Category: SJCAM

In this article I ‘ll compare two cameras from SJCam. The first is the M20, one of the smallest SJCam cameras, and the second is their top of the line SJ6 Legend. The M20 is a classic camera, small and nice, whereas the SJ6 seems to be a concentration of technology and performance with its beautiful touchscreen and great design. Let’s see which camera is better!

You can find the original reviews here:

• SJCam M20 Review
• SJCam SJ6 Legend Review

Specifications

[go_pricing id=”sj6_vs_m20″]

Accessories

The number of accessories included  with these cameras is the same because SJCam’s great “vice” is that they fill their camera boxes with a huge amount of accessories!

Design and Navigation

Both of these cameras are beautiful with an easy and intuitive design, mostly the SJ6 because it has a bigger screen that’s easier to see and use.  Both of them are great in any light condition. The M20 has four buttons: power, shoot and up and down buttons. They are very well built with a good click and nice touch but the SJ6, with it’s touch screen display, has a great advantage because it’s so easy to navigate.

Instead of clicking tons of times to change the settings like a normal camera, with the touch screen you can change a lot of things in just a few seconds. Also the LEDs around the camera are better placed on the SJ6, making them very visible at any angle.  In these two aspects the SJ6 is better built than the M20.

Video Quality

As always I like to say that this is the main section because here we can see the differences between these two cameras with a substantial difference of price.  They have the same chipset but a different image sensor. The M20 has a SONY sensor whereas the SJ6 has a PANASONIC.  Both are great sensors.

As you’ll notice in the following videos the biggest difference between these two videos is the color.  Both are absolutely beautiful but the M20 tends toward colder colors and the SJ6 tends toward warmer colors. I don’t want to judge which is better because this is more of a personal preference.

Notice that on the edges of the video or with things in motion generally the SJ6 makes a bad “wake” effect like this:

Also note the amount of details between these two cameras:

The SJ6 almost seems to prune the plants!

Jokes aside, the SJ6 has fewer details.  In the far distance they’re mixed with the colors making the image less sharp.

Talking about the night is a completely different situation.  The SJ6 transforms itself and beats the M20.

As you can clearly see, there’s a huge difference in quality and noise.

The M20 also has a few problems with frame rates.  The 1080p resolution is the only one that is faithful to the specs, but all the other resolutions like 720p at 120fps or 60fps are actually 30fps with quadrupled or doubled frame rates, respectively.

Obviously the SJ6 also has some frame rate issues but “only” with the higher frame rates like 120 and 240fps.  Both of them are actually 60fps.  Also it was released with a lot of other little problems and bugs but luckily SJCam fixed them to make the camera more enjoyable.

Photo Quality

The photo quality follows the same rules laid down by the video quality. During the daytime they are very good but the M20 has a little bit better quality.  At night the SJ6 is a little better, mostly because there’s less noise.

Audio Quality

The audio performance is similar on both cameras.  They have good microphones but the M20’s is more sensitive. Neither distorts the audio.

WiFi and App

I always praise the WiFi connection of SJCam cameras.  The M20 and SJ6 have the same WiFi and app.  What can I say?  They work perfectly!

Battery Performance

I’ll let the following table talk for me.  In all cases WiFi and the screens were off.

[go_pricing id=”sj6_vs_m20_battery”]

Summary

Both of these two cameras are good.  The M20 has some problems like the extremely high noise in dark conditions and a lot of frame rate issues. Also the LEDS are not positioned perfectly but it’s a minor problem. The SJ6 has a beautiful touch screen display, and as I said before it was built gorgeously, but in most situations it’s defeated by her little sister, the M20. It’s not the best thing to say for a camera that claims to be a “Legend”.

There are many differences between these two cameras.  Neither the M20 nor the SJ6 is a clear winner because both of them have a number of little problems that prevents one from rising above the other.

M20 Advantages

• Good video quality
• Good image quality
• Good battery life
• Small camera

M20 Cons

• Too much noise in dark conditions
• Problems with the frame rate

SJ6 Advantages

• Great Navigation
• Good Screen
• Good LED design
• Better low light performances

SJ6 Cons

• Inferior video quality in general compared to M20
• Quite high price

In my humble opinion it’s about 50% – 50%.  If only the M20 had better night performance it would be the winner.

The SJCam SJ6 Legend is one of the newest cameras released by SJCam. It is the first SJCam with a 2-inch touch screen – a novelty which few manufacturers began to implement in their sports cameras. The camera also has its own external microphone sold separately. The camera uses a Novatek 96660 chipset and for the second time for SJCam a Panasonic sensor (MN34120PA, 16MP).  Some of you might remember that Panasonic sensor was used in SJ5000+ as well.

The SJ6 slogan says:

“The legend begins today with unrivaled features & performance ”

Well SJCam, let’s see your new product.

Specifications

[go_pricing id=”sj6legend”]

Unboxing

Accessories

As usual, SJCam fills the box with a lot of accessories.  Like many other SJCam products, here we find:

• Camera
• Waterproof case
• Plastic frame
• Rotating curved mount
• Rotating flat mount
• 1x curved mount
• 1x flat mount
• 1x handlebar mount
• 3x screw mount
• 1x wire
• Wiper
• 2x stickers
• Manual

As always SJCam makes good quality accessories. I never say anything bad about them but this time I have to mention the length of the USB cable. It’s more or less 25cm long and it doesn’t let you properly charge the camera or charge while recording. Personally I use the camera on my car and with this cable I can’t charge it while driving.  It could make it difficult to connect with your PC too because the camera is forced to stay literally hanging between the USB port and the floor.

Design and build quality

The design of the SJ6 Legend is just awesome, probably one of the best cameras I’ve ever had. It’s beautiful to the eyes and lovely to the touch. The camera body is completely rubberized to improve grip. On the front we find the lens next to the front screen and the three front LED’s. The feeling of the buttons is perfect, with a good “click” followed by a “beep” sound.  With the waterproof case the feeling remains extremely good. This is my first touch screen camera and to be honest I didn’t expected such a high quality screen.  I was expecting something inaccurate, with no quality and hard to use. Guess what I found?

I found a phone screen. I’m not kidding, this screen is just like your phone screen: reactive, sharp, fast, beautiful to see and perfectly bright. It was an unexpected surprise to me and probably for all the other skeptical people like me. It also works perfectly at low temperatures. I tried it at -2C° without problems. Also with the waterproof case there are no problems with touch precision.

Furthermore I want to congratulate SJCam for adding lots of lights everywhere.  The SJ6 Legend’s LED’s are visible from every angle.  They also added a little but very useful thing, the integrated screw mount on the bottom of the camera body, in Yi, YI 4K and Sony FDR-X1000V style. This mount allows you to mount a camera onto a tripod or anything with 1/4″ screw.

What can I say, the body of the SJ6 Legend is good looking and has good quality.

Buttons, lights and ports

• 1. Shutter button
• 2. LED
• 3. Power button/ Switch mode button
• 4. LED
• 5. Multiple function LED’s (Power on/WiFi/recording)
• 6. Lens
• 7. Menu button
• 8. Front screen

• 9. Mic
• 10. HDMI port
• 11. SDcard slot
• 12. USB port

• 13. Recording LED
• 14. Charge LED
• 15. Back Touch Screen

Let me say a couple of words about the USB port on the SJ6 Legend.  It’s not the usual micro USB like nearly all other cameras but rather it’s a mini type B USB.  You can find it on some of your hard disk drives but it’s very unusual use it on action cameras.  Even so, the SJ6 isn’t the only one that has this USB type. Gitup Git 1, Git 2 and the Dazzne P3 also use it. Probably the choice is made in order to use the same port for the external microphone and the charger.  It’s also much stronger than the “classic connector” called Micro-B but it remains quite annoying because you must use a different cable.

Menu overview

In common with all SJCam menus the SJ6 Legend’s is easy to use and very intuitive, in particular on this model because it’s possible to drag the menu up and down like a smartphone menu using the touch screen. The interface is almost the same as the Yi 2 4K.  Check it out if you want to compare them for yourself!

The menu is divided in two macro sections.  The first is the “fast” – quick acess section where you have instant access to all modes of the camera.  This consists of:

1. Video – Record a video
2. Video Lapse – Shoot a photo every second and automatically create a 30fps video
3. Slow Rec – Makes a slow motion video automatically
4. Still – Shoot a photo
5. Photo lapse – Shoot a photo every 3s/5s/10s/20s
6. Burst mode – Shoot 3 photos in a row
7. Video + Photo – Record a video and every 5s/10/30s/60s also shoot a photo
8. Car mode – Start recording when the camera sees the movement
9. Underwater – Slight change of colors

The second section has all the options for every mode plus general settings.

