3.9 based on 82 customer reviews
17
5
7
10
Good
Good
Good
Good
Good
Please note: Some product variations and/or features mentioned within Product Reviews may not be available in all countries.
Excellent Action Camera
Body + Live-View Remote Kit 28/02/2017 by davelee (United Kingdom) Verified Purchaser Verified
Had the GoPro 5 Black, had so many issues with it so purchased the Sony FDR-X3000 Camera, so far it has been MAGIC
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Good
If ONLY it would stay in FOCUS!
FDR-X3000 / FDR-X3000R 08/04/2018 by Bleeder (USA)
The feature set on the Sony FDR-X3000 is absolutely AMAZING for the money, the menu is actually fairly easy to understand once one uses it for a short while, and the B.O.S.S. system is absolutely tremendous in both execution and final results. Blown away by it, actually. But the 4K video quality become aggravating in short time! The INITIAL video quality on all three of my FDR-X3000's (my other two I've had to return, HOPING I'd get a "good one.") would be amazing out of the box, but the honeymoon ends soon thereafter. Once the action cam gets warm with use, the camera's lens become unable to focus correctly (focus to infinity like all action cams do), thus the video, which was initially amazingly brilliant throughout, will become very blurry. You're left with unusable blurry videos once the camera gets warm, and the focus becomes temperamental and eventually terrible. There's a obvious glaring design flaw as the primary reason for the blurry video that eventually happens, as MANY people have experienced the same thing with this particular action cam. As you research the 'net, many have taken their Sony FDR-X3000 apart to try to figure out why the focus was becoming progressively blurry, and found the issue. It comes to find out that Sony "engineers" decided it was a good idea to use some sort of GLUE to secure their awesome lens in the B.O.S.S. Housing to secure it in place. As with all glues, heat it up as the battery will do with Action Cam use, and the glue becomes soft and will eventually MELT. Sony absolutely knows about the flaw in their design, as it is in their own forums regarding this blaring design flaw and focusing issue. The FDR-X1000 hasn't had this issue as far as I know. Simply look for focusing issues on the Forums and YouTube videos regarding the FDR-X3000, and you will find many examples of the design flaw, as well as pictures of where the flaw is located! I can only hope that the Sony engineers will redesign this action cam and better secure their amazing lens within the BOSS housing so blurred focusing issues will no longer occur as the action cam warms up. I really WANT to like my third Sony FDR-X3000, but like the other two I've sent back, it now only focuses 4 feet in front of itself, so I'm limited to making a video was at that distance. Talk about frustrating!
Poor
Good
Excellent
Poor
Good
83 Customer Reviews
Good video
Body + Waterproof Case 18/11/2019 by Watery Ford (United Kingdom) Verified Purchaser Verified
Impulse buy in Changi. Great video with wide dynamic range. Video is simple to use either on handset or camera. Majority of function intuitive, but switching between video and stills is PAINFULLY slow; a separate button for stills would increase the useability tremendously. Addition of a 'sighting' viewfinder for use underwater in the package would be extremely useful.
Excellent
Good
Good
Good
Average
Truly amazing and such a small camera!
Body + Live-View Remote Kit 22/10/2019 (United Kingdom)
I am totally astonished! And amazed With all sony products!
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Great action cam
Body + Waterproof Case 07/09/2019 by jpa17 (United Kingdom) Verified Purchaser Verified
I brought this action cam after reviewing all the other action cams on the market, and deciding this was the right one for me. However after 14 months the camera now refuses to turn on, and beeps every 15 seconds, so is now totally unusable.
Excellent
Good
Excellent
Good
Good
GPS DOES NOT WORK
FDR-X3000 / FDR-X3000R 03/06/2019 by Barkme (USA)
The GPS functions stopped working and will be nonfunctional indefinitely. Would not buy this or any other products Sony makes that depend on GPS.
Excellent
Average
Poor
Poor
Poor
Thrilled with the features.
Body + Waterproof Case 19/03/2019 by JohnFr (United Kingdom)
Excellent picture quality, ease of use, great design, love the finger accessory and the remote screen.
Excellent
Good
Good
Good
Excellent
Sony fdr-x3000
Body + Live-View Remote Kit 04/03/2019 by LY3PQ (United Kingdom)
great camera ..I'm very happy sony fdr-x3000 !!!!
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Great cam - needs wireless audio
FDR-X3000 / FDR-X3000R 02/02/2019 by bernhtp (USA)
Great video and stabilization. OK battery life (80 minutes @ 1080p60 50mbs). I motovlog (motorcycle Vlogging) along with hundreds of thousands of others and need (in future models): 1. Wireless audio input. It would be great if the audio could come from the PlayMemories control app where the smartphone could combine/mix audio sources. Bluetooth audio input would also be a great option. You'll steal GP market share with this. 2. Better mounting options. GoPro-compatible mounts dominate, so compaitble mounting or a simple adaptor is important. 3. More battery life (2+ hours). Also, consider an (optional) small separate snap-in pack that connects via the USB.
