Sony HDR-AZ1

The Action Cam Mini is Sony's smallest action camera solution.

Small but remote

Despite the modest dimensions, the camera received a very good hardware. So, the 11.9-megapixel Exmor R back-illuminated sensor acts as the heart, and the brain of the camcorder is represented by the powerful Bionz X processor. This bundle has proven itself in the best way, which is proved by its use in various modifications of the Japanese brand's action cameras from the beginning of 2014 to the present day. "Hardware" allows you to write videos in 1080/60p (FullHD), 720/120p (HD) and 480/240p (WVGA) formats with a maximum bit rate (recording speed) up to 50 Mbps.

wide angle

The camera eye captures 170° in its field of view, i.e. almost everything that happens ahead of him. But when you turn on the electronic stabilization Steady Shot, the viewing angle decreases to 120 °. But the stabilizer helps to make the picture smoother and evens out fluctuations when walking or, for example, riding a bicycle. By the way, the complete lens is presented by the development of the German company Zeiss, which has long been considered one of the best manufacturers of optics.

Remote control

The owners of the action camera blame the only drawback in its design — a small screen, which is inconvenient to navigate and it is impossible to set the shooting parameters. Recording settings can only be accessed when a smartphone or remote control is connected to the camera. The latter is included in the delivery package and is made in the form of a large wrist watch with a 37-mm diagonal screen. The remote control catches the signal within a radius of 7 m from the camcorder and is equipped with five mechanical keys for fine-tuning all parameters.

Everyday

Small dimensions forced Japanese engineers to use a small capacity battery with a tank capacity of 640 mAh. On a single charge, it can power the action camera for just over an hour. In addition, the package includes a box for underwater shooting, which at the same time performs the role of a shockproof cover. In fact, we are facing not only an action camera, but also a convenient option for everyday use, which will not burden its owner with excess weight and will allow you to record high-quality video regardless of the shooting conditions.