Here are all the settings available for every mode:

• Audio – Enables or disables the camera audio (On/Off)
• Bitrate – Changes the Bitrate (High/Medium/Low)
• Burst Mode – Changes the number of the photos in the burst (3/5/10)
• Color – Changes the color of the image (Normal/B&W/Retro/Warm/Cool)
• Delay Capture – Changes the time between the click and the photo (Off/3s/5s/10s)
• Distortion Correction – Adjusts the distortion of the edges of the screen (On/Off)
• Double File – Creates the same file twice, one original and one with a lower resolution (On/Off)
• EV –  Changes the light exposuse (From -2 to +2)
• Exposure time – Changes the amount of time the camera captures light (Auto/ 1/30s /1s/2s/5s/10s/30s/60s)
• FOV – Field of View (Wide/Middle/Narrow)
• Gyro Sensor – Gyroscopic stabilization (On/Off)
• Image Size – Size of the photos (16M/14M/12M/10M/8M/5M/3M/2MHD/1.3M/VGA)
• Loop Recording – Auto-cutting video setting (Off/3min/5min/10min)
• Photo Lapse time – The time between two or more photos (3s/5s/10s/20s)
• Power on Record – Automatically start recording when the camera is connected to the power (On/Off)
• Quality – Quality of the image (Fine/Normal/Economy)
• Resolution – Video resolution (4K 24fps/2K 30fps/1080P 60/30fps / 720P120/60/30fps /VGA 240fps)
• Sharpness – The clarity of detail in the image (Strong/Normal/Soft)
• Slow Motion – Creates an automatic slow motion (-2X/-4X-8X)
• Time Stamp – Shows the time on the video (On/Off)
• Video File Format – Changes the format of the video (MP4/MOV)
• Video Lapse – The time between the photos that will create a video in time lapse (1s/2s/5s/10s/30s/60s)
• Volume – The sensibility of the microphone (1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10)
• WDR – A sort of color correction (On/Off)
• White Balance – Changes the white balance (Auto/Daylight/Cloudy/Tungsten/Fluorescent)

• Language – Changes the language of the camera  (Czech/Danish/English/French/German/Hungarian/Italian/Japanese/Korean/Polski/Portuguese/Russian/ Simplified Chinese/Slovak/Spanish/Traditional Chinese)
• Date/Time – For setting the date and time of the camera
• Format – Formats the memory card
• FPV – First Person View. It works with the HDMI and Wifi (On/Off)
• TV Mode – NTSC/PAL
• Power on Record –  Automatically start recording when the camera is turned on (On/Off)
• Auto Power Off – A power saving feature that turns off the camera after a period of time (Off/3min/5min/10min)
• Keypad Tone – Enable or disable the “beep” sound of the buttons (On/Off)
• Screensaver – Automatically turns off the rear screen (Off/30s/1min/3min/5min)
• Frequency – (50Hz/60Hz)
• Rotate – Rotates video 180° (On/Off)
• Logo Watermark – Adds the logo on images (On/Off)
• Power on Mode – Allows you to choose the first mode to appear when you turn on the camera
• Default Setting – Change all the settings back to the factory settings
• Version – The firmware version

SJCam has exaggerated again with the settings just as I noticed when I reviewed their M20 model.  Some of them, such as sharpness, bitrate and quality, are simply useless because they don’t change anything on the images.

Video

I appreciate when a manufacturer tells the truth about their product on the product packing. SJCAM wrote that the 4K is interpolated and that’s great! For everyone who doesn’t know,  interpolation is the action of literally inventing pixels to reach a higher resolution. However, in doing so there is a big quality loss. If you want go deeper you can find the reasons here but the SJ6 Legend can’t achieve true 4K resolution.

However, the 4K resolution isn’t the only problem because SJCam claimed “120fps” and “240fps” on 720p and VGA resolutions respectively but it’s not true.  Luckily this time all the resolutions and frame rates are good except for these two.  The first is actually 60fps with doubled frames.  The second is 80fps with tripled frames! I’ve never seen something like that before.

Please remember that this camera uses a Panasonic sensor so it’s normal to find quite high quality videos: great colors, very good images and quite good sharpness. But if you use the SJ6 Legend without good lighting, it could be a problem.

Usually an action camera is made to record videos in extreme situations – on a bike, during a run, on the snow, under water.  They’re made to capture incredible shots where and when other cameras simply can’t, but with this camera it can be frustrating because with some particular motions scenes are not as detailed as expected.  On the other hand it can sometimes be very satisfying.

I found another strange problem. Sometimes, in a totally random situation, the camera makes a completely violet frame, just one.  It’s most frequent in dark conditions. There was a similar problem with the Sjcam M10+. Probably it’s a firmware problem but they didn’t fix it with the latest version.

Here’s an example.  You can see it at 8 seconds and again in slow motion at 16 seconds:

And this is a frame capture:

The camera makes good videos in daylight but during the night things change. Strangely it can capture light very well even from dim sources but it doesn’t capture the details. During the night it seems constantly blurred.  It also halves the frame rate when there is insufficient light. This is common for action cameras but it could be frustrating to set the camera at 60fps and have it record at 30fps just because the camera wants to.

Update : The violet frame rate issue has been fixed in one of the firmware upgrades.

I noticed another strange effect when the camera is facing into the sun. It creates a “glass effect” to compensate for the huge amount of light. This is how it looks in bright light just before the sun hits the lens directly:

And this is how it looks with the sun shining directly on the lens.

In this situation other cameras have different methods to avoid this effect such as decreasing the exposure. In this case I’m not sure if it’s a firmware problem or a hardware problem caused by the lens.

Apart from these problems there is a new feature I’ve never seen in any other Chinese action camera. I’m talking about the 1080p Super. What is it? It’s a copy of the “Super wide angle” by GoPro, and personally I like it! It’s an extension of the higher and lower edges at the expense of distortion. The difference is clear:

It’s very noticeable with slow shootings but in action it doesn’t seems that bad because the angle is taller so the viewing is better

Photo

This is an action camera and usually they’re not made for or used to shoot photos, but if it can take good photos then there’s nothing wrong with that! But don’t worry, with the SJ6 Legend there’s no risk of taking good photos because the quality is very poor. The resolution is high, the sensor is good (Panasonic) and the colors are very beautiful but the details are lost.

At night it’s worse:

Once at home I noticed the sky in the photo was much brighter than the actual sky. It was sunset and it wasn’t this bright. In fact cars already had their headlights turned on. The speed of the photo was 1/16s – not fast but not so slow as to be a “long exposure” photo.

Photos have another annoying problem. Sometimes if you try to shoot a 16MP photo the camera freezes and shows this message:

Sorry for the photo but it happens randomly, this time when I was in my car.

Whenever the error occurs the camera creates this file on the SDcard:

Audio

The SJ6 Legend records good quality sound with a beautiful mix of high and low frequencies without distortion. One minor criticism might be that the volume is a little bit low but nothing serious.

Samples

If you want download some original videos and photos, you can download them with this link. No registration is needed.

Battery Performance

Here are the battery test results:

• 4K 24fps – 70min 11.3Gb
• 2K 30fps – 72min 15.3Gb
• 1080p 60fps – 65min 13.6Gb
• 1080p 30fps – 113min 17.6Gb
• 1080p 30fps 4:3 – 113min 17.6Gb
• 1080p 30fps Super -113min 17.6Gb
• 720p 120fps – 105min 22.2Gb
• 720p 60fps – 76 min 10.6Gb
• 720p 30fps – 125 min 8.7Gb
• VGA 240fps  – 108 min 14.9Gb
• Recharging Time – 120 minutes

The tests were made with the screen and WiFi off. With the WiFi on the times could decrease by half.

07/04/2017 NOTE – After 7 month of daily use, the camera had a significant reduction of its battery life. Today it is exactly the 25% lower than when I first tested it. Wow the camera in 1080p 60fps can reach max 45 minutes of recording. Even though slight reductions in battery life are possible, especially with every day usage, the reduction of 25% seems like quite a lot.

WiFi and App

The WiFi and app are absolutely perfect. It’s the same app as every other SJCam camera and the WiFi with the SJ6 Legend it works. By “works” I mean it does its job without problems and it’s fast (it can reach 2MB download).  SJCam probably has one of the best pairings of WiFi and app you can find among Chinese action cameras.

Support

I had the opportunity to use SJCam support and to my surprise it’s just how support should be. They answered my questions within 24 hours and they’re very friendly and professional. I exchanged a few e-mails and they replied to me EVERY TIME. They also made few helpful suggestions. This is what I want from company: Help the customers and do so with a professional attitude. In particular I want to thank Miguel for his incredible patience with me!

Summary

The SJCam has a great advertising campaign so it must be a great camera, right? I was expecting something on the level of a GoPro or YI 4K but it instead it was just another camera with some good features but without the incredible part. It has too many little issues like the violet frame, the freezing photos and quite bad performance in dark conditions and together they makes a big problem. I hazard to say that her little sister, the M20, is on the same level. Surely we’ll see a comparison between them on Pevly!

Pros

Cons

Firmware Upgrade V1.4.3

The entire review was based on the first firmware, version V1.0, because the camera was just released. This month SJCam released a huge firmware upgrade on this the SJ6 Legend. They released version V1.4.3. You can see all the fixes on the following link.

In my opinion the biggest fixes are:

• Added new frame rates, 1080p 50fps and  1080p 25fps (they are real).
• Fixed the crash problem with photos. It wasn’t actually a crash but a hot pixel fix, a sort of mini tune-up for the camera. It used to start after holding down the shutter button for 2 seconds. Now the time has been increased the from 2 to 10 seconds so it‘s harder to accidentally start the hot pixel fix.
• Fixed the Violet flash during the video recording.
• Improved the light in night mode and in general with low light conditions. Now the images are brighter

After these numerous changes, contrary to what they say about the image quality optimizations, I didn’t find any improvement comparing old and new photos.  Rather they decreased the video quality! Here you can find an example between two frames of the same subject with the different firmware versions:

It’s clear that is was sharper originally. Obviously I made this comparison with the same options.

We’ll see if there will be further improvements in future!

Where to buy SJCAM SJ6 Legend

Today we’re here to review one more tiny action camera – SJCAM M20, advertised as the smallest camera SJCAM has ever made. The small-sized camera I reviewed was the AEE MD10 and this one is no bigger.

