One need only look at GoPro's stock price, once at almost $94 in 2014 and now trading at less than a dollar, to recognize that maybe action cameras — and other niche, specialized cameras — aren't the best ideas. Still, that hasn't stopped me from buying a good many of them over the years, and after watching this video, I have some feelings.
Afternoon Coffee House takes a real hard look at the action cameras/360 cameras they've purchased over the years and ponders the question: Are they worth it?
I've used a good many of the cameras on her list, and while I've found a number of uses for something like an Insta360 GO series camera, from body camera, to action camera, to kid camera, when I look back upon the things I've produced with these cameras, all of them, I just wish I had brought a dedicated DSLR or mirrorless camera with me.
It's not necessarily for the gimmicky, one-trick pony nature of these cameras that Afternoon Coffee House discusses, though that's a part of it, but more so that when I look at the ultimate image quality of these cameras, they always, always fall short. It's not noticeable when you use any of these cameras on their own, but if you try to cut them into your workflow with APS-C or full frame cameras, the difference is definitely noticeable. At least it's something I see whenever I've used one as a B-Cam for my son's art videos.
Then there's the 360 cameras. So much promise. You can make little planets! You can reframe to make two-dimensional video! You can watch things in VR! But if you've ever heard the line "jack of all trades, master of none" then you can see the same issues with such cameras, even the best ones on the market.
And then there are the just plain weird ones. I'm still not entirely sure what to do with the Kandao QooCam Ego. It made some cool stereoscopic images, but with no way for anyone to look at them on any standard monitor.
So many times, in the moment I've loved using the cameras, but when I ultimately look back at the footage, I ponder how close to, or how much better, my phone would be compared to these cameras — or what things would look like with a "proper" camera.
All that said, there are some redeeming features in all of these cases, and your use case might make one of these types of cameras perfect for you. Check out the video above for the pros and cons of these types of cameras, and how to keep the costs down if you end up accessorizing.
