Features:

  • Advanced image stabilization adjusts to vibration
  • New splash proof body with tripod mount
  • View and control via smartphone/ Live View Remote1
  • Shoot pro quality video in XAVC-S 60p(50 Mbps)
  • Plot location and display telemetry with built-in GPS
The Sony action camera you want. Motorcycles, still photos, amazing video quality.

When I purchased the product, I watched hours of YouTube reviews and was very torn between this and the GoPro Hero Black. I was ready to spend the additional $$ if needed but if I did not have to that was a definite bonus. I'll get to it; I enjoy the size and weight of the camera. I feel the product is one of quality and could withstand some real abuse. So far, I have used this indoors and outdoors with it being mounted on my motorcycle. The indoor quality I feel could be a bit better but let's be honest this was meant to outdoors for "action" so I can't knock it too hard for this. The camera seems to struggle a bit with the texture of carpet but in my opinion, does not take away at all. The outdoor video is excellent, and I enjoy the slow motion feature. I always find myself laughing when I can see my sons hair flying the in the wind as he runs. There is a stabilization feature that compensates for the lack of a steady hand. I can tell you this feature is amazing and has recorded excellent video at highway speeds. The camera is mounted to my motorcycles handlebars, and I do not have a windshield. You can not tell at all, and would think this is behind a windscreen. The camera is now included on family walks, and trips allowing me the ability to capture those moments that are important to me. Other neat stuff: -There is a wireless feature that allows you to stream your video to a phone or tablet. I have done both and found this very useful when you are trying to set up that perfect angle or shot. -The camera can do still photos and with the still photos the carpet problem I spoke about earlier is not present. -The LCD screen on the side is useful, when I showed to my friends it seemed to be one of the stand-out features, their current action cams do not have this. -Lastly, the wife is interested in it and uses as well. She has said to she finds it easier to use than a traditional camera and it may be the families go to item from here on out.

I recommend using the PNY U3 Turbo Performance 64GB High Speed ...

I have been using this camera for everything from hiking/cliff diving to motorcycle riding. Captures all my adventures when I need it to. It does have somewhat of a fisheye lens around the edges but the stabilization feature is well worth it compared to other cameras. I recommend using the PNY U3 Turbo Performance 64GB High Speed MicroSDXC with it though. I purchased some different cards first and they didn't work. Once I found this card I stuck with it. It has a fast enough write speed that allows you to use Pro mode and the higher HD modes. Hope this helps!

Awesome package!

I have been using The Sony action cameras since they first came out with the AS-30. The AS-100's are a step above and improved every short fall the 30 had. Its splash proof with out the case, can be mounted with out the case, the addition video functions are nice, I can use multiple cameras to record the same event in normal speed and slow mo then combiune the video using play memories free software. All of the access doors are sealed aopen and close. The door on my as 30 to access all the connections I am very careful with because it seems it can be broken easily. Every thing is very easy to figure out and if you need the manual just plug the camera into your laptop and there it is. The sound and picture quality are awesome. I use them for shooting and fishing videos and have had people that were die hard go pro fans say they were impressed. This is the first remote I have used so just got to play with it for about an hour yesterday but so far so good. its easy to figure out with out a manual as are most of Sony's cameras. One of the best things is its compartable with all of my old accessories from my AS30, batteries brackets, cases etc. Will put this to the test on the water once the weather starts to warm up again. If your looking for an action camera Stop looking just buy it.

I love Sony action cameras... Quality, form, and fuction keeps me buying more over all competition

I have so many of the sony action cameras. This is my second AS100, I have had 2 as30, 1 as 20, and 1 as15. All are good with the as100 being the best. The remote works fantastic and has really good battery life. You can use it as a watch, or have the display off and of course live video mode. But I use mine to frame the video and then turn the display off as it is then only used to start and stop video. Can control multiple cameras at one time... but I believe they have to be as30 and up... otherwise it is only one. I think this is needed if you are into watersports like me. This camera is splashproof. I even dropped it in the water and it it was good to go. The remote is also waterproof, but will not work if the camera is underwater... That's nature. The remote is preferred to use rather than a phone due to the remotes function and form. It is worn or like me, I attached it to my kayak or bike. It is shock proof and waterproof. The phone... is not and I would rather save the phones battery for emergency rather than camera function.

Great little gizmo, especially underwater

I've bought this little action cam mainly for underwater activities, with the proper Sony MPK AS3 housing. It performs really good, and because of the sony sensor, it deals with high iso situations really well. Though I would recommend using only 30p when underwater, because of the light loss. Still, because of the sensor size it will not give you a Full Frame quality. I had the chance to compare it with the 'Go...' action cam out there and I personally prefer the sony because of the colors, the handling and the noise levels in the recordings. No pro tune mode though, which is a bummer, especially if you want to do post color processing. It adjusts to different light situations really well, and with the underwater option you can maintain really good colors up to a certain depth. Around 60ft it starts loosing color fast, and it would be really good to have a red filter (hear me Sony?) that you can attach, as well as a macro add-on. Because of the lights on top and back (that you cannot switch off. SOFTWARE UPDATE maybe?) if you get into a colder situation condensation will build up fast, so you really need those anti fog pads. If you use it on a dive rig, you can flip the picture upside down which was a great help for me. Anyhow. Thumbs up. Good battery life, surprisingly decent audio even in the casing, and you can switch all audio (beeping) off so you won't scare off the fishes. Plus with the universal head mount you can put it on your mask, so there is a good chance of you not loosing it :)

Superb Camera!

