SJCAM is a Chinese action camera manufacturer specialized in producing cheap GoPro-like sports recording devices.
They released a huge number of cameras and had lots of ups and downs along the way. As the time passes it is very hard to keep up with large amount of assortment they have. Differences between cameras vary. There are some models that are quite the same with minor improvements and there are some that are radically different.
For people who are new to action cameras, it is very hard to find info and compare wide variety of SJCAM cameras. That is why I decided to create a page, where I will list and compare all cameras released by this company based in Shenzhen.
Here I will include each and every camera launched by SJCAM. From the earliest attempts when they were completely unknown no-name brand to more advanced ones, including recently launched limited edition cameras.
You should know few things before you start comparing which one suits you the most.
The tables below are specification comparison. Though I did my best to include each and every important feature in the table, it is possible that I might have missed something. Tables are different to ones you see on manufacturers and retailers sites, mostly because I included true photo resolution and settings they did not add.
Please be aware that even though hardware specs are correct, there might be slight variation in size/weight charts as well as features such as timer, burst, etc. Size variations are possible because I have measured the cameras I have myself. The information for the ones I do not has been taken from official specs. Differentiation in features happens because if manufacturer releases new software (firmware) for the camera some features might be updated, removed or changed.
I will try to keep these tables up to date. If you find any mistake or have noticed something should be changed/added, please let me know by posting a comment below. For more in-depth comparison, please visit either compare category or action camera reviews sections of this website.
Early SJCAM models (SJ1000, SJ2000, SJ3000)
Company started their product line with SJ1000 series, which at that time, picked some quite good reviews. Unlike its successors, SJ1000 had pretty unique design. With a raising popularity of helmet cameras, SJ2000 was released to cater for bicyclist and motorists and other enthusiast.
At the time Sony entered the market with their HDR-AS15, SJCAM answered by launching SJ3000 and SJ3000 WiFi as a cheaper alternative. Until I started doing a research for this article, I was unaware of SJ3000 WiFi camera. It appears to be quite hard to get it. It is certainly the first WiFi action cam released by the company.
What is very interesting about early S1-S3 models is that nowhere on them will you see SJCAM logo.
Bear in mind that these cameras still have quite high prices for what they offer. There are many other cameras that, now, 2 years later offer at least twice better video/photo quality.
The only way it would make sense to buy first SJCAM cameras would be to have them as a collectible piece.
Do not get me wrong, you can of course still capture photos and create videos with them, but there are better solutions that are better bang for your buck.
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SJ4000 series
SJ4000 models were, and still are huge success for the company. Their SJ4000 and SJ4000 WiFi (Full SJ4000 WiFi Review) are without any doubt one of the best selling on-budget action cameras ever. Like with early products they produced, initial SJ4000 had no logo on it. Only after having serious issues with fake cameras by competitors, SJCAM started to put their logo on the products.
I wrote before on differences between SJ4000+ vs SJ4000 where you can see more details between these models as well as video comparison.
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M10 series
Cube-shaped action cameras became quite popular after Polaroid released their Polaroid Cube. It is a very common misconception that SJCAM and Polaroid copies or clones of a GoPro Hero 4 Session. As a matter a fact, both M10 and Cube were released 12 months before Session.
Being famous for quickly managing to replicate design and shape of bigger brands, SJCAM M10 came to the market just a month after Cube came out. First model M10 Basic had no WiFi.
SJCAM released M10 in two different bundles with different accessories. Check out the M10 review for more information about this model.
Basic
Deluxe
M10 WiFi version includes a built in WiFi that allows remote operation of the camera, downloading media, changing settings, all from your phone. That is the only difference between two models.
Like with SJ4000 and M10, M10+ is the same in terms of specifications as SJ4000+. They are different only in shape and size.
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SJ5000 series
Even though many of us expected S5000 series to be the real deal, they proved to be quite problematic. Especially the SJ5000+ which is by this day the priciest product they released. The differences between SJ5000 WiFi, non WiFi and Plus can be seen in this article.
With the recent launch of SJ5000x Elite, company wants to show that SJ5000 models were not all overpriced. Elite version includes 12mp Sony sensor and can record in interpolated 4K resolution.
Hopefully this article has helped you understand the differences and similarities between all SJCAM cameras. As I said already, if you have any of these cameras, feel free to post your own experience in the comments. Also, if you spot a mistake in any of the tables, please let me know and I will update it.
If this was informative, please share this article with your friends on social media and help them choose proper action camera. At the same time you will spread the word about my site and I highly appreciate that.
You found this article on Google or Facebook. And since you are here, allow me to be a bit of a psychic.
Hmmm, you are because :
You are so confused on what is the difference between SJ4000 and SJ4000+ (Gyro and Standard)?
You want to buy one, but can not decide which one is better?
It is so confusing that you want to pull your hair out? (do not do it please, unless you are bold).
I am not bad at these fortunetelling things, right?