Excellent
Average
Good
Good
Good
Overheats
FDR-X3000 / FDR-X3000R 04/01/2019 by Aeroplano (USA)
I"m stuck with a $399 camera that OVERHEATS. You can smell the heat when you enter the room. I purchased this action cam on Oct. 19th. 2018 from Amazon's C**** Camera Seller. It started overheating/shutting down by itself while filming on 720, 1080, and 4k only after 1 month and 2 days of my purchase. I tried to get a refund but because it was over by two days on a 30 days return so "C****** Camera" (seller) refused to accept my request. So after reporting them to the Better Business Bureau they still refused. The overheating has progressively gotten worst. Now I'm stuck sending this camera for repairs to Precision Camera whom are chosen by Sony. I've sent this camera 3 times for repairs without success. Precision Camera don't listen. They keep telling me there is nothing wrong with the camera. The only i can do is continue to send the camera. They don't see the pictures and videos I've sent them. Anyway, Now I"m stuck with a $399 the overheats, without any options. Neither Sony nor Precision Camera don't want to listen. All I've been doing is send this camera for repair and no filming. See pictures and video attached.
Average
Fair
Average
Fair
Poor
Great Action camera...until it stops focusing..
FDR-X3000 / FDR-X3000R 09/12/2018 by Nick Burgh (USA)
Had the camera less than two years...Took it to Moab, Yellowstone and Nova Scotia...Gear videos...but today I can't even use it as paper weight...about a month ago the camera lost the ability to focus...except near focus ...no more than 4-5 inches...everything else in frame is blurry and unusable...Don't buy the camera if you want it to last a while...
Poor
Good
Excellent
Excellent
Good stabilisation. Buy the right micro SD card!
Body + Live-View Remote Kit 08/12/2018 by zzForrest (United Kingdom) Verified Purchaser Verified
A very capable video camera, image stabilisation is excellent. Get a 90mb/s micro SD card, otherwise you'll be limited to low res video.
Good
Good
Good
Excellent
Average
Absolutely amazing camera in every respect
Body + Waterproof Case 07/11/2018 by GringoFX (Canada) Verified Purchaser Verified
This model has a great support for older a-mount lenses and in-body image stabilization. These two features triggered my decision to buy a6500. Aside from that, image quality, instant autofocus, bright and colour-accurate display, possibilities of customization and rather compact size make it one of the best mirrorless cameras money can buy.
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Great action camera
FDR-X3000 / FDR-X3000R 28/10/2018 by asterosdelas (USA)
Have this camera for more than a year now. Really love it. Extremely light and high quality. Use it for scuba diving, traveling and vlogging. Wherever I go, I won't leve home without this in combination with a gimbal. Can't wait to see the next generation or firmware updates to see other features.
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Poor focus with motion from start and no warranty
FDR-X3000 / FDR-X3000R 11/10/2018 by elmo1958 (USA)
Following with previous 10/8 post, as I just received a repair $702 cost to address this issue on a $370 camera, included new LCD which work just fine. this in not right, as this poor focus with motion issue is well documented.
Poor
Excellent
Good
Excellent
Excellent
Poor motion focus
FDR-X3000 / FDR-X3000R 08/10/2018 by elmo60 (USA)
Poor motion focus, sent back to sony for warranty repair.
Poor
Good
Good
Poor
Good
My everyday companion on my trip to Greece
FDR-X3000 / FDR-X3000R 24/09/2018 by Yiammi (USA)
Straight to the point. Video quality is fantastic. Day scenes at 4K will blow your mind. Stabilizer does excellent job and after a couple of days you will realize that that the use of a viewfinder is not necessary since the wide angle gets it all. Night scenes are OK and nothing special. Now the sound.... As long it is out of the protective case, audio is great, but when it is inside that case, you hardly record anything. Menu is not difficult to master, and the battery will keep up nicely.
Excellent
Good
Excellent
Good
Good
Great features
Body + Live-View Remote Kit 08/09/2018 by Yuliapuh (United Kingdom) Verified Purchaser Verified
I like my sony action cam. I am very happy....))))
Good
Good
Good
Good
Good
GREAT IN EVERYTHING
Body + Waterproof Case 01/09/2018 by THIIID (United Kingdom)
I BOUGHT IT BEFORE A TRIP TO MAKE SOME VIDEO CLIPS. IT WAS AMAZING ,SIMPLE,VERY LIGHT AND FAST. I THINK THIS IS THE BEST CAMERA AVAILABLE RIGHT NOW ON THE MARKET AND IT'S VERY CHEAP. 4K VIDEOS ARE AMAZING AND IT HAS GOT LOT OF DETAILS IN IT. WHAT MAKE IT SPECIAL IS HOW SIMPLE IT IS AND THE QUALITY IN EVERYWAY. IT'S JUST AMAZING.
Excellent
Good
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Good image. External mic input problems.
Body + Live-View Remote Kit 11/08/2018 by MatthewL (United Kingdom)
Image quality is very good at both 1080p and 4K, and stabilisation is amazing. HOWEVER, the external mic input has a very hot pre-amp and aggressive AGC, making it impossible to use with most microphones. Sony has said they are not interested in fixing it because it doesn't affect the 3 microphones they list as compatible. See here for more details: https://community.sony.co.uk/t5/action-cam/external-mic-problems/m-p/2493498#M337 Do not recommend this camera if you want to use an external microphone, unless you are sure the microphone you want to use works with Sony's broken firmware on this camera.
