Adventure seekers are out in droves in the summer biking, rock climbing, hiking, diving, and doing all sorts of outdoor activities. And more are documenting their adventures in video thus action camcorders are growing in popularity. It’s nothing like re-living the adrenaline rush in the comfort of the home.
GoPro and Contour are the industry’s first movers and many other major brands followed suit. Sony released the HDR-AS15 and Panasonic launched the new HX-A100 earlier this year.
The HX-A100 is slightly different from the typical POV camcorder. Instead of mounting it on a helmet, a ear hook is included so you can wear it around your ear and shoot hands. A “Multi-Mount” option is also available for attaching the camera to a helmet or backpack. It also comes with built-in Wi-Fi to broadcast live video on UStream. Videos are captured in full HD. You can upload video and images to social networks using your smartphone. A lot of thought is built into the design and it is made to deal with the harsh outdoor environment like being waterproof to depths down to 5 feet.
It has intelligent video sensors to automatically correct tilted images, while the Image Stabilizer suppresses blurring. This is essential for an action camcorder. In dim lighting situations it is able to capture clear, low-noise videos. The slow motion capability is another useful feature.
The Panasonic HX-A100 is priced at $299.99 and is available in 2 colors – black and bright orange.
Source: Panasonic USA