Three SJ4000 series models : SJ4000+(left) Standard, SJ4000 Plus Gyro (middle) and Wifi (right)
Do not worry!
In this article, I will provide you with detailed clarification on differences and side by side comparison of all these models. When you finish reading the article, I assure you will understand how are these action cameras different and which one is the best option for you.
Before we dive deeper into how these cameras differ, let me give you a brief history on how these cameras were released.
Somewhere in 2014, a Chinese company SJCAM released tiny action camera called SJ4000. Just to be sure we are on the same side here, bear in mind I am talking about non WiFi version. The idea behind this was to create a cheap action camera, similar to a GoPro.
Their previous cameras SJ1000, 2000 and 3000, had some success, but SJ4000 broke all records. Due to fraction of Hero 3 price and pretty good performance for the money, people around the world, especially the ones on a budget started buying it.
Along the way SJCAM made some mistakes. One of major ones was failing to properly brand the camera which lead to tons of copycats trying to rip people off. Luckily with a proper guidance it was possible to detect fake and real SJ4000.
SJCAM learned from their mistakes, and relaunched a new model : SJ4000 WiFi, which had proper SJCAM logo and from then, hence it was quite hard for copycats to infringe their copyrights.
For quite a few months both SJ4000 and SJ4000 WiFi were making good progress in terms of sales. For around 70$ you really got a good value for the money, reviewers were happy with it as well.
Encouraged by the success of SJ4000 series and failures of SJ5000 series, manufacturer introduced a new model called SJ4000 Plus. Even though it was expected to be a huge success, SJ4000 Plus proved to be a total flop. I was quite harsh on this model in my SJ4000+ review as well.
Luckily manufacturer reacted quickly and discontinued the initial SJ4000+ version. This first version of SJ4000+ is now known as SJ4000+ standard. Just a few weeks after, SJCAM engineers relaunched the SJ4000 plus by including some new features and bug fixes.
Overview of all 3 SJ4000 series cameras : WiFi, Standard and Gyro.
Most importantly, the new sj4000+ model has a built in Gyro video stabilization. Because of the Gyro stabilization, this camera is known as SJ4000+ Gyro.
To sum up, SJCAM released four SJ4000 models so far :
SJ4000
SJ4000 WiFi
SJ4000+ (Standard)
SJ4000+ (Gyro)
Specs comparison
First and foremost, lets put these 3 cameras side by side and evaluate their differences in terms of product specification. I created a table which emphasize not only the differences, but also similarities between the cameras.
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Even though at first glance there might not be a huge difference between these models, allow me to clarify major ones.
Sj4000 vs SJ4000 WiFi
Since differentiation between SJ4000 and SJ4000 WiFi have already been covered in SJ4000 review, this article will not include the non WiFi model.
Just in case you are curious, the only difference between SJ4000 and SJ4000 WiFI, is in built in WiFi. With the WiFi model of SJ4000 you can connect to an app and control your camera remotely within 15m range.
SJ4000 WiFi vs SJ4000+ Gyro vs Standard
The main difference between SJ4000+ Gyro vs Standard is in video stabilization together with few more menu features that will be covered in the next few paragraphs. What makes SJ4000+ different to SJ4000 is improved chip set and different image sensor. All of these things have influence on photo and video quality.
Built quality
All three cameras are made out of the same materials. SJ4000 WiFi weights 3 grams less compared to both plus models. They all have same size 59.27*41.13*29.28mm and fit same accessories. The battery is 900mah for all of them and they have same 1.5″ LCD screen at the back.
Officially all of them support up to 32gb memory card (MicroSD, MicroSDHC), but my Sony 64GB sdhc worked without any need to re-format on Gyro edition. It did not work on other two.
Hardware
In terms of inside components of the camera, or the hardware, there is difference between the Gyro and standard.
Compared to SJ4000 WiFi plus cameras have slightly better chipset. SJ4000 WiFi and Non Wifi use Novatek 96650 where as SJ4000+ use Novatek 96660. The chipset provides better video quality in low light and gives a bit more features. However bitrate was higher in SJ4000 WiFI.
Even though SJ4000 WiFi uses 3.5 megapixels Aptina AR0330 sensor, more expensive plus versions use 4mp Omni Vision OV4689 which in my tests proved to be even inferior in terms of image sharpness (quite slightly though. Check image part of the article for results), though colors were more vivid and natural looking in plus versions.
Video quality
Ability to create good quality video is something important for every action cam. I have done side by side tests in various conditions, and if you are seriously interested in any of the trio, I highly recommend you to watch a video that I made, so that you can follow along easier.
Video stabilization
Stabilization is what makes these cameras different. If you watched the video above, you can see how Gyro edition stabilizes video, where as the other two do not. SJ4000+ Gyro is the only one from the trio that has built in gyro that enables smoother videos.
It is quite encouraging to know that SJCAM finally started to implement stabilization in their products.
Obviously even the best image stabilization in the world can not help if you violently shake your camera. But for some normal bumps and shakes, I was quite satisfied with how Gyro handled them.