Excellent
Fair
Average
Good
Good
My Sony FDR-3000R
Body + Live-View Remote Kit 30/07/2018 by John777 (United Kingdom) Verified Purchaser Verified
I have been wanting to buy this camera for some time now and at last I thought I had to. I am pleased with it. The "link ups" were a bit fiddley but eventually got there. The QR scan pic wasn't supported by any of the QR scanning apps I had, but got over that. I think also it takes a little getting used to changing the settings on the side of the camera, once you get the hang of it, it's OK, but it takes patience, not straight off easy. Other than that I am pleased with it and the results outweigh what I have written above, but still take note of it. It would have been nice for the price to have included a "muffler" for the sound outdoors, it makes a world of difference.
Good
Good
Good
Good
Good
overwhelmed
Body + Waterproof Case 29/07/2018 by Art26 (USA) Verified Purchaser Verified
I am overwhelmed with the features of this camera. The manual which I downloaded does not tell me how to delete the video on my memory card.
Average
Average
Good
Excellent
Poor
Important Consideration
Body + Waterproof Case 20/07/2018 by YouTubeOregonMikeH (USA) Verified Purchaser Verified
A one and only Major Concern! The Cam dose not come with a Hard Print Owner's / Operators Manual. This proved so Important, that I would not have bought it had I known Sony was going to be Cheep on that Critical Issue!!
Excellent
Good
Excellent
Excellent
Average
Good but...
Body + Live-View Remote Kit 14/07/2018 by Dreddd (United Kingdom)
After a month the camera picture getting blurry the quality is useless.
Good
Good
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Action Camera with the best Optical Stabization
Body + Waterproof Case 12/07/2018 (USA)
We use it for almost 2 years and it is 100% the best Action Camera on the market for the last 2 years. It has the best quality and the best Optical Stabilization. Also all accessories with good quality. I highly recommend this camera and all Sony Products.
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
So convenient, Smooth& Clear
Body + Live-View Remote Kit 11/07/2018 by Bobbett (USA) Verified Purchaser Verified
This was given to me as a gift. I love that it is so smooth no matter how much you move. Crystal clear I have only videoed on our boat & on my bike.
Excellent
Good
Good
Excellent
Good
great quality sports cam
Body + Waterproof Case 05/07/2018 by iantan (United Kingdom) Verified Purchaser Verified
i bought this for a road trip and to record water sports. the picture quality is excellent and it has a good wide angle lens to pick up all the action. The only downside is the external controller. This allows you to see what you're shooting and control the camera, the downside is the fact it looses connection quite frequently.
Excellent
Average
Good
Good
Good
Cant use it for videos
Body + Waterproof Case 01/07/2018 by Royal45 (USA) Verified Purchaser Verified
i've had this camera for about a week. i can not use it to record videos because it freezes every 5 to 10 seconds.
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Poor
Nicely made camera, stabilisation is excellent
Body + Waterproof Case 12/06/2018 by KenTop (United Kingdom) Verified Purchaser Verified
Bought to update from an older GoPro, very nicely made, simple to use, footage quality is fantastic, stabilisation seems very good with no loss in resolution. lens protector is an expensive extra though.
Excellent
Good
Excellent
Excellent
Good
great camera
Body + Waterproof Case 25/05/2018 by malk (United Kingdom) Verified Purchaser Verified
I bought it in April used under water to check on the fish in my garden pond for damage to them great video f of them great video on my bike no vibration
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Love it
Body + Waterproof Case 16/05/2018 by pochobs (USA) Verified Purchaser Verified
I love this and its accesories. im ready for my vacation now.
Good
Excellent
Excellent
Good
Excellent
Upgrade from HDR-AS100V
Body + Waterproof Case 08/05/2018 by Andybike (United Kingdom) Verified Purchaser Verified
I already have a Sony HDR-AS100V, which I use for cycling and skiing as a helmet camera and for snorkelling, using the standard waterproof case. For the first two, it has been perfect, giving excellent footage, which I use to produce candid videos for my cycle club and skiing friends. I also liked the idea of attaching it to the side of my helmet, rather than having to look like Tinky-Winky all the time. For the snorkelling, the images were not very good. I decided a second, backward-facing camera would be very useful when cycling and so upgraded this time to the FDR-X3000 4K. Being supplied with the waterproof case with flat window, this should give excellent under-water footage when snorkelling, but I have not had the opportunity to try that yet. I have used it when cycling and the images are first-class. The additional features available on this camera should be really useful, but again, I have not yet used them. The design of this camera has many improved features and I found it simple to set up and use. I would recommend it to anyone looking for an action camera.
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Overheats
Body + Waterproof Case 25/04/2018 by Xaero (USA) Verified Purchaser Verified
My first brand new unit would overheat after only a few minutes of recording. I did not have it inside the waterproof case and it was about 40 degrees outside (we were hunting). I had it replaced with another brand new unit that did the exact same thing. I even did a recording test and placed it next to my HDR-AS50. The HDR-AS50 ran about an hour an a half before the battery died. The FDX-X3000 powered off in 9 minutes of recording.
Good
Good
Average
Poor
Average
works pretty good
Body + Waterproof Case 22/04/2018 by jimmy james (USA) Verified Purchaser Verified
i bought it a couple of mounts ago it is ok but turns off when i ruin it a long time
Excellent
Good
Good
Average
Good
Great quality
Body + Waterproof Case 14/04/2018 by James Beard (USA) Verified Purchaser Verified
Best action cam you can get. Sounds great outside waterproof case in the case it does not.
