Here are a few action camera tips & tricks for beginners that I’ve learned along the way. As time goes along I will try to add to these and update this page.
If you have any suggestions, please leave a comment and I will add your suggestion.
Related Topic: Action Camera mounting ideas for cars
Use a Red Filter for Underwater Photography
If you’re planning your next vacation on a tropical beach and plan to take your action camera along with you, I’d recommend you pick up a waterproof case with snap-on red filters. I would try to get one that has different shades so you can select the correct colour depending on the amount of light and depth you plan to dive.
Without a red filter your images or videos will be more blue/green and will not showcase the amazing colours of the fish and coral. Using a red filter will make your videos vibrant with natural colours as if the water is crystal clear.
How to Eliminate Foggy Lens
Using a waterproof case with stop your camera from getting wet but will not eliminate your lens from fogging up. The reason the lens get foggy is there is still water in the warm air inside the case and the cold water causing this to condense and create fog.
There is a simple fix for this. All you need to do is place a couple anti-fog inserts inside the case before closing it up. I’ve been using CamKit inserts for years.
How to Shoot a Dashcam Time-Lapse Video
While you are driving around town or on vacation you may want to create a time-lapse dashcam video. It’s fun to add these short clips into your vacation videos.
In the earlier versions of action cameras you needed to set the camera to take a shot every number of seconds and use the provided software to make a video. This is not the case anymore.
There are three things you need to select when creating a time-lapse video which are resolution, interval and field of view. For dashcam I’d recommend using 4K resolution with either 0.5 or 1 second interval and the default FOV of wide which is the only option while using 4K resolution.
TIME-LAPSE RESOLUTION
4K, 2.7K 4:3, and Full HD (1080p) resolution. There is no option to record audio
TIME-LAPSE INTERVAL
The time between each shot.
TIME-LAPSE FOV (field of view)
Short intervals such as 0.5 are ideal when capturing driving scenes or where there is lots of movement. The long intervals are better for capturing sunsets or larger periods of time where you want to, for instance, record a construction project that lasts days but will play back in seconds.
How to Shoot a Sunset Time-Lapse Video
Similar to shooting a dashcam time-lapse video. You have a couple options depending if you want to keep the sun as the focal point. First thing you will need is a tripod to mount your camera on.
I’d set the resolution to 4K with an interval of 10 or even 30 seconds. This allows you the option to slowly adjust the camera between shots as needed.
Panoramic Time-Lapse Video
You can enhance your time-lapse videos using a small photograph portable turntable such as the MOVO Photo MTP2000 or the electronic Blackbolt motorized panning head that is available on Amazon. Both of these can mount directly on a tripod or just place it on a table. I prefer to use these when taking a time-lapse of beach or sunset rather than just a static time-lapse.
Use a Gimbal Stabilizer
The last item I want to mention here is using a gimbal stabilizer with your action camera is a definite must if you are posting your videos on Youtube. The only time I don’t use a gimbal is when I’m taking a static video.
Not only does a gimbal create the most amazingly smooth videos but you may also be able to control it remotely while mounted on a tripod. My EVO GP-PRO allows me to create panoramic time-lapse videos very easily.