Putrajaya Bridge Climb – Alpha Parkour
SONY HDR AZ1VR vs HTC RE vs GoPro Hero 4 Silver (Parkour & Freerunning) My first thought when I had my hands-on the new model of the Sony ActionCam family, the HDR AZ1VR is how small the size of this camera and how that it is more specialised for video recording, not so much for taking photos. 
So this new ActionCam comes together with the Wi-Fi Liveview remote control in a wearable (watch) form. It also is packed with a GPS function for you to track it and also for the GPS data to be written on the photos/videos you’ll be taking. This camera comes with the basic function of video recording all the way from FullHD quality to VGA quality. Also if you’re looking to record a high speed video, then this camera offers a 100/120fps in a 720p format. The camera can be set to record in MP4 at bitrates up to 28Mbps. Or use the SONY’s XAVC S format (in MP4 container) at a higher bitrate of 50Mbps. For the best quality, use the XAVC S in FullHD. But you’ll need to use a SDXC card or at least a class 10 micro-SD card to record in that format. 
While the photos function are not like the other action cameras out there, it packs with a 11.9MP still image recording while the HTC RE packs a 16MP sensor and the GoPro4 as we all know have a 12MP sensor. And the most exciting feature for an action sport enthusiast like me is the MotionShot feature specially made for SONY cameras. However, the burst mode are not that impressive comparing to the GoPro4, we only can find 8 frames per second, then 5 frames per 2 seconds and 2 frames per 5 seconds. Not really impressive comparing to the GoPro’s 30 frames per second. 
As a freerunner, I take a lot of photos when going out urban exploring, climbing rooftops and making action shots in different and unexpected places. So the most needed functions are usually the time-lapse or self-timer and the burst shot function. But when going out exploring rooftops, I really like to use my HTC RE camera because of the form factor and as it is specialised for photos more and is always ready to capture my moment! The HTC RE is always on standby mode, and it only take about 2 seconds the first time it takes photos and less than a second the next time you press that shutter button. 
Batterylife on this ActionCam can be brief. Continuously recording at fullHD 1080p for 60fps can only last an average of an hour. While you need to use the WiFi to change the settings and sometimes check your angles, this shortens the battery life as well. For me personally I prefer the HTC RE battery-life as it lasts a few days because the camera is always on stand-by. 
First person view (POV) using the headmount is not really my favorite seeing how the camera will be on the side of your head because of it’s form factor. For parkour and freerunning POV videos, the camera needs to be at the center of your head for the people to experience like it is them that are moving. When using the mount and putting the camera in the middle makes it really weird since it is pointing out too much. So we still have to put it on the side of our head. And some shots shows our face accidentally when moving, because of the ultra-wide angle. 
As a conclusion, this new SONY HDR-AZ1 is good for you to record long footages of video. If you’re the kind of guy who likes to record one whole session of training and do a quick-cut editing of the session to share on your social media, then this ActionCam is the right choice for you. Go for the HTC RE if you’re more into lifestyle shots and does not really need serious footages to produce a serious video. Go for the GoPro if you like to do a little bit of both of taking serious photos and videos. 
