Jump to content

New Sony Action Camera Goes Mini

By adminon - Read 13258 times

Sony has unveiled its latest action camera which focuses on reducing size. The Sony Action Cam Mini (HDR-AZ1VR) was announced earlier this month at the IFA 2014 electronics show in Germany. While Sony's action cameras have always been small, the electronic giant decided that they could reduce the size even further by removing the GPS functionality from within the camera and instead moving it to an accompanying wrist-mounted device.

The Sony AS30 and Sony AS100 weighed 90 and 67 grams respectively. The new Action Cam Mini weighs in at 4 grams lighter than the AS100, at just 63 grams with the battery included. The size of the camera itself is quite a bit smaller than both the AS30 and AS100 with a Width/Height/Diameter measurement of approximately 24.2 x 36.0 x 74.0 mm, while the AS100 had a height of 46.5mm.

The smaller size is going to be good news for skydivers who are looking to minimize the risk of snag for cameras that are helmet mounted.

As to be expected the Action Cam Mini will shoot in full HD with options to either shoot at 1080p at 60 or 30fps, or to shoot at 720p with the option for 120 fps slow motion recording. The camera will include an F2.8 Zeiss lens with a 170 degree field of view and an Exmor R cmos sensor. Still photographs can be shot at an impressive 11.9 megapixels. It will also include Sony's trademarked SteadyShot image stabilization and be splash proof, with a waterproof housing included that allows for 5m of depth protection.

The wrist mounted device that comes with the Sony Action Cam Mini allows for data transfer between the camera and the internet, allowing users to live stream camera footage. Something else the wrist mount does that may prove invaluable to those who have the camera mounted, is that it both acts as a remote and offers live view. This will allow users to see exactly what is being recorded and adjust body position if needed, to achieve specific angles. It can control up to five cameras at once and will be water resistant.

While we have yet to see any footage from this incredibly small camera, if Sony's other action cameras are anything to go by, we can expect a lot from the Sony Action Cam mini. During our action camera shootout we were extremely pleased by the results of the Sony AS100, which took the top spot.

Release date for the Sony HDR-AZ1VR is late October.

Specifications
























Image sensor1/2.3-type back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS sensor with 11.9 megapixels (effective, approx.)
Image processorBIONZ X
Video formats
XAVC S: 



1920x1080 60p/50p(50Mbps)



1920x1080 30p/25p(50Mbps)



1920x1080 24p(50Mbps)



MP4:


PS:  1920x1080 60p/50p (28Mbps),



HQ:  1920x1080 30p/25p (16Mbps),



STD: 1280x720 30p/25p (6Mbps)



SSLOW: 1280x720 120p/100p (6Mbps)



VGA:  640x480 30p/25p (3Mbps)



HS120(HS100): 1280x720 120p/100p (28Mbps)







Lens typeZEISS Tessar® F2.8
Angle of view
SteadyShot OFF: approx. 170°



SteadyShot ON: approx. 120°


Image stabilisationSteadyShot
AudioStereo microphone
DataMulti/Micro USB Terminal (Supports Micro USB compatible devices)



Wi-Fi/NFC



GPS




DimensionsWxHxD 24.2 x 36.0 x 74.0 mm (approx.)
Media card compatibilityMP4: Micro SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Card (Class 4 or higher), Memory Stick Micro™ (Mark 2)



XAVC S: Micro SDXC Memory Card (Class 10)

0
0

SIGN UP OR LOGIN

Create a free account or login to comment on this article.

Sign Up Login

Buy from these trusted stores

User Feedback


parachutist
Where is the media card slot in this new model? Sony's AS models required breaking the camera body open to replace the card. Has Sony matched GoPro's easy-access to the recording media? Or is Sony still lagging behind in this department?

Share this comment


Link to comment
Share on other sites
roostnureye
I own the as100 and never remove the sd card, it has nfc to get videos from the camera. It's actually go pro playing catch up.

Share this comment


Link to comment
Share on other sites
kawisixer01
I respectively disagree. On a busy day I want to hit the ground and swap cards quickly, especially if using the camera for work. DSE has remarked of using the AS100 for tandem work. NFC does absolutely nothing for a busy tandem video operation.

Share this comment


Link to comment
Share on other sites


Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Add a comment...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


×