Keep scrolling to see the palm-sized cameras that you need to get your hands on!

For a very long time, GoPro had the action-camera market all to itself. Arriving at the same time as YouTube, this became a match made in heaven and spawned a whole industry of fantastic footage of nature, extreme sports and lots of suburban misadventure.

Eventually, a bunch of alternative action cams hit the market, and today the amateur video blogger has a choice
of half a dozen palm-sized models with excellent features. Here are some of the front runners.

FOR THE BEGINNER

GoPro Hero

GoPro’s top models are packed with fantastic tech that most casual surfers and mountain bikers can barely get
their heads around. They’re also some-what unaffordable, so we were delighted when this basic model appeared with all the key tech intact including silky smooth HD capture, thanks to mature stabilisation tech, and great response times in low-light conditions. 

There are two HD video-capture modes up to 60 frames per second, and pretty good 10 MP photos. You’re still getting the colour touchscreen on the back, waterproofing down to 10 m and the hit-and-miss voice commands. 

Ever tried to edit a 4K video? You need a seriously powerful rig. We find this rock solid HD footage more than adequate for the personal archives and for sharing on social media.

Garmin Virb Ultra 30

Garmin has mounted the most serious challenge to GoPro so far. This model matches the older Hero5 in every area that matters, including superb 4K footage at 30 fps using image-stabilisation tech. It has a LCD touchscreen and accepts basic voice commands, but it isn’t waterproof without the supplied housing. Most importantly, it adds GPS and data from other sensors, which GoPro only added in the more expensive Hero6.

Read more on these awesome handheld cameras in your September issue of Tech.