Gearing up to shred the slopes or dive into the seas? These photography tools are made for danger.
Choosing the best action camera used to be simple: Go with GoPro . That's still good advice, as the GoPro ranks high on our list, but there are also some worthy competitors that trump the GoPro in some areas. To figure out what exactly makes the best action camera, we dove with them, climbed with them, surfed with them, and handed them to reckless 13-year-olds on bikes. We found several great options that will record, and survive, your adventures on the ski slope, at the beach, or at the skate park.
If an action cam isn't your speed, check out our other guides, including the Best 360 Cameras , Best Compact Cameras , Best Mirrorless Cameras , and Best Instant Cameras .
Updated January 2026: We've changed our top pick to the new DJI Osmo Action 6, which replaces the Action 5 Pro. We've also updated prices and links throughout.
Best Overall Action Camera Photograph: Scott Gilbertson Photograph: Scott Gilbertson Photograph: Scott Gilbertson Photograph: Scott Gilbertson DJI Osmo Action 6 $426 Amazon $436 B&H Photo DJI's Osmo Action 6 is the best action camera right now. It trumps our previous top pick, the DJI Action 5 Pro , in several ways, adding a variable aperture for better low light performance and a new, larger sensor for higher-quality video. The Action 6 also gains 2X zoom and 8K video, though as with the Insta360 Ace Pro 2 , the 8K video is more of a specs-based bragging right than a significant improvement over the 4K. It does mean you can crop in though, whether using the 2X zoom in-camera, or on your own when you're editing.
Another great upgrade in the Action 6 over the Action 5 is some fairly dramatic improvements in color rendering and contrast in the default color modes. This is less apparent if you shoot Log-D, but if you don't want to spend time color-grading your footage, now you don't really need to. The default colors are pretty great for an action camera. Low-light performance is better, as you would expect with a wider-aperture lens. The video is cleaner and sharper than either the Action 5 Pro or the Ace Pro 2. That's true whether you use SuperNight mode or not. I should note, though, that you don't get full manual control here, but the automatic modes were pretty smart most of the time in my testing.
DJI has also followed GoPro's lead here, adding a macro lens ($169) to its lineup, which also includes an ultrawide lens, now know as the FOV Boost lens with 182-degree field of view.
WIRED/TIRED WIRED New larger sensor for higher-quality video 2x zoom and 8K video capable Good low light performance Better default color rendering TIRED Can't activate Zoom while filming The Best GoPro Photograph: Scott Gilbertson Photograph: Scott Gilbertson Photograph: Scott Gilbertson Photograph: Scott Gilbertson GoPro Hero 13 Black $430 $349 (19% off) Amazon $430 $380 (12% off) GoPro $429 $379 (12% off) Adorama We have a separate guide to choosing the right GoPro , but for most people, the Hero 13 Black is the best option. Its new interchangeable lens system makes the Hero 13 Black considerably more versatile than anything else in this guide. In addition to the standard lens, there is the Ultra Wide Lens Mod ($100) with a 177-degree field of view, a Macro Lens Mod ($149) for close-ups, and an Anamorphic Lens Mod ($150) with a 21:9 aspect ratio and those sweet, sweet movie-style lens flares. All of the extra lenses are automatically detected by the Hero 13 the minute you attach them, and settings are automatically adjusted accordingly. This is quite frankly the best feature of the camera, especially for the ND filters, which are normally quite a pain to set up with the proper shutter speed. Read our full GoPro Hero 13 review for more details on how the lens system works. And remember if you don't need them, you don't need them! After a year of playing with these I still use the standard lens the most, followed by the ultra wide lens, and occasionally the macro lens.
The Hero 13 Black also introduces a new magnetic mounting system, finally catching up to competitors, and it's great, but it seems like everyone forgot the GoPro has always had a quick mount system that is also great and remains what I use most. The 5.3K 10 bit video out of the GoPro Hero 13 is very nearly the best of the cameras on this page. The main reason we've put the DJI as our top pick comes down to battery life. Still, this is the camera I personally use the most, and the news lens mods open up some shoot possibilities unique to this camera.
If you're into having something a little different, GoPro recently released a limited-edition white GoPro Hero 13 Black (yes, that is confusing), along with a Green model .
