This 360 camera has a modular design. 7. Hero10 Black. Nest Cam IQ Outdoor: Motion and sound detection. However, the newer the model, the more sophisticated its motion stabilization will be, which means smoother video for you.
Specifications. The Hero10 can record video in 5K/60 fps and has a front-facing display, which lets you frame yourself more easily when taking selfies. The company says that users will be able to record up to 63-minute clips at 4K/60 fps.
The best action camera for selfies. In addition, Home/Away Assist uses geofencing to turn the camera on or off, based on when you (and your phone) leave home. GoPro Hero8 Black. The best action cam overall. This small screen now shows a live preview, making it much easier for selfie artists and bloggers to frame themselves in photos and videos.
Plus, it can livestream to Facebook using the GoPro app. Insta360. Specifications. GoPro.
Inside, GoPro has improved the motion stabilization to make the footage from the Hero 8 the smoothest we’ve seen from an action camera, and the overall quality remains as great as ever. Against. Nest Cam IQ Outdoor review: Verdict. Like the previous Outdoor model, the IQ is IP66-rated for weather resistance, but the IQ has a wider operating temperature range: minus 40 to 113 degrees Fahrenheit versus minus 4 to 104 F. It rotates a full 360 degrees on its base and pivots up and down on the neck of the base about 75 degrees.
What’s more, each family member on the account can set their own preferences. 2. Reasons to avoid. But if you want to spring for Nest’s camera, you won’t be disappointed.
Generally acceptable to excellent video Clean, easy-to-navigate web portal and mobile apps Tamper-proof design Deep feature set. Best action cameras in 2021. The Olympus Tough TG-Tracker looks more like a mini-camcorder than a traditional action camera, which is both good and bad. The one exception is that the IQ offers person alerts out of the box to all users, not just Nest Aware subscribers, because it can do the processing in-camera.
The TG-Tracker also tracks temperature, elevation, depth, latitude/longitude, distance traveled, barometric pressure and speed, so you can capture more than just amazing videos. On the mobile app, those events are also available as separate short videos in the Sightline view, with captions indicating what triggered the alert. GoPro Hero9 Black.
That means they should be able to capture excellent video no matter if you’re high up on a mountain or diving deep below the ocean. The Nest Cam IQ Outdoor is a well-constructed, tamper-resistant, intelligent camera that’s part of the Nest Home security ecosystem. What’s most impressive is the Hero10’s upgraded image stabilization; you can now tilt the camera as much as 45 degrees and it will still smooth things out for you. The Nest Cam IQ Outdoor is a worthy addition to the product line.
Most action cameras will record 4K video, but only the newer models will support frame rates of more than 30 fps. Olympus Tough TG-Tracker. GoPro’s Hero7 Black was the first of GoPro’s action cameras to include the ability to record 4K video at 60 fps.
The Hero8 Black has also been updated to work as a webcam, and its HyperSmooth 2.0 video stabilization works with more video settings. Designed for deterrence and tamper-resistance, the IQ Outdoor’s large size and the pulsating neon-blue light ring around the lens bezel are quite conspicuous, so that strangers should realize at a glance that the property is protected. (You can turn off the light ring.) Unauthorized removal of the camera is more difficult than with most cameras, because the IQ is secured to the round, silver mounting plate not magnetically (as the Outdoor was) but locked in, requiring the supplied hex key to remove it. Reasons to avoid. Our one criticism is that it’s pretty heavy, so you’ll notice it if you attach it to a helmet.
1. Person-speaking and dog-barking alerts are also available only to subscribers, as is Nest’s excellent Activity Zones tool, which defines the areas in a scene you want the camera to watch. However, Netgear’s Arlo cameras offer this feature for free. The 25-foot flat power cable plugs in to a USB port in the base; the locked mounting plate fits snugly over the port. Because of the popularity of GoPros, most competing action cameras and third-party accessory makers have adopted the GoPro-style mount, two semicircular tabs that slot into add-ons such as selfie sticks, waterproof cases, and helmet mounts. The original version impressed us with its video and photo quality, but was just too tricky to control.
