Underwater in the Maldives with the Sony HDR AS30V

Going to the Maldives without an underwater video camera  would be akin to  seeing a long-awaited 3D movie blockbuster…without the 3D glasses.

Thanks to impressive technology in the recent decade, underwater video cameras are now palm sized, handy and created for active people. The challenge these days is in choosing which video camera to go with as there are several brands out in the market, in varying budget.

For our recent Maldives trip, we took with us the Sony HDR-AS30V Action Cam

 

This is the video camera with the standard case that it comes with:

 

On its own, the camera isn’t waterproof, so the standard given case is required if using this underwater.

And because we mainly used this underwater, these accessories were a must for us:

The squarish frame in front is one of the most important features of this case, and a must if documenting whilst scuba diving (or even snorkelling).

If you use the camera with the standard case, the dome shaped lens cover will sort of distort underwater images and you won’t get a very focused footage.

We used a handheld monopod to use this underwater, and the slim  design and structure of the camera is excellent, especially if you wish to cover some marine life in almost macro- closeness.

Now one of the biggest things we like about the Sony HDR-AS30V is the huge power button:

It’s quite easy to press , and I love that the design was built with the forethought  that should the user be wearing gloves (be it for snowsport, cycling, or, in our case, dry-suit diving in Iceland), then they would still have ease of use controlling the camera.

And here are our underwater footage using the Sony AS30V in the Maldives:

This camera being 1080P in HD has really captured all the elements underwater. The Sony Action cam’s slogan is “Prove Yourself”, and it’s definitely helped us prove how much fun we had, and relay to you the wonders we have seen underwater.

Steadyshot Image Stabilisation

My personal favourite feature of the Sony AS30V Action Cam is the Steadyshot Image Stabilisation. This proved very helpful when shooting overland.

A perfect proof of the wonders of this feature is this:

You will see that this entire video was shot in just ONE clip. No cuts or edits were done, just the additional text.

This, along with Zombie’s steady hand is just marvellous.

Here’s another video utilising the Steadyshot Image Stabilisation (with cuts)

On both videos above, no ‘anti-shake’ any extra stabilisation effect were added at all.

The Handheld Viewfinder

This is another cool accessory that we found very helpful in shooting overland.

Sure the other action cam brands also have a viewfinder accessory, but in our opinion, the design of this viewfinder is the best as it resembles the shape of the traditional handheld video camera. So using it feels very familiar and comfortable.

It’s also worth noting that the Sony AS30V Action cam comes with Wi-FI and GPS. The Wi-Fi comes in handy to upload footages without wiring, and most of all with a Sony App, you can use your mobile phone as a remote viewfinder.

Conclusion:

This action cam is terrific in the following aspects :

– Great video quality with 1080P HD

– slim and compact built, not bulky at all

– awesome additional accessories

– The Steadyshot Image Stabilisation feature

They say there always room for improvement, and for us, that would be:

– if the actual camera itself (without the standard case) would be waterproof on its own that would be great

– if the underwater casing (the one that you could take diving) has control buttons on the side, it would greatly help as this means we can change the mode while underwater (eg from video to still shots and vice versa)

*Post note: Sony has just recently launched the newer version of this Camera, the Sony AS100V, and they seem to have read our sentiments, the actual body is now waterproof*

*Sony Australia has supplied us with the gear and accessories.There is no obligation to write favourably, and all opinions of this post are ours*