Small action cameras make it easy to record a bike ride, a hike or a day at the beach. But a lot of clips end up shaky, too dark or too long to watch again. These five habits help us get footage worth keeping.
1. Check your settings before you leave
Before the trip, pick your resolution and frame rate at home. 4K at 30fps gives sharp detail for scenery. A higher frame rate at a lower resolution is better if you want slow motion later. Choosing at home means you're not squinting at a small screen on the trail.
2. Mount it, don't hold it
Handheld clips wobble. A helmet mount, chest strap or handlebar clamp keeps the camera steady and frees your hands. Mount the camera low and close to the action, and the sense of speed will come through.
3. Use a remote to start and stop
A wrist remote lets you start recording just before the good part and stop just after it. You'll come home with short clips instead of an hour of footage you have to scrub through.
4. Mind the light
Shoot with the sun behind you or to the side when you can. Facing straight into the sun washes out the picture. On grey UK days, overcast light is soft and even, which suits action footage well.
5. Bring spare power and storage
Cold weather drains batteries fast. Pack a spare battery and keep it in an inside pocket to keep it warm. Format your memory card in the camera before each trip.
Our kit
We film with the AKASO G200R 4K Wi-Fi action camera bundle. It comes with a 64GB card and a remote, so habits 3 and 5 are covered out of the box. Wi-Fi lets you move clips to your phone and share them the same day.
Happy filming!