I pre-ordered this camera and anxiously awaited its release. It was certainly worth the wait! The quality of the videos and photos produced by this unit are superb! Although I haven't yet explored all the different modes, the ones I've tried (photo, time lapse, 1080 60P video with and without image stabilization) have produced impressive results. I love the Live View Remote wristband which makes it easy to properly frame my shots and control the camera. I was evaluating many different brands POV cameras, relying primarily on user reviews. Although when I first learned about the Sony HDR-AS100VR there WERE no reviews, as the camera had not shipped yet, the specifications combined with the very competitive price point convinced me to take a chance and preorder this unit. The gamble definitely paid off! I am thrilled with what I've seen so far and I look forward to using this camera more and more as time goes on.

Go-WHAT?

I have had the AS100 for a few months now and wanted to use it a few times before I reviewed it. It has proven to be a very good POV/Action camera so far. The camera's splash-proof ability is pretty great, especially in times when mounted on the skeleton case and used in certain conditions (such as when its raining, or when biking or hiking). This also helped it not experience the 'fogging' issue that was quite a problem with the other models (based on the reviews that I read). One of the biggest improvement (while very minute) is the mounting ability of this camera. Now that it has a built-in mount (albeit not a universal tripod mount hole), an adapter with an anti-rotation pinhole can be attached to this mount, from which any tripods can then be mounded. This makes this POV Camera from good to absolutely great. Some of the other features that makes this camera awesome include: - Built-in image stabilization, which makes the recorded video simply amazing, and shake-proof, which makes viewing the video quite pleasant. - Wi-Fi preview using the free downloadable Android App allows you to have a real-time preview which is a definite must. It helps you set up your camera's POV, and adjust settings that you may not be able to adjust quite well on the camera itself. Furthermore, it will also make it easier for you to toggle between the different recording modes a lot more efficiently than trying to do so on the camera itself. The best part for me has been to be able to connect the phone to the camera by using NFC, always. I just bring my Nexus 5 close to the camera (when its on) and it will bring up the app, connect to the camera, and bam!, ready for real time preview. - The quality of the video blows the GoPro Hero 3+ out of the water. Add stereo sound recording to that and you be like, Go-What? Seriously, It handles quite well through the color gamut, and allows you to record at 1080p at 60fps. Add Sony's image sensor, image stabilization, and splashproof ability (without the need of an extra case) and it blows the "industry leader" out of the water. The AS100 also has the ability to handle a wider dynamic range, and quite intelligently so, giving it the ability to adjust to changing light situations quite easily and quickly. - Slow mo and super-slow mo: 120FPS(720p) and 240FPS(480p) - Swapable Batteries - because battery life is a crapshoot. The biggest CON in my opinion is the battery life. This becomes a double-whammy simple because when the camera is connected through the Wi-Fi to the phone, the Wi-Fi is always draining the camera while its streaming to the phone (recording or not); furthermore, the phone is now continuously streaming from the camera, and therefore is draining itself dry as well. Good thing the batteries can be swapped easily, and 3rd party batteries and chargers are cheaper than $15 (w/prime shipping).

Keeps getting better

I bought this during a black friday price discount and glad I did. Already owning many of the incredibly useful first generation Action Cam AS15, I wanted to step things up a bit with the AS100V. I have a lot of experience using the AS15 for everything from vehicle shots, dance recitals, weddings, receptions and pole cam shots I haven't used the AS100V a lot yet, so I'll just mention a few things that might be helpful. The 50 Mb XAVC S codec does work in Premiere CS6 and Vegas Pro 12. I was unable to confirm this until I bought it and tested myself. The 50 Mb setting requires certain SDXC cards. I bought a SanDisk Extreme Plus 64GB SDXC and it works fine. The image quality seems close to the AS15 (as long as you are using the AS15 in the 1080/60P highest setting and 170 field of view). I expect the 50Mb footage from the AS100V will have more lattitude to push in post if needed though I haven't tested this. I expect to be using the AS100V in the normal h.264 setting most of the time to save space. I generally do not prefer the NEUTRAL color setting of the AS100V. It seems too pale but could be useful for some situations. Of course, you can use the more color rich VIVID setting instead. I like the ability to mount the AS100V directly to a 1/4-20 tripod type mount without having to use a case. Thats a big plus. I like the ability to power the camera via a USB battery device. I like the ability to connect the AS100V to an external monitor via the multi cable output port (requires purchase of cable). This allows sending a video OUT signal via a composite cable instead of having to use an HDMI cable which I have found is limiting in range from this camera. I like the white color. This will help on those 100+ degree days when the black cameras got so hot. The old attachments, batteries and cases still work with the AS100V which is great. I'll update this review as I use this camera more but I can already recommend it if you are looking for a good 1080P action camera.

