ION Air Pro HD

Bottom Line

The Ion Air Pro HD is an easy-to-use, durable action camera. With a housing design that is waterproof up to 30 feet, it works great on the sea, streets and sand. Overall, it's an acceptable choice for the amateur or beginner shooter, but could prove to be limiting for pros since a computer or smartphone is needed in order to adjust settings such as frame rate.

Ease of Use

Easy-to-use operation for shooting movies and stills on the move. The Ion Air Pro HD boasts an easy one-click operation to capture your film and photos. The single-button operation makes it possible to capture stills in motion without taking your eye off the action. Gizmodo.com's Brent Rose also stresses that the vibration sensor to let you know when recording stops and starts is a "nice touch," particularly if it's mounted to your helmet. Shooting mode can be adjusted on the camera itself, but adjusting more fine-tuned settings like still shutter speed requires hooking the camera up to a computer and using the accompanying software or Ion Worldwide apps on a smartphone or tablet.

Performance

Intuitive angle flip and waterproof design, but short in the resolution department. The Air Pro HD features an intuitive auto-orientation that detects when the camera is right side up, but it can only detect within 90-degree increments, which Antuan Goodwin from CNET describes as giving the picture quality a "weird vertical HD" look akin to a bad cell-phone video. When you play back or share the video, you end up with "massive black bars" on either side. However, the parallel WQVGA recording function offers somewhat of a solution. Video issues aside, the specially built housing on this camera is waterproof up to 30 feet, which makes it an ideal choice for surf and sail activities, or even just riding your mountain bike in a torrential rain. With the add-on Podz battery, you can shoot up to four hours of continuous video -- which already puts the Air Pro HD ahead of shooting with a standard smartphone or bulky camcorders that require extra batteries and chargers.

Durability

Durable housing, but mounting hardware could use improvement. The sleek design of this camera is matched with a durable housing that lends itself well to on-the-go camerawork. While it wouldn't be advisable to throw the camera on the ground, Oliver Marks from ZDNet.com states that unlike HD camcorders or smartphones, there is "little fear of dropping" the Air Pro HD. Complaints are focused on the mounting hardware than on the camera itself. Goodwin stresses that an L-shaped bracket is needed to shoot videos that will properly auto-orient, while other models can simply be mounted as is and adapt to moving angles. Gizmodo.com's Brent Rose points out that while the bracket is "easy to use and adjust on the fly," it can be difficult to tighten properly so that it does not wobble around or shake. While the build of this camera can easily withstand a rocky road or bumpy ride, adjusting your shooting angle while in motion could pose a problem.

Appearance

Small, unobtrusive and great for helmets, handlebars or even goggles. The camera's small, tube-like body makes it easy to adapt to a multitude of settings. The ball-and-socket setting make rotation easy without re-mounting, as Rose suggests, making the camera perfect for surfing. By purchasing the separate mounting kits, you can also set up the Air Pro HD to fit on a set of bike handlebars or even a helmet if you prefer.