Personally I love the SJCam brand.  My first action camera was the SJ4000 and with this latest camera SJCAM has made a great product. With the M20 model they used a 16MP sensor by Sony and usually when there’s a Sony it means there’s good quality. The thing about this sensor is that it’s tinier than others, it’s back-illuminated and has lower power consumption. So as George Clooney says in a famous TV ad, “What else?”.

I think it’s time to show you the camera so let’s do it!

Specifications

The M20 has all the specs to be a great camera, probably one the best and cheapest on the market, so let’s see product specification in our traditional table.

[go_pricing id=”sjcamm20″]

Unboxing

If you’re curious about what’s included in the box, here you go: the unboxing video!

Accessories

Like all other SJCam’s it’s full of accessories – look at them!

• M20 SJCam
• Waterproof case
• Base mount
• 4x Screws
• 1x curved M3 mount
• 1x flat M3 mount
• 1x floating curved M3 mount
• 1x floating flat M3 mount
• USB cable
• 1x Cloth
• 2x SJCam stickers
• 1x Manual

An optional remote control is available but wasn’t included with the camera I tested.

The rotating mounts are interesting accessories.  They allow 360° movement while installed on the M3 mounts.

Design and Build quality

The M20 camera has an easy and practical design because it has the essential buttons for navigating without problems. This is a classic SJCAM feature, one of the many reasons I like their cameras. These cameras must be easy to understand with an immediate visible impact and the M20 has all of this. By the way if you can see a comparison between all SJCAM models in this article.

The camera is very light to the touch but solid – there are no “dancing” buttons or slack ports. The front of the camera is made with a rubber surface to ensure a perfect grip and the rest of the camera is made by the classic striated plastic.

The buttons are good too.  The two on top are concave to provide a better grip for your fingers and on the side are the usual SJ arrows to navigate the menu.  The WiFi button is also on the side. As always the accessories are good quality for a cheap camera.

Buttons, Lights and Ports

Here’s a description of the buttons, lights and ports:

• 1 – Recharging LED
• 2 – 3^rd Recording LED
• 3 – Lens
• 4 – Recording button
• 5 – 2^nd Recording LED
• 6 – Power button
• 7 – micro HDMI
• 8 – micro USB
• 9 – microSD card

• 10 – Scroll down arrow
• 11 – Mic
• 12 – Scroll up arrow/ WiFi key

• 13 – Screen
• 14 – 1^st Recording LED
• 15 – Power LED

On the screen we can find a lot of details:

1. Date
2. Distortion correction (On/Off)
3. HDR (On/Off)
4. Mode (Photo/Video)
5. Resolution/Frame rate
6. Audio (On/Off)
7. Battery Status
8. Gyro (On/Off)
9. Memory Left
10. Time

Unlike a lot of similar cameras the M20 has good software.  It’s very stable and has no problems. The menu is perfectly intuitive and easy to use thanks to the nearby buttons. The display is completely visible in any condition and even in full light it allows you to read the menus and OSD without problems.

Menu Overview

As I said before, this camera has great software, very intuitive and very stable. The menu has two modes, Video and Photo, changeable with just a click on the power button, and by a full menu with other modes and options:

1. Video/Photo Mode -> These are the main modes switchable by pressing the power button
2. Playback -> Here you preview photos and videos you captured
3. Video Lapse -> This mode is to make a video in time lapse
4. Slow Recording -> This mode is to make slow motion directly with the camera (-x2/-x4/-x8)
5. Photo Lapse ->This mode is to make a photo lapse (3s/5s/10s/20s)
6. Burst Mode -> This mode is to make 3/5/10 photos consecutively
7. Underwater Mode -> In the mode the camera changes the color palette to optimize underwater colors
8. FPV -> You can choose between LCD/FPV/LCD+FPV
9. Motion Detection -> In this mode the camera starts recording if it detects movement in front of it
10. Car Mode -> In this mode the camera turns on automatically when the car starts and turns off when you turn off the car (obviously the camera must be attached to the car charger)
11. Remote Control (On/Off/Pairing)
12. Options

In “Options” we can find tons of settings but some of them are completely useless.  Let’s see all of them:

… Yes, these are absolutely too many settings, I agree…

• Resolution – You can chose between 4K@24FPS,  2K@30FPS,  1080P@30/60FPS,  720P@120/60/30FPS,  VGA@240FPS
• Loop Recording – You can chose to cut the clip every 3min/5min/10min/Never
• FOV – You can chose the Field of View  Narrow (70°) /Middle (150°) /Wide (166°)
• WDR – It makes a little color correction (On/Off)
• Gyro Sensor – It is the Gyroscopic stabilization (On/Off)
• Audio – This is the setting of the camera audio (On/Off)
• Volume – This is the regulation of the sensitivity of the Microphone (1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10)
• Time Stamp – It is the time/date shows
• TV Mode – NTSC/PAL
• OSD Mode – It shows icons and information on the display (On/Off)
• Video File Format – You can choose the format of videos between .mp4 and .MOV
• Bit rate – You can choose the amount of the bitrate between High/Medium/Low
• Double File – The camera create two files of the same video, the first with the right resolution and quality and a second one with a resolution 600×450 having horrible quality (On/Off)
• PowerOnRecord – The cameras turn on when it is on recharge
• Image Size – This is the size of the photos: 16M (4608×3456) /14M (4320×3240) /12M (4032×3024) /10M (3648×2736) /8M (3264×2448) /5M (2592×1944) /3M (2048×1536) / 2MHD / VGA 640×480
• Quality –  This is the quality of the images (Fine/Normal/Economy)
• Sharpness – You can choose the sharpness of the images (Strong/Normal/Soft)
• White Balance – Auto/Daylight/Cloudy/Tungsten/Fluorescent
• Color – Normal/B&W/Retro/Warm/Cool
• ISO – Auto/100/200/400/800/1600
• EV – -2.0,  -5/3,  -4/3,  -1.0,  -2/3,  -1/3,  0,  +1/3,  +2/3,  +1.0,  +4/3,  +5/3,  +2.0
• RAW – RAW is a particular format of photos that doesn’t compress the images, so it allows to see a perfect photo (On/Off)
• Distortion Correction – This mode corrects the distortion on the edges of the FOV (On/Off)
• License No Set – Camera name
• Date/Time – You can adjust the date and time
• Auto Power Off – Off/3min/5min/10min
• Keypad Tone – On/Off
• Light Set – Here you can set the number of lights that turn on while recording or just when the camera is on (1/2/3)
• Screensaver – 30sec/1min/3min/5min/Off
• Frequency – 50/60Hz
• Rotate – It allows you to rotate 180° the video (On/Off)
• Logo Watermark – On/Off
• Language – English/
• Wifi SSID – Name of the Wifi network
• Wifi Password – Set the password of the Wifi camera
• Delete – Delete current file/all files
• Format – Formats the memory card
• Default Settings – Cancel/Ok
• Version – The version of the firmware

As you can see the M20, like all other SJCam cameras, has too many settings and some of them are completely useless. For Bit rate, quality and sharpness there’s no difference between the higher and lower settings so… they are simply useless.

Video

The M20 has 5 different resolutions: 4K@24FPS,  2K@30FPS,  1080P@30/60FPS,  720P@120/60/30FPS and VGA@240FPS. Let me say right now now that some of these frame rates are false. First of all I noticed that the box says “2K cam” and not 4K because actually it’s not a real 4K.  In fact on the side of the box the SJCam says “4K interpolated”.  At this point I thought all the other resolutions and frame rates were right because if they were honest with the 4K then there’s no need to lie about the others.  Well, I was wrong.

The real resolutions and frame rates are:

This is a practical example of false 720P@120FPS and a real one:

Same thing for the false VGA@240FPS and a real one:

This is absolutely ridiculous because the M20 has a processor that can make the claimed frame rates so I don’t know why SJCam decided to tell this HUGE lie.

Okay, apart from this annoying thing, let’s talk about how this camera really records videos.

First of all I want you to remember that this camera has a Sony sensor.  In fact the video results are very, very good with incredibly true colors. This camera works great in every condition, even at night! I found just a little “problem”; it’s not a real problem but it could be annoying for some. In this video focus on the sky:

As you can see the sky literally pulses. This is because the camera focuses the image in the middle of the field of view (FOV).  It works to make the center as good as it can so the “pulse” is nothing more than a light variation to always make the center perfect. Personally I don’t care for this, at least for my needs, and I understand if some people could be annoyed with it.

Another great thing about this camera is the Gyro sensor. It makes a huge difference in stabilization at the cost of a little bit of field of view. To understand how much “space” it takes, this is a little comparison:

In this dashcam test notice how the gyro follows the movement of the car while it turns:

It makes very stable images without any optical stabilizers:

But the gyro also has a limit.  In fact when there’s too much shaking it’s better to disable the function in order to avoid the blurring effect:

To my own huge surprise this camera allows you to see in dark conditions thanks to the back-illuminated sensor.

However there’s still a problem with the amount of noise in the images.  It’s very annoying because of the lack of details.

I also discovered that in night conditions the frame rate is lower than in full light condition.  That means that when the camera is set to 1080P 60fps it’s actually 30fps.

This is a good action camera, maybe one of the best I’ve ever tried, so the problem with the frame rates is a shame.  I hope they fix it in a future firmware upgrade.

Photo

This camera can shoot incredibly good photos, probably the best I’ve ever seen after the Eken H8R. It shoots 16Mp photos with a great resolution.

