Best action camera 2022: rugged, feature-rich cams for adventure lovers

Included in this guide:

GoPro

Hero11 Black

GoPro

Hero11 Black

GoPro

Hero11 Black

GoPro

Hero11 Black

GoPro

Hero11 Black

GoPro

Hero11 Black

Finding the best action camera for your purposes in a quickly changing market can be a challenge. Luckily, we’re here to help. The action camera landscape has completely altered in the space of a few years. Not long ago, every tech brand you can think of had at least three models, but now many have thrown the towel in and vacated the space increasingly dominated by GoPro. At the time of writing, a swathe of manufacturers, including Garmin, Sony, Drift, Yi and iON, have stopped selling new action cams, leaving the action camera market in the hands of brands including GoPro, DJI, Akaso, Insta360, a handful of others, and a host of unbranded clones, some of which are quite good, some which are absolutely not. 

The good news is that the best action camera tech has become refined to an impressive point – the GoPro and Insta360 platforms in particular are difficult to shoot poor video on at all, no matter your skill level. Image stabilisation is quite astonishingly good at times, and quality is right up there with the pros.   

We’re going to stick with the best action camera right now being the GoPro HERO 11 Black, closely followed by its immediate predecessor the GoPro HERO 10 Black – although it’s a tough battle with the Insta360 One RS. The GoPros win out by being easier to get the best out of, an understated trick that GoPro has perfected over the years. This doesn’t mean that the cameras down the list aren’t worth a look though, with some offering unbelievable value for money, and others left-field setup and use choices. 

You might be getting the picture that GoPro dominates in the action camera market, and to be honest you’d be right. Our best GoPro guide runs through the differences between all the available models. Beyond GoPro, though, we have a whole separate guide dedicated to the best GoPro alternatives. If price is the deciding factor, you might want to also check out our guide to the best budget action cameras or today’s top GoPro deals.

The good news is that the best action camera tech has become refined to an impressive point – the GoPro and Insta360 platforms in particular are difficult to shoot poor video on at all, no matter your skill level. Image stabilisation is quite astonishingly good at times, and quality is right up there with the pros.   

We’re going to stick with the best action camera right now being the GoPro HERO 11 Black, closely followed by its immediate predecessor the GoPro HERO 10 Black – although it’s a tough battle with the Insta360 One RS. The GoPros win out by being easier to get the best out of, an understated trick that GoPro has perfected over the years. This doesn’t mean that the cameras down the list aren’t worth a look though, with some offering unbelievable value for money, and others left-field setup and use choices. 

You might be getting the picture that GoPro dominates in the action camera market, and to be honest you’d be right. Our best GoPro guide runs through the differences between all the available models. Beyond GoPro, though, we have a whole separate guide dedicated to the best GoPro alternatives. If price is the deciding factor, you might want to also check out our guide to the best budget action cameras or today’s top GoPro deals.

THE BEST ACTION CAMERAS RIGHT NOW – RANKED

1. GOPRO HERO 11 BLACK

The current flagship GoPro is the best action camera you can buy

SPECIFICATIONS

Video: 5.3K60 / 4K120 Stills:27MP
Waterproof: 10m Voice control: Yes
Image stabilisation: Hypersmooth 5.0
GPS: Yes

REASONS TO BUY

+ New sensor amps up the quality everywhere
+ Better battery life
+ Same physical dimensions as the Hero 10

REASONS TO AVOID

- Only incremental improvements over older model

Today's best GoPro Hero11 Black deals

US$499.99

US$449.99

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The GoPro HERO 11 Black was launched in September 2022 as one of a trio of GoPro models, the HERO 11 Black, HERO 11 Black Creator Edition and HERO 11 Black Mini. According to GoPro, the new cameras feature a larger sensor that delivers the highest resolution, highest 10-bit colour depth, highest level of video stabilisation and widest field of view ever featured natively in a HERO camera.