Excellent
Average
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Good Camera Battery Life Terrible
Body + Waterproof Case 10/04/2018 by breeze13 (USA) Verified Purchaser Verified
I really love the FDR-X3000 it has an awesome picture and great ease of use and has no equal with the image stabilization and image quality. But the battery life is the worse. Maybe one 15 min shoot or one time lapse. I have not yet make a determination of how long they actually last.
Excellent
Excellent
Good
Excellent
Excellent
If ONLY it would stay in FOCUS!
FDR-X3000 / FDR-X3000R 08/04/2018 by Bleeder (USA)
The feature set on the Sony FDR-X3000 is absolutely AMAZING for the money, the menu is actually fairly easy to understand once one uses it for a short while, and the B.O.S.S. system is absolutely tremendous in both execution and final results. Blown away by it, actually. But the 4K video quality become aggravating in short time! The INITIAL video quality on all three of my FDR-X3000's (my other two I've had to return, HOPING I'd get a "good one.") would be amazing out of the box, but the honeymoon ends soon thereafter. Once the action cam gets warm with use, the camera's lens become unable to focus correctly (focus to infinity like all action cams do), thus the video, which was initially amazingly brilliant throughout, will become very blurry. You're left with unusable blurry videos once the camera gets warm, and the focus becomes temperamental and eventually terrible. There's a obvious glaring design flaw as the primary reason for the blurry video that eventually happens, as MANY people have experienced the same thing with this particular action cam. As you research the 'net, many have taken their Sony FDR-X3000 apart to try to figure out why the focus was becoming progressively blurry, and found the issue. It comes to find out that Sony "engineers" decided it was a good idea to use some sort of GLUE to secure their awesome lens in the B.O.S.S. Housing to secure it in place. As with all glues, heat it up as the battery will do with Action Cam use, and the glue becomes soft and will eventually MELT. Sony absolutely knows about the flaw in their design, as it is in their own forums regarding this blaring design flaw and focusing issue. The FDR-X1000 hasn't had this issue as far as I know. Simply look for focusing issues on the Forums and YouTube videos regarding the FDR-X3000, and you will find many examples of the design flaw, as well as pictures of where the flaw is located! I can only hope that the Sony engineers will redesign this action cam and better secure their amazing lens within the BOSS housing so blurred focusing issues will no longer occur as the action cam warms up. I really WANT to like my third Sony FDR-X3000, but like the other two I've sent back, it now only focuses 4 feet in front of itself, so I'm limited to making a video was at that distance. Talk about frustrating!
Poor
Good
Excellent
Poor
Good
Supreamo 4K handicam
Body + Live-View Remote Kit 29/03/2018 by Mechhead (United Kingdom) Verified Purchaser Verified
I researched over weeks before settling to buy this little gem, I have 3 other Sony cameras of various capabilities and value but this is the more travelled go everywhere camera I own, I don’t use the 4K option but it’s there if I want to, it’s eye catching in style and ideal for YouTube vlogging and FB. It’s very much a unisex device, both men and women have shown love for this x3000.
Good
Good
Good
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent videos
Body + Live-View Remote Kit 29/03/2018 by Maur25 (United Kingdom)
Pros: The optical stabilization works great on 4k. It does a great job in creating a smooth video. The colors are very good if you have good light. Underwater videos are good and camera catches lively colors. Angle is very good and it's not rounding as much as other cameras. In medium angle there's almost no rounding on pictures / videos. Excellent footage on the slopes with great reaction to shadows / direct sun light. Stabilization in 4k is again super. Sound filtering and wind noise reduction is great. Cons: In low light the pictures are quite bad. Videos are also average but...after all it's an action camera. I got the accessories as well and I just hate the way you need to force out the display from the camera support accessory. If you want to switch the display from camera holder to the wrist holder, you'll have lots of troubles doing it. The buttons on the right / left side of the display require firm pressing. I don't know why you need to push that hard for them to work, sometimes it feels like I'm gonna smash the display because of hard pressing. Overall I think it's a very good product. If it was not for the poor photo performance, I would have rated this a 5 star. The above cons are related more or less to the accessories.
Good
Excellent
Good
Excellent
Excellent
Do not get G o P r o !!! SONY all the way!
Body + Live-View Remote Kit 23/03/2018 by reviewer12345 (United Kingdom) Verified Purchaser Verified
This is a great small camera, which has so many additional items inclusive. I needed a cam for diving and this camera already comes with a case to dive down to 60m! G o p r o you need to purchase separately. The image stabilization is what kills the competition at this size. It is very smooth! I got mine with a remote, thinking it is a gimmicky remote - in realty it is really good, fast responding quality made, up to 3m deep in water if required. This is the ultimate active camera from my opinion. Pack so many features, GPS, WIFI, Bluetooth, live recording - the list goes on!
