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Rylo ($499)
Gone are the days when you simply strapped your action cam to your helmet and prayed for decent footage. Rylo’s dual-lens camera shoots video in 360 degrees, so you get everything. Later on, you launch the app and choose the sequences and camera angles that work best for your clip. In other words, you never miss the raddest shots—even the ones behind you. Rylo’s app is easy to use, and the image stabilization is top-notch.
iPhone XR ($749)
We can’t really recommend the iPhone XS—at $999, it’s just too expensive. Instead, get the more affordable XR. For one thing, the camera is nearly identical. You forgo a second telephoto lens, but the smart software lets you shoot comparably beautiful portraits with blurred backgrounds. You also get the same Smart HDR system, which ensures great shadow and highlight detail. Low-light shots are fantastic too, courtesy of greater pixel depth.
DJI Osmo Pocket ($349)
In the race to pack the smoothest video into a compact POV camera, DJI is miles ahead. Instead of relying on anti-shake software, this tiny shooter is permanently attached to a three-axis gimbal, which shifts and rotates to cut out shake and nausea-inducing motion. The Osmo Pocket doesn’t take up much space and works seamlessly with the DJI app, so you can create like-worthy social-media content on the fly.
Nikon Z7 ($3,400)
For the first time in years, we’re not featuring a DSLR camera on this page. Why? Because high-end mirrorless shooters like the Nikon Z7 have taken over. This one weighs about a third less than a comparable DSLR but still comes packed with cutting-edge specs, such as a giant, full-frame, 45-megapixel sensor for ultra-defined photos, the ability to capture peak action shots at nine frames per second, and great low-light sensitivity.
GoPro Hero7 Black ($400)
GoPro is still very much in the game, and the Hero7 is pretty good at a lot of things. Footage is smoother, thanks to a stabilization-software upgrade. You can also control the camera with your voice (through commands like “Take a photo”), valuable when you’re on the move. The housing is bomber—it resists falls and is waterproof to 33 feet—and the updated app makes social sharing and video editing seamless.