The only problem is the common problem of “painting”: the far details seems like they’re made with a paint brush. This problem is minor because these kinds of cameras are not made to shoot photos like a real camera.

By the way, the general impact is great, even in back-light as you can see.

I also want to show you the difference between the FOV variation:

The only real difference between “Tiny” and “Medium” is the quality. Tiny has very bad quality and medium has normal quality.

As you can see above, whether photos or videos, the colors look great but there’s a lot of noise when shooting at night.

Audio

I’ll be honest with you, all the videos above were made with the audio settings on default, i.e., on a scale from 1 to 10 it was set to 7. Luckily I found it just in time to record the audio test and show the differences between volume 1 and volume 10 at various car stereo levels.

The volume set on “1” is near to mute – you literally must scream into the mic to hear something.  With the volume at “10” it’s sometimes too sensitive, enough to hear scratching yourself while driving!  I advise you to set this parameter to 8 or 9, neither more nor less, to have a good audio level.

As you can hear the audio is good.  It’s not made to record an EP but it’s versatile enough to use it in every situation from a concert to school to a talk with your friends.

Battery Performance

The results of the battery test are:

• 4K, 24FPS – 101 minutes, 16.4Gb
• 2K, 30FPS – 100 minutes, 21.3Gb
• 1080p, 60fps – 84 minutes, 17.9Gb
• 1080p, 30FPS – 120 minutes, 17.4Gb
• 720P, 120FPS – 120 minutes, 25.1Gb
• 720P, 60FPS – 120 minutes, 15.7Gb
• 720P, 20FPS – 123 minutes, 8.62Gb
• VGA, 240FPA – 143 minutes, 19.8Gb

The recharging time is 105 minutes

That’s good performance for a 900mAh battery. I noticed that the last quarter of the battery takes more time to finish so if you’re at that last quarter you can still shoot some more videos.

WiFi and App

The WiFi and app are other two strong points because I never found any problems with them. The WiFi has a perfectly stable connection and the app is clear and easy to use.

As part the options for the video/photo modes and video/photo time lapse we can change a lot of settings:

• Resolution
• Cyclic record
• WDR
• Audio
• Date stamp
• Rotate
• Gyro
• Video time lapse settings
• Image size
• White Balance
• Exposure
• Capture mode
• Frequency
• Default settings
• Format
• Auto power off
• WiFi name
• WiFi password

As you can see there are more settings than with other cameras and this is good because it allows you to change them from a distance.

In Playback settings you can see the files on both the camera and phone.

On this menu you can choose to download files from the camera to the phone or to delete files.  This works particularly well because the transfer rate easily reaches 2Mb/s.

Summary

With the M20 I can say that SJCAM has made another good camera.  It’s cheap, easy to use, has a good battery and stable software. The only notable cons are the issue with the FPS (I hope they will correct it with the next firmware upgrade) and the huge amount of noise in night images. I think that for $119 you can’t ask for anything more.

PROS

CONS

SJ5000x  Elite is a WiFi, sports camera made by SJCAM. It’s a fifth camera from SJ5000 series. What makes it different compared to other models is that it is the first one to implement Sony’s IMX078CQK 12 megapixels image sensor.

Other important hardware components are Novatek NTK96660 processor or chip and a 7 glass, wide angle lens. Besides that, it is powered by standard 900mah Li-Ion battery and can support maximum of 32GB of external memory (though in my tests it worked with 64GB cards as well).

Oh, I nearly forgot. It has a 2″ screen at the back.

Without any doubt, SJ5000x Elite looks great on a paper. It is actually the first SJCAM camera after SJ4000 that got me so excited. Let’s be honest, their previous models like SJ4000+, M10+ and even 5000X ( difference between 5000x vs 5000x elite) were a total flop.

I was quite harsh in my reviews on those models, and I still think those were heavily overpriced and over-hyped products that offered less bang for the buck compared to competitors.

Can 5000x Elite be a camera that will bring this Chinese brand back to life, or will it put one last nail in the coffin?

You are probably here because you want to find out how the camera performs and does it justify the cost? Or should you choose another brand instead?

No worries, I got you covered.

I’ve been using this camera for quite a while now and I am locked and loaded to tell you everything. We certainly have lots of things to cover here, so allow me to begin with most basic stuff, such as product overview and specs. Later on, I will test its video, photo and audio quality together with usability and support.

Note : | Buy it on Amazon |

SJCAM 5000x Elite specification

[go_pricing id=”5000x_elite”]

5000x Elite unboxing

Two previously released models SJ4000+ and M10+ had quite high quality packing. However, for some unknown reason, SJ5000X Elite arrives in a pretty simple-looking cardboard box that looks nowhere as cool as those prior to it.  It’s obvious that two predecessors models had much better protection.

Now, I can only guess why the Elite packing is designed and made to look like this. First is obviously to decrease the production cost and the other might be the visibility.

With this kind of “opened” packing design, camera is better visible on the shelves of a  brick and mortar stores.

Awkward thing is that on a box there is no “Elite” sign, it only says 5000X, so one’s might confuse it with that model.  Accessories are not organized well either, everything is just stuffed into a box.

Not a huge deal, since you will not record your movies with a box, but I thought to cover product packing as protection as well. Like with all cameras after the M10, this one has a safety code which you can scratch and enter on their official site to see verify the authenticity of your cam.

Accessories

There is a huge list of gadgets that come with the camera.

• 1x camera
• 1x waterproof housing (30m waterproof)
• 3x bandage
• 2x 3m self adhesive tape
• 1x USB cable
• 3x switch mount
• 1x bracket for mounting on a 1/4″ screw
• 1x flat base
• 1x curved base
• 1x J shaped mount
• 1x bicycle mount
• 1x cleaning cloth
• 1x base mount
• 1x spare back door (not waterproof)
• 1x manual
• 2x SJCAM stickers
• 1x lens cap (for protecting lens)

As you see, camera comes with a lots of additional accessories. Gear is pretty much the same as any other Chinese camera. The only thing they included compared to earlier model is a lens cap. This is a nice additional protector for your 5000x Elite lens. I know its probably the cheapest of all, but its quite handy. Some other cameras that included lens cap in a box were Firefly 6S and Git 1.

There is no wall charger included, so you will have to buy one separately. Camera can be charged by plugging supplied USB cable into a PC or a power-bank.

Manual that arrives with Elite, is literary copy/pasted from all previous models with only few technical things changed. It does not provide much information on settings and features. That’s why I recommend you to take a look at our own SJ4000 manual. Because of the similarities in most of the options, it will help you understand technicalities.

Besides these standard mounts and accessories, there are also few pieces of additional gear that can be bought separately on manufacturers website or through plenty other online shops. Good news is that camera is compatible with all standard SJCAM accessories. And if you want to see which additional accessories I recommend, you can read this SJ4000 accessories list.

Design and built quality

Design-wise Elite is similar to any other SJCAM camera. What makes it slightly different compared to most of the manufacturer’s models is a 2″ LCD display at the back. I found display of this size just about right for previewing videos and photos that I captured and also for live-view recording. It helps a lot especially with video and photo composition.

On the side, there are three buttons. Two up and down arrows, used for menu navigation and also zooming in and out. (digital zoom, not optical). Third button is a WiFi and a gyro shortcut. When you press it, camera’s WiFi will be enabled. However if you hold it for over 2 seconds, it will turn gyro video stabilization on or off. Stabilization can be switched from on to off even when you are recording.

What bugged me about the buttons is that they are so tiny and to close to each other. Even though my hands nor fingers aren’t huge, I found it a bit cumbersome to navigate through the menu while pressing them. In my previous review of M10+ model I said that that one can be operated with one hand, well this one certainly can not. I always had to use the other hand to hold the camera firmly.

Other side of the camera has 2 ports (USB and HDMI) and one slot for memory card.

Additionally, it has 2 led indicators at front. Those two, alongside the one of the top and one of the bank blink blue when the camera is recording. The other one at the back will be red while the camera is charging. When it turns of you will now that the 5000x Elite is fully charged.

What I really did not like was the battery cover. I still can’t believe that it is made so flimsy and hard to open and close. That would be okay if this was their first model that had this very same issue, but as the matter a fact, if I am not mistaken, this is their 6th camera with exact same issue.

On the bright side, camera is available in 7 different colors, so if you are picky about coloring, I am sure you will find one to match your preference.  I got the black one because its neutral and looks more serious compared to pink or yellow.

Camera is made out of plastic and has patterned edges. It’s built in the same way like most of the cameras from the brand. Even though its light-weight, I really had no feeling that I am holding a well crafted product. If you need something quite compact and better built, you might take a look at Dazzne P3 or Git 1 or Git 2.

Weight and size.

The total weight of SJCAM SJ5000X Elite camera is XYZ grams with and without the battery. It has absolutely the same size as its predecessors. Dimensions of 5000X Elite are 59.27*41.13*29.28mm.

Video quality

Even though on few forums I’ve seen people complaining about video color looking unnatural, I can tell you that personally I am satisfied with the way Sony’s sensor handles colors. Perhaps those people were referring to earlier software versions.

Images below are extracted video frames  in 1920 x 1080 resolution.

I had some complains about sharpness with the previous model – SJCAM M10+, but 5000x Elite creates quite sharp video.

Video samples

If you would like to download video samples and preview them on your own PC (which is highly recommended), you can download original files on this link.

Here is a video uploaded on YouTube.

