Interbike 2012 Dispatch: Sony Action Cam

As quality rises and prices drop, the action camera business continues to accelerate. Now Sony is getting in on the game with the Action Cam, a fully-featured digital camera that can record in full 1080p and in 720p can record 30, 60, or 120 frames per second for super-smooth slow motion action.

Sony borrowed several technologies from its still camera lines, including the Carl Zeiss lens, Steady-Shot image stabilization, and battery.

A quick-release mount is included with two adhesive-backed bases. More mounts will be available soon for handlebars and flat surfaces, among others.

Unlike other big players in the market, notably GoPro and Contour, Sony says it has no interest in creating a proprietary mount system, so the waterproof plastic housing includes a traditional tripod screw mount, to be compatible with hundreds of mounts or accessories from other manufacturers.

Like GoPro, the $269 Wi-Fi equipped Action Cam can be controlled via a smartphone or tablet computer, on both Apple and Android platforms. You can view a live stream, turn recording on and off, change settings and more right from your phone. A nice feature if the camera is mounted on your helmet.

There is also a version without the Wi-Fi feature for $199.