Good
Good
Excellent
Excellent
Good
Disappointing
Body + Live-View Remote Kit 15/03/2018 by BobWdisappointed (United Kingdom) Verified Purchaser Verified
I bought this a month ago to go scuba diving and the pictures on 4K are shuddering
Poor
Fair
Fair
Average
Fair
4k and Optical Image stabilisation
Body + Live-View Remote Kit 14/03/2018 by Snatch709 (United Kingdom) Verified Purchaser Verified
I have a go pro which is still great for me, but the optical image stabilisation is why I went fro this item, I like the sideways design , it makes it slim on helmets when mounted, and the 4k is awesome quality with stabilisation juts lovely on my 5k monitor
Excellent
Good
Excellent
Excellent
Good
Great Product, works reliably, unlike its rivals
Body + Live-View Remote Kit 08/03/2018 by wushujohn (United Kingdom) Verified Purchaser Verified
I set it up easily and quickly, tested it and the picture quality was great. It has worked every time since at 4K and 1080p. It is so easy to work with. I would recommend this camera to anyone.
Excellent
Good
Excellent
Excellent
softwear is under developed
FDR-X3000 / FDR-X3000R 03/03/2018 by ColinW (USA)
bought the camera to stream to youtube and twitch,but the software/firmware has been neglected im not sure the relationship between IBM & Sony but Ustream is the only Option supported? the cam is old enough to assume they will not be adding support and updates . pointless buy for me
Good
Good
Average
Good
Good
softwear is under developed
Body + Waterproof Case 02/03/2018 by ColinW (USA) Verified Purchaser Verified
bought the camera to stream to youtube and twitch,but the software has not been neglected im not sure the relationship between IBM & Sony but Ustream is the only Option supported? the cam is old enough to assume they will not be adding it
Good
Good
Good
Excellent
Excellent
Great Camera and High Quality Product
Body + Live-View Remote Kit 02/03/2018 by Klipa250 (United Kingdom) Verified Purchaser Verified
it beautifully records in 4k and HD quality, ease of use
Excellent
Good
Good
Excellent
Good
Horrible camera, worst video I have ever had.
Body + Waterproof Case 01/03/2018 by captcon (Canada) Verified Purchaser Verified
This camera is the worst camera I have ever had. It is very tough to figure out but even after I think I did and took it on vacation to Cuba which gave me pictures and video. I could not figure why the video was the same that I have had since 15 years ago, there was no 1080 clarity or 4K whatsoever in the least, I changed many of the settings to try and see if I was the problem and I changed the camera back to 1080 from 4K and it was still like video from a camera for 15 years ago, all the changes were made to the camera took video and photos and in low light it was like a camera I had 20 years ago. No support trying to find something in the the instructions doesn't help. My Olympus TOUGH camera is better than this camera and I can hear under the water noises with it. So have someone call me before I begin to bad mouth your product.
Poor
Poor
Good
Good
Poor
Excellent video quality BUT TERRIBLE AUDIO...
Body + Live-View Remote Kit 25/02/2018 by Phil480 (United Kingdom) Verified Purchaser Verified
Firstly I'll start with the bad points before telling you how good this camera is otherwise... This would have certainly got a 5 star review if it wasn't for the terrible audio quality on the external mic input. The sensitivity is far too high to be usable even when using a standard microphone, regardless of if you plan to use a lapel mic or just an external microphone somewhere. So unless you have an inline volume controller or something to control the gain, there is no way of rectifying this. I suggest to Sony that they issue a firmware update that adds the ability to change the mic sensitivity in the menu to resolve this. This is an action camera, you shouldn't expect to have to plug in extra devices to have it work correctly, especially on a top of the range camera such as this. The same microphones I am trying to use work fine in my other cameras (Drift Ghost S and GoPro's). A minor issue for me, is the Micro SD card can sometimes be tricky to insert correctly. Although it is the right way up and clicks into place, the camera doesn't always detect the card, so I have to re-insert it to get it to work. Now, on to the good stuff... This camera is packed full of features, such as GPS info, Live Streaming, time lapse and burst photo shooting, not to mention various video modes and frame/bit rates. The one button record is a handy feature (something that GoPro stopped doing on their later models). Just press the record button and it will turn the camera on and start recording straight away with the previously set settings. Another handy feature for those who may want an "always recording" option and don't want to worry about having to keep deleting unwanted footage from the card is the continuous loop recording, like the dash cams. It will record a continuous loops of a set time, or you can set it to maximum and it will record until the card is full and then start overwriting from the oldest file. The picture quality of this camera is fantastic! I have attached a video of some 4K test footage I shot from my motorcycle in day and night, all on standard settings. This is at the 60mbps bit rate (the camera can do up to 100mbps with a higher spec SD card, which I don't currently have). Some quality will be lost with YouTube's compression unfortunately, so it doesn't do it true justice. The night footage is by far the best I have seen on an action camera, this is on standard exposure settings. The daytime footage may be slightly over exposed on standard, but I have since tried dropping the exposure a notch which seems to be an improvement. A few people have mentioned that the colours appear to be washed out, even on the vivid colour setting. I would agree, certainly if you compare it to other cameras. However, comparing it to real life, I would say the colours are more true to life. Either way, this can be corrected with editing software, so it's not really an issue. I also have some 1080p, 60fps test footage on my YouTube channel. The higher frame rate does look good, and I think I prefer a higher frame rate over a higher resolution (4K only does a maximum of 30fps). The file size of 4K, 30fps, 60mbps frame rate VS 1080p, 60fps, 50mbps is about the same. A 40 minute continuous clip came to about 14GB, much higher than other cameras but that is understandable because of the higher bit rate and quality. The balanced optical steady shot works very well and gives a nice stable image. It works almost too well for some situations actually. You can turn this off or switch to a standard steady shot which doesn't over-do it. The battery life is significantly reduced when using 4K as you would expect. I'd say you get about 1h30mins at the very most with 4K. You can apparently run this camera from a power bank. I am yet to try it myself, but I hear that it will run off the power bank, but not switch to the internal battery when the power bank power runs out. The camera will turn off, but you can turn it back on again to run off the internal battery. Maybe this is also something Sony can look into, maybe bring out a battery expansion pack? My camera came with the Live View remote, the waterproof housing and the finger grip. The finger grip is a must have accessory if you plan on doing any hand held shooting. It clips the camera and Live View remote together nicely so you can see what you are shooting. It could to with somewhere to hold the rubber lens cap so it's not blowing around on the tether. The waterproof housing does add a bit of bulk to the cameras small size. This is only necessary to use if you are planning to submerge the camera though, otherwise the camera outside of the housing is rain proof. So overall, it is a fantastic camera that is just let down by the external mic audio, something that I'm sure Sony can easily fix. Other than that, I am very happy with this camera and would recommend it.
