I have a very old GoPro Hero 3 Black. It exposes itself as a MTP device to any Linux install I've used and have no problems getting videos off it.

It doesn't really have any other features than that, other than WiFi viewing which is only available via their android app anyway, so i don't care.

I use it for car and offroading stuff.

Do you own an action cam and does it work with Linux?

I have a DJI Action 3. It works with no issues on (Arch) Linux.

What totally rad sport/hobby do you use it for?

I mount it to my helmet while I'm out riding my motorcycle on the streets as sort of a dashcam.

Are you able to update the firmware over Linux or from he device itself? (I have windows for emergencies, but prefer not to use it.

The one thing I hate about the Action 3 is that it requires a mobile app to do firmware updates. Just to start using it requires registration on their DJI Mimo app which is terrible.

How does the device mount and have you had issues with file transfers?

The device lets you choose if it is as a webcam or storage for mounting when turned on if it is plugged in through USB.

Is there any special software that helps you use your device, for example “piper” can help me configure fancy mice.

The Action 3 doesn't have anything special, but a search on the AUR shows there are some for GoPros.

Can you use your device as a webcam?

Answered above.

If it supports a standard USB storage type setup it should work fine. Don't most of these use storage cards anyhow?

I have an AKASO Brave 7LE. I just take out the SD card and put it in an USB reader that I plug into my home server to move the videos. Then I just use my desktop for editing with Kdenlive which has a defish filter for getting rid of the camera distortion these actioncams have.

It's also possible to connect to the camera through WiFi, but it's much slower than using the SD card reader.

Regarding firmware updates, I don't think AKASO is really into that but at some point I had an issue and support sent me a file that you just put on the SD card and the camera does the rest.

I've got a GoPro 8, I just pull the SD card out and attach it by usb card reader then dump it to the nas. For pulling clips out I usually us the android GoPro app. Make a 5-10 second video and share it straight off the phone. Most of the videos I do are in 1-3min anyway.

On the crazy low-scale end, I have a no-name dash cam that I found for $5 on a tchotchkes table at my local Chinese takeout place. It works perfectly with my Linux desktop—both reading from the SD card and streaming directly via USB. Not at all what you’re looking for, but it makes me think that if this random junk works, more mainstream devices probably do too.

I have an insta 360 one x2 and its a struggle to edit things. I got 360 studio working by running the installer through proton but its not the smoothest experience. I have resorted to just using the app which means I share my videos less :(.

I had the original Osmo Action. It wouldn't do anything unless I connected it to an app and registered an account, so I returned it. So...that's my experience.

I use a runcam 5 orange for rc quadcopter flying. Everything works on it via Linux or internally. It also logs internal gyroscope data when recording so you can take the footage into gyroflow for stabilization. No webcam support as far as I know. It uses micro SD cards rather than internal storage.