30 January 2013, Singapore – Sony HDR-AS15 Action Cam is only half the size of the palm (without casing) and is a Full HD WiFi enabled sports camcorder that offers an array of accessories to compliment its extreme sports video recording capabilities. The Sony Action Cam is available in Singapore via Sony Stores and authorised retailers at S$499 which includes the waterproof case.
Operating The SONY HDR-AS15
The Sony HDR-AS15 is able to wirelessly connect to a Apple/Android smartphones or tablets via the Sony PlayMemories Mobile App which works as a remote viewfinder or to control the camcorder wirelessly. The remote viewfinder when tested on an iPhone 5 shows almost no lags when compared to other WiFi enabled sport camcorders which can lag up to 4 seconds.
Operating the camcorder is simple with the three button control system, but it does take a while to familiarise with the menu and sub menu functions. Just click the record button on the rear to start recording.
For right handers, keep in mind that when operating the Prev & Next buttons try to avoid smearing the lens with your index finger.
The micro USB found in the base lid of the Sony Action Cam allow file transfers and USB charging for the battery. Sony Action Cam also supports USB charging via a mobile battery bank and it uses Memory Stick Micro (Mark 2), Micro SD or SDHC memory card for storage.
Waterproof Case
The waterproof casing is able to protect the Sony Action Cam from the elements and is also water resistant for up to 60 metres. The case can be easily removed via the clip latch at the base. The waterproof case also provide a screw mount to attach with other Sony Action Cam accessories or tripod.
Although in a waterproof case, the Sony Action Cam is still able to capture video footage with sounds. The downside of the waterproof case is that the settings cannot be accessed from the case and it fogs up in minutes when used with WiFi turned on.
The Sony Action Cam either has to be removed from the case or access wirelessly via a smartphone to change the settings. The fogged up issues can be resolved with the Sony Action Cam Anti-Fog Sheets (S$19.90 for 2 sheets) which can be inserted to the casing and reusable up to 200 times each.
Video Quality
Using a Carl Zeiss Tessar Lens, the video quality of the Sony Action Cam is great. Sony Action provides two wide viewing angles 170° or 120° video recording settings in the menu. The 170° ultra wide angle may look cool for that wide fisheye effect, but at 170° the image stabilizer is disabled so videos will appear shaky (See video below on Horse Riding, its the only video recorded in 170°).
Underwater video footage below appears blurred because of the clarity of the water. You will notice the video image is sharp when the camera emerges from the water. Being a first timer with a sports camcorder that does not have a viewfinder, it took awhile to get used to framing the video and offsetting the angle of the camera which caused some of the videos to go off the horizon.
The Sony Action Cam also comes with 120 fps slow motion recording mode which we did not put up to test. However, we did a time lapse video of sunrise in Boracay, The Philippines with 400 still pictures taken with Sony Action Cam at 5 seconds interval and and pieced together in Windows Movie Maker to create the short time lapse video below. The pictures appears grainy under extreme low light condition but they are still acceptable and the automatic metering in the camcorder is able to capture the beautiful hues of the sunrise.
Accessories
Sony Action Cam may have limited accessories when compared to competitor brands, but they are sufficient for most scenarios and with a standard screw mount on the waterproof case it will be able to fit most standard accessories out in the market.
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