Customer Ratings & Reviews

My main purpose was to attach camera to my instrument and record finger movements. It worked great, with the GoPro instrument mount. So small, it fits easily in my pocket. Optical stabilization is excellent when handheld or walking. Audio is surprisingly good. Instructions are not always clear, so allow some time for new uses such as viewing directly on a TV via HDMI mini cable. I could hold this in my hand in the store, unlike GoPro, which was a primary deciding factor. Plus I have a 4 year old Sony camera, and lens is excellent.

This little action camera captures beautiful video and it has the best stabilization of any action camera. I have had 4 GoPro's but this is by far the best. Anyone thinking about purchasing a GoPro should look at the Sony FDR-X3000 first.

Let's face it, the form factor on this camera is a bit odd and the stark white makes it even worse by standing out like a sore thumb. If picture quality is your most important feature though then this camera rocks! I'm riding a stand up bike shooting video and holding the camera in my hand. The video is very smooth. If you are viewing the raw video, vs. the youtube version, it's like you're there. The camera is wide angle (adjustable to some extent) and from about 14" to 3-6 feet away it's sharp as a tack. As it gets further away it does lose a little bit of sharpness but as an action cam, especially wide angle, you aren't going to see great detail anyway. I'm able to film selfie material and take landscape shots just fine even though I don't have a viewfinder. The camera is small enough to fit in my pocket and I'm finding it great to take on outings to capture some live action. I put in a fast 128Gb card and I'm shooting 1080p/60fps @ 50Mbps and the footage is stunning. Two things that are a bit of a turn off. First, there is no lens cap. Strange. Second is the menu system. It's workable and you don't have to be in it too much but I wish there were a couple of options that were slightly easier to get to. Another thing I like about it is that it has a little red light on the back and front when you are recording. It makes it easier to confirm you are in record mode. All in all, very happy with the camera.

After using a GoPro Hero 4 Black for two years, I switched to a Sony FDR-X3000 and I love it. While it does not have the same popularity level as GoPro, it does the job better than GoPro. First of all, my main reason to switch was OIS. Most of my GoPro clips are unwatchable unless I heavily edit them to reduce motion but that takes away other things. Yes, I could have used a Gimbal but I have one of these so that I can just throw them in my pocket and use them when I need to. With Sony, I have tested walking around, going up/down the stairs, and even light running, and because of the OIS, the clips come out looking great and stable. It is not just the OIS but if you watch few reviews on Youtube, you will see that Sony does a better job with colors and low-light videos. If you are worried about tons of GoPro mounts not working if you switch, you can buy a $5 adapter to solve your problem. Some may not like the shape of Sony but, compared to my Hero 4 Black, I actually prefer this shape for hand-holding it. Overall, I'm glad I switched.

If you want to record your outdoor activities or looking to start Youtube channel, this is a great action camera, since it has optical stabilization built-in. It is way better than software-based image stabilization that other manufacturers are using. It also has a dedicated mic input! GoPro needs an expensive huge USB-C adapter if you want to use an external mic. You will need extra batteries, since standard battery does not last a long time.

The picture is amazing. The battery life is good. I only had one problem so far. I was shooting in 4K without the case and streaming to my iPhone. I was 17 min into recording and it turned off due to a heat warning. The battery was almost dead after 17 minutes. I reset the camera and reformatted the card. Ran it again after charging the battery and did not stream to my phone this time. Battery still got very hot at 130F degrees but did record for 1hr and 7 min before the battery ran out.

I think this action can has the best image stabilizer. External mic input is a plus. Good image in good lighting but little weak on low light due to censor size. Quick one button recording.

After reading many reviews and watching video quality and features I decided to purchase this Sony action camera. Best decision ever!! Great quality and easy to use once you get past the first couple test shots.

Some features are incredible such as the mechanical image stabillization. Battery life is not so good. Overall, good product. Would recommend for certain things such as off-road or car videos.

Great video quality and the optical image stabilization is phenomenal. I'd recommend using other editing software than Sony's though...it's not as user friendly as some other programs out there

This camera is amazing. The image quality has an edge over gopro. The app connects flawlessly and you can connect and disconnect from the camera while its still recording with no interuptions. The menu works great. Different angle settings allow it to be used as a distortion free camera. Only drawbacks are the lack of a live view screen and it should really come with the lens protector. It does come with the underwater case, but that muffles the sound. A backlit menu screen would have been nice. But the image and optical stabilization more than makes up for it. 4k is so gorgeous!

Have several of the older models. Unfortunately, this cam design does not fit most of the accessories I have for them. Too bad because I really love the ability to just pop the cam into the Video cam AKA-LU1 accessory. But other than that and battery life (which is poor cam is always on) the videos look great.

Used it on my helmet to follow my son down Whistler Bike Park. Video came out very clear and smooth. Easy to use. Get a 2nd battery. I shoot in 1080p 60fps and the difference between 4K is not worth the time for me to upload a much bigger file.

i have owned go pro, and sony older 4k model, sony is not only better with stabilization but is easier for me and less editing to do after i record. plus, i see it as the brand who makes all types of 4k devices and has professional 4k cameras for movies . sony FYI, this new model from sony is smaller than last model from a year ago.

After too many hours of reviews and testing in person between this and "the other brand action camera" I chose this. Could not be happier. I owned the previous AS200V and now this, lens distortion is fixed! All the features I wanted were now here, 4k, 4k timlapse, better low light, BOSS stabilization. You will not regret. This can be used for vlogging it is that good. Also stereo sound is really good, but even has a mic input.

Quality of video is on par with Hero 6. price is better. UI is better. I really dislike the GOPRO UI and connectivity issues with android. Anywho, this is a way better camera and i'm using all go pro accessories with an adapter I bought of AMA*ON.

60 min battery life in 4k, lowering bit rate from 100 to 50 helps out with over heating (4k), image stabilization trumps GoPro!!! Get the $30 shield for the lens, because you don't need the underwater case unless you plan on get'n wet or dirty. It's the BEST value on the market, if you want to shoot 4k... and trust me, you want to shoot in 4k.

this thing is very impressive. Not also the capability of having a better video image quality of a 4K, it also have a capability of a better image stabilization. These FDR-X3000 has no fisheye lens unlike the previous action cam from FDR-X1000. Even if i'm using an MP4 format instead of XAVC format, the video quality is very nice. the battery life is excellent, battery life on MP4 format would be pretty long. Sound quality is very nice as well with the stereo built in microphone. Overall, i'm happy I bought it.

The biggest reason I purchased the X3000 over GoPro or Yi was due to true, optical, image stabilization. This allows for even 4K footage to be stabilized where the competition has to drop to a lower resolution and use inferior electronic stabilization. The reduced fisheye effect along with the great picture and sound make this a perfect little camera.

Why I bought Sony x3000 is the Sony's unique vivid video quality with great stabilizer technology. I tested it when I run also I did test under water. Really good keeping balance with inner stabilizer & recording under water is clear. Anyone who is interested with this, try this. Really awesome action camera. When I compare with the other action cameras I have, this will be the best action camera.