It should be mentioned that all 3 cameras have an option that is called either : Stabilization (SJ4000 WiFi), Stabilization (SJ4000+) or Gyro Stabilization. Only the SJ4000+ Gyro stabilizes video. In other two models this feature does not work for video and only reflects photos according to manufacturer, though I personally have not noticed it works with photos as well.
What is interesting is that when Gyro is turned on, camera has much narrower field of view. Take a look at the photo below.
Field of view test.
If you need wider FOV, just turn off the Gyro in SJ4000+ Gyro.
If you are interested in learning how digital (electric) image stabilization works, check this article at Wikipedia.
Besides tiny difference in the low light and even smaller in a daylight, major difference is that Plus versions (Gyro and Standard) can record 2K videos at 30 fps and 1080p at 60 frames per second.
For those of you who like slow motion videos, Gyro has an option that slows down the footage right out of the box. SJ4000+ editions also have 120 fps video in 720p, which is pretty decent if you like to slow down videos in post production.
Daylight video
In proper light conditions, plus versions have a bit more vibrant colors. But overall, in daylight there is no huge difference and plus versions barely justify higher price tag when it comes to shoots during the day.
Side by side video extracted frames 1080p 30fps at daylight.
Low light video
Lets be honest, none of these little cameras is not perfect at night or low light situation. They are quite average and justify the price in that segment. Low light situations is where SJ4000+ both Gyro and Standard give a bit warmer video. It is probably a matter of personal taste, but I prefer colors that SJ4000+ creates at night.
Low light comparison of video. Photos extracted from 1080×1920 30 fps video.
Sound
Even though at first I was not hoping for sound improvement, both Standard and Gyro have better sound in terms of volume. This is possibly because their firmware is better optimized. Sound comparison can be heard here.
Image quality
If video stabilization and better low light videos were something that was enough to make you get SJ4000+ models, photography can re-assure you. Even though Plus versions have twice the price tag, they completely disappointed me when it comes to image sharpness and quality.
In my tests, when cropped, SJ4000 WiFi has slightly sharper image, even though its cheaper and has “worse” image sensor. You must understand that none of these cameras is perfect in terms of photos.
If photography is essential to you, you should check Xiaomi YI,Blackview Hero 1, or Dazzne P3. Those are some of the cameras I reviewed so far and have quite decent photo quality. Make sure to check all action cameras I tested so far, as new ones might pop out, depending on when you are reading this article.
Daylight and field of view photo test.
Features
With cameras being so similar it was quite hard to find any resonable difference in the menu. First of all, let me tell you that menu can depend on firmware version that camera has.
Current test was performed with these firmwares :
WiFi G20150126V01
Standard Jul 9 2015 V1.6
Gyro – Sep 10 2015 V2.2
With that in mind here are some things that are different in terms of features offered. All these features can be seen in comparison table at the beginning of the article, I will just briefly clarify the differences.
Timer : Gyro has 2/3/5/10/20 sec where as WiFi and Standard do not have 2 sec interval.
Video Time Lapse : Gyro and WiFi have Video Timelapse, Standard does not have it.
Burst mode : Burst mode allows your camera to capture multiple images with a single press of a shutter button. Gyro can capture 3/5 or 10 images. Standard can also capture 30 images, where as the WiFi has 2/5/10.
Slow motion video – Only Gyro model has right out of the box slow motion video.
Web Camera – In my tests on Windows 10, even though Plus versions have PC camera function, they do not work as web cameras on Win 10. SJ4000 WiFi works perfectly on both Win 10, Win 8.1 and 7.
Which one is the best?
In my opinion, SJ4000 WiFi still provides good value for the money. It is the camera that I would recommend to beginners who want an action cam with display with tons of accessories for under 100$.
On the other hand in my tests SJ4000+ Gyro proved to be better. Its major advantage is video stabilization. It also has nice slow motion feature which provides less shaky videos. The sound in Gyro is better compared to SJ4000 WiFi. You should also have in mind that Gyro is nearly twice as expensive as SJ4000 WiFi.
Speaking of SJ4000+ Standard, no wonder why it was discontinued. I would only recommend this one if you can get a good deal on it. It does not provide much value for the money, and does not differ a lot from cheaper SJ4000 or more expensive SJ4000+ Gyro.
Where to buy?
Here are few links where you can get these cameras. While both versions of SJ4000 can be found in thousands of shops, Gyro and Standard seams to be a bit harder to find.
As SJCAM recently started to “print” tons of new limited edition models and release them in very short time period, plenty of customers were confused and overwhelmed with so many “new-old” action cameras.
After receiving few emails from few of the readers, I decided to finally overcome my procrastination and put everything on a paper. Well not exactly a paper, but lets call it the “virtual pergament”.
In this table-rich post, I will try to explain to you what is the difference between newly launched SJCAM SJ1000x, WiFi, SJ5000x and SJCAM5000x Elite, and once for all clear out all the confusion, that producer caused with launching this many cameras in short time-span.
