Activeon CX Makes Action Video Affordable

Gone are the days of slideshows and faded photo albums. Memories are now captured digitally and are shared with friends, family, and strangers around the world. Phones are really cameras that make calls and send text messages, and sharing experiences with video is now de rigeur. One tool, however, that’s been more elusive for the average Local Tourist is the action camera.

Activeon CX makes action video affordable with their full-featured action camera. What has been the bailiwick of adventure travelers and extreme sports enthusiasts is now an affordable option for anyone who wants to capture their life in real time.

How good is the quality of the video? Well, Activeon is now the official camera for Cirque du Soleil and is used not only to capture the acrobatic theater behind-the-scenes, but is also used in their Kurios show. Members of the media were invited to attend one of the last Cirque du Soleil shows during their Chicago run and we were each given a camera kit that included a selfie stick and an 8gb card.

The camera is tiny enough to fit into skinny jeans. At a mere 1.6″ x 2.3″ x 1″ it’s smaller than a flip phone, yet it still has a 2″ LED screen so you can actually see when you’re shooting video. The resolution is up to a full 1080p 30FPS. You can zoom, but I wouldn’t recommend it as the quality degrades very quickly. It comes with a waterproof case and an adhesive mount. There’s also a universal screw in the camera itself so you can mount it on any tripod or selfie stick.

But wait, there’s more! The Activeon CX is wifi-enabled. Not only can you download videos to your phone so you can share them immediately, you can also control the camera through the app. That comes in really handy when you’re using that selfie stick (or as I like to call it, the everyone-else stick). The app does crash constantly when you try to access the album, but as a controller for the camera it works well.

Another caveat is the sound. If you’ve got the waterproof casing on the sound quality is decent, but it improves markedly without the case. It captures conversation and ambient noise well, but don’t plan on recording your favorite concert and getting usable audio. While this is a perfect accessory for festival-going because you can get great visuals of the crowd and the band, the sound will be maxed out.

I’ve now taken this tiny technological wonder with me all over Chicago, from the Botanic Gardens to the north to the Japanese Garden in Batavia, to a Cubs game at Wrigley, an Oktoberfest in Naperville, and on one of the last rides on the Navy Pier Ferris Wheel. You can see my quick video above.

At less than $120, this little baby packs quite the punch. To start recording your action-packed life visit activeon.com . 

I’m no videographer but I had a blast creating this montage! I used Cyberlink’s PowerDirector*, which allowed me to speed up and slow down various sections as well as create the transitions, add audio, and more. Expect to see more video from The Local Tourist soon!