I ordered a different camera earlier this week for our upcoming vacation and was really disappointed with the quality. So I spent some time reviewing the other cameras on Amazon and decided to give it a chance. (It had some other great reviews on some photo sites.)
It was delivered the next day and I immediately began testing it out.
Key Learnings
1. Set up is pretty straight forward. Was up and running in minutes.
2. Tried both under water shots and above water shots with the waterproof case. WOW! Great photos and videos. My iPhone is my normal go to camera, but now I am going to be reaching for this guy anytime we are near water! I attached a few shots.
3. Love the accessories and the bag. Will be good for taking on trips.
4. Mobile App - downloaded the mobile App but had no luck connecting it to my camera. Was bummed that I couldn't get that up and running, but will continue to try soon and will update my review. The App isn't necessary. But it would have been nice if it worked as expected.
All in all, this is a great camera. I am recommending it for people looking for an inexpensive and quality camera that will fit in your pocket.
Let me start by saying I paid full price, was not asked to give a review, and am receiving nothing in exchange for my review. I just wanted to share my thoughts about this camera and how happy I am with it. What can I say, other than this thing is astonishing. I'm SO glad I never spent hundreds on a go pro. I can't compare the two as I've never owned one, and this is my first little action camera, but the quality of the photos is amazing. I've attached a few photos to show what it can do, but i'm not going to share a video cause it appears that amazon compresses them down, and it would be doing a disservice to the company to show that kind of video quality. But the video quality is amazing. I've done several video's now in the water, both above and below the water and the quality is amazing.
The camera itself fits in the palm of your hand with the waterproof case on. It comes with a nice carrying case with a handful of accessories, most of which I don't know what they do, as I'm still learning how to use it.
I also have not noticed any issues with the audio quality and that was with it being in the waterproof case. It would sound even better out of the case where sound can more easily get through.
One thing i want to point out is that the app that goes with the phone DOES work, it's just very finicky to get it working. Here's what I found that has worked for me.
1. Activate the wifi on your camera.
2. Go to the wifi settings on your phone and connect to it and enter the password.
3. turn your phone to airplane mode
4. turn on only the wifi on your phone and make sure it reconnects to the action cam.
5. Open the app on your phone, and you should see a list of wifi connections. Connect to the action cam.
6. It should go back to the main page and you should see what your camera sees on your phone. You can also download photos/video's from the camera straight to your phone.
This is ok, well worth the money. Image quality is decent but far from fantastic. Color balance is not great and lacks saturation. It adjusts for lighting changes pretty well, though. I shot some footage at 4K and viewed it on a Bravia 4K HDR TV. It was decent. There was a lot of pixel shuffle and a lack of sharpness but that's just shortcoming of the sensor at this price point. This will not get you the glassy hyperrealistic 4K that you see on the demo units in the A/V stores, but you shouldn't expect it to. For the sake of heat, battery and storage I doubt I will probably ever record at 4k anyway. 720-1080 should be more than adequate. OIS seems to work well. I did some driving with it clamped to my rear view and when I watched the footage of me driving over a mile or two of grated pavement in a construction zone and over a number of speed bumps it didn't have any shudder. Barrel distortion is pretty severe at the edges but it's a 170 super wide angle so that's to be expected. I found the menus and interface easy to navigate and I like that you can cycle through quick defaults for video, still and slow-mo using the power button. That will save a lot of fiddling in the settings in most cases. I'm going to test the waterproof case in a bucket of water before I take it snorkeling, just to make sure I got a good one. I am sure some people have gotten ones that leak but I'm guessing many have actually gotten condensation in theirs because they go someplace hot and let the camera and case bake in the car or the sun then plunge it into cool water. It's bound to happen in a sealed vessel like that. Overall I'm pleased. With all the accessories that it came with I'm a little shocked that a suction cup mount wasn't one of them. I'll have to find a third party unit for easy glass mounting.
Feature Product
- ◀Super 4K recording +Sony sensor▶campark 4K sports action camera records video footage in 4K/30Fps and takes photo at 16M. Campark action cameras help you capture and share your world in a fantastic resolution.
- ◀170° + Optional view angle lens▶This Action Cam with 2 Inch HD Screen and 170 degree lens, You can also adjust view angle in the camera, Multiple view angles can be selected, give you a different visual experience, you won't miss out on any background details.
- ◀Wi-fi remote control▶action cameras compatible with iOS and Android System.The sports camera allows you control camera via the phone in real time, what is more, instantly send Pics and videos via email or Share them on social media easily.
- ◀Waterproof up to 30m(98Feet) depth▶the waterproof case design for underwater world.Waterproof up to 30 meters.Ideal for water sports like swimming, drifting, surfing etc.