Why are they launching Limited Edition cameras?
Probably the most reasonable question of all, is : why the heck are these guys launching these cameras in limited quantity? Are they insane?
While there are many theories among members on different forum communities, there are two sensible theories. Other theories include alien abduction and a Big Bang story, so lets not go that far 😛
First theory says : SJCAM wants to reach out to more potential customers by reducing the prices slightly and expanding their product line. Also because of their recent problems with marketing partner, they finally want to let people know who is an official manufacturer and owner of SJCAM brand. Additionally in the quiet winter season that is arriving, they still want people to talk about their company and cameras.
Second theory, the evil one, SJCAM had some problems recently with their SJ4000+ and SJ5000 series, which did not sell quite well. So now they are repacking the remaining hardware in order to sell some more cameras and increase volume of their sales.
No matter which theory you believe in, one thing is sure – customers are confused.
I bet that one of these questions (if not all of them) bother you, that is why you are here after all, right?
What is the difference between the X1000,SJ4000,SJ4000+ and SJ5000x?
Are those limited edition cameras better then the one I bought already?
Should I hurry up and upgrade?
Which one is better to buy?
Do not worry, allow me to brake it down to you, one step at a time. Lets begin.
What is the difference between SJ X1000 vs SJ5000x vs SJ5000x Elite?
Now, lets go through differences between these new Limited Edition models. The best way to show you what is different is in a table. For best experience, it would be good if you can preview these tables on your desktop, as they will appear side by side.
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SJCAM SJ x1000
The first product released from the limited edition series is SJ X1000. It sounded to me as if that they waned to honor their first, SJ1000 camera with this. So at first I thought it has to be something with that camera. Well, I was wrong. X1000 has nothing to do with SJ1000, instead this camera resembles more to SJ4000.
SJ4000 vs SJ X1000
There is no change when it comes to chipset, both cameras use Novatek 96655. Sensor is the same 3.5 megapixels, Aptina AR0330. Battery is also the same. So what is the difference between SJ4000 WiFi and SJx1000?
Allow me to present it in a table. Its much easier, and then I will clarify it a bit more.
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First visible difference is a 2 inch LCD screen at the back, which replaces old 1.5″ and gives better view while you record. One more thing is that this kind of LCD will drain a battery slightly faster, since the battery remained the same – 900mah.
Camera menu is multilingual and supports 20 languages (English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Traditional Chinese, Russian, Korean, Polish, Czech, Slovakian, Hungarian, Danish, Dutch, Turkish and Vietnamese. Its crazy how many different languages are there. I do not remember seeing a product with this many available options for non-English speaking people. Compared to SJ4000 it has 3 more options.
Should you upgrade from SJ4000 to SJ x1000?
You would have to be crazy to buy x1000 if you already have SJ4000 WiFi or non WiFI, as differences are nearly non-existent. Unless you are some sort of a action camera collector, I really do not see a point in upgrading from SJ4000 to SJ1000x. Obviously manufacturer added a display and a lens hoping to sell more of the SJ4000 WiFi cameras under different name. Oops.
However, if you prefer slightly larger display, which certainly gives better view while recording and do not have an action camera yet, SJCAM SJX1000 is pretty good for beginners.
|Buy SJ x1000 now|
SJCAM SJ5000x
SJ5000x, is actually a repack of SJ4000+ model with a larger screen for the same price. Sounds familiar? Of course it does.
5000x, is a pure repack of SJ4000+, but brings some features that make it better buy.
I am under impression that they repacked SJ4000 Plus, due to the poor reviews it got, and are now trying to sell it as a Limited Edition with a larger LCD screen, under 5000 series name.
Nothing impressive to be honest, but still better deal then with disappointing SJ4000 Plus standard.
SJCAM SJ5000X vs SJ4000+
Even though differences are not huge, there are some that are quite significant. Please understand that here I am comparing SJ4000+ non Gyro edition. (difference between Gyro and Standard)
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First huge improvement : SJ5000x has Gyro Electronic stabilization, which should stabilize video. This was huge problem with SJ4000+, and if you watched my review about it, you probably remember me whining about lack of stabilization. SJ4000+ Gyro version has this stabilization, but first few batches of SJ4000+ do not have any sort of stabilization.
Besides different lens and an LCD screen, and Gyro stabilization, the only “innovation” is different user interface, which reminds me of GitUp Git 1 in a way, though its not the same.
Should you upgrade from SJ4000 Plus to SJ5000x?
So considering same price SJ5000x now has, it is certainly a better deal then the SJ4000+, however if you bought that one already, I do not think its worth upgrading, unless you can get a refund and buy this one. If you are tinkering about 4000 plus and 5000x, I think its ob
|Buy SJ5000x now|
SJCAM5000x Elite
At the time of writing this article, Elite version of SJCAM SJ5000x is due to be released in late October, early September. From the information I managed to get, this version of the camera will finally introduce Sony Sensors inside SJCAM products, which is quite a big news.
