We Put a GoPro Against the iPhone 14’s Action Mode

Oct 4, 2022

Mobile

Speaker 1: The iPhone 14 lineup has a new video feature called Action Mode. This is a stabilization mode that promises smoother video by adjusting to significant shakes, motion and vibrations when shooting actions. Now, this features appealing for a few reasons, right?

You can leave that gimble at home. You don’t have to carry that extra hardware and possibly could the iPhone replace your action camera. We’re gonna find out [00:00:30] today.

I am in beautiful New York, specifically Central Park, and I’m gonna be swimming today, climbing, running, testing out action mode to help you figure out if this feature alone could be worth upgrading to the new iPhone 14 lineup. I’ve also brought along a GoPro here, 11. That way we can watch the footage side by side, so I’m in my action mode gear.

Who doesn’t wanna wear at leisure wear to work? Comfy. All right, let’s get to it.

Speaker 1: [00:01:00] Action mode is a available on the entire iPhone 14 lineup. I’ve got my iPhone 14 pro here, and to access it, you just gotta go to the camera, go to video mode, and then you’ll see in the top left corner, there’s now an icon with a man running. You tap that on Action mode illuminates, and there you go.

What you’ll notice first is that it goes right to the ultra wide camera, not just that. It also crops in the image. You can still use the main cameras of course, and up in the top right corner, you’ll see that that says 2.8 [00:01:30] K.

That is the max resolution that the iPhone can shoot. In action mode. You’ve also got 30 for the frames per second.

It can shoot in 60 and 24 as well. For the purposes of this video, we’ll be shooting in 60 frames per second. The first thing I want to test out is walking, and we honestly may not see much of a difference because the iPhones already had great stabilization and walking.

Isn’t that intense? But of course there’s a little bit of a hop, so let’s go on walk. Speaker 2: This Speaker 1: First example isn’t [00:02:00] super impressive, but don’t worry.

We’re getting there. Here we’ve got action mode on and off. On the left, you can see a little more bounces, but it’s not super noticeable.

The iPhone already has great stabilization, so action mode at its lower 2.8 K resolution may not be worth it for capturing this type of action, especially if you’re not running around the person. When I switch to my point of view, looking at my Apple Watch, I can definitely notice action mode stabilization [00:02:30] more. My conclusion here is that you’re probably fine with action mode off for walking.

Now let’s get to something more interesting. The next thing I want to test out is running because I think that that’s where action mode is going to really shine. In fact, the icon itself is of a person running, so you can only assume that that’s gonna be, Yeah, someone Speaker 2: Just stole your Speaker 1: Bag.

Oh my god, this wasn’t planned at all, but let’s film it with action mode. Speaker 2: [00:03:00] Yeah, I see you. Speaker 1: That’s what you get, Speaker 3: And I would’ve gotten away with it too if it weren’t for that rotten action mode.

Speaker 1: Let’s continue. Here’s what it looked like behind the scenes at the top. Rich jumped onto the bench to capture the moment.

Later, I jumped off a tree action mode, did a great job of stabilizing both situations. [00:03:30] Here’s a screen recording of what the shot looked like as Bobby ran behind us. It’s a bit laggy because the camera was recording, but you can easily see just how shaky the filming was. Here’s the final shot.

It’s so smooth, thanks to a ton of post-process stabilization happening after the video was shot, let’s try another running test. I ran around the reservoir twice, once with action mode on and once with it off. Can you guess which one has it on?

If you [00:04:00] guess the left side, you are correct on the right side. You can easily tell when my feet are hitting the ground. Now take a look at this one filmed horizontally.

The video on the left is using action mode Speaker 1: In Central Park. We’ve got boulders, so I’m gonna climb up on these. I’m gonna try Action mode on and off with the iPhone 14 Pro and with the GoPro Hero 11.

Let’s see how it looks. Here’s a look at action mode shot at 60 frames [00:04:30] per second on the ultra wide lens. There’s a wide shot in the corner so you can get the full scope of my movements.

As I’m running down the boulders, you can see just how shaky the camera is on my chest. The stabilization is doing a great job at minimizing the jerkiness. The iPhone captures a super smooth shot as I climb back up.

Let’s compare it side by side with action mode turned off. Here you can easily see the difference in resolution. The rocks definitely have less texture on action mode.

That side, [00:05:00] it’s apparent, especially when I jump off the rocks at just how much stabilization is going into play. Speaker 1: Here is action mode next to the GoPro Hero 11 set at hyper smooth stabilization. The GoPro’s 4K footage is much sharper and the color seems to be significantly more saturated.