With few exceptions, if you’re thinking of buying an action camera, you should look to GoPro first, and look for the camera that best fits your budget. Specifications. GoPro redesigned the camera to make it smaller, and you no longer need to use a case if you want to attach it to accessories, such as a tripod or helmet mount. We see how well it records video in a variety of lighting conditions; if it has features such as HDR, we see how it handles both light and dark areas in the frame. However, it’s expensive.
What’s more, hundreds of third-party smart home products work with Nest products (including the IQ Outdoor) through the Nest API. Nest Cam IQ Outdoor: Cloud storage & playback. The best action cameras you can buy today. They should offer a variety of shooting modes, and be easy to use, even when you’re wearing gloves. In addition, Nest cameras support Google Home, Alexa and IFTTT. – Key features (including video history) available only to subscribers – No local storage – Expensive.
Nest’s thermostats, alarm systems, smoke detectors and cameras (including the IQ Outdoor) communicate with each other in a security ecosystem that’s called the Nest Home. Reasons to avoid. Nest has justifiably gained a reputation for making good-quality smart home devices. More than that, though, the best action cameras should be able to record your activities to their fullest.
Osmo Action. Specifications. What’s more, the camera has some other pretty cool features, including video stabilization and a comprehensive app. At the same time, an inset window in the corner displays the full scene.
The DJI Osmo Action solves that dilemma, as it has a color screen on its front, which makes it much easier to frame yourself in photos and video. The cable is meant to be threaded through a hole in the wall and plugged into an inside outlet. When it comes to action cameras, GoPro is the dominant brand, and with good reason: It makes the best action cameras around, and has been for a number of years. Still, for selfie enthusiasts, the front-facing camera alone could be worth the price. The third best action camera.
Other great features include improved night shots, time-lapse, and scheduled recordings. The second version fixes that, mainly thanks to a clever charging case that doubles as a remote. The cameras in our list all have special skills that make them ideally suited for the task. Four 850nm IR LEDs (for night vision) are arrayed evenly around the lens. The IQ Outdoor consistently identified people we had named in our Nest app Familiar Faces library (for Nest Aware subscribers only).
In the past, we’ve tested a number of sub-$100 action cameras, but have found them to be average to middling at best. Plus, you can remove its front lens to add different filters. And, while an intuitive on-screen interface is important for any device, it’s even more crucial with an action camera, as it has such a small display.
The Nest Cam IQ Outdoor is a well-constructed, tamper-resistant, intelligent camera that’s part of the Nest Home security ecosystem. The best action cameras are essential for capturing your daring exploits. Specifications. 6. Reasons to buy.
This durable camera also has very good electronic image stabilization, and it also can shoot 4K/60 fps HDR video. GoPro Hero10 Black. After that, it’s a matter of choosing the specs that you want.
Another feature that’s becoming standard is electronic image stabilization—key for when you’re filming bumpy exploits, like mountain biking. Despite its price, it’s still one of the best home security cameras you can find. In our tests, the IQ’s triple microphone array captured very good to excellent recorded audio even when the person wasn’t facing the camera. After all, if nobody sees what you’ve been up to, how will they know you really did it?
Read on for more picks of the best action cams. It’s worth spending a little bit more for a reputable brand. On both the mobile app and the web portal, under the live video is a timeline to indicate when events (such as person-speaking detection) occur.
Plus, you’ll have to pay for a Nest Aware cloud subscription (at least $5/month) if you want to take advantage of the full value of the camera’s nice feature set. When a person spoke through the mobile app to the camera’s speaker, the sound tended to be a bit noisy with some breakup, but it was generally quite audible. Customers can implement an optional two-factor authentication.
The Nest software is clean and easy to navigate; the handful of icons are mostly self-explanatory. If you don’t subscribe, you will have access to your live video and a rolling 3-hour history of alert-related still images, plus optional email alerts with snapshots — and that’s all. The IQ’s full-duplex communication allows two-way sound to be sent and received simultaneously. (The Outdoor had half duplex.) However, the real-time two-way audio wasn’t as strong or reliable as the recorded sound. With the GoPro Hero9 Black, GoPro not only took the criticism of the Hero8, but also added a much-needed feature: A front-facing display.
