We review the Sony As30V!

When people talk about action cameras, one brand immediately comes to mind: GoPro. It’s not surprising – the company has a reputation of building sturdy cameras that can withstand almost everything that you can throw at it and survive, but for most people, the price of a GoPro is a bit prohibitive. Enter Sony and their AS30V action camera. While the GoPro has an edge over shooting modes, Sony’s offering has a few more bells and whistles that’s actually relevant to consumers.

Slim, streamlined design

While other action cameras are literal boxes when it comes to design, Sony opted to go with a slightly different approach. The As30V goes with a more traditional camcorder design, only much, much smaller.

Outside of the small waterproof case, the AS30V is small enough to fit in your hands, and only has a few buttons and a small, simple LED display that allows you to navigate its different menus. We appreciated just how logically the interface of the AS30V was laid out, unlike the Hero3+ which was honestly frustrating at times. Good job Sony.

Much like most action cameras, the AS30V ships in a waterproof case. Unlike other action cameras however, isn’t capable of braving the depths of the oceans, with the case only being rated to go as deep as 5 meters, or around 16 feet. This is a far cry from the Hero3+’s 40 meter depth rating (or the Muvi NPNG’s 60 meter depth rating) though you can buy an optional case that further increases it to 60 meters.There is one benefit to the shallow depth rating of the AS30V: the AS30V retains its ability to record stereo sound even in the waterproof case, which isn’t the case with the Hero3+ or the Muvi NPNG.

Packed with cool features

Like the Hero3+, the AS30V has Wi-Fi that allows you to control the device using your smartphone. Unlike the Hero3+, the AS30V has additional sensors that make pairing your smartphone with it easier. First off, NFC connectivity allows you to quickly pair either a tablet or a smartphone with the As30V by simply tapping your NFC equipped device on the side of the camera (even with the waterproof case on). Once you pair your phone with the camera, you’ll be able to see what the AS30V is seeing, useful when figuring out camera angles when you mount it into your bike, car, helmet and other things.

Another cool feature is GPS. When you record a video with the GPS feature on, you’ll be able to record your location as well. When used with Sony’s PlayMemories Home app, you’ll be able to insert a graphical overlay of how fast you were going at a particular point in the video.

Good image quality, even underwater

The As30V relies on a 1/2.3-inch backside-illuminated CMOS sensor, with an f/2.8 lens that’s capable of recording video with a 170 FOV. You’re able to record video up to 1080p at 30 and 60 FPS, though you can also shoot video at 720p at 30, 60 and 120 FPS. It’s also capable of shooting 11.9 megapixel photos.

Action cams generally have problems with white balance when they’re submerged and suddenly pulled out of the water. Sony says that the AS30V doesn’t suffer from the same issues, and we’re inclined to believe them. Image quality of the video taken with the AS30V is pretty good, and while it’s not as good as the Hero3+, it comes really close.

As far as photos go, the AS30V is capable of producing bright, vibrant photos with a lot of visual punch, even underwater.

The As30V is also capable of recording smooth slow mo and super slow-mo, albeit in 720 resolution. Unfortunately, sound isn’t recorded when you shoot in these modes.

Mediocre battery life

One problem with action cameras is that there isn’t a lot of space to put in big batteries. The AS30V is no exception to that rule, and we enjoyed barely 2 hours of battery life on a single charge. That number dramatically shrinks when you turn on the other features of the camera (including GPS, Wi-Fi and NFC). You will need to buy an additional battery if you’re planning on recording moderately long activities with the AS30V.

Can give GoPros a run for their money

In the end, the Sony AS30V is a great action cam and a worthy competitor of GoPro’s everywhere. It has less shooting modes compared to the top of the line Hero3+, but it has more convenient features that make life easier for people who use it. Since Sony actually has a physical store here unlike GoPro (which depend on other resellers), getting aftermarket mounts for the AS30V is easier and more convenient. The AS30V is also cheaper than the Hero3+, going for just Php 15,999, compared to the Php 19,500 for the Hero3+.