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In case you have ever gone mountain biking at any bike park, you’ve doubtless heard the audible “beep” of motion cameras just like the Insta360 or GoPro turning on earlier than riders head down the path. An motion digicam is an effective way to seize and share your trip on totally different platforms.
However, these motion cameras usually come at a high price. The POV value of admission is usually no less than $300. The Insta360 we previously reviewed was round $450.
So, an motion digicam that could be a fraction of the price can’t do every thing an Insta360 or GoPro can do, proper? Not in accordance with SJCAM. The digicam firm brings the worth manner down however claims to maintain efficiency excessive with the SJCAM C300.
SJCAM despatched The Handbook a C300 motion digicam for us to attempt. I strapped the C300 on, grabbed my mountain bike, and hit the paths.
The SJCAM C300
Opening the field for this motion digicam reveals what seems to be two cameras. It is just one motion digicam however with an additional, longer-lasting extra battery, lens, and display screen. Take away the smaller battery from what SJCAM calls the “C300 Pocket,” and the Pocket then attaches to the bigger battery.
Together with the digicam, the field was stuffed with a number of attachment and accent choices for the SJCAM. There have been a number of totally different clip and mount attachments, attachments for helmets or flat surfaces, lanyards, magnets, and so forth. Among the attachments the SJCAM C300 got here with had been extra sensible for mountain biking than others. Some I didn’t use in any respect.
Capturing video with SJCAM C300
Let’s get all the way down to the nitty gritty for the SJCAM C300. Video may be shot in 2K and 4K, with a number of extra lesser-quality decision choices. Picture decision ranges from 2MP as much as 20MP. It gives an 8-times digital zoom and 154° subject of view. Whereas that is lower than the 360° of the Insta360, let’s remember that the Insta360 cam saved falling over as a result of it was top-heavy, so I couldn’t even use that characteristic.
The C300 provided totally different video modes, akin to time-lapse and gradual movement. Whereas I performed with these contains a bit, I used to be extra focused on the way it shot POV footage. The video footage is stabilized by SJCAM’s “6-axis gyroscope” and displayed on a contact display screen a hair larger than one inch.
Just like the Insta360, the SJCAM C300 has a cellular app to entry the motion digicam. Among the many app’s options is the flexibility to view, edit, and obtain pictures and movies. Downloaded pictures and movies can then be present in your telephone’s media utility.
What I favored concerning the SJCAM C300
If I’m being utterly sincere, nothing about how the SJCAM C300 took video or pictures, or the standard of that media, modified my life. The Insta360 took higher-quality pictures and movies.
That doesn’t imply that the picture and video high quality of the C300 was dangerous, particularly when it was stationary. I felt that the obvious 4K imagery was satisfactory. It didn’t blow me away, however I assumed it acquired the job accomplished.
One factor I favored concerning the SJCAM C300 was that the digicam doesn’t immediately mount to any of the offered attachments. The Insta360 and GoPro immediately mount to attachments you may then mount to a helmet or a chest mount. This implies discovering the right digicam angle each time.
The C300 has attachments that it merely clicks into. This meant I may go away the identical attachment on my chest mount, maintaining the digicam angle constant from trip to trip.
One other cool characteristic was the SJCAM C300 got here with a distant controller. This controller may very well be paired to the C300 to manage it from a distance.
The best factor concerning the SJCAM C300 needs to be the worth. $139 will get you filming with the C300 pocket. Add $20 extra, and you may get the extra battery.
What I didn’t like concerning the SJCAM C300
You may get three SJCAM C300s for the worth of 1 Insta360. These are important financial savings, however does that imply it’s the identical high quality because the Insta360? Will you be higher off shopping for a costlier motion digicam in the long term?
My brief reply: It relies upon.
I first observed how low-cost the plastic felt on the C300. In comparison with a GoPro or the Insta360, it was a drastic distinction. I had no sturdiness points, however dropping and breaking this digicam was a priority. There’s quite a bit to be mentioned for first impressions.
The C300’s POV footage was nowhere close to pretty much as good because the Insta360. The C300’s body of reference was too far zoomed in. I may sometimes see the stem, components of my handlebars, and the entrance wheel. This made it more and more troublesome to guage the scale of any path characteristic within the footage. In enjoying the video again, I may barely inform after I was leaping the bike.
Maybe I used to be zoomed in and simply couldn’t work out tips on how to zoom out. That could be true because of the digicam’s small and sometimes unresponsive contact display screen.
SJCAM’s “6-axis gyroscope” did an honest job stabilizing footage, although it appeared there can be some extent the place stabilization didn’t work anymore. Whereas I had some unstable video with the Insta360, that was because of the digicam’s weight, not the expertise.
I’m a mountain biker, not a tech knowledgeable. I’m undecided I may spot the distinction between 4K and 5K with the bare eye. What I can spot, nevertheless, is video high quality that makes you query the 4K declare. This was my expertise with the C300. The video appeared a bit grainy, which may very well be a results of the zoomed-in capturing.
If you need a succesful motion cam and don’t need to drop the cash for an Insta360 or GoPro, the SJCAM C300 is succesful. It’s simply not equitable to the costlier choices, which turns into evident while you evaluate your footage.
I’ve mentioned it earlier than: Buy once, cry once.
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