Making videos of your adventures and sporting activities is a fantastic way to boost your presence on social media. It’s also a great way to remember fun times with friends. But when your action camera is caught in the middle of the excitement and activity, it’s easy to have it knocked out of your hands or bumped from its mounting.
Even transporting it from one location to another has its risks. Since you paid good money for this device, it makes sense to give it protection so you can use it for many years. This is why we put together a list of options for the best action camera protector.
For example, accessories like screen protectors are an affordable investment that safeguards your equipment in harsh environments.
Table of Contents
Screen Protectors for GoPro
An action camera is built to handle extreme situations, but even the toughest device has weak points, such as glass screens. The lens and the viewing screens are subject to scratches and cracks. Having a protective layer over these delicate parts means you are always ready to capture clear and sharp videos.
But don’t buy the cheapest option you find online. Low-quality screen protectors can reduce the image quality of your stills and videos.
- The PCTC screen protector is the perfect choice for GoPro Hero 9, 10, and 11. It provides extra screen protection without any image quality reduction, and the touchscreen is still responsive.
- With a 99.99% transparency rate, there’s no distortion through the lens or on the LCD screens.
- The PCTC protection package includes glass films for the lens and screens, three screen cleaning papers, three cleaning cloths, and three dust removal stickers.
Screen Protectors for DJI Osmo
DJI Osmo action cameras also benefit from protective screens. We recommend using Orzero tempered glass, which has a 9H hardness rating.
- Orzero screen protectors are anti-scratch and have rounded edges that stop them from accidentally catching and peeling away from the screen.
- The Orzero tempered glass is ultra-thin, has high-definition clarity, and has faultless touchscreen performance.
- These screen protectors are supplied with a dust remover, screen wipe, and a lint-free cloth that is used on the screen before applying the protective glass sheet.
- They are easy to install and very affordable.
FitStill Double Lock Waterproof Housing
Modern GoPro action cameras are waterproof to a depth of 33 feet (10 meters) which is fine for snorkeling and surfing but not for diving.
If you want to go deep into the ocean or you just like the idea of having extra protection for your GoPro, this device will protect a GoPro Hero 7 Black / Hero 6 / Hero 5 or Hero HD (2018) from water, dust, and snow.
- The housing is made from PMMA material (a transparent thermoplastic) 35% thicker than the original GoPro casing. It’s guaranteed to stay waterproof for up to 147 feet (45 meters).
- Its well-designed double lock system helps you avoid accidentally opening the housing while underwater.
- The large, flat glass lens provides excellent image sharpness above and below the water.
- The lifetime warranty gives you peace of mind.
Smatree Waterproof Hard Case
Are you going on an adventure of a lifetime? Make sure you pack your action camera. But don’t just throw it into your backpack. The latest action cameras often have a solid housing that can withstand being dropped, but you wouldn’t want to step on it accidentally.
Apart from the risk of breaking the camera, you could crack the lens. Transport your action camera in a durable Smatree case that’s shockproof.
- This waterproof and shockproof case is compatible with Gopro Hero 11/10/9/8/7/6/5/Hero 2018 and DJI Osmo Action.
- The lightweight shell (1.3 pounds / 589 grams) is made from durable ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) material with exceptionally strong hinges and clasps.
- The case has an airtight seal that protects the contents from dust and makes it water-resistant.
- The internal sponge foam is robust and supportive, with precision-cut areas for your action camera, charger, batteries, SD cards, and microphones.
- It is a compact and portable size (5.5 inches x 9.6 inches x 2.8 inches / 14 cm x 24.5 cm x 7 cm), making it the ideal case to keep your investment safe and organized.
TEKCAM Action Camera Carrying Case
If you want a versatile carry case to fit any action camera, TekCam has a durable, water-resistant pack covered in a nylon shell. Here’s what we like about it.
- The interior is filled with high-density foam that is purposefully shaped to fit a variety of action cameras and accessories, batteries, and memory cards. This padding gives your camera equipment shockproof protection.
- Its compact size (7.9 x 6.3 x 2.76 inches / 20 x 16 x 7 cm) makes it easy to slip into a backpack or suitcase and is a handy shape for storing your equipment between uses. Bigger sizes are also available.
- The handle has a comfortable grip.
- The nylon shell protects against light rain, snow, and dust.
