GEONAUTE G-Eye 2 Escape
£100 decathlon.co.uk
If the price of some action cameras has you drawing a sharp breath, you’ll be pleased to see that the £100 Escape offers 1080p HD video. It’s locked at 30fps, which will be enough for all but the fastest activities, but if you really want that 60fps boost you can turn the camera’s resolution down to 720p. The camera itself isn’t waterproof but when it’s housed safely inside the included watertight case it will happily survive a dunking. With its robust design and solid case, it sits securely in your hand and certainly doesn’t feel like a cheap option. A free app for Android and iPhone gives you wireless control over the Escape so you won’t even need to bring a cameraman with you on your adventures.
Pros: Cheapest option for 60fps - Simple companion app
Cons: Not enough features for pro users - Front buttons hard to reach
Verdict: Basic functionality for the cheapest price, it's ideal for all but the most serious users.
Veho Muvi K-Series K-2
£210 veho-world.com
If you’ve got a long session ahead, you’ll be grateful for the powerful battery in Veho’s K-2, which has the largest capacity on the market and will give you four hours of continuous recording. It’s also the only camera here to come with an SD card, so the memory won’t run out of steam before you do. Record in 1080p at 60fps or 720p at 120fps for ultra-smooth video. The K-2 feels solid when housed in the waterproof case, which protects it to depths of 100m. Particuallry cool is the built-in accelerometer that lets the camera start recording when you move off, and a photo burst mode that takes ten photos a second to ensure you never miss an action shot. The integrated Wi-Fi has a range of 60m so you can use your phone to operate the camera and share videos and pictures no matter how far you are from home.
Pros: High spec but cheaper than GoPro - Long battery life
Cons: Feels fragile outside the case - Big and heavy in the case
Verdict: The long battery life, exhaustive features and cheaper price point make the Veho a serious contender to the GoPro crown
Polaroid Cube
£79 currys.co.uk
This tiny camera is just 35mm in all dimensions, but still manages to record 1080p video at 30fps. It’ll sit happily in the palm of your hand and the simple point-and-shoot nature makes it an obvious choice for people who don’t want to fuss with endless settings. The wide 124° lens will capture a lot of scenery – great for dramatic shots. It’s the cheapest camera here but, unlike the G-Eye 2 Escape, doesn’t offer much in the way of extra features. Its small size and weight make it perfect for chucking in your bag, but the lack of a waterproof case and any ability to mount it – aside from a small magnetic strip on the bottom – lessen its versatility somewhat. If you want a cool, little no-frills camera the Cube is a good choice, although the lack of a 60fps option is disappointing.
Pros: Simple to use - Unique design
Cons: Limited features - No proper mount
Verdict: Perfect if you just want to point and shoot. Doesn’t offer much more, but does look pretty damn cool.
GoPro Hero4 Silver
£330 gopro.com
The GoPro name is synonymous with action cameras, and with good reason. The Hero4 Silver is packed with features, including 1080p video at 60fps and 720p at 120fps. It also has a robust touchscreen that makes menu navigation simple, and a built-in time-lapse mode that starts at the touch of a button. GoPro has a strong online community where you can share your videos and get inspiration for your next shoot – just try not to upload too many shots of you rolling about on the floor after wiping out. The Hero4 Silver even records in 4K, which is the sharpest form of video around and means it’s ready for when Ultra HD monitors become the norm. Hell, some footage in Hollywood action movies is filmed on this badboy.
Pros: Excellent feature set - Thriving upload community
Cons: Expensive - Photos only 12 megapixels
Verdict:Great quality and features but you defintely pay more just for the GoPro brand name.
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