Sony FDR-X1000V 4k Action Cam Review: GoPro Just Does It Better, For Now

I own several GoPro cameras and constantly am making videos with and about them for my YouTube channel, however, I had not had any experience with Sony's line of action cams prior to purchasing the FDR-X1000V. This is their newest and most advanced model, and is aimed to compete directly with the GoPro HERO 4 Black Edition. With that in mind I performed many tests comparing the quality and features of the two (but more on that later).

First I set about trying to understand every mode and setting which the Sony cam offers. Initially I was extremely put off by several things, namely: the lack of a dedicated on/off button, slow menu response times when tweaking settings on the camera, and the amount of clicks it takes to get through the menus. As I used the cam more and got used to the way Sony does things, the menus didn't seem quite as complex and I was finally able to completely understand the way that the video resolutions
are labeled. I also connected my smartphone to it via Wifi and the free Play Memories app and began exploring what it had to offer. The app definitely doesn't let you access as many settings as the GoPro app, however it does let you adjust the white balance to whatever color temperature you wish (between 2500k & 9900k), auto download any picture you take to review it, and mirror or add grid lines to the live view picture displayed on your smartphone. There is also an underwater mode which I haven't quite figured out what it does technically, but does seem to improve the accuracy of colors when filming underwater. 

The question which most people are likely wondering is: “How does the video and image quality compares to the GoPro 4 Black?" Video quality is at least as good as the GoPro across all of the modes/resolutions, however the Sony cam tended more often to under/over expose scenes than the GoPro and had no option to change the metering (though it does have manual exposure compensation in 0.3EV increments when using the app). The Sony cam also has a lot more barrel distortion (think fisheye) in resolutions which use the whole sensor (170°) and doesn't offer wide, medium, and narrow modes like the GoPro. Other than that, the Sony excels at video with built in image stabilization (not in 4k however) and stereo mics, two features which are implemented very nicely and actually propel it ahead of the GoPro in certain situations. It also can record at 100Mbps in Sony's efficient XAVC codec.

Now while video quality on the FDR-X1000V gives the GoPro 4 Black a run for its money, the quality of its still images is really lackluster. This has has to do a lot with the aforementioned tendency to mis-expose a scene, but also because the Sony cam only gives you the option to takes pictures with an aspect ratio of 16:9 (the same is true for video but it is less of an issue there). I noticed the difference in still image quality between the two the most when looking at the time lapse comparisons I shot. 

With all of those facts, and given that the Sony FDR-X1000V is the same price as the GoPro HERO 4 Black, I can't recommend that people looking to buy their first action cam go for this camera rather than the GoPro. While it definitely rivals the GoPro with many of its features and almost beats it video quality, the poor still image quality plus the lack of a "Night Mode” or in-camera time lapse (all standout features of the GoPro 4) make the Sony FDR-X1000V a less well rounded action camera. There is nothing extremely wrong with it, the GoPro 4 Black is just a better camera overall. This could change though as Sony could easily fix all of the "problems" I mentioned with a firmware update down the road. If you don't want to be mainstream, already own a lot of the Sony action cam mounts, or absolutely need to have built in optical image stabilization, then the Sony action cam is for you.  Otherwise, go for the GoPro HERO 4 Black. I know personally that if I could only take one with me on a trip, it would be the GoPro 9 times out of 10. 

PROS:

4k action cam with same resolutions as GoPro 4 

Built in stabilization for video (good for drones!)

Longer battery life than GoPro 4 Black in many situations

Stereo microphones

Water/shock resistant without a case

Built in GPS

Control up to 5 cameras from one phone

Can record at 100Mbps in Sony's efficient XAVC codec

CONS:

Poor still image quality 

No dedicated power button

Slow menu response times on camera

Considerable barrel distortion at edge when using whole sensor (4k, 170° pics, 1080p/120fps, etc.)

Just a note: The Sony FDR-X1000V CANNOT record 4k with just any Class 10 Micro SD card and requires a microSDXC card with a UHS-I U3 rating. The only one I found to work was the SanDisk Extreme PRO.