Underwater Hockey + Sony Action Cam HDR-AS30V

    I took my Sony Action Cam to the pool for an underwater hockey practice this week.  I shot the video in 1080P.  The performance of the camera in an indoor pool is good.  It is a little grainy and at times out of focus under water, but in general it is decent quality.  The sound is pretty fantastic, that and the POV perspective makes you feel like you are actually underwater and playing.

     I used a strap mount from the the universal head mount kit BLT-UHM1 to attach the action cam to my diving mask, making it as low profile and compact as you can get for a video setup - I am not sure how you would even do this with a GoPro with it's big square front facing form factor.  I didn't notice the camera or the drag much underwater. Some people playing didn't even realize I had a camera on my head during the game until I posted the video later.

Sony VCT-HM1 Action Cam Handlebar Mount Review

I'll let the video speak for itself for the most part, but here's a summary:
     I just got a Sony Action Cam HDR-AS30V last week and took it for a spin today on my cross country mountain bike with Sony's VCT-HM1 handlebar mount accessory.  To cut to the chase, the handlebar mount is horrible.  It exaggerates and induces much more shake than if it was firmly fixed to the mountain bike, due to the articulation joint and the flexible plastic.  Not only that, it adds noise from the plastic parts shaking..  and it costs $30 to boot.  For that price, it should be rock solid and perform stellar, but it doesn't.
     I suggest you stay away from this mount at all costs  It's like throwing your money away.  I don't think I will ever be using this mount again.

Sony Action Cam HDR-AS30V

    So I picked up a Sony action cam.  I had been wanting one for a while, not that I am into all types of extreme sports, but it would be good to use on occasion, it's also good for timelapses.  The choice of action cam is a difficult one.  There's the industry standard GoPro, Sony Action Cam, and a bunch of others made by Midland Radio, Garmin, and a bunch of others.  You would think someone would jusy go to the industry standard, but after looking into it, the Sony appealed to me much more than the GoPro.  Up until it went out o business, I actually liked Contour's form factor, but it kicked the bucket recently.  GoPro introduced it's 3rd gen earlier this year and has just released the 3+.  After doing a bit of research, it looks like Gopro only released the 3+ as a fix for what the 3 black should have been in the first place.  There's many reports of buggy software, the camera shutting off randomly, freezing up, corrupting SD cards and horrible battery life to boot.  I don't want to spend money on a product a company that is run like that.  People seem to think GoPro's seat on the throne is untouchable, but I tend to disagree.  GoPro doesn't have the expertise in manufacturing cameras and the tech thtat goes with it, although they are learning quick.
     There's a wole handful of features that I think the Sony HDR-AS30V has that the GoPro doesn't.  Namely GPS, better battery life, better low light, image stabilization.  From the sounds of the boards and reviews I read, the image quality on the GoPro has a slight edge, but that's under the right conditions.  The other features and the solidit of the Sony design won me in.  Besides, i can't stand the form factor of the GoPro, it just seems wrong to have a big square thing that looks like a 2001 digital camera on your head creating extra drag and/or the possibility for the camera to be kncked out of alignment.  I don't think the Sony is even available in Canada yet.  It's not on Sony Canada's website - only the HDR15 GPS-less model is, but I got one on eBay.
     I plan to take it out for a test spin for some night cross country mountain biking in the near future, and I will report back when i get a bit of a chance to check out the capabilities properly.