You can share a link to your camera’s video (password-protected or publicly) on your computer through the web portal. But the IQ has no local storage, so if you want to view your video history or download clips, you have to buy the Nest Aware cloud plan. Hero9 Black. Tough TG-Tracker.
Nest updated its Nest Aware cloud storage plans for its home security cameras and video doorbell; for $6 per month (or $60 annually), you can store 30 days of event history from an unlimited number of cameras at one location; if you upgrade to Nest Aware Plus ($12/month, $120 annually), you get 60 days of rolling cloud storage, plus 10 days of 24/7 video history. Still one of the better action cameras. Nest Cam IQ Outdoor review: Good features for a steep price. But, you can use the same battery, as well as the same accessories, as before.
We like that the One R’s display can be turned around so you can frame yourself in videos, but its small size relative to the GoPro makes it much more difficult to navigate on-screen menus. Specifications. How we test action cameras. Insta360. If you’re trying to use an action camera to take videos of yourself, you have to sort of guess where you are in the frame, as you can’t look at the screen on the rear of the camera and yourself at the same time.
Nest Cam IQ Outdoor: Video and audio quality. However, we had difficulty turning that option off. How to choose the best action camera for you.
Update (10/25): GoPro has released a firmware update that will allow the Hero10 Black to record longer clips in situations where there’s limited airflow to cool the camera. GoPro. 5. More significant is the Hero10 Black’s improved motion stabilization.
The web portal’s time-lapse tool is helpful in pinpointing when an event occurs. Specifications. Reasons to buy. Video Resolution: 1080p with HDR Field of View : 130 degrees Night Vision : 4 infrared LEDs Network Connectivity : 802.11a/b/g/nac, 2.4 GHz or 5GHz Smart Home Connectivity : Google Home, Alexa, IFTTT plus Nest API Audio : Two-way Mobile Devices Supported: iOS 9.0 or later, Android 4.1 or later Web Browsers Supported: All major browsers. In its place is the Nest Cam (battery), which has a 1080p camera and includes for free three hours of rolling video storage as well as person, animal, and vehicle detection. + Generally acceptable to excellent video + Clean, easy-to-navigate web portal and mobile apps + Tamper-proof design + Deep feature set.
The IQ Outdoor records video 24/7. Insta360 One R. These event videos are great shortcuts for finding and playing alert videos. It’s nicely designed; offers generally acceptable to excellent video quality; and provides a wide range of security options, including one of the best tamper-resistant designs we’ve seen. All Nest cameras use 2,048-bit RSA private keys, AES 128-bit encryption and Transport Layer Security (TLS) to connect to the cloud service.
You can now easily merge duplicate profiles of the same person. The Nest Cam IQ Outdoor is a quality, tamper-resistant device with lots of useful features and acceptable-to-excellent video capture. The online Help is one of the best we’ve seen for security camera software, with clear explanations as well as easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions.
Olympus. During the review process, we also take a look at the camera’s ease of use. Unfortunately, it also means that existing cases and lens adapters no longer work.
As you’re going to be using it in less-than-ideal environments, it should be easy to turn on and off, and start recording, even when you’re wearing gloves. Because of its older design, the Hero 7 Black needs to be inserted into a case of some kind if you want to mount it to anything. This is achieved by first capturing video in 4K, applying HDR (high dynamic range) algorithms, then encoding down to 1080p. Reasons to buy. Nest Cam IQ Outdoor: Smart home integration.
But, this is one versatile action camera. Scheduling when the camera will turn on or off is intuitive, though it requires too many taps and clicks. However, the TG-Tracker has a nice, expansive flip-out touchscreen, so you can easily view what you’re recording. If you have Activity Zones defined, the dots will be color-coordinated according to zones.
If you want a really, really small action camera then look no further than the Insta360 Go 2 — a wearable camera designed to capture life’s most important moments. Our Verdict. While we’re out enjoying what Mother Nature has to offer, we put the action camera through its paces. Reasons to buy.