Excellent
Poor
Excellent
Good
Good
GREAT LITTLE CAMERA
Body + Live-View Remote Kit 13/02/2018 by DOWNUNDERMM (United Kingdom) Verified Purchaser Verified
GREAT PRODUCT ALTHOUGH NOT A FAN OF SONY PRODUCTS THIS CAMERA IS THE EXCEPTION.
Good
Good
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Outstanding video quality
Body + Live-View Remote Kit 31/12/2017 by T2 biker (United Kingdom) Verified Purchaser Verified
Outstanding video quality, Excellent depth of field, a little disappointed in the still picture quality ,but early days yet !!
Excellent
Average
Excellent
Good
Good
Exceptional action camera
Body + Live-View Remote Kit 17/12/2017 by Danny B (United Kingdom) Verified Purchaser Verified
Beautiful vibrant mode colors, excellent image stabilization and a very easy to use interface. It is a bit hard to find accessories for it being given the shape, but otherwise it's maybe the best action cam on the market. Thank you Sony.
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Good
Excellent
The best action cam on the market.
Body + Live-View Remote Kit 15/12/2017 by Alexotronic (United Kingdom) Verified Purchaser Verified
I had Gopro 5 and 6 after selling my fdr x3000 to my friend - they didn't even get close to quality of Sony so I have bought another fdr x3000 but this time I am keeping it. Optical stabilization does its job magnificently for extreme sports. No need for gimbal means less weight and less risk of breaking something. Battery life could be lil bit better tho. I always have two spare batteries with me and that is more than enough for one day. Quality stuff..get it ...NOW!
Excellent
Excellent
Good
Excellent
Good
Doesn't Come With Adhesive Mounts :(
Body + Waterproof Case 24/11/2017 by etmz (USA) Verified Purchaser Verified
It comes with a USELESS clip. Must order Adhesive mounts off the internet.
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Great camera for use in and out of water
FDR-X3000 / FDR-X3000R 13/11/2017 by Cjac (USA)
Researched the Sony x3000 and the GoPro, ultimately went with Sony due to optical vs digital stabilization. Took to Hawaii for use snorkeling and hiking. Clarity was amazing underwater and out with footage nice and steady. Recommend getting the desiccant packs for using the housing underwater to avoid fogging. Battery life is decent and mine routinely lasted 1.5 hrs when not in 4K. Adapters are available to use with GoPro accessories if you want a better selection. Didn't get the remote and don't feel it's necessary if you're debating. Mine connected to my phone easily and I could change settings and view video with just some intermittent minor lag, no issues otherwise.
Excellent
Excellent
Good
Good
Build quality above competitors. Lens very clear
Body + Live-View Remote Kit 31/10/2017 by Sam17 (United Kingdom)
Build quality is fantastic, feels solid, case is brilliantly designed. Audio quality (without case) is very very good. Video quality is crisp as long as you are in well lit conditions. You will need a fast memory card for this camera.
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
brilliant cam
Body + Live-View Remote Kit 21/10/2017 by ricky brown pants (United Kingdom)
ive had all the gopro cams and this beats all of them
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Amazing handheld mini 4k camera
FDR-X3000 / FDR-X3000R 20/10/2017 by barnesy (Canada)
Optical stabilization is amazing. Remote feature works well with watch and iPhone
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
4 years without upgrading my old sony action cam
FDR-X3000 / FDR-X3000R 27/09/2017 by Greg007 (USA)
In 2013 I bought the Sony AS30 / AS20 action cam. I have been using it for 4 years now to built my youtube channel to 1 billion views (AmusementForce). Every year I have been waiting for Sony to make a better camera for me. They failed 4 years in a row. The AS20 comes with a waterproof case that has holes on front of the mic so the audio quality is very good. The problem with this camera is it doesn't offer the same housing instead it's housing is highly enclosed so the audio quality is much worse and for that reason I can't upgrade to this model - still. I know the image quality is much better but I can't trade it in for worse audio quality. Sony, if you are reading this what I'm asking is very simple. You offer 2 different waterproof housing for this camera selling them separately. One will be super waterproof like the one you have right now. The other one should be less waterproof (5m / 16ft) but with a membrane in front of the mic for better audio. It's simple. Go ahead and do it. I can't wait to upgrade my old camera I can definitely afford it just offer something to me that's good for what I do. I never bought this camera and never will until you sell the waterproof housing I'm asking for providing good audio.
