Unlike traditional camcorders, action camcorders are particularly small, hardy and easy to attach to a harness or other carry device. These sports cameras can capture vivid images of exceptional or everyday adventures. They are a popular tool for people who love to explore the outdoors and share their feats with friends or online followers.

In terms of choosing an action camera for your activities, a couple of major categories to consider are view capacity and resolution. If you want viewers to relive your experience in a VR headset or you want the most editing freedom, you will benefit from using a 360-degree camera. 360 action cameras capture everything around you in all directions, providing a fully immersive experience.

When it comes to resolution, 4K action cameras are a popular choice. The biggest differences between 1080p, Full HD and 4K is that a 4K action camera provides four times the resolution of 1080p, offering sharper and more detailed images. This is especially true in wide, panoramic shots, or when you need to zoom in during editing without losing detail.

The first thing you will need after you’ve found the best action camera for your activities is an action camera mount. You might want more than one kind of mount depending on your activities. A chest camera mount is useful for cycling or swimming footage (make sure you have a fully waterproof action camera with the right depth rating for anything underwater). A head or helmet mount can be great for running, hiking, climbing and more.

With suction and tube mounts, you can also attach your action camcorder to other equipment—like an e-bike or electric go kart. If you want more than one angle on your adventure, use multiple action cameras or pair your action camera footage with footage from a camera drone.

To get the longest shooting time in the field, carry extra memory cards as well as action camera batteries and chargers. To edit your footage, invest in video editing software that will make the job easier. You can cut to the highlights of your footage, speed up or slow down the video, add music, narration and so much more.