Image quality

The biggest novelty of 5000X Elite is that has Sony’s IMX078 image sensor. This means that the camera captures still images in true 12 megapixels. For the similar price range, their predecessors M10+ and SJ4000+ had only 4mp photo resolution.

Even though initial firmware that I used 1.22 had problems with bleached out colors, I was quite satisfied with the results after the upgrade to latest software version. Colors are quite natural looking in my opinion.

Camera handles the details quite when, and you will see in the next few samples.

Audio quality

Even before I received my 5000x Elite, there were rumors that the microphone quality is terrible. Once I received my unit and tested it through various firmare upgrades, I can confirm that the audio quality is really bad. Not only that the sound is muffled on the unit I got, but it is also quite low.

The reason I’ve been prolonging the review of this model (It took me 3 months to write it down) is because I was really hoping that sound can be boosted in software upgrade. However, despite SJCAM clamming otherwise, I do believe that it’s a poor quality hardware inside which causes sound to be this bad.

The quality of the sound can be compared to some other cameras when they are in a waterproof housing.

When the camera is in a waterproof housing you can’t hear sound at all, especially due to low-level microphone which SJCAM 5000X Elite uses.

Note : Manufacturer confirmed that first few batches of the 5000X Elite have sound issue, so I can’t really talk about other “batches”, from what I have here, if sound matters to you, avoid 5000X Elite by all means necessary.

Modes

SJCAM 5000X Elite camera operates in 3 main modes :

• Video / Photo
• Video Lapse
• Slow rec
• Photo Lapse
• Burst Mode
• Long Exposure
• Underwater
• TV-Out
• Motion Detection
• Car Mode
• Playback
• Settings

Settings

This mode has multiple sub-modes. There are 6 main sub-modes. My overall impression is that SJCAM over-killed the camera with so many options that will rather confuse than help.

Below, I will try to explain each of these, so bear with me.

I warn you that this is extremely dull part of the article. Especially because most of these features haven’t changed in years. They are the same in most of Chinese cameras. There are few new options that this camera has, and I paid special attention to them.

I was bored to death writing it, but it helps newbies and action camera owners, so it had to be done. You can skip it if you wish, unfortunately I couldn’t.

Video/Photo

Returns you to a video mode where you can record movies or capture still images.

TV Out

For previewing videos and photos on your PC, you need to enable this option and get an HDMI cable like this one. Plug the narrower end of the  cable into camera HDMI port and wider one into your TV (make sure your TV supports HDMI, very old TV’s do not have this port).

Video and Photo Lapse

I really like that camera has both video and photo time lapse features. If you are a beginner and do not like to use video editing software, choose video-lapse and camera will create right out of the box ready video, that you can upload on YouTube right away.

For those advanced users who like color-correction and other stuff, use photo lapse, and camera will create bunch of photographs (1 photo represents 1 frame of a video). Import those into your editing software and everything else it up to you.

Intervals are a bit different for some reason.

• 1/2/5/10/30/60 seconds  – Video Lapse
• 2/5/10/20 seconds – Photo Lapse

Just to explain, if you choose 2 seconds, this means that camera captures image every other second. So if you leave your camera for a 100 minutes to record, you will have 1200 photos ( 6000 seconds /2 = 3000 photos. Each photo is 1 video frame, so if you want your video in 30fps, you will have time lapse video length or 3000/30 = 100 seconds).

Playback

There are two options to preview the videos and photos. Except exporting and previewing on your computer, you can either view them from App, camera itself or on your TV.

Be aware that if you are using 64GB memory card (camera officially supports 32gb, but I used Sony 64GB Class 10), you will not be able to preview videos.

Setup

The most extensive sub-menu is the Setup which contains insane amount of options that you can adjust.

Resolution

• “4k” – 24 fps – 2860 x 2160 – interpolated, not true UHD 4K.
• 2k – 30 fps – 2560 x 1440
• 1080p -30/60fps – 1920 x 1080
• 720p – 30/60/120 fps – 1280 x 720
• VGA – 240 fps – 640 x 480

Loop recording

• Off/3/5/10 minutes

FOV

FOV, or field of view is very interesting feature. Since some people do not like the wide-angle lens, since it creates distortion, you can choose the angle you like the most. Be aware that camera scales the video image, which means that the video might not be as sharp. Similar to situation with a gyro sensor.

• 170°
• 140°
• 110°
• 70°
• off (default)

WDR

WDR or wide dynamic range is an option used in situations where you have a lots of contrasts.

Gyro sensor

Even though most people believe that a gyro is software part that stabilizes the video, it is actually a tiny chip (hardware) which eliminates shakiness from the videos. Stabilization of this kind is similar to digital stabilization. This option does excellent job in stabilizing when camera is moved up and down, but does not work when you move it from one side to another. However this is without any doubt huge advantage of this camera.

It is advised that you turn gyro off when taking photographs, because it will reduce image sharpness. WiFi button located on the camera’s side is at the same time a shortcut for turning video stabilization on or off. If you hold it for 2 seconds you will turn on/off gyro. Great thing is that this shortcut allows you to switch through gyro on and off while recording.

Motion detection

Until this day I do not understand why this feature is in an action camera. In theory, when turned on,  camera will start recording when detects a motion. But for any sort of serious home surveillance, do yourself a favor and get a proper home-surveillance camera.

Audio and volume

If by any chance you wish to turn the sound off for your videos you can do that. Additionally you can set up audio levels from 1-8, one being the lowest and eight the highest.

• on/off audio
• volume – 1-10 levels

Slow motion

One very interesting option is called slow motion. This feature will create out of box slowed down video, without you having to edit it further. Quite handy for people who are unfamiliar with video editing software, but need slow motion scenes.

Video file format

Camera gives you the option to choose between two formats. Quite honestly, I did not quite get what’s the point of this, but I am sure there is one. I use MOV format.

• MP4
• MOV

Image size

Under the image size, you can navigate through different photo resolutions. Of course, it’s highly recommended to use highest one, unless you want to save a bit more space on your memory card, in that case you can use lower resolution and sacrifice image quality.

• 12 mp
• 10mp
• 8mp
• 5mp
• 3mp
• 2mhd
• 1.3mp
• vga 640×480

Quality

• Fine
• Medium
• Standard

I use standard.

Sharpness

• Strong
• Normal
• Soft

I set mine to normal.

White Balance

• Auto
• Daylight
• Cloudy
• Tungsten
• Fluorescent

It really depends on light, environment and the effect you wish to achieve. In a bright sunny day, I found that daylight has the most vivid colors. For most of my video samples I used auto white balance. There is no general rule when it comes to this one.

Color

This feature is one of my favorite. It allows you to have photos and videos in black and white and sepia. Warm color adds slightly more vibrancy, but nothing significant.

• Normal
• Black and White
• Retro (sepia)
• Warm
• Cool

ISO

If you do not want to bother with how much light goes into the sensor, just leave ISO to off. It’s not an option you will use quite a lot, as camera is pretty good on detecting this parameter automatically.

• Auto
• 100
• 200
• 400
• 800
• 1600

EV

EV, or exposure value determines how bright or dark your video or photo will be. I mostly kept mine at 0.0, but I encourage you to experiment with this option, as it really depends on a situation and light conditions.

RAW

Besides standard JPEG image format, SJCAM 5000X Elite can export images as RAW. I talked about RAW in my Gitup GIT2 review. Please check the “RAW” paragraph out, as it clarifies what is RAW, who should use it and what are its benefits.

Burst mode

When you enable the burst mode, camera will capture up to 10 photos on a single shutter click. Useful for sports photography and fast-moving objects.

• 3/5/10/off

Dash cam

I always encourage people whose main interest is to capture a traffic with an action camera, mostly because action cameras are not made for that purpose. However if you want to record traffic from time to time with camera attached to a car charger, enabling this option will turn the camera off, when you turn your car off, and vice-versa. Use it in combination with loop recording.

Other options

Below is a brief overview on other options, that are pretty self-explanatory, but I covered them as well.

• License no set – if you wish to have a custom name on datestamp, for instance pevly.com in right  corner, etc.
• date/time – set date/time
• auto power off – activate if you want camera to turn off after selected period of inactivity – good for saving up the battery
• keypad tone – turn the keypad tone on or off
• light set – (off – turns all LED indicators off, 1 turns on only top indicator, 2 turns front ant top, 3 turns all indicators on)
• screen savers -set the screen to turn off after inactivity – good for battery saving
• frequency – refresh rate for your screen
• Logo watermark – show SJCAM logo on your videos and photos or turn it off
• Language – select the menu language (17 different languages available)
• WiFi SSID – camera WiFi name
• WiFi Password – WiFi password, default is : 12345678
• Delete – enters delete mode so you can remove images or videos you do not like
• Format – formats the memory card, erases everything.
• Default settings – returns all options on default
• Version – shows firmware/software version

Buttons and functions

Here is an overview of buttons and their functions on 5000X Elite camera.

1. Shutter/OK button (Press to record video and to confirm options inside the menu)
2. Recording indicator – flashes blue while you record
3. Wifi/Gyro shortcut – press to activate WiFi or hold for 2-3 seconds to turn gyro on or off.
4. Up arrow – navigation through the menu and zooming in (8X digital zoom)
5. Down arrow – navigation through the menu and zooming out.
6. Power/Mode button – press to turn camera on, hold to turn it off. Short click switches from photo, video and settings.
7. Lens
8. Recording indicator
9. Recording indicator
10. LCD Screen
11. Memory card slot
12. USB port (charging, file transfer)
13. HDMI out (Previewing footage on your TV with HDMI cable)

Other technical stuff

Due to many questions that regularly occur on all SJCAM reviews, I created two paragraphs that will respond to ones most commonly asked. Once again, if your problem is quite specific, it is the best to reach out to manufacturer directly.

