If an action cam isn't your speed, check out our other guides, including the Best Compact Cameras, Best Mirrorless Cameras, and Best Instant Cameras.

The Hero 13 Black (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is the first major update to GoPro’s flagship camera in many years. While the design remains roughly the same, a new interchangeable lens system makes the Hero 13 Black considerably more versatile than anything else in this guide. In addition to the standard lens, there is now an Ultra Wide Lens Mod ($96) with a 177-degree field of view, a new Macro Lens Mod ($130) for close-ups, and a new Anamorphic Lens Mod ($130) with a 21:9 aspect ratio and those sweet, sweet movie-style lens flares. The Anamorphic lens will arrive next spring, but others are available now. All those lenses make for a much more expensive system, but you can buy them as needed, so there's no need to invest in it all.

The result is a camera that's great for people who primarily shoot 360 footage but want to occasionally shoot something more action-oriented.

Alongside the Hero 13 Black, there is now a smaller, less capable, but much cheaper Hero 13 action camera. Video tops out at 4K, and there are no interchangeable lenses, but if you want a basic, no-frills action cam, it's hard to argue with the Hero 13's $200 price. It's a lot of camera for the money.

Choosing the right action camera used to be simple: Go with GoPro. That's still good advice, as the GoPro ranks high on our list and is our top pick for most adventure-seeking photographers, but there are also some worthy competitors, some of which can do more than the GoPro. To figure out what exactly makes the best action camera, we dove with them, climbed with them, surfed with them, and handed them to reckless 12-year-olds on bikes. We found several great options that will record, and survive, your adventures on the ski slope, beach, or skate park.

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If you're going to be filming yourself at all, the Insta360 Ace Pro 2 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is the camera to get. It has a great lens and sensor co-engineered with Leica, capable of recording 8K video at up to 30 fps. The 8K is not great for action—it has quite a bit of digital artifacts in fast-moving scenes—but it's nice for cropping in on slower shots while retaining 4K video quality. The must-have feature for vlogging is the flip-up rear screen. While other action cameras offer a small front screen to compose selfies, the entire back of the Ace Pro is a screen that flips up, and it's easier to frame yourself. It also makes it easy to shoot from the hip and other unusual angles.

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Insta360's Go 3S (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is a hybrid camera that transforms from a traditional action-camera design to a more portable go-anywhere wearable camera. In action camera mode, it's much like everything else in this guide—the flip-up rear screen is very similar to the company's Ace Pro. The Go 3 isn't fully waterproof in this mode, which is a significant downside, but when you remove the camera from the case, the camera itself is waterproof to 33 feet (10 meters). The case can continue as a remote monitor even when you pull the camera out. Couple that with the extremely strong magnetic mounting system on the camera pod, and the Go 3 becomes capable of shots and angles that no other camera in this guide can match.

This is a seriously tough camera: freeze-proof, crush-proof, dustproof, and shockproof (you can drop it from 7 feet). It also has "real" camera features you won't find elsewhere, like focus stacking for close-ups, an extensive set of add-ons, extra lenses, and even an underwater case that extends its depth rating.

The line between action camera and 360 camera continues to blur. While I am generally a fan of things that do one thing well, Insta360's X4 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is a compelling argument that sometimes a camera can be great at two things. This hybrid 360/action camera offers 8K 360-degree footage in a tiny, consumer-friendly package. When you're not feeling like 360 footage, switch to single-lens mode and use it like a 4K action cam. The X4 is slim, relatively lightweight, and can shoot very high resolution (and fun! Don't forget fun!) 72-MP spherical images.

For the money, DJI's Osmo Action 5 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is the best action camera you can buy right now. It trumps our previous top pick, the GoPro Hero 13 Black in several ways, including battery life, which tops out at two solid hours of 4K video recording in my tests. The Action 5 Pro can now record a 4:3 ratio in 4K at 120 frames per second and features a new SuperNight mode, which shoots up to 4K/30-fps footage at 16:9 and uses noise reduction to get great footage, even in low light situations.

The Olympus TG-7 isn't a strap-it-to-your-head-and-shred camera, but if you're shooting underwater—a common use case for these cameras—this is your best bet. The sensor in the TG-7 is the largest of the bunch (it's a micro four-thirds sensor). Olympus has abandoned its camera business, which means this camera line is essentially dead. I still think the TG-7 is the camera to get if you're shooting a lot of underwater footage.