The announced 5000x Elite, will have a 12 megapixels Sony Sensor. It is yet unknown if it will bring some more improvements and novelties. After asking some questions to one of the SJCAM representatives I managed to find out that the sensor will be IMX078CQK, which is a 12 megapixel sensor.
Update 11/15/2015
Elite version of SJ5000x has been released. Standard SJ5000x was a limited edition and will not be produced anymore. Even though originally announced as 16 megapixels still image camera, it has only 12 mp. Also it is the first SJCAM camera to have 4K video.
However, manufacturer explained that 4k video is not really a 4K, its just upscaled 2k. Besides Sony Sensor, 4K interpolated video at 24 fps Elite version offers a built in Gyro sensor which stabilizes video much smoother. Additionally there is an option to switch between wide and narrow field of view.
I plan to review SJ5000x Elite in the upcoming weeks, so make sure to check back or bookmark the website for more information on Elite model.
Update 5/19/2016 : You can read the full SJCAM 5000X Elite Review on this link.
Summary
As you can see, even though it sounded exciting, new Limited Edition cameras are nothing impressive for people who already bought some of their previous models. They certainly give more value for them money, especially 5000x compared to SJ4000+, so if you are indecisive which one to get, limited edition models seam to bring more bang for the buck.
However, according to the specifications, SJ5000x Elite is the real deal, as it offers big improvements in video and photo quality.
If you have any questions or you managed to find something that is not written here, feel free to leave a comment below. Even if you just want to say “Hi” 🙂
The road that Chinese action camera manufacturer had over the last 12 months can be described as : as per aspera ad astra (from the mud to the stars). But also as : from the stars to the mud all over again.
Note: If you want to save few bucks, use coupon SJ4PLUS when buying.
Can the new SJ4000+ overthrow the SJ4000 from throne? Or is it just another money-waste?
It all started with their SJ4000 camera, which was and still is a great success and certainly one of the best action cams that provides excellent value for the money. Company became world-famous low-budget GoPro alternative in just few months. They sold thousands of cameras, despite the counter-fake issues they faced along the way.
However, after a massive success, they hit the rock bottom.
Their newly launched, three times as expensive SJ5000 series had so many software problems, that even I (yes, an action camera freak) did not want to waste time on reviewing. It was overpriced and unfinished product rushed out just to get more money from already existing customers.
Now SJCAM is back to square one. They obviously gave up on the SJ5000 series, and went back to their roots. Few weeks ago, manufacturer released, brand-new SJ4000+ (also known as SJ4000 Plus).
In this article, I will provide you with an in-depth review, and serious overview of all features and functions on their latest model.
SJCAM SJ4000+ action camera brings new features compared to its predecessor. Most important ones are: better image sensor,video recording in full HD at 60 fps and in 2K. SJ4000+ is a WiFi action camera that can record videos and take photographs in various resolutions and sizes. It comes in eight different colors and its menu supports 17 different languages.
Front of the SJCAM SJ4000 Plus camera. I got a golden color.
With previous model being priced at 90$ most, Plus version will certainly raise a few eyebrows with its $120 price-tag.
Some of you, who already have an SJ4000 or even SJ5000 (unlucky you) will certainly ask :
Should I upgrade from SJ4000 to SJ4000 plus?
Is it worth the money, or are these guys playing the same “Money on my mind” song all over again?
Have SJCAM engineers created something that will make their customers astonished by the price/quality ratio and defeat competitors? Or have they yet again, created a camera that is not worth mentioning, let alone spending money on?
I have been using this camera for 15 days now. Various tests have been performed and bunch of videos and photos have been created in different light environment and different setup.
So, I will be more than happy to answer these and many other questions in this post.
Fasten your seat-belts, take a cup of coffee or ice-cold beer, its going to be long and bumpy ride! 🙂
Update 10/28/2015
I should mention that after this review was published, SJCAM released an updated version of SJ4000+ called SJ4000+ Gyro. This one is referred as standard. While I have not tested Gyro edition (nor I intend to), I would like to explain the difference between the two. Once again, SJCAM managed to confuse as all, so here is a simple explanation.
Standard version of SJ4000+ is the one featured in this article. Gyro version was lanuched 2-3 weeks after it, as an attempt to improve stabilization, which was terrible. Gyro edition contains far better video stabilization due to the built in Gyro it has.
I assume that this is only software stabilization. Obviously its not optical. Meaning camera will narrow the angle of view, but the video is certainly less shaky.That is the only difference between these two cameras.
So, if you really really want SJ4000+ (though I do not see a reason why), you probably should get a Gyro version. You can buy Gyro version Amazon |Link|. I have not seen it being sold elsewhere for now.
Update 11/14/2015
Differences between SJ4000+ Standard and Gyro have been covered quite in-depth in this post.
