Sony FDR-X3000R

VIDEO. The Sony FDR-X3000R takes very good video, higher quality than most Action camcorders. Pictures were sharp, which means you can see most details and subtle patterns in the image. In low-light situations, the video was good: quite viewable but not as bright or clear as the better models. It captures Ultra HD video at 3840x2160 at 30 frames per second (fps). It has an above-normal frame-rate mode 1280x720 at 240p fps.

AUDIO. It captures poor audio in stereo.

PHOTO QUALITY. In Photo mode it captures at best 12-megapixel stills with merely fair quality.

LENS. The lens has a fixed focal length; it has no zoom capability. The lens also has a very wide-angle (17mm) capability that's very useful for landscapes and group portraits, although you may notice a bit of distortion when you're shooting faces up close, for instance.

IMAGE STABILIZER. Shooting in well-lit scenes, this model did an excellent job of minimizing the effects of camcorder shake.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS. It survived our repeated-drop test. It survived our water-resistance test. This model is about average in size and much lighter than the average action camcorder.

The Sony FDR-X3000R is an 8.2-megapixel camcorder with no optical zoom has a 35mm-equivalent focal length of 17mm (fixed). The camcorder has a maximum aperture of f/2.8.

The Sony FDR-X3000R stores video and photos on MicroSD, MicroSDHC and MicroSDXC memory cards. It captures ultra HD video at a resolution as high as 3840x2160 at 30 frames per second and 12-megapixel resolution stills as JPG files. The image stabilization system for this camcorder is optical. The Sony FDR-X3000R measures 3.3 inches wide by 1.9 inches high by 1.2 inches in length, and weighs 0.2 pounds.