9 Best Waterproof Actioncams

• Video5.3K60, 91 percent more resolution than 4K
• Photos27MP, 24.7MP stills pulled from video
• Waterproof33 ft (10 m) without a case
• Slow motionup to 13x in burst slo-mo
• LensesHB-Series mods detected automatically
• In the boxEnduro battery, curved mount, USB-C cable

Best for: Anyone who wants one camera for land and shallow water and does not want to think about settings

This is the camera to buy if you do not want to research cameras. The 5.3K sensor is the same class GoPro has been refining since the HERO11, and the practical benefit is not the number itself but the headroom: you shoot wide, then crop, straighten or reframe later and still deliver clean 4K.

The HB-Series lens mods are the real change over the older bodies. Screw on the Ultra Wide, the Macro or an ND filter and the camera detects it and adjusts by itself, which matters when your hands are cold and the board is moving. Waterproofing is 33 ft without any housing, so pool, snorkel and surf are covered; for anything deeper you need a dive case.

• Sensor1/1.3 inch with 2.4 micrometer pixels
• Dynamic range13.5 stops
• WaterproofIP68, 20 m (66 ft) without a housing
• Battery1950 mAh, up to 4 hours of recording
• Stabilization360 degree HorizonSteady
• Screensfront and rear OLED touchscreens

Best for: Divers, night riders and anyone who films for hours at a time

The Osmo Action 5 Pro is the answer whenever water is the point rather than the backdrop. IP68 to 20 m means you can take it snorkeling and on a shallow dive without buying a housing, and the color temperature sensor keeps the footage from turning the usual blue-green.

The second reason to pick it is light. A 1/1.3 inch sensor with 2.4 micrometer pixels and 13.5 stops of dynamic range is a different class from the 1/1.9 inch chips in this list, and it shows on evening rides and in shaded water. Add a 1950 mAh battery that runs four hours and it becomes the camera for long days rather than short bursts.

• Video8K 360 or 5.7K60, 4K60 as a wide-angle cam
• Field of view170 degree MaxView at 4K30
• Waterproof33 ft (10 m), 164 ft (50 m) with the dive case
• Battery2290 mAh, up to 135 minutes
• Screen2.5 inch Gorilla Glass touchscreen
• Cold ratingdown to -4 F (-20 C)

Best for: Anyone who would rather shoot everything and decide on the angle at the desk

A 360 camera solves a different problem than a GoPro. You do not aim it. You mount it, ride, and choose the framing afterwards in the app, which is why it is the camera for solo shots where nobody is holding anything.

The X4 shoots 8K 360 or 5.7K60, and when you do not need the sphere it works as a 4K60 wide-angle cam with a 170 degree MaxView mode. Bare, it is rated to 33 ft like the GoPros; with the Invisible Dive Case it reaches 164 ft, the deepest figure in this list. The catch is the workflow: every 360 clip needs a pass in the app before it is a video anyone can watch.

• Video5.3K60, 2.7K240 for 8x slow motion
• Photos27MP, 24.7MP stills from video
• Sensor1/1.9 inch
• Waterproof33 ft (10 m) without a case
• StabilizationHyperSmooth 5.0 with Horizon Lock
• In the boxEnduro battery, curved mount, USB-C cable

Best for: Anyone who wants GoPro footage and does not need the newest lens mods

The HERO11 is the value entry into GoPro footage. It shoots the same 5.3K60 as the HERO13, it stabilizes with HyperSmooth 5.0 including Horizon Lock, and it takes every mount GoPro has ever made. For helmet and handlebar work you would be hard pressed to tell the two apart in a finished edit.

What you give up is the lens mod system and the newer battery management. What you get back is roughly 90 dollars. If your footage ends up on a phone screen rather than a color grade, this is the more sensible purchase of the two.

