Best Action Cameras | 2023

The best action cameras are a fantastic thing to have, for any photographer or videographer. Light enough to slip into a pocket, powerful enough to capture fantastic content, and tough enough to stand up to incredible punishment, these are incredible do-it-all cameras. Perfect for adventurous types, the best action cameras are waterproof, shockproof and freezeproof.

Many these days capture 4K video and high-quality stills, giving you a range of options for what you shoot. Recent models have also started to include stabilisation software, for smoother footage and sharper stills, and many also have Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connectivity that allows them to hook up to a smart device for file transfer or even remote control.

There are loads of great action cameras out there from manufacturers such as DJI, Sony, Insta360 and more. Some use the standard wide-angle lens that is often associated with action cameras, while others can shoot 360-degree content to truly immerse your viewers. We’ve included a broad swathe of types in our guide to the best action cameras you can get right now.

To help you navigate the world of action cameras, we’ve divided our guide into sections. Click the headings below to jump straight to your section of choice.

Best action camera

These are the action cameras that offer the best all-around experience. While we’ve divided the rest of this guide up into categories, featuring cameras with different strengths and specialities, we’re starting off with the cameras that are simply good for everything.

A good action camera should be small but mighty. Diminutive enough to fit in the palm of a hand, but capable of capturing high-quality footage in resolutions of 4K and greater. It should be at least somewhat waterproof, potentially with the ability to extend the waterproofing via compatible housings, and hardy enough to survive being dropped, squashed or hit with a sudden impact.

There are also some more recent features that have become essential on modern action cameras. A big one is stabilisation – since the footage captured using action cameras tends to involve a lot of motion, an optical stabilisation system that makes it smooth and pleasant to view is a must. Here are our picks of the best action cameras right now.

Pros:

• Comprehensive waterproofing
• Fantastic magnetic mounting system
• Front-facing touchscreen

Cons:

• Video res tops out at 4K
• And stills at 12MP

After an experimental phase with the modular DJI Action 2, the Osmo Action 3 represents something of a return to basics. So the form factor will be familiar to anyone who’s ever encountered a GoPro, as will the general look of the footage you get from it. But this is no bad thing, and indeed the Osmo Action 3 offers a fair few things that a GoPro doesn’t.

For starters, it’s got some of the best waterproofing in the business. Natively waterproof down to depths of 52 feet (15.8m), it considerably outstrips the HERO11’s 33 feet (10m). Furthermore, we love the clever quick-release magnetic mounting system that DJI has devised for its action cameras, which makes it super-easy to attach and detach at a moment’s notice. Finally, it’s a small point, but the front-facing screen being touch-sensitive is hugely helpful for vlogging – this is another feature the HERO11 lacks. 

Best 4K action cameras

Long gone are the days when 4K video was solely the province of professional filmmakers. Nowadays, users of all experience levels can get in on the action, with 4K resolution more accessible and affordable than ever. Action cameras have been no exception to the 4K boom, and it’s practically obligatory that a contemporary action camera will shoot video in at least 4K – and potentially even higher resolutions like 5.3K and beyond.

Therefore, for this section, we’ve picked action cameras that not only shoot 4K but are generally well-optimised for the videographer. With gorgeous video quality, smooth stabilisation, sophisticated audio setups and more, these are the action cameras for those who want to wow people with their footage.

So, for the adventurous videographers and intrepid filmmakers, these are our top picks of the best 4K action cameras you can buy…

Pros:

• High-quality 4K 360° capture
• Larger imaging sensors
• Good app integration

Cons:

• May be more tech than you need
• No add-on storage options

This is the flagship camera in the Ricoh Theta series of 360-degree action cameras, with serious 4K capabilities. Equipped with the latest in image stabilisation technology, the Ricoh Theta Z1 51GB 360 4K Camera is able to produce super-slick 360-degree videos in pristine 4K. The results from this camera look absolutely incredible, thanks in part to its 1-inch back-illuminated sensor, which is notably larger than the 1/2.3-inch sensors you often find in action cameras.

While the original Z1 only had 19GB of internal storage, this beefed-up version boasts 51GB, which is much more useful for the high data demands of 4K and 360-degree content. With a 1.0-inch back illuminated CMOS image sensor, and dual wide-angle lenses with 14 elements in 10 groups apiece, the emphasis here is very much on quality. Use the THETA+ app and you can edit your content directly, for easy and immediate sharing.

