Shooting Family Fun with the ion Action Camera

Action cameras are all the rage.  I remember watching the recent Winter Olympics and being amazed at the footage on Kelly Clark as she expertly snowboarded the daunting half pipe run.  She had an action camera on her helmet and I felt my adrenaline pump as she pivoted each diagonal turn.  When she fell, I fell, though it didn’t hurt me as much as it did her!

I’ve seen action cameras used on bicycles, skate boarding, even surfing.  But I couldn’t help but wonder, how can they relate to families?  No one in my family is a super dare-devil (thankfully), but I was curious to see what we, as a family, could do with an ion Action Camera…and would it be interesting enough?

My kids were eagerly up for the challenge.  Here are the things we used the camera for:

• Going down a water slide
• Driving to Phoenix, AZ
• Capturing the Las Vegas Strip at night
• Scootering
• Swimming
• Boarding an airplane…and taking off!
• Capturing my BlogHer ’14 Conference
• Filming my tours of the Tivo and Netflix headquarters!

The options are endless!  My daughter has nearly mastered a flip on the trampoline.  Can’t wait to put a camera on her once she does!

I remember the first day I received the ion AirPro 3 Action Camera with WiFi.  We were all giddy with excitement to try it out because we were headed to the last night of our Vacation Bible School, which featured a large inflatable water slide.  I affixed the camera securely to my son’s bicycle helmet, as he eagerly volunteered to don the camera that night.  He loved the attention he got from wearing the helmet and I enjoyed watching his point of view via my cellphone, which I hooked up to the ion Action Camera using the ion app and WiFi, built into the ion Action Camera.  No other WiFi is needed, only the connection between your phone and the camera.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to buy a micro SDHC card for the ion Action Camera, so all the footage I watched was live only and not saved.  Lesson learned, but I’ll tell you, that didn’t happen again!  I went out and bought a 32 GB micro card and I always have plenty of room for our pursuits now!

See the ion Action Camera Videos!

OK, enough talking about the camera, let me show you a few of the videos I shot.  See what you think.

Here is a medley of family fun videos we shot…

A quick airplane trip up to San Jose for my BlogHer Conference:

My video tour of the Netflix Headquarters in Los Gatos…

And couldn’t resist filming the Las Vegas Strip at night…

These clips were just a snippet of all the film I took.  But it gives you an idea of how to use the ion AirPro 3 Action Camera for more things than just sport.  Let’s get to so
me more specifics…

Features:

• the ion camera is lightweight at only 5 oz.
• has a wide angle lens: can capture a view of 160 degrees
• is completely waterproof up to 49 feet
• can film in full HD 1080p: 1920 x 1080 (16:9) video at 30 or 60 frames per second
• can also film in 720p 1280 x 720 (16:9) video at 30, 60, 0r 120 frames per second – depends on how big and clear you want your movie to be
• takes single, burst photo-shooting, and time lapse video/pictures
• camera takes 12MP pictures
• has a secure locking system for mounting onto helmets, bikes, baby strollers, etc
• remote control and viewing via your phone

Pros:

• the waterproof feature is great – you can take it swimming, diving, or snorkeling and capture every move
• the case is very sturdy, made out of metal
• uses vibration to let you know you’ve turned on or off the camera – handy if it’s on your helmet when you can’t see it
• the ion camera has a nice vivid clear picture – very rich in color
• is less expensive than other action cameras
• has a wide variety of accessories to capture your action on the move
• comes with 8 GB of free cloud space on the ionCLOUD to share with your friends
• with the AirPro 3’s included WiFi pod, you can link up locally to your phone for remote viewing and control access so you know what you’re recording

Cons:

• the ion camera doesn’t always link up so well with your phone
• there is no visible battery indicator or storage indicator to let you know how much you have used on the device
• taking video footage is easy, the editing part can be a little cumbersome

The ion AirPro 3 with WiFi Action Camera is used is available from Walmart in your local stores (in the camera department) or online, for $349.99 with free shipping.  If you don’t need the WiFi, you can pick up an AirPro3 without WiFi for $319 with a free bundled 16  GB SDHC micro card.

A Mom’s Perspective

If you have an athletic family member, the ion AirPro 3 Action Camera is a cool way for you and your child or other family member to see sports firsthand, they way they see it.  It brings a thrill to your video and a close-hand experience you could never capture by filming your star from afar.

But the ion Action Camera can be used for more than just sports and thrill rides.  Because of it’s unique perspective, underwater capabilities, and 180 degree view, it’s a great camera to take on family vacations, snorkeling adventures, camping, hikes, road trips, even an everyday swim in your pool….as well as tours…like the ones I shot at Tivo Headquarters and Netflix Headquarters.

I’ve had a lot of fun with the ion Action Camera and will continue to bring it on trips to show a unique perspective.  I love that is small, lightweight, and I can connect it to my phone to even take video or pictures from afar.  I read that it can be used as a time lapse camera as well.  One day I’ll set it up in a corner of our kitchen and see just how often our favorite room gets visited in a day!