How to update the firmware?

1. Make sure your camera is at least 50% charged.
2. Download latest firmware from manufacturers site. Firmware>SJ5000 Series>SJ5000X Elite (Note make sure to read instructions on their site carefully, as some firmware updates have different upgrade procedures and require different steps.
3. Unzip the folder.
4. Format the memory card inside your camera.
5. Attach a camera to your PC via USB and choose Mass Storage.
6. Copy the .bin file from the folder you previously downloaded and unzipped to the memory card.
7. Turn off the camera.
8. Unplug the USB cable.
9. Turn ON the camera.
10. Blue light will flash for around 20 seconds. Do not interrupt this process. Camera will restart when the process is done.
11. Once the camera has turned on itself, format the memory card to delete .bin file.
12. Go to Settings>Version to see if the firmware corresponds to the one you downloaded (For example if you downloaded 2.2 firmware and you see 2.2 version inside the camera, the upgrade was successful.

Frequently Asked Questions – 5000x Elite

1. Can the 5000x Elite record when connected to a power bank? – Yes.
2. Can the 5000x Elite record when connected to a power bank without the battery? – Yes.
3. Does it support AV-Out? – Yes. (For FPV related questions, please check this video, I am not an expert in aerial photography so for those questions, go to RCgroups forum and ask experienced users.)
4. How can I watch videos/photos on TV? – Buy HDMI cable like this, plug it into the camera, set TV Mode > ON, plug into HDMI port of your TV.
5. Can it record videos while being connected to a TV? – Yes it can.
6. Will I hear audio on my TV while recording in TV mode? – No you will not hear output audio on TV, but you will hear camera internal sounds on TV.
7. Should I buy SJCAM 5000x Elite or Gitup 2? – I have not done side by side comparison yet, so I do not know. Please check comparison page, my article will be there when I publish it.
8. Does 5000X work as a web camera? – For me it does not work on Windows 10, not sure about operating systems.
9. Does SJCAM 5000X Elite support external microphone? – No it does not support external microphone.

Where to buy SJCAM SJ5000x Elite?

Here are few links where you can buy this camera.

• Buy it on Amazon

Summary

There you have it. First of all, I’d like to apologize to all the readers who have restlessly emailed me and ask “when 5000x elite review will be done”. It’s taken me longer than usual, mostly because tons of software updates SJCAM did. I waited until they had a stable software. I hope that this review of mine helped you decide if SJCAM SJ5000X Elite is good enough camera for you.

At the end, let’s summarize the things I personally liked, but also the ones I did not.

SJCAM 5000X Elite is certainly way better camera compared to M10+ and SJ4000+ I recently reviewed. It provides better bang for the buck. Positive thing is that SJCAM finally started using serious image sensor components in their models.

New Sony’s sensor might not be that good in low-light, but it creates quite sharp 12 megapixels images. Colors on both video and photo are quite natural for my taste. Accessories that arrive with the camera are quite standard for all SJCAM models. Nothing new when it comes to equipment.

New features like slow motion, long-exposure and underwater mode are things I really like. My overall opinion is that video stabilization has to be better optimized and I expect that to happen in the next firmware update.

Sound is huge problem with 5000X Elite. Not only that it’s quite low, but you will barely be able to hear anything (at least that was a case with my camera) until you set up volume level at 10. Even then, the sound is inferior compared to some most cameras  I tested, especially Gitup Git 2 or Xiaomi’s YI. Additionally, unlike some of it’s competitors, it does not support external microphone. As already mentioned, you can barely hear a person speaking

User navigation is a bit confusing, there are tons of options and setups. It took me a while to get used to new menu design, especially since it has been modified with each software update. Good news, is that camera works quite fast and there were no issues with it’s performance.

While the design is quite standard, I believe it’s high time that SJCAM starts making higher-quality and better-built cameras. Camera is light-weight, but feels quite fragile, even though I did not have problems breaking anything while using it in different conditions.

Finally, only if sound is not in your priority list, there is a point in getting 5000X Elite by SJCAM. If the microphone inside was better, this would have been quite decent camera for the money, but with sound level being terrible, it will be a deal breaker for many people.

Thank you for taking time to read this article. If you find it helpful, I’d appreciate if you could share it on Facebook or Twitter. For any sort of question, feel free to leave a comment below, I’ll do my best to reply asap.

After the release of SJ4000 Plus, a boosted version of their most popular camera SJ4000, SJCAM, manufacturer of low-budget action cameras from China, launched a new model – SJCAM M10+, a cube-shaped action cam.

SJCAM M10+ (Plus), is an advanced version of M10 camera which was originally launched in 2014. Thanks to its cubic form, it is considered as a GoPro Session low-budget alternative. Compared to its predecessor, it can take videos in 2K (2560 x 1440) at 30fp and  full HD 1080p in both 60 and 30 frames per second. Camera has a built in WiFi which allows remote control via the smartphone App.

Biggest improvement besides better video to its forerunner is  gyro video stabilization. Gyro is a tiny piece of hardware that removes shakiness from the video in similar way digital stabilization does.

Even though in the specs SJCAM says camera has 12 megapixels still image resolution, that is an incorrect statement. SJCAM M10 Plus has a 4 megapixelOV4689 image sensor inside, so anything higher than that is interpolated. But lets talk about that a bit later.

With all its pros and cons, twice higher the price of the basic M10 model, and now only 50$ cheaper compared to a Session 4 from GoPro , is this little fella worth buying?

That’s what I am here to help you discover. I have been recording with this camera for few weeks now, and in this post, I will review it from the ground up.

SJCAM M10+ (Plus) 2K Gyro Specifications

Reading about the camera and its features is fun, but the only certain way to know what you are buying is to look at technical specification of a product. I created a table which show all the specs of this camera.

[go_pricing id=”sjcam_m10_plus”]

Do not be surprised if it its the same table as in SJ4000+ review. Because this camera is just a repack of  SJ4000+ Gyro version! Besides the shape, size and weight, these two cameras are completely the same.

Like it or not (I don’t), this is how SJCAM operates lately, repacking cameras by adding minor improvements. This is what they did with three of their Limited Edition cameras as well. Same thing happened with basic SJ4000 and M10 cameras (comparison link).

Hero 4 Session alternative/clone?

Because of its resemblance to Polaroid Cube and GPH4 Session, I am sure many people will be calling it a GoPro copy, copycat, clone, etc.

Come on GoPro fanboys, you can say it : “These guys are copying GoPro once again”.

Say that again?

Gotcha.

Actually the basic version of the camera was released a full year before GoPro announced their Session 4 in July 2015. The first manufacturer to launch cube action camera was actually Polaroid.  You know the brand that used to make some awesome stuff, but got sold a while ago. Apparently they are in the action camera market as well.

I know plenty of people did not know this, so I hope this stops “GoPro copycats” discussion.

Packaging content

Square shaped camera comes packed in a thick rectangular cardboard box. Once you open it, there are 3 more mini-boxes inside, two bulky square ones and one flat. One of those bulkier boxes contains a camera in a waterproof case wrapped around with a protective foam. Other two boxes contain all sorts of accessories.

When it comes to packing, SJCAM improved significantly compared to some of their early models. Everything is very well protected and at the same well-organized. I really have no complains about how camera arrived.

Accessories

Once all of those smaller boxes are unwrapped and emptied, here is everything you get :

• 1x camera
• 1x waterproof case
• 1x spare plastic case back door (not waterproof, for better sound recording)
• 1x manual (44 page, multilingual)
• 1x 900mAh battery (inside the cam already)
• 1x USB cable (for charging and transferring files to PC)
• 1x bicycle stand
• 2x helmet self-adhesive base
• 3X switch supports
• 1x bracket
• 1x clip (for bracket)
• 1x base mount
• 1x base adapter
• 1x base curved
• 2x 3M adhesive double tissue tape
• 2x bandage
• 1x cleaning cloth
• 2x SJCAM stickers

That’s a hell lot of things to play with! I warn you that in 90% of cases, people do not use all of these gadgets, but the more the merrier, right?

It should also be mentioned that on the box, there is a scratch and enter code which you can enter on sjcamhd.com to confirm the authenticity of the camera you bought.

SJCAM M10+ waterproof case

One thing that made me laugh is the fact that at first SJCAM used the same waterproof case like the M10 basic model. Well that would be perfectly fine since the cameras are same size and shape, so its a perfect match, but actual M10 waterproof cases had a funny designer error. Their cases did not include buttons for Up and down navigation on a waterproof case. So if you are underwater or in the rain, and would like to change something inside the camera, while it is in a waterproof housing, it is impossible.

So I was quite amused when I saw they repeated same mistake, even though lots of community members sent them emails and posted on forums that M10 waterproof case was designed by a drunk engineer.

They were aware of the error indeed, but I guess they wanted to get rid of all cases first. That is why first few batches of SJCAM M10+ (including one I have) have cases which do not allow you to navigate through the menu. 2 months after M10+ release, SJCAM launched a re-designed case. You can buy re-designed case here.

Besides 3 buttons on the side, one more difference is that a new one has different side clip which according to people who have it is easier to open. They are both waterproof to up to 30m according to manufacturer. Good thing is that batches with older housing are now discounted and if you do not care about underwater option change, you can save up to 30$ buy (eBay link) buying an older batch, which is a huge saving.

