action cameras

[Red5]

Am looking at getting a go pro type camera for the bike and kayaking. Have been looking about and am looking at a SJ4000. 1080p full HD. Has anybody used one, are the cases properly water proof, how long does a charge last? They cheaper than the go pro but don't seem to have all the gimmicks or the premium name either
Any opinions, experiences of them would be appreciated

[Atomic]

Techmoan is a Youtube uploader - good reviews. He compared the GoPro Hero with the SJ4000 here;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EASnXTyRYE8" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[menzies3032]

Not that I have got one yet but planning on buying this. Basically a re branded go pro for £50

http://www.hobbyking.co.uk/hobbyking/st ... _Case.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[DynaMight]

You can also buy the original SJ4000 from Banggood (from their UK Warehouse, so quick delivery and no customs charges) http://www.banggood.com/SJ4000-Waterpro ... 17037.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Look at the description: $10 OFF for SJ4000 in UK warehouse coupon: BGdeal so should take about £6 off, so about £45 delivered.



Never used one, but all the reviews I've seen show its a good action camera, comparable to the older GoPro's for the basic 1080p30 function.

[Dailaughing]

Bought one a while back and they work fine. Maybe battery life could be better (less than two hours) but mine came with two so not crucial. The only real criticism is probably caused by mounting mine on the front fairing - the springs on the control buttons vibrate at certain speeds and ruin the audio. Shouldn't be a problem in a kayak! The case didn't leak at all in rain on the santa run and it seems well designed.

[jock]

I use an SJ4000 and it works fine. The video quality is excellent running at 1080p /30fps. The audio is recorded at 16bit 48Khz mono,but the waterproof housing muffles this completely so you really need to use an external recorder which are cheap enough to buy ie; (Allerli wav/mp3 recorder £21 ebay with mic input). In use the SJ4000 works flawlessly with good focus and no dropped frames. It has a wide angle 170* view which is perfect for riding use covering the whole road and your "cockpit" If head mounted.

Although you can record hours of use on a micro SD card up to 32GB, the battery life is limited to around 70 minutes so you need to carry spares. It is a bit fidgety changing as you need to open the waterproof housing. While we're on about the housing there is an external holder with many attachments enabling you to use the camera outside the waterproof casing offering better audio quality If you so desire! I recommend the camera at this price of £50 on ebay. There is also the SJ5000 an SJ5000 plus 1080/60fps & 720/120fps for perfect slow motion capture but the "plus" is not yet available on ebay and is nearly £150 anyway. The SJ5000 is around £75. the GoPro Hero basic is around £100 but doe snot have a backscreen LCD display like the SJ4000.

One thing I should mention as posted by "Dailaughing" was a distortion I believe was caused by the button springs on the external waterproof housing vibrating when you revved the engine. Not always a problem but worth mentioning otherwise this is still a recommended buy!

[Red5]

Thanks all, have looked on you tube, google, blah de blah and am now suitably more unsure than ever
Taking it all on board and be getting something soon. let y'all know....

[Ruffian]

How about this for an answer then,
(My opinion)

Cheap option, sj4000 wifi is less than £60, uses go pro mounts,
Middle option, contour roam2, mine was £130, was one of the best at time of purchase, easy to use, streamlined,
Money no object, gopro 4 black with 4k and 120fps and 30 shot burst stills, but is £450!

If I was to do it again I would get a sj4000 and see how much I used it for 12 months,
If it broke or anything then would either replace or upgrade,

[Petstep]

I know I've come to this a bit late, but might be helpful for someone

I recently got a SJ4000 wifi (not sure the wifi is worth the extra), and it is pretty good for the price. Just put up my first youtube video. OK, it's a bit long, but gives a good idea. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XYRCSJOEFk Obviously if you watch the original footage rather than streaming, the image is quite a bit crisper.

I need to fiddle a bit with the white balance or something, but for £60 it does the business