WIRED/TIRED WIRED Interchangeable lens system opens up new shooting possibilities New magnetic mounting system Excellent Log video support USB-C pass-through charging Much improved HDR mode with HLG TIRED Same sensor as previous two generations Low-light/indoor performance is poor compared to competition Best for Vlogging Photograph: Scott Gilbertson Photograph: Scott Gilbertson Photograph: Scott Gilbertson Insta360 Ace Pro 2 $390 $330 (15% off) Amazon $420 $389 (7% off) Insta360 If you're going to be filming yourself at all, the Insta360 Ace Pro 2 is the camera to get. It has a great lens and sensor co-engineered with Leica, capable of recording 8K video at up to 30 fps. The 8K is not great for action—it has quite a bit of digital artifacts in fast-moving scenes—but it's nice for cropping in on slower shots while retaining 4K video quality. The must-have feature for vlogging is the flip-up rear screen. While other action cameras offer a small front screen to compose selfies, the entire back of the Ace Pro is a screen that flips up, and it's easier to frame yourself. It also makes it easy to shoot from the hip and other unusual angles.
The video quality is impressive, especially the low-light performance, which is much better than the GoPro's. The Ace Pro 2 has great battery life and a magnetic mounting system that's different from DJI's, but also excellent. The big downside to the Ace Pro 2 is that it doesn't support 10-bit color, which means you have fewer options to colorize footage in post-production.
In November 2025, Insta360 announced a series of new bundles for the Insta360 Ace Pro 2, including a set of extra lenses like the GoPro Hero 13, a grip that makes holding the Ace Pro 2 more like holding a traditional camera, and, most creatively, an instant printer that attaches to the bottom of the grip and effectively makes your Ace Pro 2 into a Polaroid-style instant camera . Their a fun way to extend the usefulness of the Ace Pro 2. It still might not replace a “real” camera, but grip makes it much more comfortable to spend a whole day shooting with the Ace Pro 2.
WIRED/TIRED WIRED Large 1/1.3-inch sensor capable of 8K video at 30 fps Flip-up screen Excellent audio from built-in mic Support for log video and USB mic connections TIRED Only 8-bit color 8K video isn't great in motion scenes Default color settings are oversaturated Best Budget Action Camera Photograph: Scott Gilbertson DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro $319 Amazon $319 B&H Photo DJI is still selling the Osmo Action 5 Pro and we've seen price drop as low as $289 for a basic kit. The Action 5 Pro can record 4:3 ratio video at up to 4K at 120 frames per second. It also has SuperNight mode, which shoots up to 4K/30-fps footage at 16:9 and uses noise reduction to get usable footage, even in low light situations. Battery life is solid as well, shooting about 2 hours of 4K video in my tests.
Sure, the GoPro Hero 13 offers 5.3K video resolution, higher than the Action 5, but it's rarely this cheap. While the Action 6 above is clearly better, if you're short on cash, this is the camera to get.
WIRED/TIRED WIRED Industry-leading battery life.
Built-in memory (plus SD card) Smaller, lighter than a GoPro Subject tracking Works seamlessly with DJI Mic 2 TIRED Default color rendering isn’t the best The Best Tiny Action Camera Photograph: Scott Gilbertson Photograph: Scott Gilbertson Photograph: Scott Gilbertson DJI Osmo Nano $389 Amazon $300 Adorama You could argue that DJI is copying the Insta360 here, which pioneered the detachable action camera with the Go series, most recently the Go Ultra ($500) . But the first thing I thought of when I started testing the DJI Osmo Nano is the DJI Action 2 , a weird blip in the action camera world that came out and vanished in barely a year. I was always fond of the Action 2 and its strange, detachable, magnetic configuration. The Osmo Nano feels like DJI took the lessons from the Action 2, borrowed some ideas from Insta360, and out came the Osmo Nano.
The Nano consists of the Vision Dock, as DJI calls the screen and base, and the camera portion. They can attach with the screen facing either direction, using the same magnetic mount that DJI uses in other cameras. Crucially, this means the camera pod can be mounted to any DJI magnetic mount, something very convenient if you're already heavily invested in the DJI ecosystem. The dock works from a distance of up to 33 feet and offers a bright, 1.96-inch touchscreen. There are two models available, one with 64 GB of built-in memory and one with 128 GB. Both have an SD card slot if you need more storage space. The 128-GB model offers a higher download rate when transfering footage, but it's $30 more.
