I’m a big fan of using action cameras to capture shots that would be difficult, risky, or straight-up impossible with a larger, more fragile camera.
I’ve used action cameras multiple times while filming weddings, especially when couples do something wild like extreme white water rafting the day before their ceremony, and the footage always ends up looking incredible. These cameras let you be creative without worrying about destroying thousands of dollars of gear.
Over the years, action cameras have gotten smaller, more capable, and more filmmaker-friendly, and this one is a little different. The Xtra Atto packs a surprising amount of power into a ridiculously small body.
But if you really want to unlock what this camera can do, especially for high-action filming like rafting, adventure sessions, or extreme activities, the settings matter. A lot.
Today, I’m going to share with you my fast filmmaking settings for the Atto!
The One Accessory You Actually Need
At first glance, the Atto looks like just a tiny little camera, and it is, but if you want to change settings or really control how it shoots, you’ll need the Vision Dock that comes with it.
This dock is a separate, multifunctional accessory that dramatically expands what the camera can do, and most importantly, it gives the Atto a touchscreen.
The camera magnetically attaches to the dock facing forward or backward, which makes it great for selfies or filming outward. On its own, the camera lasts about 90 minutes, but once you connect it to the Vision Dock, you get a massive 220 minutes of total recording time, which is nearly four hours without touching a wall outlet.
Even better, the dock can fast-charge the camera in about 40 minutes, which is huge if you’re filming all day.
One thing to note: the camera itself is waterproof up to 10 meters, but once you attach the dock, the setup becomes IPX4 splash resistant, not waterproof, so don’t take it underwater in that configuration.
The dock is also the main way you’ll adjust settings, and the good news is you don’t even need the camera attached to it. You can wirelessly preview your shot and change settings remotely, which makes setup fast and painless.
The Best Resolution and Frame Rate Settings
Despite weighing just 54 grams, the Xtra Atto has a 1/1.3-inch sensor, which is larger than most cameras in its class and comparable to much bigger action cameras. That translates to better image quality and better low-light performance in a tiny package.
The Atto can record 4K 10-bit video at up to 60 frames per second, and for action cameras, I think 4K60 is the sweet spot. Everything happens fast, and having the ability to slow footage down in post is incredibly valuable.
To enable it, swipe up from the bottom of the screen, swipe left until you’re at 4K resolution, then set the frame rate to 60fps.
If you’re willing to give up a little frame rate and want more flexibility in post, there’s another setting I really like. You can shoot 48fps in a 4:3 open format at 3840×2880, which gives you a lot more vertical room to reframe later. If maximum control is your goal, this is the setting I’d use.
Before moving on, make sure you also set the bitrate to High. Swipe down from the top, tap the settings icon, scroll to bitrate, and set it to high for the best quality.
Pre-Record: The Feature That Saves Shots
One of my favorite features on the Atto is pre-record, and it’s something that can completely save a shot.
When enabled, the camera continuously buffers footage up to five minutes before you ever press record. So if you’re filming someone fishing, waiting for a big moment, or tracking unpredictable action, you can press record after it happens and still capture the previous five minutes.
That means you don’t miss the shot and you don’t waste storage space.
Speaking of storage, the Atto includes 128GB of internal storage, which I love, and you can expand that with up to a 1TB microSD card using the Vision Dock.
It also supports gesture controls, so you can start recording by nodding your head if the camera is mounted on a hat, or by tapping it. No matter how you mount it, Xtra clearly designed this camera so you’re always able to start recording quickly.
The Best Color Mode for Filmmakers
Just like larger professional cameras, the Atto supports multiple color modes, including 8-bit, 10-bit, and a log profile called X-LOG.
If you want the most dynamic range and the most control in post, I highly recommend filming in X-LOG 10-bit.
To enable it, tap the settings button on the right side of the screen, turn on Pro mode, then tap the color option and select X-LOG 10-bit. While you’re there, you can also lock white balance and exposure, which is huge for consistent results.
All the footage you’ve seen here was colored using my own presets, which work great with both X-LOG and the standard color mode. I’ll link those below if you want to check them out.
Stabilization Settings That Actually Work
Because the Atto is so small, stabilization is critical, and thankfully, it offers two modes that are genuinely useful.
The first is Motion Master, which is ideal for POV shots where you want maximum smoothness, especially if the camera is mounted to your head or chest.
The second mode, and the one I prefer most of the time, is Tilt Guard. This mode not only stabilizes footage but also keeps the horizon level, which instantly makes shots look more professional.
A crooked horizon is one of the easiest ways to spot amateur footage. Tilt Guard does an excellent job of preventing that, even when the camera rotates, and in my testing, it works extremely well. For most situations, this is the mode I’d leave enabled.
Final Thoughts on the Xtra Atto
The Xtra Atto is an incredibly capable, ultra-compact camera. It has a lot of settings, but once you dial them in, the video quality you get out of something this small is seriously impressive.
If you want to capture action-heavy shots, dangerous angles, or moments you simply couldn’t film with a traditional camera, this is a fantastic tool to have in your kit.