SJ4000+ specifications
Bellow table illustrates official specification of SJ4000 Plus provided by manufacturer. I have however, enriched it and added few more details that were not pointed out in the specs, though they are quite important in my opinion.
[go_pricing id=”sjcam_sj4000_plus”]
Packing and design
SJ4000 plus comes in complete different packing then its predecessor. It seams that SJCAM borrowed the minimalistic approach in packing from Xiaomi YI.
Camera comes in a single, tiny-looking cardboard box. At first glance I though that it is impossible to pack everything in it. However once you opened a retail box, inside there are 3 different mini-boxes.
New SJ4000+ provides much better packing, with everything being packed in 3 mini-boxes.
Two of the mini-boxes contain accessories, where as the third one has camera and a waterproof case. Packing is fantastic. Everything is easy to pull out, but at the same time product seams to be protected inside the sturdy boxes quite well. Quite an improvement.
Yeah, I know that the packing cant still justify the 50% increase in price nor improve video quality, but it does look much better, then the cheap and flimsy boxes in which SJCAM M10, SJ4000 and Amkov AM5000s were packed.
What’s Inside the box?
Once you pull out all the boxes, here is a list of 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
I am quite happy that they finally ditched wire rope and plastic ribbons which were included in their previous models. These tiny but cheap accessories gave only an illusion of camera habing more gear, though they were quite useless and cheap.
Compared to SJ4000, the only new piece of gear is a sticker.Besides ditching useless ribbon and rope, this time they did not include an AC power adapter, which means you will have to get a separate one if you want to charge your camera via the wall plug. In my opinion this is a huge omission. I am sure that many of us find wall charging more convenient, especially on the travels. In case you are wondering, yes camera can be charged via the USB port on your PC.
Speaking of gear, to be honest, I was slightly disappointed by the choice of the gadgets. Its standard. Nothing new, nothing impressive. Tens of other action camera from China have these very same accessories in their boxes. I expected SJCAM, as a Chinese action cam leader, to step up and at least add something new, but they decided to do what everyone are doing.
Do not get me wrong, the gear is OK, but its not impressive nor extremely useful.
Manual is on 44 pages and its pretty similar to SJ4000 manual. They pretty much copy-pasted huge portion of the previous version instructions. The piece of information provided this tiny booklet is pretty brief and cant get you all set up. But do not worry, I will clarify all the options that SJ4000 Plus has and reveal best practice when it comes to video and photo making.
One great thing worth mentioning is that due to the huge amount of counter-fakes of their SJ4000 that appeared on the market, the plus model now has the security scratch and check code, which you can enter on their website, to check if your purchased product is genuine one. All SJ4000+ have the code on the box. So if yours does not have one, return it right away.
Buttons and ports
Even though the design hasn’t changed not a single bit, here is an overview of all buttons and ports of SJ4000 Plus together with their function.
An overview of all buttons and ports of SJ4000+
OK/Shutter button (for recording video or taking photos, or to confirm particular option inside the settings)
WiFi indicator (flashes orange when the WiFi is on)
Navigation arrows (for browsing through the menu, or zooming in or out. Upper arrow is WiFi button which activates WiFi when you hold it)
ON/OFF or Mode button – used for turning camera on or off, as well as switching through photo, video, preview and settings modes.
Lens
HDMI port – for connecting camera with TV
Memory card slot (Micro SD Class 10 card is highly recommended. Camera can use cards that have storage space of 32GB maximum).
USB Slot – for charging or exporting files to PC.
LED recording indicator (flashes blue while the camera is recording)
LED indicator charging indicator (red light when the camera is being charged)
LCD Screen
Video
SJ4000 offers six different video resolutions to chose from. Biggest change is recording in 2K (2560*1440) at 30 frames per second. Additionally, unlike previous SJ4000 model, Plus version allows recording at 60fps in full HD (1080p) and HD (720p).
2K (2560*1440 30FPS)
Full HD (1920*1080, 30 and 60 fps)
1080*720 at 30/60/120fps)
In my opinion, video quality is quite good. I like the fact that there is an option of recording at 60 frames per second. I really haven’t seen any significant improvement of recording at 2k resolution. Colors look better then its previous version, but video stabilization is nearly non existent.
Footage I taken at 30 fps looks quite shaky. I have no idea if there is something to be fixed in firmware, but I truly hope video can be a bit more stabilized then it is now. Video sound is decent bout on ground and underwater.
Note : You can download true, uncompressed video file samples that I took on this DropBox link (download video raw samples at night, underwater, sounds test ,etc and preview them on your PC for best quality. Do not preview them on DropBox.) Make sure you are using a decent video player such as VLC or QuickTime.
Images
When it comes to image quality, I would like to be clear right away, even before I show you the sample. For its price, I am deeply disappointed with the quality of photos SJ4000+ provides. This is where low-quality OV4689sensorcomes to the fore. Images are not sharp as expected, and at a price of nearly 150$ there is no excuse for SJCAM.