Nano uses a 1/1.3-inch sensor (the same one that was in the DJI Action 5), and you get some things here that you do not with the Insta360 Go cameras, including support for 10-bit color, 4K/60 fps video, and full sensor 4:3 4K video at up to 50 fps. Video out of the Nano looks good. DJI appears to have changed its color science somewhat. Video from the Osmo Nano looked more natural and less aggressively sharpened than the company'e previous cameras. If you shoot in 10-bit D-LogM, and do your coloring in post, you'll have about 13 stops of dynamic range to work worth. That’s really nice when you're filming difficult scenes like riding a trail through the trees in midday sunlight.
What I didn't love about the Nano is the design. If you want to film yourself, the Insta360’s flip-up screen is easier to use and works better. The camera pod is also considerably larger than the Go 3S pod. That said, the video quality here is better in almost every case I tested, and it's $150 cheaper. The added bonus of integrating well with the rest of DJI's products makes the Osmo Nano a great option.
WIRED/TIRED WIRED Same high quality sensor as the DJI Action 5 Support for 10-bit color and Log recording Camera pod works with any DJI magnetic mount Improved, more natural looking colors TIRED Not the best for filming yourself Camera gets very hot recording 4K video Most Fun Photograph: Scott Gilbertson Photograph: Scott Gilbertson Photograph: Scott Gilbertson Photograph: Scott Gilbertson Insta360 Go Ultra Action Camera $450 $380 (16% off) Amazon $450 Adorama $450 B&H Photo Like the DJI above, Insta360's Go Ultra is a hybrid camera that transforms from a traditional action-camera design to a more portable go-anywhere wearable camera . In action camera mode, it's much like everything else in this guide—the flip-up rear screen is very similar to the company's Ace Pro. The real genius of the Go Ultra, though, is when you remove the camera from the base and shoot with just the tiny little pod. The extremely strong magnetic mounting system on the camera pod means it'll stick to just about anything metal, enabling you to get shots and angles that no other camera in this guide can match.
Most important though, this camera is just plain fun. I keep mine in my camera bag all the time and find myself using it more and more. The simplicity and ease of shooting with the Go Ultra are hard to match—just stick it somewhere and do your thing. There are two downsides: The pod isn't waterproof without a different lens cover, and the battery isn't removable, which means you need to lug around a portable battery charger to recharge on the go.
WIRED/TIRED WIRED Pod-and-base design offer flexibility not found in other cameras Removable microSD card Large 1/1.28″ sensor offers good 4K video quality Much improved battery life TIRED Not fully waterproof without add-ons No removable battery Larger and heavier than earlier models Best Only if It’s on Sale Photograph: Scott Gilbertson GoPro Hero 12 $369 Amazon $300 B&H Photo The Hero 12 Black (8/10, WIRED Recommends) remains a fantastic camera, with good, smart stabilization, support for log video, wireless mic support, and a tripod mount. One downside is there's no GPS support (that's good for battery life, but if you like GPS, this is not the camera to get). The price has dropped as low as $287, so try not to spend much more than that.
WIRED/TIRED WIRED Improved battery life and heat tolerance over previous models Smarter stabilization Support for Log video Gains standard tripod mount TIRED Battery life is so-so Menu system is awkward compared to competition Best 360 Camera for the Action Enthusiast Photograph: Scott Gilbertson Photograph: Scott Gilbertson GoPro Max 2 360 Camera $499 Amazon $500 GoPro We have a whole guide to 360 cameras , but the line between action camera and 360 camera continues to blur. While I am generally a fan of things that do one thing well, GoPro's Max 2 360 camera manages to produce great 360 footage and action camera footage.
The Max 2 delivers what GoPro calls “true 8K” 360-degree footage in a tiny, consumer-friendly package. The true bit refers to the fact that the Max 2 uses a larger sensor than competitors and is not counting the unused black portions of the sensor when touting megapixels. When you're not feeling like 360 footage, switch to single-lens mode and use it like a GoPro Hero. It has pretty much the exact same specs and the plain Hero (not as nice as the Hero 13 Black, but pretty darn good). The twin 1/2.3-inch sensors are high enough resolution that you can reframe your footage to fit rectangular video formats and still have 4K clips, which are sharp enough to mix with other video and without noticing the difference. The Max 2 does struggle in low light, so see the full guide if that's on your list of must-have features.