The stabilization is pretty comparable, but it’s hard to tell since these are different takes. Don’t worry though, we’ll shoot them in the same take in just a bit. The GoPro has an [00:05:30] obvious advantage because of how wide it can shoot.

In this clip, we’re using the linear setting, which is already wider than action mode. The GoPro can get even wider with its 12 millimeter HYPERVIEW lens, which is great for action scenes like this. Speaker 1: Next up, let’s do a logging test because a lot of people use their action cameras for logging.

Now, there is an advantage with the GoPro Hero 11 because it’s got a playback screen right on front, so I can see myself. There is a workaround with [00:06:00] the iPhone fourteens. You can wrap around an Apple watch on them, and you’ll actually be able to use the camera app on the Apple Watch to see what the cameras are seeing.

So let’s climb up this hill and compare the stabilization. The GoPros wide shot looks great. It has a much more crisp 4K resolution, so it’s probably worth turning action mode off to get a wider shot and higher resolution if you’re just walking.

I love this city. Now, when it comes to an action camera, you’re gonna have access to an entire library of accessories because that’s what [00:06:30] an action camera like the GoPro hero is for taking it surfing, motorcycling, mountain biking. I have some accessories here.

Now, for example, this head mount is not gonna work within iPhone 14. I’ve tried using iPhones with this and they kind of just fall down. Now, this accessory does work.

I used it before. It’s the chest mount. I used it bouldering, and I want to go test it out.

Now biking. Now it’s time for the ultimate test, the cobblestone test. This road [00:07:00] is full of bumps.

We’re gonna hop on this bike, go down the block, try on action mode, then throw in the GoPro here.

11. Let’s try it out. Speaker 1: Biking is a popular use for action cameras, so this test was mandatory at first glance.

You can appreciate the wide view and resolution of the GoPro. There’s something about its slightly distorted edges that make it a bit more like you’re experiencing the action first hand. The iPhone is way more flat.

When I hit the big bumps on the ground, [00:07:30] the iPhone has some very visible blur and unsteadiness. The GoPro handles it just fine. Here’s another angle.

You can see some very visible stutter in the iPhone’s footage and the GoPro is just fine. My conclusion here is if you’re going to be biking off road or on a bumpy path, an action camera is probably the way to go. Speaker 4: Now it’s time to test out action mode by swimming, and what better place to do [00:08:00] that than the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Columbus Circle.

Got the iPhone 14 pro here, and no, it’s not waterproof. It’s water resistant IP 68 radi. So I wouldn’t recommend doing this, but we’re gonna be comparing action mode on this phone with a GoPro Hero 11, which is waterproof.

So let’s hop on in Speaker 1: For this first shot. Rich followed me as I swam by hopping to the side. The iPhone shot some incredibly smooth video for how high up and down he was going.

Here’s how shaky [00:08:30] the camera was. While I don’t think action mode was made for this, it looks great. Here’s action mode versus the GoPro.

The iPhone is definitely better with lighting up the video, but the GoPro seems to have better saturation. Stabilization wise, the iPhone seems to be better here, but the GoPro has stronger stabilization modes that could work better in this setting. Here’s an example of just how much better the iPhone seems to deal with a bright background.

Speaker 1: [00:09:00] One major downside of action mode besides its crop and 2.8 K resolution is that it requires a lot of light to shoot with. A message will appear on the screen saying more light required when the setting isn’t lit well enough. This will be more of a challenge with the iPhone 14, which has a smaller sensor than the 14 pro.

You can still shoot in low light, but the phone will decrease the stabilization. To optimize for less bright scenes, [00:09:30] you’ll need to turn the ability on in settings, and I was surprised by just how much light action mode needs to run in its best. My apartment seems to have a pretty ample amount of light, but action mode still requested more.

Can the iPhone 14 replace your action camera? Everyone’s gonna have a different answer, but what I can say is that most likely, many people won’t need to go out and buy an action camera when they have action mode on their iPhone. Speaker 1: Now, when it comes to the pros, they [00:10:00] may have a different answer, right?

You may not want your £1,500 phone on your forehead where it can fly off. Plus, with a camera like the GoPro, you have multiple stabilization modes, pro user settings, even wider angle lens, and the ability to shoot 5.3 K video at 60 frames per second with stabilization. What I will say is that there is so much potential with the iPhone fourteen’s action mode.

I can see this being used on TikTok videos, on Instagram reels. People are gonna be shooting [00:10:30] music videos, action scenes. If you wanna learn more about the iPhone 14 lineup, be sure to check out some of our other videos.

We also reviewed the GoPro Hero 11.

You can check out that review here, and as always, make sure you subscribe to this channel, give this video like if you enjoyed it.

I’m Justin, and I’ll take you later.

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