 Action cameras aren't just for crazy stunts. They make anything you do look cool. You've probably seen people waving a selfie stick around while riding a bike, or strapping a camera to their chest at a sporting event. Or maybe they're just getting the dog's view of things. Sure, a lot can be done with your camera's phone these days thanks to burst shooting modes and slow motion options, but having a camera that's more durable and more powerful can make all the difference in those amazing moments you don't want to miss. A good action camera should be able to capture high quality footage, have a great ecosystem of accessories and mounts, and should also be able to offer tons of functionality that's easy to tweak. It should also be able to take a hit, or two, or three, while being small and light enough to fit wherever you want to capture the action from. The best action camera you can buy right now is also the most obvious, the GoPro HERO4 Black Edition. The price tag is steep, but there's no end to what you can do with this camera. It's small, light and durable, and every setting can be tweaked to fit the needs of whatever you're filming. And in any mode, it takes stunning video. Whether you're shooting at 720p or 4K, the GoPro's dynamic range keeps the sky from looking blown out while not under exposing the subject you're focused on. It handles low light situations really well too. The GoPro's biggest advantage is with the accessories. GoPro makes every mount, strap and suction cup you could want, and if they somehow don't have what you're looking for, there's a number of third-party accessory makers who have been supporting GoPros for years. You can shoot with a GoPro in more places than any other camera, and ultimately that's what matters most. GoPro still isn't the perfect action camera. It needs a better menu system and longer battery life. But ultimately it's about the shots you get and the footage you capture, and GoPro can't be beaten there. But the Black Edition is expensive, so if you don't want to spend so much, there are a few great options for a little bit less. The first of which is the GoPro HERO4 Silver Edition. You trade the ability to shoot in the highest resolutions and frame rates that the Black Edition allows, but you gain a touch screen that actually makes navigating GoPro's clumsy menu system easier. It works just as nicely with everything in the GoPro ecosystem too, from the mounts to the phone app. Sony actually has the most worthy competitors to GoPro on the market right now, the best of which is the Action Cam Mini. It shoots great footage and is inexpensive, but it doesn't have the same ecosystem of accessories and mounts that GoPro has. Sony also has the Action Cam AS100B, but it's bigger, more expensive, and only offers better battery life. Same goes for the ION Air Pro 3, which is only a little bit cheaper than the HERO4 Silver. JVC's Addiction has an onboard screen for framing up shots and navigating menus, but the companion app is pretty bad, and the camera really just can't do that much. If you need great battery life, Garmin's Verbal EAT is a solid choice. It also collects neat data like GPS and heart rate, but the footage just doesn't look great, which is kind of a deal breaker. Action cameras aren't just for thrill seekers anymore. People use them for selfies, strap them on their dogs, and even musicians have fun with them. The good thing is, this means that there are a lot of options out there right now, but GoPro is still the king.
 Action cameras aren't just for crazy stunts. They make anything you do look cool.
 You've probably seen people waving a selfie stick around while riding a bike, or strapping a camera to their chest at a sporting event.
 Or maybe they're just getting the dog's view of things.
 Sure, a lot can be done with your camera's phone these days thanks to burst shooting modes and slow motion options,
 but having a camera that's more durable and more powerful can make all the difference in those amazing moments you don't want to miss.
 A good action camera should be able to capture high quality footage, have a great ecosystem of accessories and mounts,
 and should also be able to offer tons of functionality that's easy to tweak.
 It should also be able to take a hit, or two, or three, while being small and light enough to fit wherever you want to capture the action from.
 The best action camera you can buy right now is also the most obvious, the GoPro HERO4 Black Edition.
 The price tag is steep, but there's no end to what you can do with this camera.
 It's small, light and durable, and every setting can be tweaked to fit the needs of whatever you're filming.
 And in any mode, it takes stunning video.
 Whether you're shooting at 720p or 4K, the GoPro's dynamic range keeps the sky from looking blown out while not under exposing the subject you're focused on.
 It handles low light situations really well too.
 The GoPro's biggest advantage is with the accessories.
 GoPro makes every mount, strap and suction cup you could want, and if they somehow don't have what you're looking for,
 there's a number of third-party accessory makers who have been supporting GoPros for years.
 You can shoot with a GoPro in more places than any other camera, and ultimately that's what matters most.
 GoPro still isn't the perfect action camera. It needs a better menu system and longer battery life.
 But ultimately it's about the shots you get and the footage you capture, and GoPro can't be beaten there.
 But the Black Edition is expensive, so if you don't want to spend so much, there are a few great options for a little bit less.
 The first of which is the GoPro HERO4 Silver Edition.
 You trade the ability to shoot in the highest resolutions and frame rates that the Black Edition allows,
 but you gain a touch screen that actually makes navigating GoPro's clumsy menu system easier.
 It works just as nicely with everything in the GoPro ecosystem too, from the mounts to the phone app.
 Sony actually has the most worthy competitors to GoPro on the market right now, the best of which is the Action Cam Mini.
 It shoots great footage and is inexpensive, but it doesn't have the same ecosystem of accessories and mounts that GoPro has.
 Sony also has the Action Cam AS100B, but it's bigger, more expensive, and only offers better battery life.
 Same goes for the ION Air Pro 3, which is only a little bit cheaper than the HERO4 Silver.
 JVC's Addiction has an onboard screen for framing up shots and navigating menus,
 but the companion app is pretty bad, and the camera really just can't do that much.
 If you need great battery life, Garmin's Verbal EAT is a solid choice.
 It also collects neat data like GPS and heart rate, but the footage just doesn't look great, which is kind of a deal breaker.
 Action cameras aren't just for thrill seekers anymore.
 People use them for selfies, strap them on their dogs, and even musicians have fun with them.
 The good thing is, this means that there are a lot of options out there right now, but GoPro is still the king.