Design and built quality

The overall appearance of the M10+ is quite neat. Design-wise it looks quite appealing. Like all SJCAM cameras built quality is not on a high level. Camera body is made out of a light-weight plastic. M10+ front has smooth plastic surface,where as the edges are made out of patterned mixture of plastic and rubberized material that prevents slipping.

Back of the camera has 1.5″ LCD display. on which you can preview your videos, photos or just live-view what you are recording.

One thing I did not like is that the side of the camera which has ports does not have any sort of cover. That means that dust will easily get into those places, so it is a good idea to clean it up occasionally.

Size and weight

Even though it seems like a cube, once precisely measured, SJCAM M10+ is not really a cube-shaped camera. While its length and width are nearly the same, its 5 mm higher. So the exact dimensions of SJCAM M10+ camera are 48.1 mm x 43.1 mm x 43.3 mm.

With a battery inside camera weights around 69 grams or 2.43 ounce.

Dimensions of the camera are the same as M10 basic and M10 WiFi models, while it is just slightly heavier compared to its predecessors.

Buttons and ports

Below is an illustration of all buttons and ports on M10+ and a brief overview of their functions.

1. Record / OK button – use to take photos while in photo mode, record a movie in video mode, delete footage in playback mode or as a confirm button inside settings.
2. LED Indicator – indicates that camera is recording by flashing blue. While camera is charging it will flash red.
3. Power ON/OFF and Mode – Hold it to turn camera on or off. Press it to switch through Video, Photo, Setup and Playback modes.
4. HDMI out – Use in combination with TV Out option to plug in HDMI cable to preview footage to on your TV.
5. USB plug – for charging and file transfer
6. Memory card slot (camera supports up to 32GB cards officially, though it worked with my Sony 64GB.)
7. LCD Display
8. Navigation buttons (use up or down to navigate through the menu) – These buttons can also be used for digital zoom up to 4x, while you are recording or taking stills.
9. WiFi / Gyro button – press it to turn WiFi on or off, or hold it for few seconds to enable/disable gyro stabilization.

M10+ Video quality

M10+ can record videos in several resolutions and frames per second. Most useful ones are :

• (2560 x 1440) – 2k at 30 fps
• 1080 x 1920 – Full HD at 30 and 60 fps

Here are some snapshots from exported from the video.

It can take photos and record videos while being attached to a charger or a power bank without any problems it also has a dash-cam function so it will work as a car camera.

Video quality is better than previous versions and provide more natural looking color. However what I noticed is that the sharpness has not been so good for the camera, especially if we have in mind it costs 140$.

Actually the sharpness issue is related to the lens focus. It appears that camera itself needs to be focused better.

If you wish to take a look at some video samples, you can download few raw videos from DropBox and preview them on your own PC.

Lens problem (black spots)

You probably do not know that I actually had 2 SJCAM M10+ cameras. My “intelligent” mind managed to break first one, since I carried it in a backpack which I managed to drop while hiking. I asked manufacturer to sell me the part that got broken, but these guys were kind enough to send a complete new unit to me. (#benefitsofreviewingtheirproducts?)

Anyway, while previewing video at my PC I noticed black spots in videos on both cameras. Before I explain you what it is, take a look, just to make sure you understand what I am referring to.

Looks really spooky! So what is this, why and when it happens?

Please understand that this is exported frame from a video. Each second of a video has 30-60 frames. So its really hard to notice this. But once I slowed down my video, I noticed these “blackouts” that happen in a fraction of a second.

To me it seamed like exposure problem, since in 99% of cases it happens when camera faces a very bright cloudy sky. Its like that image sensor detects what has to be fixed.

I thought my unit had issues. But after receiving another SJCAM M10+ that one had same problem. I contacted manufacturer and they explained to me it is probably a lens issue. They are not sure either. They also told me that nobody else noticed this. Here is what their representative said to me :

2 confirmed m10+’s with lens issues out of over 15,000 M10+units sold is acceptable.

/Even though its not a major issue and the fact they offered to send a replacement lens, I refuse to believe that two units have problems, and both ended up in Pavle’s house? Come on.

If you noticed this issue on your camera, please let me know in the comments. Unfortunately, I was unable to accept their lens, as I would feel uncomfortable receiving all those stuff for free, and this review would probably look biased.

Please understand that even though this looks scary, I am aware that 99% of buyers would not notice this, as it happens in a fraction of a second. But still, it happens, and once I noticed it, I saw blackouts everywhere.

Facts about black frames :

1. It happens when camera is facing a bright sky when image sensor tries to detect exposure.
2. It happened on both of my cameras.
3. Manufacturer acknowledged the issue and said its a lens issue.
4. It is a tiny issue that happens quickly and most of people will probably not notice it.
5. Once you start seeing it, it gets under your skin, its scary.
6. No, its not aliens and black holes, or is it?

Gyro stabilization

Without any doubt, video stabilization is important for an action cameras. With their SJ4000+ Gyro, manufacturer started to roll out this feature on all of their cameras. With the option turned on, your video will look less shaky. Its not as perfect as optical stabilization, but it makes a visible difference.

With the firmware 1.6 or later, stabilization can be activated just by holding a WiFi button for a 2-3 seconds. This is fantastic shortcut. I really like it, since it enables me to turn stabilization off for photos.

One more interesting thing, is that while recording, you can turn gyro stabilization on or off. Overall, Gyro stabilization is without the slightest doubt great feature. It indeed consumes battery a bit more and decreases angle of view and photo quality but it does what is supposed to – makes shaky videos better.

Slow motion video

One neat feature is slow motion video. If you like slowed down videos, M10+ creates them right out of box for you. You can chose from different speeds. Be aware that the higher  the speed, lower the resolution. But it looks very nice. It was a time-saver, especially if you are not tech-savvy.

Photography

Like with SJ4000+ edition, photography is the weakest link in this camera. Photos are not bad, but they are far from being called good. Camera has a 4 megapixels image sensor. This means M10+ is capable of capturing still images in maximum 4mp resolution (2688 x 1520 pixels).

Wait, but on the packing, manual, product description and camera menu I clearly see 12 megapixels image resolution?

Exactly. Manufacturer is interpolating photo resolution by smart software shortcut, scaling photo , making them look like 12 megapixels ones. This way, images you captured have 12 megapixels resolution and even size. Once you try to zoom them in, it is obvious that this is incorrect and they quickly become blurry.

In laymen word, they are lying and deceiving you, me and everyone else. Luckily, hardware components do not lie. If you do not trust me, take a look at the image sensor specs. While for video this does not matter, for photography it does, especially if you want to print out the images you took or post process them.

On the other hand, colors on the images are OK. Image quality  will be okay for social media and web usage.

So whats all the fuss?

The thing is that I do not like being lied to. There are people who buy action cameras because they want to take good images as well. People who want to crop photos, post-process them and do a bit of color correction. With this kind of resolution that will be hard to achieve.

Lets be honest for a moment. For most people 140$ is not a small amount to spend on something that does not work the way we expected. Below are image samples that I took. They are compressed so they can be suitable for web, but please if photography is important feature for you, download raw files and preview them on your PC before buying this camera.

If you want a camera with better photo quality, from the one I have, I can recommend YI by Xiaomi, Dazzne P3 and Firefly 6S.

SJCAM has been doing photo scaling ever since they launched their first camera. I never liked this and I do not mind swearing and being harsh at this kind of tricks they do, just to sell more cameras. In a long run, we all know they are lying, so whats the point? Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.

One more thing, SJCAM representative told me that gyro stabilization turned on in photo mode decreases photo quality slightly and reduces the field of view, so when taking images, remember to turn off the  stabilization (it can be done by holding WiFi button on the side of the camera if you are using firmware 1.6 and higher).

I tested it, and I can confirm that gyro stabilization reduces photo quality, but to be honest with you, it is very hard to notice it, since the photo resolution is only 4 megapixels. Any sort of analysis requires cropping, and images cropped on a sensor like this will look blurry one way or another. Below is the image which illustrates how Gyro option influences the photo quality and field of view.

There is one more thing I nearly forgot. Even though this is an action camera, if you plan to take lots of photos while moving at a faster pace, you should know that shutter speed is not that good, and photos in movement might look blurred.

I am satisfied with how colors look. Considering that at the time of taking the photos it was winter with lots of clouds, M10+ managed to show scene quite naturally. It would be great if it had an option for more vivid colors though.

I noticed that from time to time auto white balance will fail to properly set up, so if you notice that photos look too blue or yellow, try to manually set white balance.

On a bright side, like all SJCAM models, there are lots of options that you can play with to improve the look of your photo. Some of them are White Balance, ISO, Exposure and WDR.

Download raw files here.

Audio quality

Sound quality on M10+ is similar to SJ4000 and SJ4000+. It is just not that good. Levels are a bit low, but there is not much hiss or any interference. However for a product priced at 140$ I expected better mic quality.

Features and settings

Since camera is the same as SJ4000+ which I already reviewed, there is no point in repeating and explaining each and every option that camera has. I will briefly list what camera offers and if you would like to find out more about particular option, just check previous model review or even SJ4000 manual.

Here is a list of settings that camera has in the menu.