According to their price, they had enough space to put some better-quality sensor, like Blackview did with their Hero 1 by adding Sony sensor (and its 20$ cheaper then this pile of junk!). The sensor manufacturer put inside the camera, produces images at 4 megapixels top.
If you do not trust me, take a look at the official specs of OmniVision OV4689. It says right away, in the first sentence :
The OV4689 is a high performance 4-megapixel CameraChip sensor in a native 16:9 format designed for next-generation surveillance and security systems.
Okay, so last time, with their 60-70$ camera, they had 3.5 mp sensor (which was great overall value for the money), and this time their camera has crappy 4.0 megapixels for much higher price.
Who are these guys kidding? This is an absolute joke.
Note : You can download true, uncompressed image samples that I took on this DropBox link (download images and preview them on your PC for best quality. Do not preview them on DropBox.)
While this sensor is pretty okay for videos (even 2k video) for photos it is absolute trash if we have the price in mind. Remember, that when reviewing any feature of any product I always have price/value offered in mind. And in my humble opinion, you get pretty lame photos for 150$.
You might be thinking I am going harsh on the company and perhaps its a true. SJCAM is the company that once inspired me to start this blog. They made me believe that video making does not have to be expensive and that there are cameras that will do the job for fraction of the price of a big-brand.
So yes, I once trusted them, I worshiped them, all because of their products, which provided great overall value. So yes, I am going to be harsh when they try to cheat us, interpolating resolutions, increasing prices and offering no real reason for that.
If you are still interested in image quality and resolution, here is a list of images resolution in which SJ4000+ can take photos. Note that all of these resolutions are interpolated, and are not true. Once again, huge failure for SJCAM.
12MP (4032*3024)
10MP (3648*2736)
8MP (3264*2448)
5MP (2592*1944)
3MP
2MHD
VGA
1.3MP
Beach in Afytos, Greece.One more image of a lonely beach in Afytos, Greece.Underwater test of SJ4000+.Road to hell. Well thanks to the camera exposure failing under a direct sunlight.Goat. “Is that the latest SJ4000+? Baaah Baaah.Lawanda field in the background. Since its not the best time for Lawanda, view was not as nice as in the season.
There is one positive though, close ups are pretty OK, considering the fact action cameras are not made for close up videos or photos. Camera has 30cm focus range, which means everything taken at distance farther then 30cm will be in focus.
Image taken at 12mp facing sunlight through the clouds. Due to the 30cm focus camera has, road is a bit blurry at the bottom , all cracks are quite clear, so after 30cm focus is good even in close up. I however quite like the blur effect, sometimes it makes quite a lot sense, especially on the images like this.
And here is a fact. Colors on the images are pretty good and as natural as you can expect from an action camera. These images do not look that bad online. They are decent.
But once you download original image samples you will see they they are nowhere as sharp as you can expect for 150$. Sharpness is a major issue. And that bothers me.
I as customer feel deceived. While action cameras are mostly made for video, is this really all I get for the money I pay?
Settings
What I always liked about SJCAM video cameras is that they allow users bunch of options and settings which you can use to tweak, improve or change in order to get better photos or movies. While the user interface hasn’t change at all, camera still offers basic and some advanced features.
Cyclic record
When cyclic recording (also known as loop recording) is turned on, camera will record sequences of the entire footage. For instance, if you chose the 3 minute interval, while you are recording, camera will stop the video recording once you reach 3:00 and start recording new one.
I personally always keep this option to off, since I do not see much use of it.
off
3 min
5 min
10 min
Motion detection
By turning motion detection on, camera will start recording a video as soon as it detects a motion. This feature is not reliable and do not even thing about using SJ4000+ as a surveillance camera. Its something that might be interesting to use for experimental purposes, but when it comes to home safety, you should get a proper equipment for the love of God.
Also if you notice that your camera is recording videos as soon as its turned on, it is probably because motion detection is turned on. Just switch to off.
For more info on the motion detection feature, please check my SJ4000 WiFi review, since it works absolutely the same.
TV Mode and TV Out
TV mode setup allows quick change between two most commonly used video modes – PAL and NTSC. Strange thing is that no matter which one you chose, resolution options will not change, which makes this option quite useless.
For those of you who want to preview video or photos onto your TV and show them off to your friends and family this way, you can connect your camera to TV. For this you will need a Micro HDMI to HDMI cable and TV outturned on.
OSD Mode
By default, LCD screen shows lots of information on the margins while you are taking photos or recording a video. You can see recording time, weather or not you have cycling mode enabled or is sound turned on.
Additionally you will see battery life, date and few other things. I do not know why, but if these informative icons bother you, you can turned them all off by choosing OFF in On screen display (OSD).
I guess this is helpful once you get quite familiar with the interface and you want to focus solely on footage instead of screen data.
Video lapse
Video time lapse is one of the most interesting features of SJ4000 Plus camera.
But first, what is a time lapse?