Physically, the GoPro HERO 11 Black is exactly the same size as its predecessor, the excellent GoPro HERO 10 Black (even the batteries are interchangeable). In fact, apart from the new ‘11’ gracing the side of the unit, the two are virtually indistinguishable – more observant users will notice that the GoPro HERO 11 Black’s rear LED appears to be white when off, rather than the darker grey/black of the GoPro HERO 10 Black. It feels the same in the hand, too. The GP2 chip is unchanged from the previous model and the weight, 153 grams, is just a solitary gram lighter than the older model.

 The improvements start to become more apparent when you start to use the new camera, where an improved sensor and enhanced battery life are the big gains. The HERO 11 Black has been upgraded with a 1/1.9” sensor, which means the colour palette is considerably boosted – up to 10-bit (providing over 1 billion shades of colour vs. 16.7 million in 8-bit). This very noticeably improves detail in many situations and is arguably the biggest reason to upgrade to the GoPro HERO 11 Black. It opens up a whole new world of “Full-sensor video modes” in 8:7 aspect ratio on top of the usual 16:9 or 9:16, as well as increasing the available photo resolution – now up to 27MP in 8:7. These full-sensor modes include 5.3K30 8:7 video and 4K60 8:7 video too. 
 

There’s also a new iteration of HyperSmooth stabilisation in the GoPro HERO 11 Black (now up to HyperSmooth 5.0, and bragged about as ‘Emmy Award-Winning’). In use, HyperSmooth 5.0 does offer an improvement over HyperSmooth 4.0, but it’s another incremental win – better, but not mind-blowing. 

 Some serious gains have been achieved in terms of battery life, especially at the higher resolutions. With the GoPro HERO 11’s ‘Enduro’ battery you can now get an extra 7 minutes shooting at 5.3K30 (up to 80 minutes for HERO 11 Black vs. 73 minutes for HERO 10 Black), an improvement of nearly 10%, but down in the lower resolutions 1080p60: 89 minutes for HERO 11 Black vs. 80 minutes for HERO 10 Black. This is extra impressive for the fact that it’s been achieved without physically increasing the battery size or capacity. We also note that the Hero 11 is less susceptible to overheating than the 10.
 
In terms of usability, GoPro have graded the settings on the HERO 11 Black into ‘easy’ (default), and ‘Pro’, (which allows you to unlock presets such as Standard, Activity, Cinematic, Slo-Mo and more, and give you the ability to fine-tune all modes, settings and features). There is also an auto-highlight video setting, which takes a maximum of 75 photos and videos (no limit on length), captured within a 12-hour timeframe and automatically creates a highlights video from them in the cloud. 
 

The GoPro HERO 11 Black is certainly the best action camera currently available, and at a relatively sensible price point (especially when wrapping in the compelling GoPro subscription model), but how much better than the GoPro HERO 11 Black is it? Read our head-to-head comparison here.

The good news is that the best action camera tech has become refined to an impressive point – the GoPro and Insta360 platforms in particular are difficult to shoot poor video on at all, no matter your skill level. Image stabilisation is quite astonishingly good at times, and quality is right up there with the pros.   

We’re going to stick with the best action camera right now being the GoPro HERO 11 Black, closely followed by its immediate predecessor the GoPro HERO 10 Black – although it’s a tough battle with the Insta360 One RS. The GoPros win out by being easier to get the best out of, an understated trick that GoPro has perfected over the years. This doesn’t mean that the cameras down the list aren’t worth a look though, with some offering unbelievable value for money, and others left-field setup and use choices. 

You might be getting the picture that GoPro dominates in the action camera market, and to be honest you’d be right. Our best GoPro guide runs through the differences between all the available models. Beyond GoPro, though, we have a whole separate guide dedicated to the best GoPro alternatives. If price is the deciding factor, you might want to also check out our guide to the best budget action cameras or today’s top GoPro deals.

