Sony ActionCam FDR-X3000 Accessories

 As you'll know from my previous entry, I use a Sony ActionCam ... action camera to record my rides.  I use the Sony because nothing has surpassed it yet in terms of video quality for my puposes, despite the fact that it was re4leased in 2016 and others like GoPro continue to release new cameras every year!  It would seem as if none of the current manufacturers are concerned in the least with low light performance or stabilization against vigration - two things that the X3000 excels at (at least in comparison with other action cameras).  

I had hoped by now that something better would have come along, but it hasn't, so I am doubling down on the X3000.  It's not just me, though, the price of the X3000 has been rising recently - to the point that a used one now costs more than a new one did back when they were still in production!  The official accessories are have also gone up from their already expensive starting prices!  Clearly the demand is outstripping the supply, but Sony seems to have no interest in introducing a successor model, and nobody else has an interest in releasing anything that can compete with the X3000 where it excels.  

Also, as an aside, I really like the form factor of the X3000, and dislike the form factor of most action cameras.  Clearly the X3000 design is more aerodynamic.  

If you use a Garmin, GoPro, Insta360, or some other action camera, fear not, similar products for your camera are most likely out there!

Also, while I generally only buy first party accessories, certain things are only made by 3rd parties, and in some cases, the 3rd party versions might even be better.  

So, when recording long bike trips with the ActionCam, there are primarily two issues:

1. Running out of space on the SD Card

2. Running out of battery power

The first one simply demands you swap out the SD card with a new one.  I have a collection of numerous 64GB and 200GB cards.  The 200GB ones aren't fast enough to record at 100Mbps, though, so I am replacing them now with two new cards: 256 and 512GB Kioxia U3 cards.  These aren't cheap, but they should be reliable, and even with the 256GB card, I should be able to record a long trip without swapping cards or offloading data.  

Another option is to bring a computer along, and copy the SD card sdata onto the computer, deleing the original data, or copy the data onto a computer (or your phone) and delete the data from the SD-Cards.  None of this is stuff I really wan tto do when travelling.  

Since SD Card prices have fallen drastically since 2016, buying a fast 512GB card is now possible, and I can verify than the X3000 works with 256GB and 512GB cards with no issue.  

If you have multiple cards, you probably should store them properly.  You can of course put the MicroSD card into a full size SD Card adapter, and then put the adapter into one of those clear plastic cases, but if you have several SD cards, this can be bulky and unorganized.  I purchases this aluminum Micro SD Card case from Elecom.  I bought one when I was on the way to Nagano because I got tired of searching for SD cards scattered around my bag, and I bought a new one (the red one) recently online.  

I have used the first one for about a year now, so I can say is is sturdy and strong.  It closes securely, and the cards don't rattle around or fall out.  

The second issue is that while a 512GB card may be enough to record video all the way from Tokyo to Osaka, it won't make your battery last forever, and you will still have to stop and replace your battery every so often.  

Garmin has imagined that their action cameras will be used mounted to a bike or motorcycle, and so has thought of a solution to this with their "powered mounts", but sadly this hasn't occured to any of the other manufacturers, including GoPro or Sony.  

I have tried to plug in power to the camera using the MicroUSB port while operating it, but it doesn't seem to run off of USB power or charge the battery while on, so plugging it in doesn't increase the amount of time I can record.  

So, I went searching for batteries that might hold more than the official Sony ones.  

While searching for extra batteries, I found something very interesting.  

A little background: In the [non-action] camera world, there are things called "Dummy Batteries".  These are things that you can plug into your DSLR , mirrorless camera, or even point-and-shoot camera in order to allow you to run it for longer periods of time than a battery would allow.  This can be useful when recording video, but also for things like time lapse photography, etc.  

Sony sells a Point-And-Shoot "Vlogging camera", the VLOGCAM ZV-1.  The camera is fine and all, though honestly, if you want to take video for Vlogging, the X3000 is probably better for most people!  The important point, though, is that the ZV-1 just so happens to use the NP-BX1 battery pack as the X3000.  

Whereas nobody develops dummy batteries for action cameras, they do develop them for "normal" cameras.  The ZV-1 also has a web cam feature for people who want to use their ZX-1 as a webcam for Google Meet/WebEx meetings and the like.  This feature drains the battery, and meetings might last a long time, so I heard about the dummy battery for the ZV-1, and decided to give it a try on the X3000.  

The first thing to note is that since there is unavoidably a wire coming out of the dummy battery, the camera door can't close.  This is about as close as it can get.  Still, if you use a rubber band or velcro strap, you can hold the door shut without doing any damage to the camera or cable, and without it rattling.  This does obviously mean the camera won't be waterproof while you're using it this way, however.  

X3000 Camera with dummy battery installed, and battery door (mostly) closed

X3000 Camera with dummy battery installed and battery door open

It occured to me that I could make a small hold in the door to allow the dummy battery cable to come out while still being properly able to close the door, and that would make things a lot neater - but i am not willing to do that to my original door!  If I could find a second broken camera for cheap, etc., then I would try that out as an experiment.  

The other and of the cable goes to a barrel connector, and included in the same box was a cable which converts that to USB.  

