Action cam type thing for Lapland Holiday

Phones are fine,  you just need to ensure that you put your phone back in inside pockets once you are done.  

Something like a tough camera would be good,  but it feels a little that you are using this as a justification for an action cam, so go for it.  They will work fine

I'm not sure a GoPro would be that great either. My 12, with improved Enduro batteries has shit itself in the UK cold plenty of times. Do some googling before you buy. 

I suppose I could always buy a couple of powerbanks or whatever they’re called, and try and keep the phones topped up during the day

What youll see is the battery will die in the cold, you put it in your pocket and it will go back to 80,90% whatever percent as it warms

People do plenty of cold things with go pros so google their temperature range

I have an Insta360 (X3 I think) and it’s coped well with skiing temps. Plus the 360 shots are really good fun, and the app is good

Used a GoPro 8 fat biking at -20 and the cameras were fine. They were out in the cold on the bars, not in a pocket. 

that hero 10 and battery bundle seems a good price and I would suggest looking on Ali express for a silicon cover and a battery door with a hole in it to plug in a usb small power bank.

Just before Christmas you'll only have a couple of hours daylight. Seems obvious but totally surprised me, and scared our youngest at the time.

It's minus 21 in Levi this morning.

We skiied there a couple of years ago and mobile phones would chuck a wobbly pretty quick if you filmed stuff. I doubt any sort of action cam would work for long. It's the temps plus ice on the lens that'll cause issues. Phones were kept in inside pockets. If you get the suits they give you (which are excellent) then find a pocket that's accessible under that.

The Santa activities are generally in the lower areas. I have photos from the Santa place (which is utterly utterly brilliant), and the reindeer sled place taken by phone. You whip them out, snap a shot, and tuck it away. 

It'll be the best holiday ever. Don't worry about the photos or vids, just remember the look on your nipper's face.

If you want any specific pointers on Levi, we've done Santa once and skiing once, both with inghams. Both were excellent holidays.

This year will have the new record number of tourists in Lapland - I hope the travel companies have everything geared up for lovely time and smooth service for families. 

There is also some extension on Rovaniemi airport so people don’t have to wait outside. 

Weather turned nice just last week, finally some snow and steady subzero temps arrived. 

Thanks for the info and advice

we are flying into Ivalo airport and going to Saariselka, as a pose to Levi, hopefully there won’t be too much standing around outside there

Saariselka is a bit more low key - you'll have a great time. Shame Roll Outdoors has shut down this season or you could have snuck out for some proper fatbiking with them. There are a few other bike hire places but not sure what is happening with ploughing the trails this year.

Ski bus to Kiilopaa fell centre for cheapish buffet lunch and biking / xc ski / snowshoe is nice if you fancy something out of a resort town and a bit more Finnish. Unfortunately the ski bus only goes there morning and late afternoon so not sure if you can entertain the little one that long. Edit. Just remembered there are also regular buses so you could do a shorter day out.

https://liput.matkahuolto.fi/connectionlist?lang=en&departurePlaceId=p2902&arrivalPlaceId=s1979&departureDate=2025-11-17#breadcrumb

I’m pretty certain iPhones are better in low light than go pros etc.

Just take a small power bank if you are that concerned 

We're going to Nellim, the Wilderness hotels place this December.  Can't wait!

Suncalc is pretty useful for working out day length etc. We've been start of Feb both times and back to pretty decent day length by then.

SunCalc - sunrise, sunset, shadow length, solar eclipse, sun position, sun phase, sun height, sun calculator, sun movement, map, sunlight phases, elevation, Photovoltaic system, Photovoltaic https://share.google/H0Rp6OzC30q87fxEv

If low light, as above stick to using phones, action cameras are not as good in low light conditions the worst of these being 360 cameras.

No idea where we took our three girls for a day trip but it was a frozen lake and it was fantastic.
My memories:
Trip to see Santa across the lake was amazing.
Reindeer are pretty meh
Husky sledge trip around the lake was probably one of the best things I've ever done.
Don't use a flash as the light reflects back off all the high Vis stuff on the suits they give you!
A day trip is incredibly hard work/long and expensive but deffo worth it.
Have a great time.

I’ve spent days on end unsupported in the arctic winter, -25C and below. Just keep your electronic stuff in an inside pocket and pull it out when you need it. Carry a power bank in case you need it - I was out for 16hrs each day and didn’t need to recharge my phone or camera. Get something that works well in lowlight as the colours at sunset can be stunning, plus there’s a chance you’ll see the Aurora Borealis. 

Modern phone cameras and software do all kind of tricks to photos - even quite pale aurora borealis may appear amazing in photos. 

Dji osmo action 5 or DJI osmo pocket 3 for better quality filming without the action cam look.

I've done a few trips with the osmo pocket 3.

Biggest problem you may encounter is having your phone out filming the sleigh ride or walk to see the big man and then finding the lense fogs up when you go inside the hut and hit the warm moist air. Having a backup in a warm pocket will help avoid blurry pictures

Yesterday there was very high amount of solar activity - I did not even stray from ski track middle of Rovaniemi town for this photo and phone made it look pretty good.