WIRED/TIRED WIRED Sharper, clearer footage Natural-looking color rendition Great accessories TIRED Audio is not so great Best Flying Action Camera Photograph: Sam Kieldsen HoverAir X1 ProMax $699 Amazon $700 B&H $599 Hoverair $699 Adorama If I had to pick a video trend of the year, it'd be solo adventures shot from a third-person point of view—as if you have a film crew following you. If you want to imitate a film crew, without, well, having a film crew, a drone is going to be an essential piece of kit. Of all the drones I've tested , the Hover Air X Pro is the best at being a flying action camera. It's spendy, and not without its quirks, but no drone is better at following you through all kinds of terrain, and no other drone is this easy to use.
All you do is unfold it, hit the power button, select the video mode, and then place the drone on your outstretched palm facing you. Tap the power button again, and it’ll head out to capture your shot. When you're done ,it'll land in your hand again. It can follow you at up to 26 mph, shoots up to 8K 30-fps video, and offers 50 GB of built-in storage (expandable by 1 TB via microSD card). The one thing I don't like is the battery life, which is only about 15 minutes in my testing. The flip side to the poor battery life is that the battery is small, meaning you have to carry two or three when you go out.
WIRED/TIRED WIRED Excellent follow system and obstacle avoidance Simple operation and range of automated flight modes Good image quality Smaller and lighter than a DJI Flip TIRED Short battery life Controller costs extra Best for Underwater Action Courtesy of Olympus Olympus Tough TG-7 $650 $550 (15% off) Amazon $550 B&H The Om Systems TG-7 isn't a strap-it-to-your-head-and-shred camera, but if you're shooting underwater—a common use case for these cameras—this is your best bet. The sensor in the TG-7 is the largest of the bunch (it's a 1/2.33'' CMOS sensor), and this is a seriously tough camera: freeze-proof, crush-proof, dustproof, and shockproof (you can drop it from 7 feet). It also has "real" camera features you won't find elsewhere, like focus stacking for close-ups, an extensive set of add-ons, extra lenses, and even an underwater case that extends its depth rating. The catch is that you probably don't want to strap it to your head, but for a certain use case this will give you better looking photos and video in many situations.
Alternative : Ricoh's Pentax WG-8 ($477) looks very similar to the TG-7 but costs a bit less and uses a 20 MP sensor to the TG-7's 12 MP. Images are sharp, and the LED lights around the lens work remarkably well for macro images. The major limitation is that it only shoots JPG, not RAW photos. But if you don't care about editing your RAW files and just want images straight out of the camera, the WG-8 is a cheaper alternative to the TG-7.
WIRED/TIRED WIRED Micro 4/3 sensor captures excellent high res images Video capabilities are dated but still good enough for most (4L/30fps) Large lens with optical zoom (25-100mm) TIRED Future of Olympus camera line is unclear Compare Our Top Pick Action Cameras Max Video Specs Battery Life Max Bit Rate FOV Screen Weight (including battery) DJI Osmo Action 6 8K (16:9): 7680×4320@24/25/30fps (FOV options to Standard, Natural Wide, and Wide), 4K Custom: 3840×3840@24/25/30/48/50/60fps, 4K (4:3): 3840×2880@100/120fps 122 minutes 4k/60 fps 120 155 degrees, expandable to 182 with the BoosBoost t Boost FOV lens . Aperture: f/2.0-f/4.0 Focus Range (at aperture f/4.0): 0.2 m to ∞ Rear: 2.5-inch rear OLED touchscreen Front: 1.46-inch OLED touchscreen 149g GoPro Hero 13 Black 5.3K/60 fps (with 10-bit log), 4K/120 fps, 2.7K/240 fps, & 720p/400 fps with Burst Slo-Mo 75 minutes 5K/ 60fps, 91 minutes 5K/ 30fps, 4k/ 60fps 