Speaking of action cam, the image quality still becomes
higher priority than other factors, such as physical toughness or accessories
availability. Most of the latest action cams today have been able to produce
sharp video during the day; however, the image quality will change when the day
starts to get dark.
The majority of action cams still have difficulties to
produce crystal clear images at night. This is caused by the image sensor
that's usually quite small, only about 1/3.2-inch to 1/2.3 inch. If the image sensor
is replaced with the larger size, the consequence is the body of action cam
won't be compact just like most of action cams offered in the market today.
Through their newest product, HX-A1, Panasonic seems to
understand how to improve the performance of action cam at night, without
sacrificing the portability aspect. Panasonic HX-A1 weights only 45 grams,
nearly half lighter than the GoPro Hero4 Black which has a weight of 89 grams -
both without casing. Nevertheless, the HX-A1 is proven still quite resilient.
It can be brought to swim to a depth of 1.5 meters without casing, shockproof
from a height of 1.5 meters, dustproof and freeze-proof up to a temperature of
-10º C.
Besides compact and powerful, the Panasonic HX-A1 has an
unusual form; elongated cylinder, much like a flashlight. This shape is
believed to be more flexible when positioned in various places, such as on the
top of the helmet or on the handlebars.
The video recording option is fairly standard, 1080p and
hasn't supported 4K. Panasonic HX-A1 also offers two slow motion video
recording modes: 720p 60 fps and 480p 120 fps.
Then how HX-A1 can produce good images at night? The answer
is by using infrared photography technique. Simply put, the HX-A1 has been
equipped with IR (infrared) filter. Coupled with IR light source that can be
obtained at a camera store and outdoor gear, this action cam can record video
in a cave although without light at all.
The accessories available for the HX-A1 are also quite
abundant. Two of them are Tripod Mount and Multi Mount to tether the camera in
goggle, helmet or bag. While others are optional accessories including Extended
Battery and Wind Jammer to reduce wind noise that's caught by the microphone.