Sony HDR-AZ1VR Mini Action Camera with Live View Remote Wrist Strap (Image Stabliser, Wi-Fi and NFC)

I am really pleased with this unit, the camera is very very light and setting it up us quite intuitive and easy to do. I like the oblong shape more than the GoPro and felt that it offered many more options in terms of discrete mounting, saying that I dont have a GoPro but have seen them in use of course. the picture quality is excellent and the wrist mounted remote control really tops off the whole package. I am using mine chiefly on horseback and there are a couple of points that are really good on this unit, the wrist mounting remote makes it so easy to see that the camera is pointed in the right direction (essential when navigating the Irish countryside on horseback where it can get dislodged by branches etc), the size, weight and shape of the camera offer a hell of a lot of mounting options and the fact that even without the waterproof case it is splash proof means in normal outdoor use you can use it. The waterproof case is excellent and I can only assume will work, it looks like it will, my use for it is more about protecting the camera itself from branches and damage from foliage and it does that really well. The battery life is pretty much as indicated in the advertising, about 60 to 90 minutes in practice, its easy enough to change batteries and I bought a few extra ones and a double charger which is an option I would recommend. The only real negative that I found was the moviemaker software that comes with the camera, I know its free but its very basic and whilst it works and could be described as movie making software it is a stretch, it is software to cut out elements of the footage and then only in one block, editing and patching it cant do. Along with the slightly short battery life this is the reason I went for 4 and not 5 stars, the quality and the technology seems great and I am well pleased with the picture quality. Oh yeah, it does stills and quick fire stills as well another feature that works well and is useful for action shots. I only have the device a week so cant say much about longevity but I think it will be OK, I would have some small concern about the single screw mounting fixing but in fairness the camera is super light and it does seem fine in practice, certainly the first day I used it would have seen it whacked as much as is reasonable by branches and it didnt have any problem at all. Well done Sony. If you want to take a look at footage from first day out youtube KHC at Brown Bear, its ten minutes of video and compressed for youtube but it will give you an idea of what the camera performs like under some hardship.

I've had this Action cam for some time now and I am very pleased so far. The picture quality is excellent and with the built in steady shot, makes watching footage a pleasure. I know steady shot isn't for everyone, but I use this camera on the side of my helmet and have no time for editing the footage to remove shake. Battery life is short, due to the small size of this unit. But I have purchased an original replacement that comes with it's own charging dock, so swapping out cures longer journey issues. All in all I highly recommend this as a helmet cam. It's small size and shape, lends itself well to the task. Sony should however look into making a side mounted case. I've made my own, even though they make adapters that do the job. I have enclosed a picture of my mount. It uses an adjustable replay mount adapted with a piece of aluminium painted in black. It's stuck to the waterproof case with 3M VHB 4991 tape. Out of all the options available, I've found my mount to be the perfect solution.

For the money, the camera itself is fine. Nice and compact, good picture quality etc. HOWEVER, do not be fooled by the claims of 'GPS' logging. Ok, Sony messed up and it didn't work initially, but they released a fix just before Xmas. So the GPS (in the Live View Remote wrist band) does get logged. However, it's is really bad data. Crucially, it lacks elevation, which, for most adventure sports, is part of the fun - you want to see your elevation as you skydive, snowboard, bike etc. Also, if you look at the logs themselves, they're generally nonsense - sometimes it's got a satellite count of = 0, yet is still able to find your coordinates. That to me says whoever did their GPS software has dropped the ball somewhere. I have ended up using my Garmin Forerunner to capture worthwhile GPS info. The wrist thing itself is a massive con - you can do all you need to do via your smartphone (which surely everyone has now). You're forced to get the wristband for the 'GPS' - which is total bunk. I would look elsewhere for cheaper options if you are looking for good GPS/mapping capabilities.

I loved this but you need the viewer to use it. No point buying this on its own without the wireless viewer. I bought it not realising to record a gig in a hurry but of course couldn't use. NO POINT BUYING THIS ON ITS OWN WITHOUT WIRELESS VIEWER!!!!!

A great camera: Size + mounting - Compared to my previous Veho camera and the Go Pros, I think this is much better not just in overall size and weight, but better because the lens comes out of the small side. Mounting it to a snowboard helmet it was much more discreet and low profile. When it was connected to my helmet I didn't notice it at all. Picture - I stil haven't edited my footage, but viewing the raw files on a big tv shows great resolution and clarity. The steady shot facility is particularly suited to snowboarding, taking the vibrations out of the shot. Stills are good also, but with the fisheye effect of the wide angle lens. Ease of use - I had some random problems connecting the remote to the camera. Sometimes I would check it was working on the lift, turn it off then start it, to find the connection wouldn't work. It seemed a bit flaky. It connected reliably to my smartphone, which was useful to watch the footage on. The remote is only really good for seeing which way it's pointing, too small for good playback. Battery life - Using the camera and remote from 9am - 3pm in temps around -5 to +15 using the gps and wifi functions + connecting the remote (live view). The camera was switched on for a run, recorded a few 3-4min files then turned off for lifts. This resulted in almost making it through a day on 1 battery. Remote was probably good for 2 days of use like this but the camera would probably not last. Spare batteries are fairly cheap so I would recommend getting a spare. Overall a great camera. Edit to add: Link to some footage I took with the camera: [...] (which obviously has gone through the You Tube compression). Also update on battery. In the same conditions as above, I'm seeing it last from 9am until just after lunch. A second battery is a must for all day use. Also the remote makes a useful watch when you're not using the camera. It displays a nice large, clear time and date on its own, even with the camera switched off.

Grade A little camera. The quality is excellent and the stability is top notch too. I use it on my bicycle for commuting and find its size perfect. Battery life is OK but for the size you cant complain. On the highest quality settings and 60FPS Im getting 40-45 mins of recording. Change to 30FPS and I get 50-60 mins The MP4 formats offer slightly longer again but Ive not used these completely. If you get a good price Id recommend getting one against a go-pro just for the price difference. Angle is around 170° so you get a great view range when recording. Love the app on the phone to see how the camera is recording and for setting up. Its low light abilities are not amazing but ask yourself how important this is for you. [...] Video link is for this camera as well as the camera mount I use on my bike - purchased and available elsewhere but really recommended for this and any other camerra

Very short battery life. My version was faulty in that it wouldn't recharge via USB so sent it back.

Compare with SONY HDR AS 30 Good things 1. better looking 2. lighter 3. smaller 1/3 4. 120 fps Bad thinks :( 1. battery life on camera and screen just 1h I'm very disappointed compare with my old AS30 4-5h 2. you can not dive with it (no flat screen and I think just a few meters only) 3. you can control it only with the help of mobile or the screen on your wrist NO on camera like AS30 4. WiFi range only 2m after that loosing connection!!! very disappointed again. Can't connect AS30 to small screen. 5. For better quality pictures you need to buy the most expensive memory card SD clas 10 or above 95mb/s on amazon sony one cost £38 32MB I bought it for my DJI2 Phantom and doing his work so I'm reasonably happy but the battery life is a big minus. I bought a better memory card for £38 and 2 extra battery wit charger for £20