88 minutes 120 (200 with GoPro Labs firmware) 156 degrees, expandable to 177 with Ultra Wide Lens Mod Rear: 2.27-inch Touch Front: 1.4-inch Color Display 159g Insta360 Ace Pro 2 8K/30 fps, 4K/120 fps (with 8-bit color, no log) 105 minutes at 4k/30 fps 180 (but only 8-bit color) 157 degrees Rear: 2.5-inch flip touch LCD 177g DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro 4K/120fps (with 10-bit D-Log), 1080p/240 fps with Slo-Mo mode 118 minutes 4k/60 fps 100 155 degrees, expandable to 182 with Wide Angle lens Rear: 2.5-inch rear OLED touchscreen Front: 1.46-inch OLED touchscreen 145g DJI Osmo Nano 4K/60 fps 53 minutes at 4K/ 60 fps 120 (10-bit color) 143 degrees 1.96-inch touchscreen LCD 124g Insta360 Go Ultra 8K/60 fps 65 minutes 4K/ 30fps (pod only)/195 minutes 4K/ 30fps (using base station) 180 (but only 8-bit color) 156 degrees Rear:2.5-inch flip touch LCD 53g (pod)/160g (with base) GoPro Hero 12 Black 5.3K/60 fps (with 10-bit log), 4K/120 fps 49 minutes 4K/ 30fps 120 156 degrees, expandable to 177 with Max Lens Mod Rear: 2.27-inch Touchscreen Front: 1.4-inch color 154g Olympus TG-7 4K/30fps 330 shots/~50 4K/ 30fps 100 4x optical zoom (35mm equivalent: 25mm to 100mm) 3-inch 1080p LCD 249g The B-Roll All those cheap cameras on Amazon : Readers often ask, why spend $400 on a GoPro when they can get a camera with 4K video for $100? It's a fair question, and the answer comes down to software, primarily image stabilization. Action cameras are designed to be strapped to helmets or clipped to your chest while you skydive, rock climb, and race through the city on a scooter . Without stabilization, the results are something even your closest friends won't sit through. So yes, you'll get 4K footage with the cheaper cams, but it'll be footage no one wants to see. In our view, you're better off spending another $100 for an older GoPro (Hero 11 or 12) on sale.
Best Accessories to Trick Out Your Camera Photograph: Scott Gilbertson Once you have an action camera, you're good to go for most use cases. GoPro, Insta360, and DJI all provide helmet mounts and other ways to stick your camera where you want it. But there are some nice extras that can make getting that shot you're dreaming of even easier. Here are a few: A good microSD card : You may get an SD card with your camera. Insta360's SD cards are pretty good actually, but I tend to use SanDisk's Extreme cards because they're fast and, as a bonus, waterproof. You can pick up a 512-GB card for around $70 . I also like Samsung's Pro Plus microSD cards, which are a little faster in my tests. You can grab a 256-GB for around $96 . DJI has some specific recommendations for microSD cards to use with the Action 6. Of their list the one I recommend is the Lexar Professional Silver Plus ($24) .
GoPro Media Mod for $79 : GoPro's sound is OK out of the box, but if you want higher-quality audio, this is where you start. Not because the Media Mod produces great sound—it's better than the camera, but still not great. What it offers is a microphone jack. Plug in a high-quality microphone and you'll finally have awesome sound. (Not recommended while skydiving.) Handlebar/seatpost/pole mount for $40 : This is my favorite mount for mountain biking, but it'll also work on ski poles and any other round object you want to clamp it to.
Motorcycle accessory bundle for $50 : If you ride, this mount for Insta360 cameras (Ace Pro, X5, etc.) is a must-have. It's one of the most secure clamps I've ever used, almost as good as a bench vice.
Yallsame tripod mount for $10 : Action cameras offer many ways to mount them, but one that's curiously missing is the traditional quarter-inch tripod screw mount. The GoPro Hero 13 has one, but this three-pack of adapters solves the problem for the others.