Reasons to avoid. You can have several different on/off periods per day, and you can use check marks to set each period to recur on several days. Unfortunately, you can’t use HDR and image stabilization at the same time, and there’s no way to livestream video from the camera.
4. It’s much larger than a GoPro-style camera, so it’s too bulky to mount to, say, a helmet. Large, heavy and clunky, the Nest Cam IQ Outdoor is even bigger than the Nest Cam Outdoor. Additionally, it gives them the same control over your camera as you have, including the ability to change settings and share with others. Reasons to buy. In addition, the Hero9 has a removable lens, so you can once again add filters, such as GoPro’s new Max Lens Mod, which enables you to take really wide and stabilized video.
Due to their nature, some of the best action cameras are also among the best cameras for vlogging, so if that’s something that interests you then they’re well worth bearing in mind. The web portal and mobile apps have important differences, with some features available in only one or the other. Be sure to check out the best Black Friday camera deals for discounts on GoPros and other cameras of all types. What are the best action cameras? Like earlier models, it’s waterproof to 33 feet, has a rear 2-inch color touch-screen LCD, and voice control.
3. It displays the key action (such as a person walking through the scene) of each video that was captured during a user-defined time period. The camera’s angle can be easily adjusted. Nest Cam IQ Outdoor: Mobile apps & web portal. Reasons to avoid.
Insta360 Go 2. One R. Hero8 Black. We’ve got to be honest: It’s a lot of fun testing action cameras, because it lets us get outdoors and go biking, skiing, swimming, and more. The Android and iOS mobile apps are nearly identical.
However, this puts a serious dent on battery life, which is unchanged from the Hero9. Reasons to buy. Camcorder meets action camera. Nest Cam IQ Outdoor: Scheduling. The Nest Cam IQ Outdoor is a well-constructed, tamper-resistant, intelligent camera that’s part of the Nest Home security ecosystem.
Hero 7 Black. The IQ Outdoor’s 1/2.5-inch, 8-megapixel (4K) CMOS sensor and 130-degree wide-angle glass lens creates clearer, more detailed 1080p video than you get from the Nest Outdoor (which uses a 3-megapixel sensor). And, like older GoPros, you’ll need to use a frame to mount it to anything.
The speaker is underneath the face, designed to reflect off the wall. On top of that, it has a larger 23MP image sensor, and manages to shave off a tiny bit of weight. Reasons to avoid. But those drawbacks aside, the Insta360 Go 2 is a good option for those who want something smaller than the average action cam. Nest Cam IQ Outdoor: Design.
Reasons to avoid. Nest has several sharing options: Family Accounts, password-protected live view sharing and public video streaming. 8. The Insta360 One R makes our list of the best action cameras, but it’s also one of the best 360 cameras too.
The best really small action camera. You can filter them to display those triggered by motion, person, familiar face and/or specific Activity Zones. It’s one of the best Google Home compatible devices out there, too. Given the variety of alerts available, it’s helpful that you have the option to toggle what notifications you will receive. Image quality has also been improved, and the electronic image stabilization works really well — it’s just a shame that video footage maxes out at 1440p and that battery life is limited to 30 minutes without the case, or 150 with it.
Tom’s Guide Verdict. In our testing, the IQ Outdoor’s person alerts reliably recognized the difference between people and animals. Faces are discernable from about 10 feet away from the camera, but as the person approached the camera, the face tended to be overexposed, blurring details. The redesign also allows for new add-on "Mods," which increase the functionality of the camera through external mics, lights, and more. Unfortunately, the large 2.5-inch round x 1-inch thick power-adapter block isn’t weatherproof.
This counters a key vulnerability of outdoor cameras — the IQ’s hidden cord can’t be cut — but involves a bit more work. That’s because this innovative camera has a modular design that lets you swap out its wide angle 4K camera for a 360 lens or Natural Sexual Wellness a camera with a 1-inch sensor. GoPro Hero 7 Black.