- ◀Dual recharger batteries + mounting Accessories kits▶increased long battery life up to 180 minutes (Dual rechargeable lithium batteries) shooting timee along with tons of free accessories. Multifunctional accessories enable you to mount your camera to helmet, bicycles, wrist, etc ( carrying case not included )
Description
Campark 4k Action Camera is your choice,can't beat!Capture your life's moments right away! It's an amazing gift for your friends and family, or even yourself. Professional video quality Campark Action Cam features ultra HD 4K video recording with 4X ZOOM. You can capture 4K 30fps/2.7K 30fps/1080P 60fps/1080P 30fps video which is sharper and more lifelike than ever. The time lapse,loop recording and slow motion mode will catch any moments you wanted. Built-In WIFI & HDMI Campark 4k Underwater Camera can connected your phone by Wi-Fi,and share your video/photo to Facebook,Twitter, Instagram... Support HDMI output,can watch the beautiful videos & pictures on TV Enjoy yourself in the Amazing World This Waterproof camera is perfect for outdoor sports,Gliding, Skiing, Snorkeling,Climbing and Driving With the waterproof case, you could go up to 30M/98ft underwater. Great companion for water sports, like swimming, diving, surfing etc. Package 1x Waterproof Case, 2x Battery, 1X Back Cover for Sound, 1x USB Cable 1x Handlebar Mount, 1x Fixed base , 2x Helmet base,2X 3M sticker 1x Adapter, 2x Base mount, 3x Switch connection, 4X Bandage 1x User manual, 2X Clip, 1X Wiper,,1x Wirerope, 4x Ribbon Note 1. Please format the Micro SD card (not included) in the camera before use. 32GB max supported. 2. Now the version is the newest version, no need to update.If you cannot sure, please tell us the version (in setting),we will check it for you. 3. Back cover for sound can’t use underwater. 4. No charger in package, generally the battery can be charged in camera with your own USB wall charger 5V/1A output. Need extra battery charger or batteries? please search https://www./dp/B01G6UUQ6U
Upon receiving the item I read the instruction booklet a few times - a little vague on some directions but will give you a general idea on using it. I also downloaded the app to my phone however I could not find a way to get it to accept a password for our internet. Will have to try and figure that out at a later date. I charged both batteries immediately so we would have a spare if needed while using. I would approximate 1 -1 &1/2 hours of constant use per battery. We used it about a half hour on land and then an hour in the water before receiving a low battery signal. Just a heads up it signals low and then immediately turns off. I wish I would have put the fresh battery in before we entered the water to snorkel, as it drained about ten minutes before we were done and I was unable to shoot those last few minutes.
Overall I was thrilled with this camera! I have never used one and it was easy, remained steady (grip handle was a huge help) and yielded really nice photos and video both on land and underwater. The sound is not the best while using the waterproof case, but I expected as much. I simply popped the card out of camera and into the adapter, transferred the files to my pc and edited as needed. I've attached some in this review!
I've used GoPro's in the past. All of my work is in the water, Paddlesurfing. Two weeks ago, I was reminded of the first rule of travel photography...up load your footage daily. I lost 2 days of an exotic location taken on a brand new GoPro Session to the ocean floor. Nice present for somebody, someday. If you don't risk the camera, you don't get the shot...so the question is: can I risk a $50 camera instead of a $150 camera and get similar results? I also have a Hero 3, which is similar to this camera in size and shape. What this camera seems to lack compared to the session and the Hero3 so far is build quality, and maybe image quality. What is way better about this camera is having the lcd on the back, and having 2 batteries, and then there is the travel box and accessories. I'm shooting 1080p at 60fps...which the Hero3 won't do. The session was amazing, but I want the camera on the paddle and I have to be ready to lose it at any time.
For me, I will sacrifice having the best made camera, for something that I can afford to lose and replace.....as long as I get good photos.
Note: apparently this camera will not accept a 64gb card...that may have been useful when shooting at 4k....
Here is the deal with this camera.
Normally I use my DSLR or my phone camera (if necessary) to take photos. But I needed to take some underwater and sports shots. So I was looking for a budget action camera. I saw this in Amazon (with good reviews) and checked the youtube video. Looked OK quality camera from reviews but I still ordered it and here are some pros and cons that I am concluding after using it.
Pros:
1. Price
2. Comes with bag + accessories
3. Has a screen
4. Two batteries
5. Daylight images looked good
6. Lightweight
Cons:
1. Overall OK image quality (there are better alternatives if you spend more $)
2. 4k at 30fps (but I don't think it is actual 4K). I am not after 4K so it is alright for me.
I think at this price range, this is a very good camera to have. But if you are serious about photography, look elsewhere.
The sound quality in the case is not amazing, but as I was using it for underwater footage, I wasn't bothered by that. One con I noticed is that on occasion I would have to push the buttons on the outer case fairly hard to get them to push the inner buttons on the actual camera. It didn't happen all the time, but I did have to consistently check the screen to make sure I was in the mode I wanted or that it was actually filming or taking pictures. Not a huge issue for me although this wasn't always easy to do while snorkeling.
The attachments included with the camera were pretty cool, and more than I'd expected (just in case it's unclear, the camera does NOT come with an SD card - you will need to buy one separately). I only used the included wrist mount, which was nice to have while swimming since I didn't have to hold the camera and swim. I just pointed my arm in the direction of whatever I wanted to see, and I was good to go (I probably looked a bit like Superman swimming around with my arm stuck out in front of me, but whatever).
I've included a few photos and a video so you can see the quality of the pictures it takes. The first picture is of the Antilla: the wreck is roughly 60 feet below the camera and the water that day was fairly murky, but the photo itself is still pretty clear. The video is of a smooth trunkfish eating breakfast. I was very impressed with how good the quality of the footage was.
The slow motion feature is amazing, as well. I managed to film a pelican snapping up lunch, and while it’s not “Planet Earth” quality footage, it still looks great. It’s not as advanced as other underwater cameras, to be sure, but as I’m a novice snorkeler, I didn’t need tons of bells and whistles. This has definitely met my needs.
All in all, I’m extremely satisfied with this. It’s a great camera (especially for the price), and I highly recommend it.
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