Consumer Reports Puts Compact Cameras To Test

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - It won't be too long before you're thinking about summer vacation and capturing every minute of it on your video camera.

Getting great action shots from a mountain bike or on the beach is a lot easier thanks to cool new compact cameras.

Consumer Reports recently tested two of the most popular ones.

Bradley Rothschild uses a GoPro camera to catch the action wherever he goes.

"I use it for mountain biking, I use it for jet-skiing, days on the lake with friends, it's a good time," Rothschild said.

Video cameras like the GoPro are growing in popularity as people want to capture action shots like skiing without risking expensive equipment.

Consumer Reports tested two top action camcorders, the GoPro Hero 3, which costs $400 and Sony's $270 Action Cam.

The cameras come with rugged, waterproof casings to protect them from the elements and they're loaded with features.

"You can take standard-def or high-def video. You can also take still photos. And you can also, on both of them, take photos and stitch them together into a time lapse," Terry Sullivan with Consumer Reports said.

But how do they stand up to tough treatment?

Consumer Reports tested by putting each one in a tumbler for 25 rotations to see if they could withstand hard knocks.

Both came out ready to shoot.

To see how waterproof the cameras are, they were dunked in water. Both survived intact, with no damage at all.

"If you're looking to capture action shots in the great outdoors, either of these camcorders is a good choice. The GoPro has a little bit of an edge in the image quality, but either one will get the job done," Sullivan said.

So, the next time you hit the slopes for some skiing or head to the beach for some fun in the sun, one of these action cameras could be just the thing to capture memories that used to be a fleeting moment.

Consumer Reports said another nice thing about the GoPro Hero 3 and the Sony Action Cam is that they have built-in Wi-Fi. That makes it easy to share your videos on YouTube and Facebook.

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