Best for motorcycles

Shooting POV motorcycle footage is one of the most exciting ways to use an action camera. There are loads of different ways to mount them, including helmet mounts, chest mounts, handlebars and much more. Many of the cameras we’ve already listed would be perfectly suited for motorcycle shooting, and these are definitely worth a look if you’re aiming to produce this kind of video content.

Below, we’ve listed a couple more action cameras to suit the motorcycle shooter. These are affordable models that offer a comprehensive feature-set to suit biking, with plentiful mounting options, sophisticated stabilisation systems for keeping the bike-borne footage smooth and pleasing to watch. And of course, these cameras need to be tough – able to take a few knocks and not mind a spray of mud or rain. Here are our suggestions of the best action cameras for a motorcycle.

Pros:

• 6-axis gyroscope stabilisation
• AI-powered automated editing
• Clever use of 360° perspective

Cons:

• Takes some getting to grips with
• Videos require processing before sharing

One of the newer 360° action cameras, the Insta360 X3 is a very clever proposition for motorcycle and other action shooters – even if you aren’t all that interested in 360-degree image-making. This is because the big sensor captures 5.7K 360 video with Active HDR that can be easily cropped into – so you can navigate your 360° footage, identify the portion where the action is happening, and easily crop and process it into a TikTok-friendly 9:16 format, or a 4:5 ratio for Instagram. 

Choose the single-lens mode, and you have 4K footage at your disposal – sharp and ultra-wide, for dramatic views. If you want to make a timelapse of your motorcycle rides or whatever else, you also have plenty of options, with up to 8K resolution available. Loop Recording mode is another useful option for transforming the X3 into a dashcam.

Best cheap action cameras

Not everyone has loads of cash to spend on an action camera. With the cost of living getting higher, it can be harder to justify spending a wad of cash on something like an action camera. That’s why we’ve put together a few suggestions for the action cameras that won’t break the bank. There are a couple of different ways to pick up a cheap action camera. You can either look at entry-level models that shave off a few high-end features for a lower price tag. Or, alternatively, you can go back a few generations and pick up the flagship action cameras of yesteryear.

We’ve given you both options for this section. While the cameras we’ve listed are available new, another tip for saving some cash on an action camera is to buy Used. If you don’t mind the possibility of a few cosmetic scratches and dings, a used action camera can give you all the functionality of a new one at a fraction of the price. 

Pros:

• Weighs just 27g
• 4m native waterproofing
• Comes with charge case

Cons:

• Not 4K
• Fairly basic stabilisation system

Insta360 took all the lessons learned from the original GO camera, and streamlined it into an impressive successor that improves on the formula in pretty much every way. The Insta360 GO 2 is the smallest and lightest action camera ever made – at 27g, it’s impossibly tiny, and thereby easy to wear or hold for long periods without any strain. Despite weighing the same as a serving of prawn crackers, the Insta360 GO 2 boasts serious shooting capabilities – it can capture great-looking 1440p video, offers FlowState stabilisation with horizon levelling, and is natively waterproof down to depths of 4m. Somehow, there’s also a built-in magnet in there, which can be securely paired with the included Magnet Pendant for easy attachment of the GO 2 to clothing.

One thing we really love with the GO 2 is that it comes packaged with a charging case in the box. This significantly extends the time you can spend out shooting with the camera, but also has other features too. Its built-in buttons allow it to function as a camera control, giving you an easy means of triggering the GO 2 from a distance.

Best action camera accessories

When it comes to action cameras, the camera itself is only a small part of the experience! Every brand has a healthy range of accessories that allow you to customise your action camera according to your needs. From mounts to underwater housings, there’s plenty out there – so much so that we don’t have space to list everything. Instead, we’ve picked a few favourites for the major brands to give you an idea of what’s on offer. However, we strongly encourage browsing for yourself and seeing the kinds of action camera accessories that are out there. 

One thing to remember with action camera accessories is that compatibility is key. Things like housings tend to be quite specifically compatible with different makes and models of action cameras, so it’s worth checking and double-checking that an accessory you have your eye on will work with your specific camera.