You might expect Sony to lay waste to everyone in this genre–this ain’t its first rodeo, after all. While I prefer the ease of operation of the GoPro and Garmin, there’s no denying the quality of the footage the Sony bangs out. Anthill Films has been making videos for two years with the AS100V and while we aren’t claiming to be on par with their shooters, all the POV footage in our 2015 Bible of Bike Tests videos came out of this camera.
In this model, Sony doesn’t provide the option to shoot 4K footage (it
released a 4K version, the FDR-X1000V, in early January), but it does offer a
high bit-rate Pro mode that will satisfy shooters who crave the best
high-definition quality. When it comes to stills, the Sony snaps crisp,
13.5-megapixel photos.
The AS100V comes loaded with cool features, including a variety of
slow-motion options, built-in GPS (location, trail and speed data), a very
sharp and ultra-wide 170-degree Carl Zeiss lens and SteadyShot, an image
stabilization feature that reduces the annoying, Jell-O-cam effect that often
plagues footage shot on rocky trails. Low-light performance, often lackluster
in POV cameras, is brilliant on this one.
The Sony is wi-fi-enabled, so you can operate it with the Sony app through
Androids and iPhones. Pony up another $100 and you can get Sony’s wrist-mounted
Live View remote bundled with the camera. The remote allows you to set up shots
and control up to five Sony cameras simultaneously. Sadly, you can’t play back
videos on the thing. Sony doesn’t utilize the ubiquitous GoProstyle mount, but
it does offer plenty of mounting options, including built-in tripod mounts (on
both the camera and its waterproofdown-to-16-feet case) and an awesome canine
camera harness.
PRICE 300$
