(2 pack) Polaroid Sport Action Camera 720p 12.1mp, Waterproof, Rechargeable Battery, Mounting Accessories

For $30, I don’t think you can find anything better in terms of a waterproof camera for the occasional whitewater rafting trip. I bought this camera for my first whitewater rafting trip with the idea that I’d like to take my own photos and videos of my trip for $30 than pay $30 for one photo from the rafting company. I also figured that I’d rather lose a $30 camera in the rapids than my $600 cellphone (especially if I lose the cellphone to a $20 “waterproof” case that failed). I got more than I gambled for … in a good way! This camera took pretty good video footage on the river. It picked up distant mountains (including details such as rock faces and the contours of the wooded mountainsides). It did a good job of catching the swirling and frothing of the river. It captured faces well. There was a slight discoloration on the fringes of the shot as the day went on, but not so severe that it significantly detracted from the footage. The sound quality was better than I expected. I had the camera mounted on my helmet using one of the mounts that comes with the camera. The image was shaky and it is certainly no replacement for a steady-cam, but the image was more stable than I expected, especially when the adhesive pad folded on itself, resulting in the camera flopping around some. The audio isn’t high quality, but I don’t think anyone could expect high-definition audio from a $30 camera. It picked up conversation within about 5 feet of me, even through the rapids. It picked up the sounds of the river well with minimal feedback (maybe once when I passed under a railroad trestle). The only struggle with sound was when a train passed along the river, which sort of overwhelmed the microphone’s capability. The sound of the train came out as just a large din, hardly recognizable as a train approaching. All in all, I would describe the audio quality as comparable to that of the first basic digital camera models to record video in the early 00’s. Not great, but good enough for a $30 camera. As far as taking photos, you can definitely find better cameras out there. An old cellphone with a waterproof case would take much better quality photos, but I don’t think you are buying this camera for its photo-taking ability as much as for the waterproof video capability. The photo quality is like that of early to mid 00’s basic digital camera models–it is a standard-quality image in good conditions and very sensitive to direct sunlight, low-light, etc. If all you need is a camera to take photos, I might go somewhere else than this camera. All in all, this $30 camera hits above its weight for its very economical price-point. I would recommend this to anyone who is seeking a cheap, waterproof camera for an occasional adventure. It won’t give you professional-quality footage, but it won’t disappoint either. I am going to have to find some more adventures, so that I can get more use out of this camera! *I have included photos for reference.