A shockproof and waterproof 4k action camera is a very useful gadget for capturing dynamic video. It shines in a variety of situations, from adrenaline-inducing footage showing your point of view to drone-mounted aerial shots for high-altitude, long-distance shots.
Having the right gadgets and accessories, however, can give you the edge you need to make the most of what 4k actions cams have to offer. Here’s a list of some of the more highly recommended ones to start off with:
- Quad Copter Drones – the extremely high quality footage that 4k action cameras can produce shine brightest when you’ve got both height and distance to get the best views. Drones give you access to all of that, and work exceptionally well with ultra HD action cameras. Just remember to properly cushion the camera just in case your drone goes in for a rough landing.
- Gyroscope Stabilizer Mount – all that shaking can produce pretty ugly footage that needs to be chopped out in the post-processing stage. Stabilizer mounts with built-in gyroscopes thus work very well with 4k action cameras, as they provide a stable platform to minimize or even eliminate shaking altogether. The effect is especially pronounced when riding vehicles like motorcycles or when mounting the camera on an unstable platform like quad copter drones.
- High-Capacity SD Cards – 32, 64 or even 128 gigabyte SD cards are an absolute must when working with 4k footage. The bigger, the better – especially since footage from a 4k sports camera needs around 2 gigabytes per minute. Multiple storage cards are also recommended, as you can quickly swap them out when they fill up.
- High-Capacity External Hard Drive – a 1, 2 or even 4 terabyte hard drive will come in very handy if you plan to capture a lot of footage in a single run. Just hook these external drives up to a laptop or tablet and transfer data as soon as you set up. Select a hard drive with a 3.0 USB or micro USB port as well. The faster file transfer speeds will be very helpful considering the size of the files involved.
- Portable Wi-Fi Routers– Many 4k action cameras come with Wi-Fi connectivity, and bringing along a portable Wi-Fi router gives you access to a wide range of wireless features – from remote viewing using a separate device to wireless transfers of files between devices. Just remember to get a self-powered router with its own battery, as some models need to be plugged into an outlet to work.
- Wireless Signal Boosters – plan to take your 4k sports cam out of the range of your portable Wi-Fi router? Boost the router’s signal and you’ll have much more space to move around in without having to worry about the Wi-Fi signal being cut off.
- Wearable Remote Controllers – these devices are extremely useful companions to 4k action cameras. Even the simple ability to start and pause the recording process will come in handy, although more advanced features like remote viewing and adjusting filters on the go are definitely useful to have on hand.
- Adhesive Pads And Duct Tape– they’re not gadgets, strictly speaking, but you’d be surprised at how useful duct tape and adhesive pads can be when working with UHD action cameras. Official mounts are nice and all, but the ability to jury-rig your camera on the field can be a life-saver. They can give your 4k action camera a firmer, more stable attachment if a key mount fails to work or if you’re mounting it in an awkward position that wiggles a bit at the slightest motion.
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