- It’s an affordable way to keep your camera equipment organized and safe.
- Apart from the pre-cut slots for your camera equipment, there is a mesh bag inside the lid for accessories that don’t fit in the foam.
Action Camera Silicone Cover
Silicone covers for action cameras give them extra protection against knocks, dents, and scratches. They help the camera absorb some of the shocks that happen when they fall to the ground.
There isn’t a universal cover, so check your camera’s make and model before purchasing one of these durable skins. While it doesn’t protect the screen directly, it wraps around the screen’s edges, offering some protection to that area.
- Silicone covers often come with a neck strap or lanyard for extra security. Some manufacturers also supply a handy silicone lens cover as part of the deal.
- These silicone skins are available in various colors so you can be discreet or make a fashion statement while protecting your camera.
- Silicone covers insulate your camera against the cold, which makes the battery last longer.
- They are easy to install: simply stretch it over your action camera.
What’s the Most Important Action Camera Protector?
Apart from protecting your action camera from expensive repairs, all the accessories listed above help your recording device stay working, even after a tumble.
Keep your action camera working, even after a tumble, by having these protective items on your camera. If you can only choose one item for your camera, the most important one is the tempered glass sheet for the lens and screen.
Although action camera lenses are scratch resistant, the original glass is not scratch-proof. When you are in the middle of an adrenaline-fuelled situation, it’s easy to forget that these recording devices aren’t indestructible.
The glass lens and the screens are their weakest points, and they cover a fair percentage of the camera’s body, so if the camera lands on sharp rocks, there is a reasonable chance of doing some damage. And remember that when a lens is scratched, you reduce the clarity of your recordings.
It’s better to scratch a replaceable glass sheet than a whole screen. But the damage isn’t always the result of high impact; even rubbing sand across a glass surface can cause scratches that will diminish the clarity of your videos.
Let’s face it, we all know we’re not supposed to wipe the lens of a camera with our T-shirt, but we all do it. Make your action camera safer by using a screen protector. It can be easily and cheaply replaced when damaged, but replacing a lens is expensive.
How to Transport Your Action Camera Safely
Action cameras have to be tough to withstand the intensity of extreme sports, but they can still be broken through misadventure or simply by being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
You won’t always have it in your hand, so when you are not in the middle of vlogging, store it somewhere safe to reduce the chance of it falling from a backpack or being stepped on by a clumsy friend at a party.
The Smatree case is the perfect spot to store an action camera when it’s not in use. You can stash your camera and accessories anywhere in this shockproof and waterproof system.
It has a one-size-fits-all approach to storage as it’s compatible with GoPro Hero 11/10/9/8/7/6/5/Hero 2018 and DJI Osmo action cameras. Even though it’s compact, there’s still room next to your camera for necessities such as spare batteries, charging cables, and memory cards.
Will Screen and Lens Protection Reduce the Quality of Video?
Good quality screen and lens protection will not reduce the performance of your action camera. These layers of tempered glass are only 0.012 inches thick (0.3mm) but are strong enough to protect the sensitive areas of your camera from bumps and scratches.
Being so thin, these sheets of glass have 99.99% transparency, so they won’t reduce the sharpness or clarity of your videos or photos.
Even though they are made from 9H hardness tempered glass, these protective screen covers are highly responsive, making no difference to the touch-screen functionality.
They lengthen the usability of your action camera because wiping away fingerprints and smudges from the lens is bound to cause scratches eventually. It’s cheaper to replace these protective coatings than to change the lens of an action camera, so you are likely to clean your lens more frequently than before, giving you consistently clearer footage.
Installing these glass sheets is also risk-free. If there are unremovable bubbles during the installation, the protective glass will be replaced by the manufacturer. In other words, you have nothing to lose by protecting your action camera with screen and lens protection but plenty to gain from these inexpensive items.
Conclusion
Action cameras are often in the middle of chaotic action and rough sporting situations. They must cope with being dropped, bumped, and bashed as they capture footage of mountain bikes rushing along narrow trails, snowboard jumps, and surfing wipeouts.
Use tempered glass protective sheets for your screens and lens to avoid costly repair bills. And store your camera safely in a waterproof and dustproof case when it’s not in use. Buying the best action camera protector for your device will give you peace of mind as you make videos of your adventures while travelling to your next one.
