera do not have a preview screen and playback,  then connectivity to computer or smartphone becomes an important criteria.

Alternatively Bluetooth connectivity is also okay to have (but WiFi allows high speed data transfers) or last resort is to have wired connectivity, which is the fastest way of data transfer, but you need to carry wires around as well as may face an issue of connection to unknown computer network with security issues.

So in today’s scenario, best is to look for WiFi enabled camera (that’s my opinion)

Memory

If you are planning to video shoot at higher fps to get good slow motion or greater details of action footage, then it is important that your camera should be able to write data at higher speeds.

If your camera is trying to write 60 fps to the memory card and the card data writing speed is lower than that, then its possible that you loose some frames during writing process, thus getting a jerky footage!

So to get best performance from an action camera it is must that you should use a highest write speed micro SD card. ( Which is the Best memory card in 2021? Read here. )

How much storage I need?

If you are outdoors, running out of space will spoil the adventure trip! So make sure to have enough memory juice available into the camera as well as spare cards.

Video shooting at higher fps rate (60 fps) will consume lot of memory as compared to low rate video shooting (24 fps) in-general a 4K action cam will take highest memory space due to quality of footage.

But check what is the highest capacity card your camera supports, as an example you buy a 128GB microSD card, but your camera supports only 64GB microSD card then higher capacity card will not be identified or camera may allow writing upto only 64GB space. So compatibility of camera to highest capacity of microSD card is necessary factor to look for.

How to calculate memory space needed to record a video?

Just a rough guidelines for you, 1 minute of a 4K video recording need approximate 400MB of space, what it means that if you load 4K camera with a 128GB microSD card, then you will be able to record 5 hours worth of 4K video.

Mounting & Accessories

Here we are going to look at the form factor of the camera, its mounting and available accessories which will make the camera suitable for different type of sports activities.

As an example when you want to capture a unique perspective, like an under-skateboard shot, simply pay close attention to size.

If you are going for an underwater sports like scuba diving, to get nice footage of colorful fish and corals, you need to have IPX8 camera or at least have a fully waterproof case (an accessory). Point to be looked here is price of fully waterproof camera versus a non waterproof camera with waterproof case, check for the total price you are paying for. A good camera like GoPro may finally cost little high, but will make you free from carrying an additional waterproof case, so again invest wisely.

If you wish to mount the action camera on drone for Arial photography, then its necessary to check for availability of compatible camera mount. Some of drones comes with gimbal mounts to work with some GoPro models. Most of the drones like Yuneec Typhoon G, the Blade Chroma, and the Xiro Xplorer G work with old generation GoPro models, but always make sure that the camera you selected have suitable mount available that goes with your drone.

Although latest drones do come with an integrated cameras, I will still prefer using action cams due to the fact that to get an upgrade of video technology you need not replace the drone, but only the camera!

You get numerous action camera kits online adding multiple functionality at fraction of cost, such as –

• A monopod handheld mount:
  Allows recording a smooth video eliminating the shakiness while handheld recording.
• A bike tripod mount: Allows you to strap the camera to your bicycle.
• Chest belt strap mount: Allows chest mounting with a 3-way adjustable pivot arm.
• 360 Degree Rotating Wrist Strap Mount

Only as an example below is sample accessories kit photo, which is one of the best seller on Amazon ( Check the 38-in-1 Accessories kit details on Amazon India, And Check here on Amazon USA, Germany etc )

Controls and Apps

Finally you need to look for the controls of camera and the wireless connectivity features.

The controls must be ergonomic and intuitive, now if you consider an example of GoPro’s Hero5 Session, which have a simple, one-button operation, and relies on a connected mobile device for any setting changes. Perfect!

Some camera models possess controls of the LCD, but considering main function, say you have mounted the camera on helmet, how do you change settings? by removing it or what? So best is to have connectivity to your smartphone, thus allowing changes of settings remotely.

Considering that most of the actions cameras would be mounted such that change of settings is practically difficult, best is to have a powerful App interface providing you full camera control using remote interface. One of the most liked feature of some action cams is live viewfinder from your phone to frame your shots or live data transfer over phone.

What is takeaway ?

Finally an action camera choice comes from the performance and ease of use.

Critical points would be use during low light situations, underwater performance (if you want for), Durability and presence in market over years which shows that lot of customer feedback has already gone into the development.

So considering all the above factors I have enlisted the best action cameras only for you 🙂

Hope this helps !

Cheers !!