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Best Overall
GoPro Hero 11 Black
Best for Those Who Want It All
Insta360 One RS
Best Budget Camera
DJI Osmo Action 3
Best Value
GoPro Hero 10 Black
Choosing the right action camera used to be simple: Go with GoPro. That’s still good advice, in that the GoPro ranks high on our list and is our top pick for most adventure-seeking photographers, but we’ve finally found a few worthy competitors.
To figure out which cameras are the best, we dove with them, climbed with them, surfed with them, and handed them to reckless 10-year-olds on bikes. We found a number of great options that will record, and survive, your adventures on the ski slope, beach, or skate park.
If an action cam isn’t your speed, be sure to check out our other guides, including the Best Compact Cameras, Best Mirrorless Cameras, and Best Instant Cameras.
Updated May 2023: We’ve added some accessories to help you do more with your camera.
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Photograph: GoPro
Best Overall
GoPro Hero 11 Black
The Hero 11 Black (9/10, WIRED Recommends) builds on the foundation of its predecessors with a new sensor that’s nearly square. That means you can shoot and then quickly edit to either horizontal or vertical formats. That alone will be a huge selling point for many, but there’s more to love, like the ability to pull higher-resolution still images from video, an “easy” mode that means less fiddling with settings, and an option to shoot RAW images in burst mode.
The Hero series has always stood above its competitors when it comes to image stabilization, arguably the most important feature in an action camera. The Hero 11 Black brings HyperSmooth 5 (GoPro’s name for its image stabilization software), which offers better stabilization with less cropping.
Another thing worth noting is that GoPro has a new GoPro Mini ($300), which offers just about everything the Hero 11 does, but without the screens. If all you ever do is strap your GoPro to yourself or your gear and push record, this might be a good way to go. We’ll update this guide with more details after we’ve had a chance to test the new Mini.
The price is lower if you buy directly from GoPro, and you also get a free 1-year subscription—although it renews at $100 a year so if you don’t want that, be sure to set yourself a reminder to cancel.
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Photograph: Insta360
Best for Those Who Want It All
Insta360 One RS
Do you want an action cam? How about a 360-degree cam? The answer is, you want both, and now you can get both in one package. Insta360’s One RS (8/10, WIRED Recommends) eliminates the debate by bringing interchangeable lenses to the action camera.
There are three lenses, or “mods”: a 4K mod that mirrors what you’ll get from the other cameras on this page, a dual-lens 360-degree camera, and a wide-angle Leica lens paired with a 1-inch sensor that’s capable of capturing 5K video. The best value lies in pairing the 4K mod with the 360 mod, but if you can afford it, the Leica 1-inch mod delivers some of the best video quality I’ve seen from an action camera.
The updated Insta360 One RS differs from its predecessor in both the 4K mod, which can now shoot 5.2K video, and the processor, which brings the company’s motion-smoothing algorithm to the camera, rather than requiring the app. I also like that Insta360 regularly adds new features and improvements via firmware updates, rather than releasing a whole new camera body every year.
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Photograph: DJI
Best Budget Camera
DJI Osmo Action 3
DJI’s third stab at an action camera returns to the form of its original but also uses the magnetic clip system from its second. The result is the Osmo Action 3 (8/10, WIRED Recommends), which features a GoPro-like design that offers a few things you won’t find in a GoPro—like an awesome magnetic quick-clip system and dual touch screens. Throw in the amazing battery life, very good video stabilization, and the fact that it’s cheaper than a GoPro and you have a compelling alternative.
The GoPro Hero 10 and 11 still win on video resolution. The Osmo Action 3 tops out at 4K video resolution and only shoots 12-megapixel still images. That’s disappointing next to the Hero 11’s 5.3K stabilized video and 26-megapixel stills. But the Osmo Action 3 is only $300, making it a great value for the money.
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Photograph: GoPro
Best Value
GoPro Hero 10 Black
The Hero 10 Black (8/10, WIRED Recommends) added a faster processor, which speeds up capture times, ekes more resolution out of the 23.6-megapixel sensor, and adds much-improved image stabilization. The main place that the new Hero 11 trumps this camera is the newer, more squared processor, image stabilization, and higher resolution stills. Still, for most of us, the quality of results you get from the Hero 10 is going to be plenty. If you have to cut videos to vertical format then grab the Hero 11. If you don’t, this is probably good enough and easier on the pocketbook.
The price is lower if you buy directly from GoPro, and you also get a free 1-year subscription to GoPro’s cloud storage and editing platform, though it renews at $100 a year.