Dummy battery with included USB cable

Now this USB cable could be plugged into something like Garmin's overpriced Edge battery pack, my PWR battery, or really any old mobile battery which you could strap to your bike.

More interestingly, though, in my case, my Yamaha YPJ-MT Pro (Aldo known as YDX Moro overseas) has a power socket.  The power socket is, annoyingly, MicroUSB, so it requires (another) adaptor.  The bike's manual says it only outputs 1000mw, so I was unsure if it would work with the X3000 - but it works perfectly!

Power output OTG cable for Yamaha JPY-MT Pro

I did a test run around the block a few times to make sure that the battery wasn't going to conk out after a minute or something like that.  It seems perfectly stable.  

Although I would normally advise against buying no-name products from a brand nobody has ever heard of:

1. It is working fine for me, and

2. I don't see a comparable product direct from Sony or the usual suspects like Elecom

So, here is the Amazon Japan link for the dummy battery for those who are interested.  I am sure it is sold in other countries, and there may be dummy batteries available for GoPro and others.  There must be.  

So this means the next time I have a long trip,  I won't have to sorry about changing batteries or memory cards, and I won't have gaps in recording! (unless, of course, it'Ssraining, and I can't use the dummy battery).

You may have noticed in the photos above that I am using a Tripod.  The tripod I am using is not the official one from Sony that supports the remote display (which I do now own), but a Garmin tripod - which works great!

X3000 on a Garmin Tripod

I originally got hte Garmin tripod as part of a set for the Garmin360, but I decided to use it for the Sony when it makes sense.   Note that it doesn't allow for tilt adjustment, but it's small and portable.  

So you might say, "Well that's all well and good, but I don't have an eBike, and I want to use my action camera for surfing" (or whatever).  Indeed, the dummy battery I described above will only work if:

a. You don't mind a cable hanging out of your camera

b. You have a power source for said cable

and

c. It's not raining or wet

Otherwise, you need to stick with batteries.  

The first good news I have is that there are 3rd party batteries with higher capacity than the official Sony batteries, without being any larger.  

Japan has the most advanced battery technology in the world, and China is fairly far behind - but I get the feeling Sony hasn't tried to improve this battery.  The capacity is 1240mAh, and that should be enough for anyone!

Buying 3rd party batteries, I have found a wide range of quality.  For example, the "Yupowda" batteries claim 1240mAh, but suspiciously die faster than the Sony battery, despite the Sony battery being 6 years old!

The "DSTE" brand battery claims 1800mAh, and while I haven't done a formal test, it does last quite a bit longer in the camera, which is what's important.  I have seen lots of Chinese companies offer things like power banks with ludicrous claims like "1,000,000 mAh!", but in this case the battery does work and it does last noticibly longer than even my newer Sony battery.  

The Probty battery, likewise, claims 1800mAh, but I have yet to time it.  

I have two "GCINE" batteries, which claim 1450mAh, but more about those later.  

A range of NP-BX1 compatible batteries, along with a genuine Sony one.  

I bought the Probty and Yupowda batteries as a set with chargers, and here is what they look like.

Another issue is that let's say you have 4 batteries, and you use them up on the way to your destination.  If you can only charge them in your camera, it means you will need to spend a long time to charge them one by one before you can continue on.  

The Probty batteries claim 1800mAh, and the batteries plug into the charger vertically.  This means it will take more space in your bag if you leave the batteries in.  The charging status is indicated in a way that you can see (roughly) what percentage charged each battery is - similar to the way your mobile phone probably shows battery status.  

The connector is unfortunately Micro USB, and the LCD display backlight lights up blue when it is charging.  

Side view of the Probty charger

From view with the display and MicroUSB port

All in all it was not a bad deal since it came with two (supposedly) high capacity batteries for a reasonable price.  

The next set I purchased was the "Yupowda" set.  The first thing to mention is that these batteries have a much shorter runtime than the official Sony battery, despite claiming the same capacity.  

The charger doesn'T have a fancy LCD display, but simple red and green LEDs instead.  When the battery is charging, the LED will light up red.  When it's done charging, the color will change to green.  

The charging input is unfortunately not USB type C, but interestingly it accepts both MicroUSB and MiniUSB.  This could be useful if you have old MiniUSB cables that you would like to use lying around, I suppose.  

One good thing about this charger is that since the batteries lie flat, you can easily store it in your bag with the batteries installed.  (They come out easily, though, so you might want to use a rubber-band or some kind of velcro strap to hold them in place).  

Yupowda charger and batteries

So my original routine was this:

Stock up on as many batteries and MicroSD cards as I can, make sure they are empty/charged before the trip, and stop whenever needed to change the SD-Card / Battery.  

Then when I stopped (if it was for a few hours or more), I could charge the batteries/copy & delete the SD cards.

The it occured to me: I could use a mobile battery to power the one of the chargers above, so when a battery in the camera died, I would stop, take it out, and plug into the charger (which was itself plugged into a mobile battery).  I could but this whole contraption into my bag, and continue on my way.  This way the old battery would be charging while I was traveling, instead of needing to wait until I stopped somewhere with electricity.  When the second battery ran out of power, I could simply add that to the charger as well!  

