Sony FDR-X3000R

The FDR-X3000R action camera from the Japanese company Sony has become the first portable camcorder for active shooting with an optical image stabilizer on its board.

Optical stabilizer

The stabilizer effectively suppresses minor camera shakes (such as shaking) and makes the video sequence smoother without cutting off or blurring the edges of the picture, which is typical of digital stabilization. Unlike the previous model in the line (Sony FDR-X1000V), the stabilizer also works when shooting video in ultra-high definition (4K). Recording in this format is carried out with a bit rate of up to 100 Mbps, for which you need a high-speed microSD memory card. The maximum data recording rate when shooting in FullHD is 50 Mbps. At the same time, the video is recorded in the XAVC S codec, the consumer version of the professional XAVC codec, which opens up wide features in post-processing of footage.

Optics

Action camera lens with a maximum aperture of f/2.8 has variable viewing angles: wide (17mm in 35mm equivalent), medium (23mm) and narrow (32mm). In addition, it has a 3x magnification, which makes it possible to shoot distant objects with higher detail. Focus on the subject of shooting occurs from a minimum distance of 50 cm — it will not be difficult to shoot vlogs at arm's length.

sighting

The model is protected from dust and splashes right out of the box. And paired with a special case, it can be submerged under water to a depth of 60 m. Together with the camera, a miniature wrist remote control with a display is supplied, which is convenient to look at while shooting. You can also do this using a smartphone or tablet connected to the action camera via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth wireless networks.

battery life

When recording video in maximum resolution with all the included modules, the charge of the complete battery will last for about an hour of shooting. With wireless connections turned off and the resolution down to FullHD, the battery will last about twice as long. This time is often sufficient for most action camera use cases.