2. GOPRO HERO 10 BLACK

The GoPro Hero 10 offers almost everything the new Hero 11 boasts, for a considerably cheaper price

SPECIFICATIONS

Video: 5.3K/60FPS, 4K/120FPS, 2.7K/240pStills: 23MPScreen: 2.27" LCD rear + 1.4" front Color LCDWaterproof: 10mVoice control: YesImage stabilisation: HyperSmooth 4.0GPS: Yes

REASONS TO BUY

+ Speedy and slick thanks to new processor
+ Higher resolution and framerate than H9
+ Water-repelling lens cover
+ Horizon leveling up to 45-degree tilt

Today's best GoPro Hero11 Black deals

US$499.99

US$449.99

REASONS TO AVOID

-
Most expensive option
-
Battery can struggle to keep up

TODAY'S BEST DEALS

View at StockX
View at Amazon
View at Adorama WW

The GoPro HERO 10 Black was hands-down the best action camera when it was launched, and it bagged a T3 Award 2022 to prove it, but of course, there is a new kid on the block now in the very similar (identical) shape of the GoPro HERO 11 Black. However, the upgrades featured on the newer model are improvements rather than revolutionary changes, and the HERO 10 remains an excellent choice (especially as you can now find it for a considerably cheaper price). 

 

The HERO 10 was itself an incremental upgrade, and looked very similar to earlier HEROs, but it packs a newer processor that means this GoPro is smoother and slicker, with a quicker boot and faster transfers. As you’d expect, it’s feature-packed and ridiculously capable. Frame rates are doubled over the HERO 9 Black at higher resolutions, video tops out at a massive 5.3K, 60FPS, 4K at a blistering 120FPS, and 2.7K/240p, and stills have been boosted to up to 23MP. 

 

Vloggers will appreciate the inclusion of a front facing live preview screen, introduced with the HERO 9 Black but here smoother and more responsive. It’s equally as robust as the other HEROs, but GoPro has here added a hydrophobic, more scratch resistant lens that watersports fans in particular will benefit from. Tweaks and improvements across the board mean features like HyperSmooth and TimeWarp are even better on the H10 than in its HERO siblings, and horizon leveling is now supported up to a massive 45 degree tilt. 

 

On the downside, the battery (which is the same capacity as in the HERO 9 Black) can’t struggle to keep up with the rest of the camera. For the full story, you’ll need to head to our GoPro HERO 10 Black review. Check out exactly how it compares to the newer model in this toe-to-toe comparison with the GoPro HERO 11 Black, or explore exactly what it offers over the earlier version in our GoPro HERO 9 Black vs GoPro HERO 10 Black showdown.

The good news is that the best action camera tech has become refined to an impressive point – the GoPro and Insta360 platforms in particular are difficult to shoot poor video on at all, no matter your skill level. Image stabilisation is quite astonishingly good at times, and quality is right up there with the pros.   

We’re going to stick with the best action camera right now being the GoPro HERO 11 Black, closely followed by its immediate predecessor the GoPro HERO 10 Black – although it’s a tough battle with the Insta360 One RS. The GoPros win out by being easier to get the best out of, an understated trick that GoPro has perfected over the years. This doesn’t mean that the cameras down the list aren’t worth a look though, with some offering unbelievable value for money, and others left-field setup and use choices. 

You might be getting the picture that GoPro dominates in the action camera market, and to be honest you’d be right. Our best GoPro guide runs through the differences between all the available models. Beyond GoPro, though, we have a whole separate guide dedicated to the best GoPro alternatives. If price is the deciding factor, you might want to also check out our guide to the best budget action cameras or today’s top GoPro deals.

Finding the best action camera for your purposes in a quickly changing market can be a challenge. Luckily, we’re here to help. The action camera landscape has completely altered in the space of a few years. Not long ago, every tech brand you can think of had at least three models, but now many have thrown the towel in and vacated the space increasingly dominated by GoPro. At the time of writing, a swathe of manufacturers, including Garmin, Sony, Drift, Yi and iON, have stopped selling new action cams, leaving the action camera market in the hands of brands including GoPro, DJI, Akaso, Insta360, a handful of others, and a host of unbranded clones, some of which are quite good, some which are absolutely not. 