Excellent
Poor
Fair
Excellent
Excellent
Best Action Camera
Body + Live-View Remote Kit 21/09/2017 by Andrew90 (United Kingdom) Verified Purchaser Verified
I use this camera every day and it is great. Best video and audio quality on action camera.
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Wow!
Body + Live-View Remote Kit 31/08/2017 (United Kingdom) Verified Purchaser Verified
This is an unbelieveble camera. I am very satisfied.
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Good
Excellent
Bad Recommendation, bad camera
FDR-X3000 / FDR-X3000R 07/08/2017 by GB0524 (USA)
I bought this in December 2016, and have been trying to make it work....but I give up. It's just awful. Loses connection all the time with the Live Remote. Very cumbersome to zoom. Almost impossible to track live action because you can't actually see what you are recording without the live remote. I paid a pretty high price for a complete dud. I tried to cut my losses and sell it, but zero buyers. I'm done with Sony over this, unless they want to buy it back.
Fair
Fair
Poor
Poor
Poor
Best actioncam
FDR-X3000 / FDR-X3000R 30/07/2017 by anvartvhd (USA)
SONY FDR-X3000R A great camera. Has great stabilization. Great camera for vacation.
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
High Quality photo/video for such a camera
Body + Live-View Remote Kit 22/07/2017 by Bidib17 (USA) Verified Purchaser Verified
1. Personal ExperiencI bought this camera about a month ago. I was debating whether to buy this camera or the GoPro Hero 5 black. After watching so many in-depth reviews on both cameras, I decided to buy this camera. My main use for the camera is to use in vlogging vacation trips which always include some water activities. I took this camera to Florida's Universal Orlando theme parks and let me tell you, the video quality is unbelievable. I am a very picky person when it comes to video quality and the image stability while filming and walking. I was really pleased with the end result of my videos. Video quality is extremely clear and stable even in the 1080p setting; even though they advertise it for the 4k setting. 2. Battery Life: This was my main concern because GoPro battery life is very short and I needed a camera to shoot plenty of videos within a long period of time. I'm the person that records videos, stops and turns off the camera to save battery. Even though the camera lasted me 3 whole days, I would still buy an additional battery back because, by day 3 mid day, my camera died. Definitely advise not to overcharge your camera, which results in battery damage in general. I took this camera to a water park and the waterproof housing was sturdy and kept all the water away from getting into the actual camera. The only small con I would say about the camera is that when the waterproof housing is in use, the microphone is covered and the video sounds like in underwater. But nothing like video editor systems can fix that. 3. Live Remote: When you get the product, I would suggest buying it with the Live Remote. The live remote not only is handy for viewing your camera angles, but it also controls your camera settings so you dont have to use the actual camera to control it. In addition, having the remote allows you to save battery on your phone because you would not have to use the sony app to control views. The live remote does work with wifi bluetooth. The only thing I was kind of annoyed with was that the fact that while you are recording your videos, it only shows 5 seconds of the view then the screen goes black;but still records. I wish I would be able to view the whole video while recording. 4. Overall: i'm satisfied with this camera and all the updated features. I would recommend this camera for people who are interested in action video/photo shots as well as people who are interested in normal vlogging video/photo shots
Excellent
Good
Average
Average
Excellent
Won't connect to many smartphones for live viewing
FDR-X3000 / FDR-X3000R 21/07/2017 by DonX (USA)
The smartphone app to use with the camera will not work with most Android-based phones using Android 7.0 !! Sony needs to fix this problem immediately. I can't monitor the camera without buying the special Sony remote and having to carry around more gear, so I will return the camera for a refund. Moreover, trying to use the app and connect the camera severely corrupted the OS on my phone. I had to delete everything on my phone by doing a factory data reset, and this almost permanently damaged my phone.
Average
Average
Poor
Good
Good
Great Quality at First
FDR-X3000 / FDR-X3000R 15/07/2017 by Joshyutah (USA)
So the camera is great at first. The image quality is something else. But there are a few issues. 1st one is the memory card was relocated to under the mount. So every time you need to change the memory card you have to take the mount off. This is very time consuming. 2nd the camera easily over heats. When sitting in a room that is 70 degrees, it will over heat in 20-30 minutes. This is a big problem when out in the summer and warm places in the winter. I find myself not recording everything i want to try to keep the camera cool. 3rd the focus goes crazy. The problem with this is if the camera gets over 90 degrees the focus will set itself to near and the video goes blurry. From what i have found on the internet, this sounds like a design flaw after reading other people's posts. But if you can keep the camera cool it works amazing. I will likely wait to the next generation before buying another.
Poor
Excellent
Excellent
Poor
Excellent
Updated review...
