Introduction One of our recently listed bargains (in our deals forum) was for this Sony Action Cam - for $95 shipping included. This was well less than 1/2 the original pricing, so I picked one up to see how well it would fly. There are plenty of reviews of this cam around the net - so depending on your intended use, you may want to also research some of the other tests. My review will focus on flying the Sony HDR-AS10 The recent bargain came with everything needed except the MicroSD card. Shown below is what is in the kit. You will have a tough time finding brand name action cams with the full shock and waterproof housing at this price level. Whether all those features do you any good - that may depend on what type of machine and conditions you intend to fly it in! The published specs for this camera are in the attached PDF file - however, here are the things which were important to me: 1. It uses Sony's 12 MP CMOS camera chip 2. It has Sony's advanced stabilization 3. It has various video modes as well as a still mode with interval (ever X seconds) still pictures. 4. It had two levels of wide angle 120 degree and 170 degree Video modes are 1080 30fps, 720 at 30,60 or 120 fps (super slow motion!) or VGA. The still picture mode, unfortunately, is only at the HD resolution - meaning that Sony decided to cripple the full use of the cam chip. Data rates are fairly high, so it would be advisable to use a Class 10 card in this camera, although a Class 4 would do for most modes. Weight and Size Considering the battery size, a basic LCD control display, etc. the size is relatively small. The height is about 1 7/8", the width 7/8" and the depth, including the lens, is about 3 1/8". However, as many other reviews have remarked, the camera itself has no mountings, so if you want to use the camera bare (without the water and shock-proof case), you will have to devise your own mounting. I wanted to fly the camera light, so I rigged up something in a minute or two with soft foam inside a bigger case. Camera with battery = 86 grams Case complete = 86 grams Removable mount (2 pcs) for case = 28 grams As you can see, the camera itself is relatively light - but if you want to fly the whole setup you are approaching the payload of a mid-sized quadcopter like the standard DJI Phantom. Only quads of that size and larger should be considered if you are going to fly this camera. Ease of Use I had no problems learning the simple LCD menus and the function of the camera - after all, it only has one button for on-off and a total of 3 for access to the menus and settings. Sony had a software update on their web site which was also very simple to install. The camera shines in this department - being easier to change around than more bare bones models such as the Mobius. Here are some other views of the camera
Still Photography I've always liked Sony's still cameras (own one now - the RX-100) and hoped that this camera would delight me with still shots. After all, the 12 MP sensor is impressive. But this was not to be. The Camera only takes 2MP stills (1920x1080), which limits it's usefulness as a still shooter. The interval shooting is a nice feature - however, the quickest you can get the cam to shoot is one pic every 5 seconds. IMHO, both of these specs are intentional crippling of the camera by Sony, some of which could be fixed (if they desired) in a future software update. In fact, the newest version of their sports cams claims to take full resolutions stills. Two examples of still shots are below (click to enlarge): Not too shabby......but I got to asking myself "How does this compare against stills taken by the $80 Mobius cameras?".... Here is the answer. This is a enlarged section of a photo taken by the Sony (click to enlarge if need be). Although some of the patterns seem pleasing, the jaggies on the front gable are quite a bit larger than with the Mobius (see photo below). This is largely due to the higher res stills which the Mobius takes. Photo below is the Mobius of same house Each of us has different eyes and CPU's (brains), so not everyone is likely to agree on which camera is closer to real life. As far as clarity and resolution, I think the Mobius wins hand-down as is evident by the below test - both cams were held together and took still shots. With the Sony, you'd be unable to make out the numbers on the plate - not so with the Mobius. I'm afraid I must declare the $80 Mobius far superior for still shots!
As far as video, I find myself fairly pleased with my first attempts. Winter does not provide the range and depth of colors here, but this video in HD should give an idea of the cameras output. Hit the fullscreen button (4 arrows) and watch it large! Note that this is flown on a stock DJI Phantom with no balancing of the props or gimbal. I think the image stabilization is clear - as there is almost no jello evident.
Summary - ongoing! One one hand, the Sony demonstrates how fast technology is moving forward - after all, the $80 Mobius now trump the (originally $200+) Sony Action cam in still shots and in total available features. And yet, the Sony may offer some nice Video advantages to those who seek a bargain for a specific purpose. These advantages are: 1. Sony has very good built-in image stabilization 2. The super slow mode of 120 fps can be useful 3. The water and shockproof case may be important to some - as long as your quad can deal with the weight. Also, don't forget that these cameras are multi-use. Sony sells some accessories such as a headband which will allow you to use this cam to film your flights from the ground. Or, use it for whatever sport you like - on the water, land or in the air. As with all our reviews, the intention is to tell you what the product does - and then let you make your own decision. At the sub-$100 price, I'm going to be keeping this one for a while and using it for various video tasks.