Polarizer and ND filters : If you shoot around water, through glass, or in any other high-glare situation, a polarizing filter will help cut that glare. Neutral density (ND) filters hold back light to let you shoot at a wider aperture in bright light, helping to increase the amount of motion blur. Both are great additions to your action camera kit. If you have the Hero 13 Black you can get the new GoPro ND filter Four-Pack ($90) , which automatically adjusts the camera settings when attached. This is huge since getting the shutter speed right with ND filters can take some trial and error. The GoPro ND filters handle all that for you. If you don't have a HEro 13, I've tested and like DJI's ND filter set for the Action 6 ($79) . For older GoPros, I like Freewell's polarizing and ND filters ($20) . I suggest starting with an 8-stop ND or combo ND and polarizing filter.
Floaty for $35 : Another one for the water shooters, but well worth the money since it'll keep your GoPro from ending up at the bottom of the sea. I haven't tried it, but here's one for the Insta360 Ace Pro 2 ($20) , and at the time of updating the Action 6 is so new there doesn't see to be a case. I can confirm that the older case will work, but the buttons don't quite line up and it's a pain to use. Hopefully DJI will get out an updated version soon.
Selfie stick for $25 : I've tested a lot of selfie sticks and they're almost all fine, but I keep grabbing this Insta360 version when I head out the door. It's lightweight, small enough to fit at the bottom of my bag, and it's affordable. If you want to go big, this Insta360 Extended Edition Selfie Stick ($100) can imitate a low-flying drone, perfect for use in national parks and other places where drones are forbidden.
Comments Back to top Triangle Scott Gilbertson is Operations Manager for the WIRED Reviews Team. He was previously a writer and editor for WIRED’s Webmonkey.com, covering the independent web and early internet culture. You can reach him at luxagraf.net. ...
Read More Senior Writer and Reviewer X Topics Shopping buying guides camera action cameras cameras Photography The Best Webcams for Looking Bushy-Tailed on Zoom I tested all the major webcams across the price spectrum in attempts to find the very best. Here's what I learned.
Luke Larsen The Best Smart Glasses to Augment Your Reality This burgeoning wearable tech category lets you talk to an AI assistant, listen to music, or check out a display screen right from the comfort of your very own face.
Adrienne So The Best Mobile Gaming Controllers for Turning Your Phone Into a Mini Console Your iPhone or Android phone can work overtime as a full-on gaming console with the help of these mobile controllers. Backbone makes my favorite.
Louryn Strampe Canon Promo Codes: 30% Off for May 2026 Save an extra 10% or 30% with Canon coupon codes, plus up to $1,600 on cameras, printers, and more this May.
Scott Gilbertson I Tried the Best Captioning Smart Glasses, and Only One Leads the Pack Can’t hear what they’re saying? Now you can turn on the subtitles for real-life conversations.
Christopher Null The Portable Soundcore Nebula P1 Projector Lets You Stream Whatever, Whenever, and Wherever This all-in-one indoor-outdoor projector from Anker is compact, affordable, and water-resistant—but not cinema quality.
John Brandon The Best Gaming Laptops I’ve Found After Hundreds of Hours of Testing You don’t want any old gaming laptop. Here’s my take on which to get based on hundreds of hours of testing.
Luke Larsen The Best Security Cameras for Inside Your Home Cameras can offer peace of mind, but choose carefully before inviting one into your home.
Simon Hill Motorola's Moto G Stylus Is a Tough Sell at $500 The Moto G Stylus doesn't quite match its peers, but it has niche features you won't find on most phones.
Julian Chokkattu Set Up Your Phone’s Always-On Display So You’re Unlocking It Less Often Break the pattern of unlocking your phone for one thing and then getting sucked into something else. Set up your lock screen to show all the information you need at a glance.
David Nield Top OnePlus Promo Codes: 30% Off This Month Save 30% with a OnePlus coupon this 2026, plus save up to 10% on earbuds, phones, and more.
Molly Higgins TAG Heuer Has Dropped New Polylight-Powered F1s The five new Formula 1 watches are driven by light—and we have a definite favorite.
Jeremy White Wired Coupons Squarespace Promo Code 10% Off Exclusive Squarespace Promo Code 2026 Home Depot Promo Code Memorial Day Appliance Deals + Up to an Extra $1000 Off + Free Delivery on appliance purchases $998+ LG Promo Code LG Promo Code: 20% Off Your First Order Dell Coupon Code 10% Off Dell Coupon Code for New Customers Samsung Promo Code 30% Samsung Coupon - Offer Program 2026 Doordash Promo Code Doordash Coupon $20 Off
