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.
