The upcoming trip to Canada will be the first time for me to use a POV action cam. My goal is to collect some live footage from each of the hikes including the heli-hike drop at Berg Lake in Mt. Robson Provincial Park. While GoPro is the clear leader in this industry in terms of market share, I opted to go with the new Sony HDR-AS100VR.
I've never used a GoPro so my comments here probably have limited use. What sold me on the idea of going with Sony's POV action cam versus the industry leader, is that critics almost universally claim that Sony's picture quality (particularly on the "Pro" setting at 60 frames per second), is superior to the GoPro. Sony has a long history in the video camera business, so while they were late to the POV action cam game, they are able to tap into that history and bring some things to the table that GoPro, at least as of yet, is unable to match. Specifically, what I found most common in critic commentaries is that Sony's stabilization system is a dramatic improvement over the competition. You can find side-by-side comparisons on YouTube and other locations, and it did appear to me, from those reviews, that Sony's picture quality was the best. For my money, picture quality is what mattered most.
There are two versions of this camera on the market right now. I went with the version that comes with the LiveView Remote that is worn on your wrist. In terms of memory cards, I purchased four SanDisk Ultra 64GB MicroSDXC Class 10 UHS memory cards. If you do not intend to shoot at the "Pro" setting, all that you will likely need is one or two at the most since each card can hold well over 20 hours of footage at lower settings. At the highest setting, Sony records a 1080p at 60 fps under its proprietary XAVC S HD code. What does all that mean? It means its a helluva good picture in a package that is smaller than the palm of my hand and weighs next to nothing. It also means, that at this highest setting, the SanDisk card can only hold up to 2 hours and 40 minutes of footage. Four SanDisks will give a little over 10 hours of footage for the whole trip; that should be enough. You should also be aware that to edit XAVC S, you will need a powerful laptop and editing software. If you plan on shooting at XAVC S, be prepared to upgrade your computer and purchase a new software system. To handle XAVC S editing with speed and ease, I'm using a maxed out MacBook Pro and Apple's Final Cut Pro X version 10.1.2. The combination of the powerful MacBook Pro and Final Cut, makes editing quick and painless.
There are mixed reviews out there on Sony's LiveView Remote. I can only tell you that in my experience, I've had no difficulty linking the camera up via WiFi to either the LiveView Remote or my cell phone. I intend to use both the cell phone and the LiveView Remote at times during the trip to make sure I am shooting at the appropriate angle. Speaking of which, I will have the camera attached to my head using Sony's headcam harness system. This system was very easy to put together and works great. It's very easy to tilt the camera at any number of angles. Also, since the camera is so light, I've found no discomfort in wearing it on my head for hours at a time. So far, I'm very satisfied with this product and I look forward to seeing what this amazing little package captures while hiking in Canada.
Turning to the Canon Powershot D30, which was released a few months ago, the primary consideration for me in going with this product is the fact that I've only used Canon Powershots over the years, so I wanted to go with a system that I am familiar with. In the waterproof-adventure camera segment, all of the traditional names - Sony, Nikon, Olympus, etc - have their own compact camera. Each has pluses and minuses. I'm not sure you can really go wrong with any of them. I needed something that was waterproof, shock proof and temperature resistant, and can put out quality photos in a small, lightweight package. And because I am comfortable with Canon, that's what I went with. I've used this little camera on a couple of hikes already, and it has so far performed as expected.
Finally, the last little tech piece that I am taking to Canada is the Suunto Ambit2 GPS watch. Since the battery life is quickly drained on GPS mode, I'm not sure how much I will get to use the GPS system while hiking. What I will use frequently is its altimeter and compass. I will also have a traditional Suunto compass, but it will be useful to be able to quickly obtain direction from the watch. There's really not much more to say about the watch. It has way more features than I will ever use, and for what I needed - durable, waterproof, reliable system - you can't find a better product than Suunto Ambit2. Actually, you probably can in a couple months because I think the Ambit3 is due for release in the fall.
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