• Resolution (change resolution of your video/photo)
• Cyclic record
• WDR (use this when recording landscapes with lots of contrast / shadow and bright areas)
• Gyro Sensor (video stabilization feature)
• Motion detection (camera starts recording when it detects a movement)
• Audio on/off
• Date stamping
• TV Out (if you want to preview clips you recorded on your TV via HDMI port)
• TV mode (tv out standard PAL or NTSC)
• OSD mode (displays or hides icons on the screen)
• Video lapse (creates out of the box time-lapse video)
• Slow movie (creates out of the box slow motion video, you can choose from 3 different speeds)
• Image size (resolution of you photographs)
• White balance
• ISO
• Exposure
• Capture mode (Timer 3/5/10s)
• Burst (3/5/10s) – takes continuous photos on a single shutter click
• Delete
• Format
• WiFi Setup
• Car mode
• Language
• Date/Time
• Auto Power off
• Beep
• Screen saver
• Rotate
• Default settings
• Version

As you can see like, all SJCAM cameras M10+ is pretty feature rich device which leaves you plenty of creative freedom over your footage.

User interface and navigation

Perhaps the best thing about the M10 series is that they are so damn easy to use. User experience is super-slick. Thanks to navigation buttons on the side, light weight of the camera and interesting shape, it is a breeze to operate with it. You can easily hold one hand palm change settings while holding martini in another hand.

Thanks to its 1.5″ LCD display located at the back of the camera, changing settings and overall navigation is quite easy.

WiFi button has 2 shortcuts. If you press it, you immediately enable WiFi, but if you hold it for 2-3 seconds, you will activate gyro stabilization for video. I really liked this shortcut button, since video stabilization is quite an important option, so it should be easily accessible.

Battery and memory card

M10 Plus has absolutely the same battery like any other products in SJCAM production line. 3.7v 900mAh Li-ion powers the cube. Even though manufacturer advertises around 80 minutes of recording, I managed to get longer-lasting performance.

Here are my results in different resolutions and different setup.

It is obvious that when you turn on the stabilization, battery life decreases, but not significantly. Good thing about having the same battery in nearly all models, is that you can find a spare battery for M10 at very affordable prices.

When you search, you can also type SJ4000 battery, since they are all the same. Recording time is around 98 minutes in 1080p 60 fps with a Gyro turned on and LCD on a standby, which is quite decent, considering the battery  capacity of only 900 mAh.

As far as memory card is concerned, M10+ works with microsd, microsdhc and microsdxc cards of up to 32 GB according to the spec. Since video recording requires certain speed from your memory card, it is always recommended that you use at least class 10 memory card of a reputable brand. Keep in mind that M10+ does not have an internal memory, which means in order to use the camera, you need a memory card, otherwise you can not record video or take photos.

SJCAM M10 series differences – M10 vs M10 WiFi vs M10+

If in any way you are unable to differentiate M10 vs M10 WiFi and M10 Plus, I created a comparison table.

[go_pricing id=”m10_compared”]

Web Camera function

Unfortunately, even though when the camera is plugged into a computer you will see a PC camera option, for some weird reason, you can not use M10+ as a web camera. I tested it on Windows 10, and it did not work. Actually my computer was able to identify it, but the video output you will get will be black and white with huge amount of interference.

Here is my result on windows 10. If a Tetris could be a web camera, I am sure the output would be similar.

This was a huge disappointment for me, as I really enjoyed using previous versions as a Skype camera.

Some other members over at RC Groups forum reported that web camera function works well on Windows 7.

How to update the SJCAM M10+ firmware?

1. Check the firmware version you have
2. Download latest firmware from manufacturers website.
3. Unzip the downloaded folder.
4. Plug the camera into your PC.
5. On camera screen you will see “Mass Storage / PC Camera” Chose “Mass Storage” option and click OK.
6. Locate the camera inside “My Computer (for windows).
7. Copy the SJCAMM10.bin (or whatever the name of .bin file is)
8. Paste .bin file onto memory card root folder >My PC>Camera/Memory card name
9. Turn off the camera. And turn it on again. Do not worry if nothing happens. The camera will look like its being charged (red LED button will blink). Wait for around 2 minutes, until the camera turns on itself.
10. Chose Mass Storage again, and delete the .bin file from the camera root. This stops camera from being updated each time it turns on.
11. To check the update was successful, go to camera settings <Version.

Customer support

In my opinion customer support is probably one of the most important things to consider when buying a camera. Even though most of Chinese camera companies never heard of customer support and do not even bother to check their inbox (perhaps they never heard of email?), SJCAM is way better compared to them.

After their new website launch, it is much easier to reach them out. And…. Wait for it… Now they reply to emails and even have a live chat. On a chat, sometimes you will wait for quite a while and sometimes get an instant reply, but its certainly the fastest way to reach them out.

SJCAM now has a support forum, which is a big plus. Since recently some of their representatives are active on few other aerial photography and dash-camera forums where you can get assistance as well.

What I dislike about their support team is that they are not knowledgeable and 100% familiar with their own products. For example if you need an advanced technical advice, or have a complex question, they might not be able to resolve it.

Their personnel still needs more training and experience as well as education, but comparing SCAJM support team to one just a year back improvement is visible. They are far from perfect or even great support, but they are decent.

Summary

Lets begin with pros first.

I really like the packing of SJCAM M10+. It comes neatly protected and packed with lots of accessories. Loved the design and shape. Camera is light weight and extremely easy to operate. Software inside and navigation are quite good.

Probably the best feature is video gyro stabilization which makes a noticeable difference by reducing video shakiness. I found the gyro stabilization quick shortcut button quite handy. SJCAM staff regularly update software and fixes bugs. What is more encouraging is that they are involved in getting feedback on several online forums and adding new features. Cam has lots of features and options you can set up and play with. Their support team is not perfect but much better compared to other Chinese action camera manufacturers.

Now the cons.

Built quality is not that good. Camera feels plastic and cheap. Manufacturer uses deceptive technique once again by announcing 12 megapixels resolution, when in reality camera has 4 megapixels sensor. But I am used to that with Chinese brands, nearly all of those brands do this. SJCAM is reputable brand and I seriously think they should stop acting like all those tiny knock-off companies that exist for a week until they sell their product batches.

Video quality is decent, but not sharp enough due to the focus issue. While I haven’t noticed that many people had an issue with sharpness, there are some reports on forums about users who noticed the same thing as I did on both of my units. On the other hand, handful of other reviewers do not seam to have that kind of focus issue with their units. That shows the lack of quality control.

In addition to that, both of my SJCAM M10+ cameras had issue with lens which created “blackouts”. Also even though camera has PC camera function, it does not work (I tested it on Win 10).

With all that in mind, even though SJCAM made a progress with gyro stabilization and customer support, I honestly do not think this camera should be priced that high. Its a mediocre product at mid-range price. Seeing the specs of their latest SJ5000x Elite it is unthinkable that that two cameras can have nearly the same price-tag.

Considering that GoPro and Polariod have their cube-shaped cameras at 150-190$, I think that SJCAM priced their M10+ way higher than they should. I am aware that under reviewers including some reputable one said great things about this camera, but I do not think it provides enough value for its price. While the software is great, it should have better hardware starting with image sensor and lens.

Overall, if you already have SJ4000, M10 or SJ4000+, I do not think its worth to upgrade and get new SJCAM M10+ (Plus) as it brings minor improvements at a higher price. Also, if you do not have an action camera yet, but really like the shape, take a look at other alternatives. Unless your budget is 140$ I see no real reason to get this one instead of a GoPro Session or Polaroid Cube+ and even SJCAM M10 (70-80$).

Where to buy SJCAM M10+ camera?

In case you decided to get this camera, here are few online stores that have them.

• Amazon| link |
• eBay | link |

Your questions and opinion

I hope that you found this review useful and  that I helped you decide if this camera is right for you or not. If you have any questions or ideas, feel free to drop a comment below, I reply to each and every question.

In case you own SJCAM M10+, please let me know your experience with it and do you feel it was a good buy or not.

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to SJCAM SJ4000 online manual. This series of concise guidelines has been written by TeriTerryTarry who generously decided to share it with Pevly.com readers. It is absolutely the best and most detailed guide on how to use this little camera.

If you are SJ4000 or SJ4000 WiFi user, I am sure you will find plenty of detailed and step by step instructions that will help you learn how to operate your SJ4000.

Since nearly all SJCAM cameras have similar user interface and software, large portion of the manual can be applied to cameras like : M10, M10+, SJ4000+, limited 5000x and x1000 and even SJ5000 series.

Manual has been organized into few pages to make reading easier. To view the content on a next page, just click the orange “Next Slide” button on top or bottom of the page.

For those of you who prefer to read this on a eReader like Kindle or print it out, we have a PDF version available, which you can download on this link.

UPDATE 1/08/2016

A new version of PDF manual is available now.

• Download 4.2 rev manual (latest)
• Download 3.1 rev manual

Be aware that this is not an official manual.

Once again, huge thanks to TeriTerryTarry for a wonderful guide.

GENERAL NOTES

Before we start, here are some important notes.

• When you open the camera package for the first time check the contents to make sure you have all the mounting hardware and accessories.
• Plastic film covers the camera display and lens. On the clear housing plastic film also covers the inside and outside of the lens cover and both back cover doors. Remove plastic film before using the camera.
• There are many ways to determine if your camera is genuine. Checking the security code under the scratch-off on the side of the package is one of them.  Go to the SJCAM official website and enter the security code as directed to verify that you have an authentic camera. Please be aware that if you camera does not have a security code, it does not have to mean it is a fake. Here is a page where you can find out more details on how to determine authenticity your SJ4000.
• This manual is based on firmware version G20150408V02 dated 2015 April 8. Camera menus, settings or other operations might vary with other firmware versions.
• Notes are identified in parentheses () and are described at the end of each section.