When action camera giant GoPro announced earlier this month that it was cutting staff, it raised questions about the future of the small, lightweight, hardy cameras.
GoPro is the clear industry leader when it comes to the little cameras popular with adventure buffs, but its woes raised doubts about whether people are still willing to pay good money for a standalone camera at a time when those in smartphones are improving rapidly.
Still, analysts and users say the cameras still have a place in most gadget bags, even for those who might never do anything as extreme as skydiving, mountain biking or snowboarding.
"Not wanting to risk water damage to my smartphone, I prefer to take along an action camera such as a GoPro on my holidays, like to an island resort," said Miss Tarin Teo, 27, a public relations manager.
Sales of these cameras have been strong in the Asia-Pacific region, though the pace has slowed recently, said market research firm GfK Asia.
In 2016, action camera sales in the Asia-Pacific grew by 54 per cent from 2015. Last year, the growth was 21 per cent from 2016.
"While we expect the action camera market to grow, smartphones are increasingly having high-quality video-recording features which might eliminate some potential consumers' need to purchase an action camera," said GfK Asia senior director Gerard Tan.
"Sharing of content through social media has helped drive (action camera) sales, but we have also seen prices fall over the last few years," he added.
This month, action camera market leader GoPro announced that its flagship Hero6 Black's price has been reduced from $750 to $595.
While GoPro says it is an effort to ensure the GoPro experience is as widely accessible as possible, this has been seen by critics as a move to help bump up sales.
There have been relatively few new action cameras hitting the market of late, but The Straits Times tested three of the best action cameras - the Casio G'z Eye, GoPro Hero6 Black and Sony RX0 - released here recently.
The cameras were mounted on a helmet which was worn while this writer cycled, played basketball and went on rides at the Wild Wild Wet water park to see which camera captured the best action.
Most rugged action camera: Casio G'z Eye
Casio has modelled its latest action camera - the G'z Eye (GZE-1) - after its rugged G-Shock watches.
Unlike the rectangular shape of most action cameras, it has a round, watch-like design with the lens in the centre and buttons on its sides. This is an action camera that will turn heads with its good looks.
The lens faces the user and the huge video-recording button is on top. The power button is at the one o'clock position, while the photo release button is at 11 o'clock and the Wi-Fi button at three o'clock.
Like G-Shock watches, the G'z Eye has bumper protectors around its rim to protect the lens and buttons against impact.
Indeed, it is the most rugged action camera here. It is waterresistant to 50m. It can withstand drops from up to 4m high and resist freezing temperatures as low as minus 10 deg C. It is also dust-proof.
It does not have a built-in display. Users use the G'z Eye app (available on Android and iOS) as a viewfinder and to change the camera's settings.
While pairing the camera with the app via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth is a breeze, the transfer of photos and videos can be a drag at times - especially when it involves large video files. It may be easier to take out the microSD card to retrieve footage.
