Sony AS30V High Definition POV Action Video Camera HDR-AS30V

Great camera with a nice 1080p 60fps shot. I also bought the cradle with the 2 inch LCD screen (sold separately) so i can shoot some video and get the perfect angle. I read the user manual first that had a few warnings about overheating and the under water case. It does not heat up fast and over heating is normal, all you have to do is let it cool. For the underwater filming, they sell a Sony SPK-AS1 Waterproof Case (sold separately) for deeper underwater sport filming. The case that comes with the camera is the SPK-AS2 and is a little more water resistant and better for rain or beaches with sand and wind. This camera has some great features like the GPS mode where your speed and location will be displayed in real time film. your able to lower the quality or even set it to a 2x or 4x slow mode shot in 720p.Tip: If your going to film some sort of home movie then i suggest the LCD cradle.Con: The external microphone jack is in a bad spot and unable to use while in the LCD cradle.Pro: Fantastic quality shot in 1080p 60fps for half the price of a Go Pro™

I was so on the fence regarding this camera and the GoPro.I ended up ordering the HDR-AS30V at first:Here is where the AS30V excells:*Great formfactor.*Great menu navigation.*GPS, NFC*Nice Waterproof case with a tripod mount on the bottom*Lower price point.*MicIn via 3.5mm jack.*Stereo Microphone.*Great image stabilization.Here is why I returned it:*Bad video compression.*Horrendous compression on the time-lapse photos(I don't know if my camera had an issue, but the photo compression was inexcusable).*The WIFI app is pretty bad. Its choppy(although with less delay than the gopro) and you can only change certain settings(as opposed to most via the GoPro app). Didn't see an ability to play back recorded videos either.*The bottom of the camera is round...so you can't take it out of the case and put it down to record. The same issue arises if you try to plug in a microphone or usb power(the door for those is on the bottom and is non removable).*Don't know if this was defect, but the back door(battery compartment) is way to easy to swing open.Here are my impressions with the GoPro after receiving it as a replacement:*The packaging is way more complete. You get a full size instruction booklet, some stickers, several doors to the case(so you can record and hear more).*The mount, although missing a tripod mount(you have to buy one), is tiltable, which the actioncam was missing. You also get the two types of sticky mounts, but ALSO, a swiveling arm.*The GoPro settings/resolutions/frame rates provide way more customization options than the ActionCam. You can set options for high bitrate video, etc..*Full featured app, with all kinds of settings, reviews of pre recorded videos, etc..*I was happy with the photo and video compression I got. The ability to record 4k/2k etc...is amazing(although I don't think the GoPro Silver supports those modes).Overall, I found that with the GoPro, I was content with the features and presentation of the product. It is kind of disappointing that Sony, a huge company, under delivered. The price is definitely right as the 3+Black is a bit more than I was looking to spend initially. I hope they continue to develop the Action Cam, its just not there yet for me.P.S. If you are going for this for the 1080p60 as I was, it is available on the AS15V with a firmware update from what I understand.Feel free to ask questions or maybe highlight any oversights in my review.Thanks!

Great camera but the GPS doesn't offer anything but speed, elevation and direction. Would be nice to have an accelerometer. The GPS kills the battery pretty fast. The camera quality is good but has to be in its case to sit flat. The movie and picture are both great. Sony software is very basic and underwhelming.

Great little camera, has quite a few features that my other POV cam (Contour ROAM) doesn't for about the same price (love the Wi-Fi link to my phone for viewing). Battery life is decent, PC interface is very well put together, and very easy to learn how to operate.What I didn't like was the fact that the camera alone doesn't have a mounting hole (it has to be in the waterproof case), and when it's in the case, the sound quality is quite diminished, it would be nice if there were a door or something so that if you're using it in a situation that a waterproof case is not needed, it can be opened to allow the mics to be directly accessed without sound distortion or put a mounting hole on the camera itself. One other issue, the rear door (where the battery and SD card is) doesn't have a lock, so if it's not in the waterproof case and in your pocket, it can easily come open (and has several times).Overall, a good little camera for a decent price.

I was super excited about this camera. I bought this right before my vacation to Mexico. The camera comes with a water proof case that I bought a wrist attachment for. The camera is easy to use and pretty user friendly. However none of that means anything if you cannot do what the camera is designed for. My first snorkeling excursion I look over and water is slowly leaking into the case. By the time I got back to shore the damage was done. I can understand that sometimes products are defective. However upon returning to the states and mailing it back to Sony they refused to fix it because "corrosion damage" is not covered under the warranty. After arguing with three departments for over an hour about how a defective case is covered under the warranty and that was the cause of the corrosion, they basically told me I had misused their product. They offered to send my broken camera back or to BUY ANOTHER ONE at a discounted rate. Horrible product. Worse customer service. Go with any other action camera than one of Sony's.