The good news is that the best action camera tech has become refined to an impressive point – the GoPro and Insta360 platforms in particular are difficult to shoot poor video on at all, no matter your skill level. Image stabilisation is quite astonishingly good at times, and quality is right up there with the pros.   

We’re going to stick with the best action camera right now being the GoPro HERO 11 Black, closely followed by its immediate predecessor the GoPro HERO 10 Black – although it’s a tough battle with the Insta360 One RS. The GoPros win out by being easier to get the best out of, an understated trick that GoPro has perfected over the years. This doesn’t mean that the cameras down the list aren’t worth a look though, with some offering unbelievable value for money, and others left-field setup and use choices. 

You might be getting the picture that GoPro dominates in the action camera market, and to be honest you’d be right. Our best GoPro guide runs through the differences between all the available models. Beyond GoPro, though, we have a whole separate guide dedicated to the best GoPro alternatives. If price is the deciding factor, you might want to also check out our guide to the best budget action cameras or today’s top GoPro deals.

THE BEST ACTION CAMERAS RIGHT NOW – RANKED

3. GOPRO HERO 11 BLACK

The current flagship GoPro is the best action camera you can buy

SPECIFICATIONS

Video: 5.3K60 / 4K120 Stills:27MP Waterproof: 10mVoice control: YesImage stabilisation: Hypersmooth 5.0GPS: Yes

REASONS TO BUY

+ New sensor amps up the quality everywhere + Better battery life
+ Same physical dimensions as the Hero 10

REASONS TO AVOID

- Only incremental improvements over older model

Today's best GoPro Hero11 Black deals

US$499.99

US$449.99

Finding the best action camera for your purposes in a quickly changing market can be a challenge. Luckily, we’re here to help. The action camera landscape has completely altered in the space of a few years. Not long ago, every tech brand you can think of had at least three models, but now many have thrown the towel in and vacated the space increasingly dominated by GoPro. At the time of writing, a swathe of manufacturers, including Garmin, Sony, Drift, Yi and iON, have stopped selling new action cams, leaving the action camera market in the hands of brands including GoPro, DJI, Akaso, Insta360, a handful of others, and a host of unbranded clones, some of which are quite good, some which are absolutely not. 

The good news is that the best action camera tech has become refined to an impressive point – the GoPro and Insta360 platforms in particular are difficult to shoot poor video on at all, no matter your skill level. Image stabilisation is quite astonishingly good at times, and quality is right up there with the pros.   

We’re going to stick with the best action camera right now being the GoPro HERO 11 Black, closely followed by its immediate predecessor the GoPro HERO 10 Black – although it’s a tough battle with the Insta360 One RS. The GoPros win out by being easier to get the best out of, an understated trick that GoPro has perfected over the years. This doesn’t mean that the cameras down the list aren’t worth a look though, with some offering unbelievable value for money, and others left-field setup and use choices. 

You might be getting the picture that GoPro dominates in the action camera market, and to be honest you’d be right. Our best GoPro guide runs through the differences between all the available models. Beyond GoPro, though, we have a whole separate guide dedicated to the best GoPro alternatives. If price is the deciding factor, you might want to also check out our guide to the best budget action cameras or today’s top GoPro deals.

4. GOPRO HERO 10 BLACK

The GoPro Hero 10 offers almost everything the new Hero 11 boasts, for a considerably cheaper price

SPECIFICATIONS

Video: 5.3K/60FPS, 4K/120FPS, 2.7K/240pStills: 23MPScreen: 2.27" LCD rear + 1.4" front Color LCDWaterproof: 10mVoice control: YesImage stabilisation: HyperSmooth 4.0GPS: Yes

REASONS TO BUY

+ Speedy and slick thanks to new processor
+ Higher resolution and framerate than H9
+ Water-repelling lens cover
+ Horizon leveling up to 45-degree tilt

Today's best GoPro Hero11 Black deals

US$499.99

US$449.99

REASONS TO AVOID

-
Most expensive option
-
Battery can struggle to keep up

TODAY'S BEST DEALS

View at StockX
View at Amazon
View at Adorama WW

The GoPro HERO 10 Black was hands-down the best action camera when it was launched, and it bagged a T3 Award 2022 to prove it, but of course, there is a new kid on the block now in the very similar (identical) shape of the GoPro HERO 11 Black. However, the upgrades featured on the newer model are improvements rather than revolutionary changes, and the HERO 10 remains an excellent choice (especially as you can now find it for a considerably cheaper price). 

 

The HERO 10 was itself an incremental upgrade, and looked very similar to earlier HEROs, but it packs a newer processor that means this GoPro is smoother and slicker, with a quicker boot and faster transfers. As you’d expect, it’s feature-packed and ridiculously capable. Frame rates are doubled over the HERO 9 Black at higher resolutions, video tops out at a massive 5.3K, 60FPS, 4K at a blistering 120FPS, and 2.7K/240p, and stills have been boosted to up to 23MP. 

 

Vloggers will appreciate the inclusion of a front facing live preview screen, introduced with the HERO 9 Black but here smoother and more responsive. It’s equally as robust as the other HEROs, but GoPro has here added a hydrophobic, more scratch resistant lens that watersports fans in particular will benefit from. Tweaks and improvements across the board mean features like HyperSmooth and TimeWarp are even better on the H10 than in its HERO siblings, and horizon leveling is now supported up to a massive 45 degree tilt. 

 

On the downside, the battery (which is the same capacity as in the HERO 9 Black) can’t struggle to keep up with the rest of the camera. For the full story, you’ll need to head to our GoPro HERO 10 Black review. Check out exactly how it compares to the newer model in this toe-to-toe comparison with the GoPro HERO 11 Black, or explore exactly what it offers over the earlier version in our GoPro HERO 9 Black vs GoPro HERO 10 Black showdown.

The good news is that the best action camera tech has become refined to an impressive point – the GoPro and Insta360 platforms in particular are difficult to shoot poor video on at all, no matter your skill level. Image stabilisation is quite astonishingly good at times, and quality is right up there with the pros.   

We’re going to stick with the best action camera right now being the GoPro HERO 11 Black, closely followed by its immediate predecessor the GoPro HERO 10 Black – although it’s a tough battle with the Insta360 One RS. The GoPros win out by being easier to get the best out of, an understated trick that GoPro has perfected over the years. This doesn’t mean that the cameras down the list aren’t worth a look though, with some offering unbelievable value for money, and others left-field setup and use choices. 

You might be getting the picture that GoPro dominates in the action camera market, and to be honest you’d be right. Our best GoPro guide runs through the differences between all the available models. Beyond GoPro, though, we have a whole separate guide dedicated to the best GoPro alternatives. If price is the deciding factor, you might want to also check out our guide to the best budget action cameras or today’s top GoPro deals.

Finding the best action camera for your purposes in a quickly changing market can be a challenge. Luckily, we’re here to help. The action camera landscape has completely altered in the space of a few years. Not long ago, every tech brand you can think of had at least three models, but now many have thrown the towel in and vacated the space increasingly dominated by GoPro. At the time of writing, a swathe of manufacturers, including Garmin, Sony, Drift, Yi and iON, have stopped selling new action cams, leaving the action camera market in the hands of brands including GoPro, DJI, Akaso, Insta360, a handful of others, and a host of unbranded clones, some of which are quite good, some which are absolutely not. 

The good news is that the best action camera tech has become refined to an impressive point – the GoPro and Insta360 platforms in particular are difficult to shoot poor video on at all, no matter your skill level. Image stabilisation is quite astonishingly good at times, and quality is right up there with the pros.   

We’re going to stick with the best action camera right now being the GoPro HERO 11 Black, closely followed by its immediate predecessor the GoPro HERO 10 Black – although it’s a tough battle with the Insta360 One RS. The GoPros win out by being easier to get the best out of, an understated trick that GoPro has perfected over the years. This doesn’t mean that the cameras down the list aren’t worth a look though, with some offering unbelievable value for money, and others left-field setup and use choices. 

You might be getting the picture that GoPro dominates in the action camera market, and to be honest you’d be right. Our best GoPro guide runs through the differences between all the available models. Beyond GoPro, though, we have a whole separate guide dedicated to the best GoPro alternatives. If price is the deciding factor, you might want to also check out our guide to the best budget action cameras or today’s top GoPro deals.

THE BEST ACTION CAMERAS RIGHT NOW – RANKED

5. GOPRO HERO 11 BLACK

The current flagship GoPro is the best action camera you can buy

SPECIFICATIONS

Video: 5.3K60 / 4K120 Stills:27MP Waterproof: 10mVoice control: YesImage stabilisation: Hypersmooth 5.0GPS: Yes

REASONS TO BUY

+ New sensor amps up the quality everywhere + Better battery life
+ Same physical dimensions as the Hero 10

REASONS TO AVOID

- Only incremental improvements over older model

Today's best GoPro Hero11 Black deals

US$499.99

US$449.99

Finding the best action camera for your purposes in a quickly changing market can be a challenge. Luckily, we’re here to help. The action camera landscape has completely altered in the space of a few years. Not long ago, every tech brand you can think of had at least three models, but now many have thrown the towel in and vacated the space increasingly dominated by GoPro. At the time of writing, a swathe of manufacturers, including Garmin, Sony, Drift, Yi and iON, have stopped selling new action cams, leaving the action camera market in the hands of brands including GoPro, DJI, Akaso, Insta360, a handful of others, and a host of unbranded clones, some of which are quite good, some which are absolutely not. 

The good news is that the best action camera tech has become refined to an impressive point – the GoPro and Insta360 platforms in particular are difficult to shoot poor video on at all, no matter your skill level. Image stabilisation is quite astonishingly good at times, and quality is right up there with the pros.   

We’re going to stick with the best action camera right now being the GoPro HERO 11 Black, closely followed by its immediate predecessor the GoPro HERO 10 Black – although it’s a tough battle with the Insta360 One RS. The GoPros win out by being easier to get the best out of, an understated trick that GoPro has perfected over the years. This doesn’t mean that the cameras down the list aren’t worth a look though, with some offering unbelievable value for money, and others left-field setup and use choices. 

You might be getting the picture that GoPro dominates in the action camera market, and to be honest you’d be right. Our best GoPro guide runs through the differences between all the available models. Beyond GoPro, though, we have a whole separate guide dedicated to the best GoPro alternatives. If price is the deciding factor, you might want to also check out our guide to the best budget action cameras or today’s top GoPro deals.

6. GOPRO HERO 10 BLACK

The GoPro Hero 10 offers almost everything the new Hero 11 boasts, for a considerably cheaper price

SPECIFICATIONS

Video: 5.3K/60FPS, 4K/120FPS, 2.7K/240pStills: 23MPScreen: 2.27" LCD rear + 1.4" front Color LCDWaterproof: 10mVoice control: YesImage stabilisation: HyperSmooth 4.0GPS: Yes

REASONS TO BUY

+ Speedy and slick thanks to new processor
+ Higher resolution and framerate than H9
+ Water-repelling lens cover
+ Horizon leveling up to 45-degree tilt

REASONS TO AVOID

-
Most expensive option
-
Battery can struggle to keep up

Today's best GoPro Hero11 Black deals

US$499.99

US$449.99

TODAY'S BEST DEALS

View at StockX
View at Amazon
View at Adorama WW

The GoPro HERO 10 Black was hands-down the best action camera when it was launched, and it bagged a T3 Award 2022 to prove it, but of course, there is a new kid on the block now in the very similar (identical) shape of the GoPro HERO 11 Black. However, the upgrades featured on the newer model are improvements rather than revolutionary changes, and the HERO 10 remains an excellent choice (especially as you can now find it for a considerably cheaper price). 