We’ve reviewed the best action cameras for capturing all your outdoor adventures. And unlike other types of cameras, action cameras are also small and compact — which makes them easy to stuff in a bag, or to mount on a helmet, motorcycle, bike, skis, or even your dog. The IQ has three microphones, two of which are on the face and one below it.
Dubbed HyperSmooth 4.0, it lets you shake the camera as much as 45 degrees, and can still even things out for you, too. The IQ’s daylight videos are very good to excellent, providing a bright, clean, nicely exposed capture and good detail even when zoomed in. Key features (including video history) available only to subscribers No local storage Expensive. While the outside hasn’t changed from the Hero9 Black, the GoPro Hero10 Black sports a new and improved processor on the inside, which translates to video recording as high as 5.3K/60 fps, as well as 2K video at 240 fps, and 4K video at 120 fps.
For more details, please check out our Nest Cam (battery) review. While the IQ’s nighttime videos illuminated by the four IR LEDs are generally acceptable and are significantly better than the Outdoor’s, the IQ still had difficulty with exposure against a very dark background. DJI Osmo Action.
Specifications. Reasons to avoid. If the camera has motion stabilization, we take it over bumpy terrain to see how well it smooths things out. The initial price is high, at $349; a two-camera pack costs $598.
Instead of the IQ Outdoor, we recommend buying a Netgear Arlo Pro or Pro 2, which is less expensive, offers a great array of features and includes a free seven-day cloud plan. As with all Nest cameras, the IQ Outdoor’s motion and sound detection are intelligent, robust, flexible and easy to use. In fact, unless you pay monthly for the Nest Aware cloud-storage plan, you can’t even view your video history. However, it’s expensive, and most of its great feature set is available only to paying subscribers to the cloud storage plan.
Not surprisingly, GoPro makes a number of the best action cameras, starting with its most recent, the GoPro Hero10 Black. For instance, you might want to get person alerts but not general motion alerts. The next best action camera. Included in this guide: However, it’s expensive, and most of its great feature set is available only to paying subscribers to the cloud storage plan. Family Accounts may be set up in either the web portal or the mobile app.
It also has a 60-lumen light that helps illuminate darker scenes, image stabilization and is waterproof to a depth of 100 feet—three times that of the GoPro. Action camera design has progressed to the point where most are water-resistant to around 33 feet; if you want to go any deeper, though, you’ll need to get a case. However, if you migrate from a Nest account to a Google Assistant account (which you must do in order to take advantage of the Nest Aware pricing), you will lose most, if not all of the smart home interactions with third-party products that were available with your Nest account. Up to five friends or family members can have a Family Account on your camera. While not as effective as the Hero 8, the Hero 7’s image stabilization is still excellent.
Reasons to buy. In addition, when the IQ detects a person, you can select (only in the mobile app) to have the camera zoom in at a user-defined magnification for a close-up that will pan with the person. GoPro.
In addition, the conical case of the camera rotates about 65 degrees. When I listened through the mobile app to someone speaking within 5 feet of the camera, the sound was clear and loud; farther away, it became quite soft and not as easy to hear. Surprise, surprise: The GoPro Hero8 Black, is one of the best action cameras. But it isn’t competitively priced or packaged.
Now that the Hero 8 is on the market, GoPro has discounted the Hero7 Black, and you may be able to find even better deals on the camera through online retailers. However, key features are available only if you subscribe to the Nest Aware cloud plan. Subscribers have a nice selection of history-viewing options. Most are ruggedized to protect them against the elements, as well as from drops, spills, and falls.
Nest Cam IQ Outdoor: Sharing. It can also shoot at resolutions up to 5K, and its larger battery will perform better in colder temperatures. GoPro. They will have access to the livestream and notification alerts, and if you’re a Nest Aware subscriber, they can also view your video history. The white, conical IQ Outdoor is about 5 inches long with a face that’s 3.6 inches in diameter and black, and it weighs 1.2 pounds.
Editor’s note (Aug. 2021) : Nest has discontinued the Nest Cam IQ Outdoor. That means cutting a small hole in your wall (ideally where the IQ Outdoor’s mounting plate will cover it), then threading your cord through that hole and plugging the camera into an indoor outlet.
Reasons to buy.