Sony Action Cam HDR-AS10

The action cam market is dominated by companies that don't have a history of making other types of cameras. There is no GoPro point-and-shoot or Contour digital SLR. So, when a manufacturer like Sony gets into the market, it's reasonable to think it might be able to make a great POV camcorder, at least in terms of video quality.

Its first efforts in the category, the Sony Action Cam HDR-AS10 and HDR-AS15 (the AS15 has built-in Wi-Fi, the AS-10 does not), make a good initial impression, too. That impression doesn't hold up after use, though.

Maybe Sony was trying to stay below a certain price or wanted the camera to be as small and light as possible. Whatever the reason, in design and usability the Action Cam falls shy of models both above and below its price level. That said, it does offer some nice features, especially if you opt for the Wi-Fi-enabled AS15, and video is on par with that of similarly priced models, though it's best suited for small-screen viewing.

In the box
Sony includes a shock-proof/waterproof housing and two adhesive mounts, one flat and one curved. The housing is waterproof down to 197 feet and has dirt- and dust-resistant seals. It's great that it's so sealed up out of the box, and the housing has a standard quarter-inch tripod mount in the bottom, so it can be used with a wide variety of available mounts.

However, since the housing is waterproof, the stereo mics on the front of the camera aren't exposed, so when it's sealed you'll get nothing but muffled audio. Sony sells a pack of two other doors -- one with a flat lens for underwater use and one with mic openings -- for about $50. They aren't available separately, and neither is the door that comes with the housing. If you scratch the lens covering on one of the doors, you're stuck buying another two-pack or an entire $40 housing.

Also, with the camera completely sealed, there's a good chance you might end up with some condensation inside that could fog the lens. Sony sells desiccant packs, but you can squeeze a small silica gel pack (like the kind you'd find in a shoebox) into the housing and accomplish the same thing.

The two included mounts are somewhat large and the adhesive is somewhat weak, so you might be better off finding alternatives that use the tripod mount or just getting better adhesive pads. Other mounts are available, including a head strap that doesn't require the housing. There's also a cradle with a 2.7-inch LCD screen that flips out so you can use the Action Cam like a traditional handheld camera, albeit a very small one.

Design and features
The size and weight of the Action Cam are impressive. The supercompact camcorder measures 2 inches high by 2.6 inches deep by 0.9 inch wide and only weighs about 3.2 ounces with its included NP-BX1 battery pack (a tray is included for use with Sony's NP-BG1 battery, too). That means there's less camera to strap to the side of your head or wherever else you plan to mount it. Because of its rounded bottom, though, it will almost always need to be in some sort of mount when being used, and although the included housing doesn't add a lot to its size and weight, it does add to it.

Ideally, there should be a tripod mount on the actual camera, but really there's no room for one. On the back are a big record button and a hold switch so you don't accidentally start and stop recordings. The whole back, though, is a sliding door that covers the battery compartment and a card slot supporting both microSD and Memory Stick Micro cards.

Pry open the door on the bottom and you'll find Micro-USB and Micro-HDMI ports, an expansion connector for use with the aforementioned camcorder cradle, and an external mic jack, which is a rarity on action cameras. Here's the thing, though: you can't use the external mic jack with the supplied housing or any of the other housings or mounts available from Sony. You're basically on your own if you want to mount the camera and use the mic jack.

Similarly, if you want to use the built-in stereo mics, you have to buy the appropriate door or another mount from Sony or find some other way to secure the camera inside the included case while the waterproof door is off. There is nothing keeping the camera from sliding out of the case without a door on it either, so if for some reason the lock should accidentally open when the door is on, the camera will pop right out.