T3 - UK (2021-07)

JULY 2021 T 3 45

Actioncameras

ne crumb of comfort
from the unprecedented
nature of the past year or
so is that spending so
much time at home hascreateda
national longing to swap the couch
and boxset for clean air and the great
outdoors. Now that restrictions have
been relaxed, we can atlast leavethe
urban areaswe’ve spentso much
time in toexplorewilder places. is
recently reclaimed freedom to travel
combined with a desire to get fitter
and healthier has seen huge
numbers of us getting out and about
to enjoycleanair, the pleasures of
nature and a lifeoutdoorson foot, by
bike, or on the water – which has
now become even more appealing
with warmer summer temperatures
and sunnyskies.
Of course, documenting such
outdoor adventures isallpartof the
fun and the ability to takevideo and
stillsof activities and experiences in
a natural setting canprovide an
extra incentive toget out and explore
new places.While smartphones and
conventionalcameras can
undoubtedly do a great job of

capturing our outdoor activities,

most of them arefar too fragileto

withstand being splattered with

mud or being dunked in water. Even

relatively benign settings such asthe

beach can be enough todestroy a

conventionaldevice. is makesa

dedicated action camera a much

better option forcapturing video

and stills – they shrug off

smartphone and conventional

camera destroying environments

with ease and even the fanciest

models cost farless than the vast

majority of smartphones – should

you loseor actuallybreakone.

ACTION CAM ADVANTAGES

As well as being able to withstand

the worst of the elements, modern

action cams laugh in the face of mere

splashes and some models canbe

operated underwater without a

waterproof housing.ey arealso

packed with handy features, in-built

tech such asvideo stabilisation

software isnow common and can

turn otherwise unwatchable footage

into ultra-smooth sequences, while

digital lenses allowyou to switch

from a wide-angle to a zoom lens at

the touch of a button. Nearlyall

action camerasare extremely

straightforward touse with auto

exposuresettings that give great

results inthe vast majority of light

conditions.More advanced models

can also combine multiple exposures

of the same shot to add depthand

detailto otherwise under-and

over-exposed parts ofan image.

Whileaction camerasare small

enough toslipinto a pocket, for most

situationsyou’ll wantto attach them

to a dedicated mount, housing,or

other accessory. eir compact size

makesthem ideal forplacing

somewhere that will give you an

interesting pointof view, such as

beneaththe peak ofa mountainbike

helmet, on the nose of a surfboard,

or even the underside of a

skateboard deck.

Being mounted ina relatively

vulnerable position is not usually a

problem for the action cam asthey

are designed to withstandsome

fairly hefty knocks. In a GoProtest

that went awry, yourwriter ended

putting the camera through the rear

O

Words: Rich Owen

Now that we’re able to get out and about, you should make up

for lost time by getting some thrills back into your life – and

here’s our advice for how to properly capture those moments

Action

cameras

THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO...