Choosing the right action camera used to be simple: Go with GoPro. That’s still good advice, in that the GoPro ranks high on our list and is our top pick for most adventure-seeking photographers, but we’ve finally found a few worthy competitors.
To figure out which cameras are the best, we dove with them, climbed with them, surfed with them, and handed them to reckless 11-year-olds on bikes. We found a number of great options that will record, and survive, your adventures on the ski slope, beach, or skate park.
If an action cam isn’t your speed, be sure to check out our other guides, including the Best Compact Cameras, Best Mirrorless Cameras, and Best Instant Cameras.
Updated February 2024: We’ve added the Insta360 Ace and Ace Pro, along with a few new accessories to help you do more with your action cam.
Special offer for Gear readers: Get WIRED for just $5 ($25 off). This includes unlimited access to WIRED.com, full Gear coverage, and subscriber-only newsletters. Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day.
If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more. Please also consider subscribing to WIRED
-
Photograph: Scott Gilbertson
Best Overall
GoPro Hero 12
The Hero 12 Black (8/10, WIRED Recommends) picks up where the Hero 11 left off and adds better battery life, smarter stabilization, support for Log video, wireless mic support, and a tripod mount. It’s everything we love about the Hero 11, with some added bonuses. There is one downside though: GoPro dropped GPS support from the Hero 12.
The Hero series has always stood above its competitors when it comes to image stabilization, arguably the most important feature in an action camera. The Hero 12 Black brings HyperSmooth 6 (GoPro’s name for its image stabilization software), which offers better stabilization with even less cropping. Couple this with the much-improved battery life (and less overheating) and the GoPro Hero 12 is our top pick for most people.
-
Photograph: DJI
The Best Not-a-GoPro
DJI Action 4
DJI’s Action 4 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is a fantastic action camera. The magnetic mounting system is the best we’ve tried, the menu system makes switching between modes a snap, and the resulting photos and video are great. There are two places I think the GoPro Hero 12 edges ahead. The big one is 5.3K video. The other is stabilization, particularly horizon lock, which I’ve found less reliable on the Action 4. That said, this is an awesome camera and it integrates well into the DJI ecosystem. If you have a DJI drone, or DJI mics (8/10, WIRED Recommends), and plan to mix together footage, I would pick this over the Hero 12 because of how seemlessly DJI’s various tools works together.