By the time the third battery ran out, the first one would be done charging, without any need to stop anywhere, except....

As should be obvious, the whole setup was a bit hacky.  As stuff jostled around in my bag, various things could happen.  The USB power bank could turn off, the USB cord could come unplugged, the batteries could fall out, etc.  

If only there was some sort of decide made for this.  Something like the charging case for my XM4 earphones (or Airpods), but for batteries, if only...

And.. I found it!

Meet the ZGCINE BX-1 battery charging case!

Again, I didn't have high hopes, but it's actually not bad at all.

ZGCINE BX-1 Battery Charging case box

When you open the box, you will find the charging case, two 1450mAh batteries, and an orange USB Type-C cable - along with a small booklet.  

The build quality is actually better than I expected, with rubber feed on the bottom, and a sturdy enough hinge.  The lid is securely held in place by a magnet, so it won't come open accidentally in your bag.  

Opening the lid, you will see two battery slots, and on the lid itself there are also two MicroSD holder slots - a nice touch.  The protruding mound behind the battery slots is presumably the internal battery of the case itself.  

The batteries can be installed as shown below.  It's difficult to see in the photo, but there is actually charge meter which will show the charge level of the case itself (it has a 5200mAh battery), and two LEDs which glow red if the battery on same side is charging.  

This device does support USB-C, and it can not only charge your actioncam batteries - but it can also be used as a power source to charge your mobile phone, etc. in a pinch!

So in other words if you are only carrying a mobile battery for emergencies, this can replace the chargers I showed above, and your mobile battery pack too!  Not only that, but it can be fast charged with a USB-C charger, or it can fast charge your phone.  

The amount of time to charge the included batteries is listed as 1.5 Hrs, but perhaps the larger capacity 1800mAh batteries would take a bit longer.  The case itself can also charge in 1.5 hours if connected to a USB-C source capable of 12v Power Delivery, or it will charge from a normal 5v USB cable in 2 Hrs.  

This debive isn't exactly what I would call "slim", and at 5,500 JPY it isn't exactly super cheap either, but it is a very convenient to throw in your bag.  As you run through batteries, you can just put them in the case and let it charge them as you go without worrying about anything.  You can plug the case itself in when you have a chance as well.  Based on my experience, 1.5 hrs is significantly faster than the other chargers.  

You can find the product page of the manufacturer's web site here.  

I like how the youtube video on the web site mentions that they use "Imported high quality" batteries.  (i.e. non-Chinese batteries).  

Of course I worry about the day when the internal batteries might die, but it looks from the video like they use standard 18653 LiIon cells.  

I noticed from their web site that they do have a similar charger for GoPro batteries.  This reminds me, the GoPro batteries are huge, but they don't seem to last as long as the Sony batteries, so the GoPro cameras much be much less efficient than the X3000.  

Finally, some people asked me how I mount the X3000.  I use the stock bicycle handle bar mount from Sony, as shown below.  This allows left/right (angle) movement, and because the adjuster wheen rotates, you can hold the camera still and just move the thumb wheel to attach the camera.  

I actually have a much more expensive metal mount, but it does not allow for the angle rotation, and it also doesn't have a thumb wheel.  That means basically you have to spin the camera around to tighten it, and it may not be that facing stright ahead is the optimal tightness.  

I think this should also allow mounting on a seatpost for backwards faching video, but I have yet to try that.  Also, you won't be able to rorate the camera mount portion 90 degrees, so it that is important to you, then you would need to get the sony extension kit, or maybe use the roll bar mount instead.  (Another possibility is just to use a 3rd party mount).  

Why don't I use the remote?

The Live View remote from Sony was a fantastic idea.  They can reduce the size and cost of the camera by removing the unnecessary LCD screen, and for those who want the screen, it is available separately - and can be mounted on your wrist or anywhere you like, and have the ability to start and stop the camera from remote as well.  I think this is a fantastic idea, but I also don't need it.

Mounting the camera on the handlebars means that the button is right there, so mounting a remote next to it on the handle bars (or my wrist) would just make things more complicated without adding anything useful.  I also know exactly what the camera sees, so the previous screen would not be terribly useful either.  

If you have the camera mounted on your helmet, then the preview may be slightly helpful, and the report might be even more helpful.  Likewise, if you are using the camera as a rear facing recorder then the remote would be great to make sure that you are still recording, stop and start recording - and depending on the speed and ease of viewing the screen, maybe even to use as a mirror.  

Going forward, I am satisfied that basically speaking I have solved the problem of having to stop often to change the SD card and battery.  The SD card issue is entirely solved now, as a 512GB card can hold an enormous amount of video even at 100MB 4K.

The battery issue is mostly solved because if I am using my ebike and it's not raining, I can simply plug it into the bike's power with the dummy battery.  Even on a normal bike, I can use my PWR battery, which should last about as long as the SD card does.  In the even that it's raining, or when I don't want to have any loose cables (like when mountain biking), I can use the higher capacity batteries and bring the charging case to keep things topped up with as few swaps as possible and minimal reliance on the grid.