Sure, the GoPro Hero 13 offers 5.3K video resolution, higher than the Action 5, but in practice, I've encountered very few situations where this matters. Given the longer battery life, much better low-light capabilities, and smaller design, DJI is the better buy.

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All those cheap cameras on Amazon: Readers often ask, why spend $400 on a GoPro when they can get a camera with 4K video for $100? It's a fair question, and the answer comes down to software, primarily image stabilization. Action cameras are designed to be strapped to helmets or clipped to your chest while you skydive, rock climb, and race through the city on a scooter. Without stabilization, the results are something even your closest friends won't sit through. So yes, you'll get 4K footage with the cheaper cams, but it'll be footage no one wants to see. In our view, you're better off spending another $100 for a GoPro Hero 11 or 12 on sale. The results won't be GoPro-caliber, but if you're just getting into action cams, this is a good way to test the waters.

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Insta360 ONE RS Twin Edition for $412: I loved the interchangeable lens system when this camera launched, but it's been two years since it was updated and feels a little like abandonware at this point. If you want 360 and action with the same camera, I recommend the Insta360 X4 above. It has better image quality, a better screen, and better battery life for not much more money.

Oclu Action Camera for $199: Oclu has a very different take on the action camera, eschewing the usual design for a flat body with the primary screen on top. The result is a camera that can fit places others won't—like the bottom of a skateboard. The Oclu shoots 4K at 30 fps or, if you want slo-mo footage, 1080p at 120 fps. The video and image quality is on par with what you get from the GoPro Hero 9. My gripe is the stabilization—it doesn't help nearly as much as what you get with others in this guide. Sound, on the other hand, is excellent; I got far less wind noise than with other cameras. All things considered, it's hard to beat the Oclu's performance for the price.

Also consider: The Hero 11 Black (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is also still a great camera, and if you want GPS support to record details like your track or speed but don't want to spring for the new Hero 13 Black, this is the GoPro to buy. It has the same sensor and processor as the Hero 12, though it is missing the latest generation stabilization. What makes the Hero 11 compelling is that it's only about $200 these days.

Most importantly though, this camera is just plain fun. I keep mine in my bag all the time and find myself using it more and more. The Go 3S upgrades the video resolution to 4K, which makes it easy to combine with footage from other cameras. The simplicity and ease of shooting with the Go 3S are hard to match—just stick it somewhere and do your thing. The only real downside is that there's no SD card. For that reason, I suggest spending the extra money on the larger 128-GB model.

Once you have an action camera, you're good to go for most use cases. GoPro, Insta360, and DJI all provide helmet mounts and other ways to stick your camera where you want it. But there are some nice extras that can make getting that shot you're dreaming of even easier. Here are a few:

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The video quality is impressive, especially the low-light performance, which is much better than the GoPro's. Overall the image quality is similar to the DJI Osmo Action 5, which shares the same sensor (DJI caps the recording at 4K though). Shooting side by side, it was interesting to see how the same sensor produced different results based on each company's different image processing algorithms. Overall though, this is very close to the DJI for video quality. The Ace Pro 2 has great battery life and a magnetic mounting system that's different from DJI's, but also excellent.

Want great audio? The Action 5 sounds decent out of the box, but it seamlessly integrates with the DJI Mic 2 or the new Mic Mini to offer much, much better audio—better than what I've been able to get from GoPro (even with the GoPro Media Mod and an external mic). I also really love the Action 5's size; it's smaller than the GoPro and easier to mount on helmets or bike handlebars. The mounting system is unchanged, which is a good thing because this is the best magnetic system I've tried.

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The Hero 13 Black also introduces a new magnetic mounting system, finally catching up to competitors, and it's great. Unfortunately, the camera sticks with the same sensor and shows its age. If you don't plan on shooting in low light, it's still plenty capable.

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DJI's Osmo Action 4 Camera for $299: The Action 4 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is a fantastic action camera. The magnetic mounting system is the best we've tried, the menu system makes switching between modes a snap, and the resulting photos and video are great. The Action 5 trumps it in a number of ways, but if you're on a budget, this is an awesome camera and it integrates well into the DJI ecosystem.

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The Hero 12 Black (8/10, WIRED Recommends) remains a fantastic camera, with good, smart stabilization, support for log video, wireless mic support, and a tripod mount. One downside is there's no GPS support (that's good for battery life, but if you like GPS, this is not the camera to get). The price has dropped as low as $287 so try not to spend much more than that.