I’ve been wanting a small camera that I can bring along for trips and water sports, without having to worry about bringing out my expensive camera (which I’m afraid of losing).
So I brought the LUMOS DOMINATE Action Camera along for a staycation with Kuro last weekend to test it out. And I am honestly surprised with the price.
At the current listed price of $199, it’s honestly pretty insane for what you’re getting. The camera packs in 5K video, 4K at 60fps, 48MP photos, electronic image stabilisation (EIS), a 170° wide-angle lens and dual screens. You can also top up just $59 for the travel bundle which comes with a bunch of accessories.
The perfect little camera for your travelogue
One thing I like about action cameras is that they’re small enough to just throw into a bag and forget about until you need them.
At around 100g, the DOMINATE is lightweight, and it comes with mounting accessories as well as a waterproof case.
That made it really easy to bring along for our staycation. Instead of having to set up a proper camera, I could just grab this whenever I wanted to capture Kuro doing something cute.
The wide 170° lens is also useful when you want to capture more of the surroundings instead of having to constantly worry about framing everything perfectly.
The video quality is actually pretty decent
The DOMINATE can record in 5K at 30fps or 4K at 60fps, with EIS to help keep footage steady. It also supports vertical 9:16 recording, which is particularly useful if you’re mainly creating Instagram Reels or TikToks.
For me, the biggest selling point isn’t necessarily having 5K footage, it’s having a small camera that I can use casually without feeling like I’m bringing along a whole production setup.
I also like that there are different shooting modes including slow motion, time lapse and loop recording, so there’s a bit more flexibility depending on what you’re filming.
Dual screens
The camera has both a front and rear screen, which makes it easier to frame yourself when you’re filming yourself or taking selfies.
This is especially useful for anyone who likes making travel or lifestyle content because you don’t have to guess whether you’re actually in frame.
There’s also a built-in microphone, USB-C charging and WiFi transfer, so you can transfer your footage without having to constantly remove the memory card. I’ve tried the WiFi transfer and the connection is pretty easy to setup.
It comes with a 32GB memory card too, and supports cards up to 128GB.
And yes, it’s waterproof
The waterproof case is included, so this is also something I’d consider bringing on beach trips, pool days or holidays where there’s a chance of getting the camera wet.
I haven’t personally put it through an extreme adventure test, but having the case included is definitely a nice bonus for the price.
Is it worth $199?
Honestly, yes especially if you’re looking for a casual action camera without spending a few hundred dollars more.
Obviously, if you’re a professional filmmaker or you’re comparing this purely on camera performance against premium action cameras, you may want something more specialised.
But for someone like me who wants something small, easy to use and good enough to capture everyday moments, holidays and random adventures with Kuro without worrying that I will drop my expensive camera, I think this makes a lot of sense.
The combination of 4K 60fps, 5K recording, 48MP photos, EIS, dual screens, Wi-Fi transfer and the included waterproof case is a lot of features packed into a $199 camera.
And after bringing it along for our staycation, my honest takeaway is:
For $199, the quality is actually pretty insane.
Get your LUMOS Dominate here.
*This article is written in collaboration with LUMOS, but all opinions are of my own