Body + Waterproof Case 12/07/2017 by RwallacePhoto (USA) Verified Purchaser Verified
I'm man enough to admit when he was wrong and well....I was wrong. My first review I talked about only having this for six months and two recording when suddenly it would no longer recognize the memory cards. It was because I was inserting them backwards. This is the first camera (stills or video) that I have had that the memory card clicks in easily no matter which way the contacts go which left me no reason (as far as I'm concerned lol) to think it was backwards. Anyway, this is an outstanding camera (I love more than the GoPro I used to use) and would recommend it to any and everyone!
Excellent
Fair
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Perfect until it wasn't...
Body + Waterproof Case 10/07/2017 by Rwallace (USA) Verified Purchaser Verified
Although I've only used this a couple of times (went from GoPro to this due to image stabilization in camera) the results were better than GoPro BUT only after my second time using the camera it now will not recognize my microSDXC cards and it's only been 6 months since purchase but that is also past the warranty agreement. So now I'm going to be stuck paying more money if I want to fix it leaving me with a tough decision on whether to pull that trigger or just go back to GoPro. I hope others do not run into this problem and they get their money's worth. Thank you Sony and I'm sorry GoPro peeps!
Excellent
Fair
Good
Good
Good
Difficult set up menu and inadequate instructions
Body + Live-View Remote Kit 09/07/2017 by tovidal51 (USA) Verified Purchaser Verified
Neat little camera but it took me hours to finally get it working with the Live Remote. Sony needs to post a detailed tutorial on this camera on YouTube.
Average
Poor
Fair
Average
Poor
Great alternative to a Go Pro
Body + Waterproof Case 05/07/2017 by kjos (United Kingdom) Verified Purchaser Verified
A nice alternative from the usual square design of action cams. I use it when cycling, It fits neatly in a pocket and can be filming in a few seconds. The design fits easily and comfortable in hand.Feels very secure and bomb proof in the supplied casing.
Excellent
Good
Excellent
Excellent
Good
Excellent Actioncam
FDR-X3000 / FDR-X3000R 21/06/2017 by Jekerer (USA)
The Camera creates excellent quality movie Clips. Mounting options are good. The remote turned out to be very useful. The wrist band of the remote however is poorly designed. It is too short if wearing a jacket. It fell of in a jump during a Canyoning. I'm trying to buy a remote only, but I'm not sure if this is possible.
Excellent
Average
Excellent
Good
Good
First time owning an action cam
FDR-X3000 / FDR-X3000R 15/06/2017 by AlexDoro89 (USA)
I've never had an action cam before, so I can not compare it to anything. But, this little piece of equipment is just amazing. I love traveling around the country, going camping, hikes etc. In April 2017 I was going on a cross country road trip and wanted to make a video of it. I was not shooting 4k since the files would be too big for me to process. The menus are very simple to use and fast to switch between the modes. The video and photo quality is stunning. The stabilization is very impressive. I had it mount on the trunk and the hood of my car while driving on very bumpy gravel road and the video looks as steady as the road was paved. I always try to keep the cam in the protective case which seems to be very durable. At some point the cam fell on the ground without the case and the lens got a tiny scratch, but I can not see that scratch on my photos or videos, so that's a good thing. The battery lasts decent amount of time, I got 3.5-4 hours of time-laps on a single charge. If you need a longer time-lapse get a usb power bank. I did tons of research before getting this product and I don't think there is anything better on the market at the moment. My only regret is that I did not get it earlier.
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Neat little action cam
Body + Live-View Remote Kit 12/06/2017 by Blobby55 (United Kingdom) Verified Purchaser Verified
It's worth every penny and weight in gold it's lovely to handle
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
sony akcion cam
Body + Live-View Remote Kit 08/06/2017 by gajos (United Kingdom) Verified Purchaser Verified
Hi. I recommend this camera Sony Action Cam FDR-X3000R everyone who likes to record in different conditions. Even underwater. Great recording in 4K and Full HD. Good stabilization. I use it mainly in the field I am very satisfied.
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Fantastic camera - terrible accessories
Body + Live-View Remote Kit 30/05/2017 by Rick P (United Kingdom) Verified Purchaser Verified
There's no doubt in my mind that the camera itself is fabulous. The image stabilisation is the main reason I bought it and I haven't been disappointed. However, everything else about Sony and their action camera ecosystem is less than helpful with the successful deployment of the camera. For a start you can only buy this camera with the live view remote in the UK. This adds a lot of money to the purchase price and, for me, isn't really that necessary and it's not particularly good to be perfectly honest. Why it couldn't have been available as an accessory I don't know - other than Sony UK might make less money of course, heaven forbid. Also, the accessories for the X3000, despite the camera having been around for a good few months, are both expensive and pretty naff. The suction mount, for example, broke on the first outing and wasn't particularly stable when it was briefly working. There are no stick-on mounts provided with the camera either even though they give you a buckle attachment to go into them (!) - I'm assuming Sony think to buy this camera you must be upgrading from an older one but then they haven't thought that through as some of the older mounts - the skeleton for example, don't work with the new camera. You can get adaptors and add-ons for GoPro cameras to work but it's all a bit Heath Robinson in the end and leaves you fairly frustrated. So it's nearly great, but so far away it means I'm unlikely to buy another. It's a sad situation sadly, a great action camera well and truly stymied by a poor ecosystem. They really ought to ask their people to try to use the cameras in real-life situations and put their undoubtedly talented minds to a proper set of accessories.
Excellent
Average
Good
Good
Poor