Capture the Thrills & Spills with Action Shot Camera {Review}

So here’s something you might not know – my sister is a triathlete.  And not just one of those triathletes that competes once or twice a year, she’s a corporate sponsored athlete who competes pretty much non-stop during the summer, spring and fall.  While I’m snug in my warm bed at 5 am, she’s swimming in an ice-cold pool or at the gym training.  But it all pays off, because she places in so many of her competitions.  She even competed in her first half Iron Man this year and plans to do it again next year, hoping to eventually complete the Iron Man in Hawaii sometime down the road.  She’s pretty big time, although she’d never admit it if you asked her.

She has some great pictures of her competing in triathlons and training, but due to the intensity of a triathlon, she always has to rely on other people to take pictures for her.  I mean, she can’t exactly carry a camera with her while she swims, bikes, and runs – can she?  Well as it turns out, she absolutely can with the Action Shot Camera.Although my initial thought when I got this camera was to strap it to my toddlers and see what trouble they would get into, I resisted, because this camera is actually made for sports enthusiasts.  With both still picture and video capabilities, this camera is designed for those who enjoy skating, surfing, skiing, skateboarding, snowboarding, BMX, motocross, or in my sister’s case, triathlons.  All you have to do is charge your camera using the enclosed “dongle” for approximately 2 hours, then attach it to your bike helmet or handle bars, and you’re on your way!  To take a video, press the Power/Mode and then the Record/Stop button.  A red light on the front of the camera will light up when the camera is turned on, and blink when it’s recording.  Once your done recording, press the Record/Stop button again or turn the camera off.  It’s just that easy.  Videos can be shot in standard or QVGA resolution, while photos are snapped in 640×380 resolution.  Deciding which you want to shoot will probably be the hardest part.

So my sister and I went outside and decided to hook the camera up to one of her bikes.  I was a little nervous about using this camera because I was scared it would fall, so I put it in the Click & Grip Protective Mounting case just to be safe.  We were easily able to turn the camera on and off and switch between photo and video modes.  Just make sure that the words “Action Shot” with the light are on the top of the mounting, because if not, your pictures and video will be sideways or upside down (we learned this the hard way!).

After about 20 minutes, it was time to come in and download the photos and videos we had taken.  I was absolutely floored by the quality of these videos.  I never expected such crisp colors and detail on a camera that small.  And it even had a microphone!  We only used the internal memory feature, which can hold a couple of minutes of video, but there’s also an option to use a mini SD card to hold so much more.  And it was so easy to use – perfect for when she’s on the go.  Here’s the video we captured:

Nothing fancy, but you get the point. The sky is bright blue, you can see details in the neighboring homes, and it even picked up the sound of my feet walking beside the bike as my sister rode it (very slowly – the bike will be going a lot faster when it’s being ridden in a race!).

This camera will be headed home to Texas with my sister tomorrow, hopefully to be used during the upcoming tri season.  I can’t wait to see the action she’s able to capture with it!

To learn more about Action Shot Camera, make sure to check them out on Facebook or follow them on Twitter!

This review was made possible by Mom Spark Media. Thoughts are my own. I received an Action Shot Camera for the purpose of this review.