 

The HERO 10 was itself an incremental upgrade, and looked very similar to earlier HEROs, but it packs a newer processor that means this GoPro is smoother and slicker, with a quicker boot and faster transfers. As you’d expect, it’s feature-packed and ridiculously capable. Frame rates are doubled over the HERO 9 Black at higher resolutions, video tops out at a massive 5.3K, 60FPS, 4K at a blistering 120FPS, and 2.7K/240p, and stills have been boosted to up to 23MP. 

 

Vloggers will appreciate the inclusion of a front facing live preview screen, introduced with the HERO 9 Black but here smoother and more responsive. It’s equally as robust as the other HEROs, but GoPro has here added a hydrophobic, more scratch resistant lens that watersports fans in particular will benefit from. Tweaks and improvements across the board mean features like HyperSmooth and TimeWarp are even better on the H10 than in its HERO siblings, and horizon leveling is now supported up to a massive 45 degree tilt. 

 

On the downside, the battery (which is the same capacity as in the HERO 9 Black) can’t struggle to keep up with the rest of the camera. For the full story, you’ll need to head to our GoPro HERO 10 Black review. Check out exactly how it compares to the newer model in this toe-to-toe comparison with the GoPro HERO 11 Black, or explore exactly what it offers over the earlier version in our GoPro HERO 9 Black vs GoPro HERO 10 Black showdown.

The good news is that the best action camera tech has become refined to an impressive point – the GoPro and Insta360 platforms in particular are difficult to shoot poor video on at all, no matter your skill level. Image stabilisation is quite astonishingly good at times, and quality is right up there with the pros.   

We’re going to stick with the best action camera right now being the GoPro HERO 11 Black, closely followed by its immediate predecessor the GoPro HERO 10 Black – although it’s a tough battle with the Insta360 One RS. The GoPros win out by being easier to get the best out of, an understated trick that GoPro has perfected over the years. This doesn’t mean that the cameras down the list aren’t worth a look though, with some offering unbelievable value for money, and others left-field setup and use choices. 

You might be getting the picture that GoPro dominates in the action camera market, and to be honest you’d be right. Our best GoPro guide runs through the differences between all the available models. Beyond GoPro, though, we have a whole separate guide dedicated to the best GoPro alternatives. If price is the deciding factor, you might want to also check out our guide to the best budget action cameras or today’s top GoPro deals.

Finding the best action camera for your purposes in a quickly changing market can be a challenge. Luckily, we’re here to help. The action camera landscape has completely altered in the space of a few years. Not long ago, every tech brand you can think of had at least three models, but now many have thrown the towel in and vacated the space increasingly dominated by GoPro. At the time of writing, a swathe of manufacturers, including Garmin, Sony, Drift, Yi and iON, have stopped selling new action cams, leaving the action camera market in the hands of brands including GoPro, DJI, Akaso, Insta360, a handful of others, and a host of unbranded clones, some of which are quite good, some which are absolutely not. 

The good news is that the best action camera tech has become refined to an impressive point – the GoPro and Insta360 platforms in particular are difficult to shoot poor video on at all, no matter your skill level. Image stabilisation is quite astonishingly good at times, and quality is right up there with the pros.   

We’re going to stick with the best action camera right now being the GoPro HERO 11 Black, closely followed by its immediate predecessor the GoPro HERO 10 Black – although it’s a tough battle with the Insta360 One RS. The GoPros win out by being easier to get the best out of, an understated trick that GoPro has perfected over the years. This doesn’t mean that the cameras down the list aren’t worth a look though, with some offering unbelievable value for money, and others left-field setup and use choices. 

You might be getting the picture that GoPro dominates in the action camera market, and to be honest you’d be right. Our best GoPro guide runs through the differences between all the available models. Beyond GoPro, though, we have a whole separate guide dedicated to the best GoPro alternatives. If price is the deciding factor, you might want to also check out our guide to the best budget action cameras or today’s top GoPro deals.

Round up of today's best deals

US$499.99

US$449.99

US$499.99

US$449.99

US$499.99

US$449.99

US$499.99

US$449.99

Round up of today's best deals

US$499.99

US$449.99

US$499.99

US$449.99

US$499.99

US$449.99

US$499.99

US$449.99