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The AZ1VR's footage is vibrant with decent definition, contrast and plenty of detail in both the shadows and highlights. In situations where there is a shaded foreground and bright background, highlights can cause lens flare and burnout, but generally the camera copes well with changes in exposure.
We found that during the test we had to make sure that the waterproof housing's lens was spotless, otherwise this could cause heavy flare. We also used GoPro Anti fog inserts inside the housing to prevent the inside from fogging, which is a common issue with all housed action cameras.
A feature that really makes a difference to the quality of the captured footage is the SteadyShot image stabilization which, due to Sony's long running experience in the broadcast and camera business, works exceptionally well, doing its job and smoothing out shaky footage.
This stabilization does come at a cost, though, because the field of view is reduced from 170 degrees down to 120, so you don't get such a wide angle of view – but this may be a small price to pay for the increase in stability.
We liked
There's plenty to like about the AZ1VR Mini. The small size makes it easy to attach without it getting in the way and once in place the live view remote can be used to adjust settings and start and stop recording without having to touch the camera again.
We disliked
The waterproof housing is a little fiddly to remove and when filming you really do need to make sure that the lens stays clean as it seems to be more prone than most to blurring or fogging the footage.
Verdict
The AZ1VR is a well thought out and easy to use action camera that lets you capture the action without having to worry about settings or fiddling around with miniature buttons.
It's the partnership between the camera and remote that really makes this a great action camera and with the enhanced video capture format and SteadyShot features it's a good choice for any enthusiast.
Sony has been in this market for a few years with its AS range of action cameras there are already a good variety of mounts out there, so what ever the sport or activity you want to film then there's sure to be a mount to help you do it.
