Good morning students!
Today we will be talking about the Sony Action Camera model AS100V.
In this article I will answer the following in relation to the camera being used for specifically outdoor music festivals:
Why sony over GoPro?
Positives and Negatives?
Lets begin!
When I bought this Sony Action Camera AS100VR back in the summer of 2014 I bought it for 1 reason. To use at an event that had music and took place during the night. This event was the Electric Daisy Carnival or EDC in Las Vegas. So why did I pick this over the more popular GoPro? 2 reasons.
First and main selling point for me is that the Sony had better reviews at night time then did the GoPro. Not to say GoPro’s won’t work at night, I simply found more reviews for the Sony being used at night. I could post some statistics or specifications that you nor I will understand, but the simple fact is that all my research for night time cameras, sony came out ahead.
The second reason I went with the sony camera was the audio factor. Just like my research with the night specific requirement, I found that when reading reviews for both, the GoPro reviews were more regarding their video quality then their audio. For me I wanted the audio to be as clear and loud as it could be since my videos would have loud background music included.
After getting this device and now using it for multiple festivals as well as other activities I would like to give my positives and negatives:
Positives:
Good audio quality
Good video quality
Long battery life
Many 3rd party accessories are compatible with the camera.
Cheaper then GoPros
Negatives:
With respect to a longer event (longer then 8 hours) you will need multiple batteries. And if the event is outside, expect those batteries to be affected by the weather. I found a fully charged battery out in the 100+ degree weather would last maybe an hour or 90 minutes only. Although this year I arrived to EDC with 7 batteries, and since the weather was more below 90 degrees I didn’t use more then 2 per night. So the battery issue is more a negative if your going to be in hot weather, not the device itself.
Another negative would be that since the camera itself is in a form that protrudes forward, the use of a chest holder is not as night as it good. It looks goofy, and if walking in a crowd your going to need to protect it or place your hand over it to make sure it does not get knocked around. The GoPro is much better for use with a chest piece.
One more negative is not device related but user related.
Make sure you practice using it and watching your result before your planned recording.
I keep finding my results a little too much “action-packed” as in I did not keep the camera stable. Even in using a selfie stick I found that my videos often times are a little bouncy and I enjoy the music around me. If your planning to do video production with your videos then you will definitely want to concentrate on keeping your camera stable when in use.
In closing, you may notice that my negatives are more non-device issues. That’s because I really do not see any issue with the Sony Action Camera AS100V. It has worked really well for me in my music activities as well as some other outdoor activities. I will be posting a more in-depth review of the camera in the next weeks to follow.
-Tutor Eric
Please click the image below to be taken to the amazon product page for purchase.
Related