The complete guide
How to Choose a 4K Dual Screen Action Camera for Rides, Reefs and Rainy Days
Where a phone runs out
Phones take good video. They are also expensive, slippery and not something you want to clamp to a handlebar or hold underwater over a reef. There comes a point, usually on a wet day or a fast one, when you would rather not risk it.
That is what an action camera is for. It is small, it expects to be mounted, and it comes with a case that keeps water out. You stop worrying about the device and get on with the activity.
This guide looks at what matters when you choose one, using this 4K dual screen model as the example.
Resolution, in practical terms
The camera records 4K UHD video, which is 3840 x 2160 pixels, at 30 frames per second. Photos go up to 24 MP.
4K gives you room. Even if you only ever watch your clips on a phone, shooting in 4K means you can crop in, straighten a tilted horizon or pull a still frame, and the result remains sharp. Thirty frames per second is the standard speed for normal video and looks natural for travel, rides and family clips.
The maker does not list the frame rates at lower resolutions, so if slow motion is important to you, ask us before ordering.
Two screens, and why the front one matters
For years, filming yourself with an action camera meant pointing it at your face and hoping. You would get home and find half the clips showed your forehead and a lot of sky.
A dual screen camera fixes that. This one has a colour screen on the front, next to the lens, so you see your own framing while you film. On the back is a 2 inch touchscreen, where you change modes, review clips and adjust settings. You switch between them depending on which way the camera is facing.
If you plan to record yourself talking, on a hike at MacRitchie or at a hawker centre table, the front screen is worth having. If you only ever point the camera away from you, it matters less.
The case is what makes it waterproof
Read this part carefully, because it is where people come unstuck.
The maker states that the waterproof case allows the camera to be used underwater up to 40 m deep. The rating belongs to the camera in its case. The maker gives no water resistance figure for the camera on its own, so do not take the bare camera into the pool or out in heavy rain.
In practice that means deciding before you leave home. Dry day on the bike: use the open frame or the dust cover, and you get clearer sound and easy access to the touchscreen. Boat, beach, pool, kayak or a sky that looks like rain: put it in the case.
Forty metres is deeper than most recreational divers go, and far more than snorkelling needs. The weak point is never the depth. It is a grain of sand or a hair across the seal. Check the seal every time you close the case.
One thing to know: touchscreens generally do not respond through a hard case. Choose your mode first, then seal it.
Diving Mode and underwater colour
Water filters out red light quickly. A few metres down, everything shifts toward blue and green, and footage shot on normal settings looks cold and flat.
This camera has a Diving Mode that the maker describes as colour-corrected. It reduces the blue and green wavelengths so that coral, fish and skin tones look more natural. Switch it on before you go in. Switch it off again afterwards, or your dry-land clips will look oddly warm.
Stabilisation
Action footage is shaky by nature. The camera has electronic image stabilisation, or EIS, which uses software to smooth the picture.
EIS handles the small, fast vibrations of a handlebar and the bounce of walking quite well. It is not the same as a mechanical gimbal, and very rough motion will still show. A firm mount helps the stabilisation do its job, so tighten the thumb screws properly.
The lens is a 170 degree wide angle. Wide lenses hide shake better than narrow ones, and they mean you rarely miss the subject. There is an 8x digital zoom, though on a camera like this it is better to move closer.
Power for a full day
The box contents list two 1050 mAh lithium-ion batteries. One part of the maker's description mentions four, so plan on two and treat anything more as a bonus.
The maker does not state how long one battery records for. That is typical, because the answer swings widely with resolution, WiFi and screen use. Two batteries means one in the camera and one in your pocket, and swapping takes seconds.
A USB cable is in the box, and the maker names a battery charger among the features. No mains adaptor is listed, so bring a USB power source. A power bank in your day bag works well for topping up over lunch.
Mounts and the remote
A camera you have to hold is only half an action camera. The box list includes a black camera frame, two flat bicycle handlebar holders, a hook buckle, long and short thumb screws and extension arms.
For a rider, the handlebar holders are the obvious starting point. Fit one, set the angle with an extension arm, and the camera looks down the path ahead.
A remote control is also included, which lets you start recording when the camera is mounted out of reach. The maker does not state its range or any water rating for it, so keep the remote dry.
The list the maker gives does not name a helmet or chest mount. If you need one, ask us first.
Cards, WiFi and getting footage off
The camera records to a microSD card, and a card is not listed in the box. The maker lists a V60 video speed class. 4K video writes a lot of data every second, and a slow card causes dropped frames and failed recordings, so buy a fast card from a known brand. The maker does not state a maximum card size.
Built-in 2.4 GHz WiFi connects the camera to a phone or tablet running Android or iOS. Windows computers are listed as compatible, and you can always pull the card and use a reader.
Heat, humidity and salt
Our climate is hard on cameras. Three habits help.
Close the waterproof case indoors, in dry air-conditioned air, before heading out. Sealing in humid outdoor air is what causes the lens to fog when the case hits cool water.
After the sea, rinse the closed case in fresh water and dry it before opening. Salt crystals on a seal are as bad as sand.
Do not leave the camera on a car dashboard or in direct sun on a boat deck. Batteries dislike heat, and the maker does not state an operating temperature range.
Before the first outing
Spend half an hour with the camera at home before you take it anywhere that matters. Charge both batteries and fit the microSD card. Record a minute of 4K, play it back, and connect the camera to your phone over WiFi so you know the whole chain works.
Then try the hardware. Close the empty waterproof case and look at the seal all the way round. Hold the empty case under water in a basin for a few minutes, then check inside for drops before you trust it with the camera in the sea. Fit a handlebar holder to your bike, tighten the thumb screws and see whether the camera stays put when you bounce the front wheel.
Finally, pair the remote and practise starting and stopping a clip without looking. Ten minutes of this at home means you will not be reading the manual at the jetty.
Who it suits
This camera suits someone who wants one kit that covers a cycling weekend, a snorkelling holiday and the odd rainy hike, without buying accessories separately. It suits people who film themselves, thanks to the front screen. It also suits a first-time buyer, since the case, remote, spare battery and mounts are already there.
If you need high frame rate slow motion, a stated battery run time or a known weight for a drone or a helmet, the maker does not give those figures, and you should ask us or look at a model that does.
The short version
This is a 4K action camera with a dual screen layout: a front screen for framing yourself and a 2 inch touchscreen on the back. It shoots 4K at 30 frames per second and 24 MP photos, steadies footage with EIS, and goes to 40 m underwater inside its supplied case, with a Diving Mode for better colour. Two 1050 mAh batteries, a remote and bicycle mounts are listed in the box. Add a fast microSD card and a USB power source, keep it in the case around water, and check the seal every time.