Just about perfect

I have a first-generation camera from the "G" company that was nothing but trouble. I don't think I ever got more than two videos out of it, it just never worked. Hopefully they've improved, but after researching both this year I decided this was the better bet. So glad I chose Sony. Picture is crystal clear for the tiny camera (really, the picture is impressive!), set up was a breeze, operating couldn't be simpler (although I haven't taken the time to figure out slo-mo yet - is that a camera setting or a software adjustment? I need to work on that.) Remote is a must have for me - camera spends a lot of time on a dog's back.In regard to the "GPS light" - read the instructions. It's not a GPS light, it's the "recording" light that all video cameras have. Want to turn it off? Stop recording. Very pleased with the purchase, highly recommended. My only issue is that I thought it would be good for scuba diving. There are no controls on the outside of the deep-waterproof case - once its on, it's on. The remote is "waterproof" - but only to 3m. Not much good for diving (I haven't actually tried yet). They want you to wash salt water / sand off within 60 minutes (probably do-able, but not always if you're out in a small boat) and repeatedly stress that any sand or debris will essentially ruin the waterproofness, so I'm guessing you're on your own warranty-wise if you bugger it up in the water. So, I could see using it for a dive here and there, and probably snorkeling would be fun, but it might be a hassle.

This is the action cam you want.

Firstly, I'm a heavy user of action cams. I've used them for everything from B-roll footage, timelapses, drones/quadcopters, helmet cams, weather balloons, high speed recording of MMA and plenty other things. I'm saddened that it took until 2014 for me to be wholly satisfied with a product all around (I've eagerly waited on my pre-order for over a month!). I'm going to get straight to the main course. The quality of the video alone is an embarrassment to Go Pro (the innovator of this product and the "industry standard"). The sharpness of the lens and fluid motion of the CCD, even with the stabilizer turned off, isn't even in the same category as the competition's. It handles color beautifully, and allows you to record 1080p at 60fps so even the quickest turns and motions are captured accurately and not lost in frame sync. On paper, there are a few competitors. The Go Pro Hero 3+ Black Edition offers just about the same specs, but lacks a live view remote. But the quality difference gets lost in the fine print. Sony's image sensor is far superior, its stabilizer is subtle and effective, and most importantly, there seems to have been a fine display of quality control and testing, whereas Go Pro absolutely craps themselves in that regard. The Hero 3+ is off focus, the Hero 3 is fragile and buggy, the Hero 2 skips frames and cannot focus underwater, etc, etc. That being said, I'm sure you can understand why I was so excited to try the Sony AS100VR out. You're probably thinking: "But wait, doesn't the Hero 3+ support 4K video?" Technically it almost does. What Go Pro considers to be 4k is actually about a thousand pixels short of the WHXGA standard. Practically it does not even come close. It can only shoot (almost) 4K at 12fps, which is about half of the suitable minimum for video. Remember claymation? That was mostly 15fps. You're also shooting "4k video" out of a lens that isn't designed for that resolution, or even properly focused. Not that it should even matter right now. Most of us can't even keep a 720p video stream from Netflix or Youtube without buffering. 4k as a standard is a decade away. Light! The AS100V handles dynamic range very intelligently in both bright and dark settings, and adjusts the exposure faster than most other cameras. This means that if you're wearing it on a bike and ride out of a tunnel, it won't take 3 seconds to adjust to the drastic light change. I was a little worried that the AS100V would fall short on low-light performance, as almost all action cameras do. But, anxiety averted. Recording under streetlights looks sharp and clean. I would put it far beyond the Hero 3 or 3+, and just slightly above the Hero 2 (which was my previous pick for low-light performance). Sony takes the gold with quite a bit less noise. I would assume that the the Sony had a larger aperture lens while the Hero 2 had to compensate with ISO, but they're both f/2.4, so I have no explanation other than an improved CCD. Finally, the game changer: You can opt to record in XAVC format if you buy a high speed memory card. If you plan on using this for anything other than your own enjoyment, this is huge. Before this camera, XAVC was only used in high-end professional camcorders. The compression is much crisper, and there's an upgrade in color depth from your standard 8-bit, to 12-bit. It's a proprietary format, but it is supported by all current Adobe products as well as Vegas and other mainstream video editing applications. Other goodies worth mentioning: -240 FPS/480p and 120FPS/720p for super slow motion fun. - The option to shoot at 170 degrees or crop to a less wide 120 degrees. -Tripod screw on both camera and waterproof case. The waterproof case has a standard 1/4 screw hole, and the camera has a 1/8. However it comes with a 1/8 to 1/4 base should you choose to use the camera on a tripod without the waterproof case. - Both the camera and the wrist display charge via standard micro-usb. (Android phone charger) - On-board GPS that doesn't require specific software or a website to use (although you have the option). It saves the data in a .log file, so you can load it into virtually anything. - Easy smartphone integration/preview/sharing. At the time of writing, this is easily the best in class for action cams, and probably the best video capture quality you will find behind the DSL price-range. The only thing I can't comment on is it's longevity. But if it breaks easily or stops working, I'll certainly change those 5 stars and complain to the world by updating this review.

Full Reviews