Sony 4K action cam FDR-X3000: Has Gopro met its match?︱Cross Training Enduro

http://www.crosstrainingenduro.com Sony put out a range of action cams and I've been using the Sony 4K Action Cam FDR-X3000 model over the past year. Until recently this has been their top model but the new RX0. Superb video stabilisation has been the hallmark of Sonys yet strangely this top model has none at all. But it can shoot ultra slow motion footage at 1000 frames per second in full high definition. It sounds as though this is a camera for mainly professional use so we'll focus on the 4k action cam and from a dirt riding perspective. So is it the best action cam for motorbikes? We'll start with the good things. Optical image stabilisation. We've all seen this sort of unstabilised footage that is barely watchable and even gives some people motion sickness. Optical image stabilisation immediately puts the Sony ahead of all its competitors, including Gopro who have only just started using digital stabilisation recently. With digital stabilisation, the camera crops the image slightly then moves this around to minimise shaking. It does work, but it tends to be a bit jerky and can't fix the lack of quality that comes with the camera being bumped around a lot. With optical stabilisation, the actual lens on the Sony Action Cams moves so you retain the full image in better quality, and with a smoother more natural feel to the stabilisation. And because the image isn't cropped, you can still use it at 4k resolution as well.

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To give you an idea, watch the little blob of water in the middle of the screen of the Sony 4K Action Cam HDR-X3000. It's bouncing around like mad as the lens moves to ensure the footage is smooth, so it could be the best action cam for dirt bikes.

In fact the first time I used the optical stabilisation on the HDR-X3000 I thought it worked too well. It made this track look so smooth I felt it made the footage look too slow and the track too easy. But then I discovered there was a mid setting that has worked perfectly for helmet cam footage. I usually only swing to the full stabilisation for hand held filming, or when I put the camera on a selfie stick such as here where I experimented with some drone like footage.

I found the second biggest feature with the Sony 4K Action Cam HDR-X3000 is brilliant audio quality compared to the opposition. Nowadays I always use the Sony for narrating videos and the audio is excellent for handheld footage with the forward facing stereo microphone. However, put the Sony in its waterproof case and it sucks - and a lot worse than earlier Gopro models in their cases. But here is a dodgy but extremely effective tip. Simply get a piece of foam and use a rubber band to hold it over the mike. The quality barely drops on the Sony and there is no wind noise at all until about 50kmh - handy for what could be the best action cam for dirt riders.

The video quality is excellent on the Sony 4K Action Cam HDR-X3000 too. In the past experts have generally said the Sony has the edge over the Gopro. Some reviews report the Gopro was sharper and with more colour. But many don't realise the default mode on the Gopro digitally sharpens the video and increases colours... the Sony is a more natural video and then you can add saturation or sharpness when editing.

Other features with the HDR-X3000 Sony 4K Action Cam? The Sony comes with a standard tripod mount, and also an external microphone input if you'd like to rig up a helmet mike or connect to a wireless mike. Battery life is excellent with around two hours of filming at 1080p and about an hour at 4k.

What are the possible negatives with the Sony? If you want an LCD screen there isn't one built into the camera, you need to buy the Live Remote kit which is wrist mounted. We haven't tested this kit but reviews seem to indicate it's a work in progress and needs some improvements to really work well.

An early criticism of Sony Action Cams was the lack of mounting options compared to Gopro, but now there's a mounting bracket that lets you use any kind of Gopro mount - problem solved for the HDR-X3000 Sony 4K Action Cam.

From a dirt riding perspective, the actual shape of the Sony HDR-X3000 could be an issue, depending on how you mount the camera. If you stick it to the side of the helmet, it's slim profile is actually better than most other brands because it doesn't stick out as much. However, if you use a chinbar mount or a chest mount, the Sony does stick out quite a lot. I've been using this chinbar mount without problems but it does look kind of weird.