Best Drones & Action Cams

Steve's Digicams Best Cameras... |
Drones have gone from a novelty to a necessary item for cinematographers to create stunning aerials that used to only be achievable through helicopter rides. The technology that allows them to fly kind of developed at the same rate as the quality of digital cameras. Similarly, there was no such thing as an action cam before GoPro came along and now... they're everywhere. These rugged and compact digital cameras are designed to go anywhere you want while surviving the heat, cold, and all sorts of conditions that would destroy normal digicams. They are the cameras of our extreme athletes and adventures and have followed people from the depths of the ocean all the way up to the edge of our atmosphere.
If you love to hike and bike or surf, or just the great outdoors, check out our list of the Best Drones and Action Cameras or 2017, presented here in alphabetical order!
DJI Mavic 2 Pro with Fly More Combo Kit
Sensor size: 1" | Resolution: 20MP | Viewfinder: none | Display: 3.0" LCD | Max Burst Shooting: 20fps | Video Recording: 10-bit 4K
PROS: Hasselblad camera, aperture of F/2.8 to F/11
CONS: Hyperlapse limited to 1080p, pricey
If you're looking for the best of the best, at least as far as drones, then the DJI Mavic 2 Pro is the dream. Of course, you'll be paying a high price, but that comes with the territory if you're touting a Hasselblad camera that takes high-quality images and 4K videos, and offers an aperture of F/2.8 to F/11, among other things. This aerial baby can zoom, has a 3-axis gimbal, transmit Full HD video from up to 8km, do hyperlapse, and offer a 10-bit Dlog-M color profile for more flexibility when grading your videos. And with the Fly More Combo kit, you're getting a few handy extras including two batteries, each with 31 minutes worth of flight time, and low noise propellers, to name a couple.
Sensor size: 1/2.3" | Resolution: 12MP | Viewfinder: Electronic | Display: 3.0" LCD | Max Burst Shooting: 20fps | Video Recording: 4K/30p 1080/120p
PROS: Waterproof, small sensor
CONS: Lens not very long
A point-and-shoot camera for someone who's going to be physically active to the extreme. The Olympus Tough TG-5 is waterproof (50 ft / 15 m), shockproof (7 ft / 2.1 m), crushproof (220 lbf / 100 kgf), freeze-proof (14°F / -10°C), and dust-proof to survive everything from an intense hike to a toddler tossing it in the pool. With its F2.0 high-speed lens, 20 fps burst shooting in RAW, and anti-fog dual pane glass for spectacular images in every environment you'll be sure not to miss any action.
Sensor size: 1" | Resolution: 21 MP still, 15.3 MP (video) | Viewfinder: 1.5" screen on back | Display: 1.5" LCD | Max Burst Shooting: 16fps | Video Recording: 1080p up to 1000fps internal - 4K/60p external
PROS: Large Sensor, Amazing Slow Motion
CONS: No internal 4K, Expensive
The Sony RX0 has a 24mm1 F4 ZEISS Tessar T* lens This large 1" (1.0-type) stacked back-illuminated Exmor RS image sensor with DRAM chip allows 21 MP RAW stills! It's submersible up to 33ft and can shoot epic slow motion up to 1000 fps at 1080p. There is no internal 4K recording, but with the camera's large sensor and lens combined with the ability to time code sync a few of these up and create a VR rig or Matrix style shooting contraption. This is a really powerful little camera that would blow every action camera away if it recorded 4K. Even though it doesn't you can do a lot with the Sony RX0 that you can't do with other action cameras.
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