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I was interested in buying one of the popular mini sports action cameras but couldn't afford the $200 to $400 price tag of the name brand (okay, it's the GoPro), so I found this low cost copy. It came with an amazing amount of attachments including a water tight case good to 30 meters (about 90 feet) and various tripod mounts. One mount clamped to bicycle handle bars and another that securded to a helmet with cloth straps and velcro. Once I mastered the menus using the Menu and Ok buttons, I selected the 1280x72 HD resolution at 10MP HD resolution and entered the date and time. Note, the camera is listed at 5 MP.
The case is rectangular measuring 2" x 2.5" x 1 3/8". The MENU/ON-OFF button is on the front next to the lens, and the OK/SHUTTER button is on the top. It also has a 2" video display on the back--very nice size. Once in a menu, you scroll through with UP/DOWN buttons on the right side. The camera offers 3 video modes: 4000x3000p, 1920x1080p and 1280x720p. The lens is a140 degree wide angle (other cameras offered a 170 degree lens). The Li-ion battery is installed at the bottom of the camera and will work for about 70 minutes. Its recharge time is about 3.5 hours using a power adapter with the mini USB cable provided.
Now, I was ready to have a go(pro) at it, pun intended. Since it required a microSD memory card (not included), I couldn't test it until one arrived via Amazon. I added a 32GB card, maximum allowed, costing around $15. When ordering the card, you need to get a fast rated chip if you intend to make action movies. The microSD card installs on the left end of the camera below the android power jack (also used to transfer files to your computer via your USB port). On the 2" display, the videos were very clear, however, they weren't perfect when transferred to my PC, but it captured motion very well, and was acceptable considering the price. Audio sounded fine, with no problems. Though, I think I would opt for the higher priced camera with WiFi. But, this camera worked well, and if you can't afford to buy the name brand device costing upwards of $400, this is more than acceptable and fun to use. And most resellers ship free. You can't beat the price! Update: after checking the size of a jpg photo, I do think it was 12MP (4000 x 3000P) which was menu selectable from 5 to 12MP.
A number of similar HD cameras are available on eBay and Amazon with various features. They range in price from around $20 to $100 or more. The higher priced cameras include a WIFI function and higher resolution.
After using the camera for a couple of weeks, I noticed it would lockup every so often, freezing the display with a blank white screen. This seems to happen when the 32GB memory card was close to full, but I'm not sure the cause. The only way to recover, and reset it, was to pull the battery out. Then it worked normally again. I couldn't find any combination of the OK and MENU buttons to reset it. Pulling the battery was the only option.
For video reviews of the camera with test footage, check out my two Youtube channel with a search for Berenbon, or you can watch the embeded videos below. In one video I used a ventriloquist dummy to help with the review. Hope you like it. If you do, please follow me on Youtube and Twitter. Also have a Puppet Blog Facebook page. A comments welcomed.
