The Best Prime Day Action Camera Deals

GoPro's Hero 12 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is still one of our favorites thanks to features like smart stabilization, wireless mic support, a tripod mount, and solid battery life. There's no GPS, but if that's not a concern, this is a smart buy anywhere south of $300. —Ryan Waniata

The Insta360 X4 is a great deal at this price. Even at full price, it's our favorite budget 360 camera thanks to great 1/2-inch sensors, which can capture up to 8K video. The dynamic range is very good compared to everything but the newer Insta360 X5, which is better. The other major thing you give up compared to the X5 is PureVideo mode, which really helps in low light. The low-light capabilities of the X4 are, frankly, dreadful. Still, you're saving $165 off the price of the X5, in light of that these are not huge sacrifices.

The X4 has good battery life and, like the X5, can be used in single-lens mode, giving you a 4K action camera in addition to your 360 camera.

The Insta360 Go 3S (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is an action camera with an escape pod. In action camera mode, it looks like the Ace Pro above, complete with flip-up screen, but then you can also pull out the tiny little camera itself and shoot with just that. The case will continue to act as a remote monitor if you want it, but I find I rarely use it this way. The beauty of the little camera pod is the extremely strong magnetic mounting system which will stick to just about anything metal, making the Goo 3 capable of shots from angles that no other action camera can match.

That's part of why I call this the most fun you can have with an action camera. I keep mine in my bag all the time and find myself using it more and more. The only real downside is that there's no SD card in the Go 3S, that's why I suggest grabbing the larger 128-GB model so you have plenty of storage space.

This is a minor deal (5 percent off), but it's the first time we've seen our favorite 360 camera go on sale.

The X5 uses twin 1/1.28" sensors to capture 8K video of everything around you, intelligently editing out the selfie stick if you're using one. That's the highest resolution footage you can get in a 360-degree camera at the moment. The 8K resolution means you can reframe your footage to fit rectangular video formats and still have high-quality, almost-4K clips sharp enough to mix with other video sources. The color science is excellent out of the box, with natural skin tones, making it a great option for point-of-view shots. You can also turn it into a more traditional action camera by switching to single lens mode.

Throw in great battery life and first class editing software and it's hard not to love this deal.