• Video5.7K 360 with Active HDR
• Wide angle4K30, or 2.7K60 with a 170 degree MaxView
• Screen2.29 inch touchscreen
• Waterproof33 ft (10 m)
• StabilizationFlowState plus Horizon Lock
• In the boxcharge cable, pouch, lens cloth

Best for: A first 360 camera, or a second body for the mount you do not want to risk

The X3 is the X4 with the numbers turned down, and for most people that is enough. 5.7K of 360 footage reframes cleanly to 1080p, which is where these clips end up anyway, and the stabilization is the same FlowState system with Horizon Lock.

It is the camera to buy when you are not yet sure whether 360 fits how you shoot. The exposed lenses are the weak point: budget for lens guards from day one, because a scratch sits in the middle of every frame you record afterwards.

• Video8K20 or 4K60, 48MP photos
• Lensesdual 1/1.8 inch CMOS, night lens at F1.8
• Battery2000 mAh built in plus a 4200 mAh power handle, up to 7 hours
• Waterproof5 m (16 ft) bare body
• Stabilizationsix axis gyro, SteadyMotion 2.0, 45 degree Horizon Lock
• Extraspre-record up to 51 seconds, 5G Wi-Fi

Best for: Long rides, night footage and vertical clips for social platforms

SJCAM built the SJ30 around the two things that end a shooting day: battery and darkness. The internal 2000 mAh cell plus the 4200 mAh power handle carry seven hours of continuous 4K, and the second 1/1.8 inch lens with an F1.8 aperture exists purely for low light.

The trade is depth. The bare body is rated to 5 m, so this is a camera for rain, spray and the occasional dunk rather than for snorkeling. Native vertical recording and a 51 second pre-record buffer make it the most social-media-shaped camera in the list.

• Video4K30, 20MP photos
• Screensrear touchscreen plus a front color screen
• WaterproofIPX7 body, 131 ft (40 m) in the case
• Stabilizationsix axis EIS 2.0
• Battery2x 1350 mAh
• Extrasremote control, external microphone support, zoom

Best for: Vlogging on a budget where you need to see yourself in frame

The Brave 7 LE is the cheapest camera here that you can actually vlog with, because the front color screen lets you check your own framing. Everything else is the familiar budget package done properly: 4K30, 20MP photos, six axis EIS 2.0, two batteries and a wrist remote.

Waterproofing works in two stages. The bare body is IPX7, which covers rain and spray. For swimming and snorkeling you put it in the bundled case, and then it is rated to 131 ft, deeper than the GoPros manage bare.

• Video4K30 and 1080p60, 20MP photos
• Screen2 inch IPS touchscreen
• Waterproof131 ft (40 m) with the bundled case
• StabilizationEIS
• Battery2x 1350 mAh, about 140 minutes each
• Extrasremote control, 5x zoom, helmet accessory kit

Best for: A first action camera, or one you can afford to lose in the surf

This is the camera that makes the argument for cheap action cams. Under 80 dollars buys 4K30, a touchscreen, two batteries, a remote and a case rated to 131 ft, and the mounting kit is the same shape as GoPro hardware, so a helmet mount from anywhere fits.

The compromises are real and predictable: the small sensor gets noisy as light drops, stabilization gives up before HyperSmooth does, and the colors are flat out of the camera. For a first cam, a spare cam or a rental-boat cam where loss is likely, none of that outweighs the price.

• Videotrue 4K
• Screens2.0 inch touchscreen plus 1.3 inch front screen
• Waterproof30 m (98 ft) underwater
• StabilizationSteadyMotion 2.0 with 45 degree horizon correction
• Lens166 degree wide angle
• Extrasmulti-language voice control

Best for: A second body for the bag, or a first camera for someone who films occasionally

The SJ6 Ultra is the SJ30 with the expensive parts removed. You still get true 4K, two screens, SteadyMotion 2.0 with 45 degree horizon correction and a 166 degree lens, and it is rated for 30 m underwater, which is more than most people will ever need.

It makes sense as a second camera. Clip it to a bag, hand it to a passenger, put it on the kayak you are not riding, and if it disappears the loss is a tank of fuel. As a only camera it is fine for holiday footage, less so for anything you plan to color grade.