Time–lapse photography is a technique whereby the frequency at which film frames are captured (the frame rate) is much lower than that used to view the sequence. When played at normal speed, time appears to be moving faster and thus lapsing.
For more info on time lapse technique in general, check this Wiki-Page.
By enabling this option, your camera will take photo at the interval selected. Unlike many other action cameras, it will not only create bunch of photos from it, but also create a video, right out of the box. You do not have to edit video in video software, it works right away.
SJ4000+ video lapse has these intervals available : 1/2/5/10/30/60 seconds.
White balance
If you are one of those people who like to take full control of their movies/photos, it is always a good idea to experiment with white balance. This option will change warmth of your footage. Camera offers five different WB setups :
Auto
Daylight
Cloudy
Tungsten
Fluorescent
Illustration of different white balance setups of SJCAM SJ4000 Plus camera.
In this particular situation, the most natural looking colors came when using Cloudy and Fluorescent. However it depends on light condition and situation you are photographing or recording in.
ISO
ISO is one of the most important things in photography. ISO controls how much light goes into your camera. Lower ISO number is used for situations where you have enough light. For low-light situation, you need higher ISO.
While WB should not be left on auto as camera does not always recognizes what is best for you, it works pretty well white auto ISO. That is why I keep mine on automatic, but you can always play around and take manual control of this option.
Auto
100
200
400
800
1600
Exposure
Like most the Chinese action cameras SJ4000+ gives you the manual control over the exposure. This means that you can set up brightens or darkness of your footage. Exposure value go from -2 to +2. It is not possible to lock on exposure. In my experience, +1/3 and +0.0 gave the best results. I usually keep it at these two setups.
Capture mode
Capture mode allows shooting in different modes :
S-Shot (single shoot)
3s timer
5s timer
10s timer
20s timer
Single-shoot will create only one image after you press the shutter button. Timers will delay taking photo after you press the shutter at the specified interval, which is pretty handy for group photos.
Language
Though not a big deal for most people, the fact that camera offers menu in seventeen different languages is astonishing. Besides English which is a default language, switch your camera interface to be on :
English (default)
French
German
Spanish
Italian
Portuguese
4 types of Chinese
Russian
Polish
Czech
Hungarian
Danish
Dutch
Multilingualism certainly adds few points to user friendliness of SJ4000+.
Auto power off and screen saver
After I have updated the SJ4000+ firmware, new features appeared. Here is what you get with this firmware update.
Continuous shoot
Stabilization
WDR (wide dynamic range)
No worries, I will talk about how to upgrade the firmware as soon as I clarify all these additional options.
Continuous shoot
This feature is also known as burst mode. It allows your camera to take multiple photos continuously. You just need to press shutter button once and SJ4000+ will (depending on selected option) take 3, 5 or 10 photos. This is excellent feature especially if you want to photograph fast moving subject. One good example of this would be photographing soccer game, jumps, etc.
What is exciting is that SJ4000 plus has a 10 continuous photos, where as some other action camera such as Xiaomi YI or Blackview Hero 1 can take to up to seven continuous images..
Firmware updates
Updating firmware is quite important with any tech gadget. Firmware updates usually fix bugs and improve features. One great thing about SJCAM is that they update their FW quite regularly. Though firmware update is something you have to do manually, no worries, its not a rocket science.
Plug in your camera into the PC via the USB cable.
Turn it on and chose Mass Storage
Enter the memory card
Copy the firmware file with the name .BIN into a root of the MicroSD Card
Turn off the camera
Turn it on again
Wait while it upgrades (30 seconds usually)
If will turn on automatically
Chose Mass Storage again, and DELETE .BIN file, otherwise your camera will upgrade again
Once .BIN is deleted, turn the camera off, and it should work on the latest firmware
These is quite detailed step by step instructions, if you are having trouble updating, contact your seller or manufacturer. If you are having troubles understanding these steps, you have instructions on SJCAMHD website.
One more tip about firmwares. Always double-check if you are installing the right one. Luckily this model has quite simpler FW structure, so the possibility of installing wrong one are almost impossible. Install only FW from the official manufacturer site. Anything non-official is always risky and do not attempt it, unless you really know what you are doing.
WiFi and App
Unlike previous model in the series, this one does give you the choice to chose over WiFi or non WiFi version. There is only one SJ4000+ model and it has built in WiFi. What this means is that you can connect to cameras wireless network and control it remotely. You can give some basics commands, switch through different setup and download photos directly to your phone without having to use an USB cable.
This all sounds good in theory, but when it comes to practice, an official SJCAMHD app does not seam to be ready yet. It is absolutely not calibrated nor adjusted for their latest model. Inside the app you can not switch to 1080p 60fps or 2K.
Therefore it is absolutely impossible for me to review an app that obviously is not ready yet. This is one more huge minus for this product, since I can not believe that they launched a WiFi product without having a ready to go Application for it.
If you are curious on how the app works, it is absolutely the same as SJ4000, the previous version. Check out this video of mine for more info on the app itself. Lets hope that very soon developers will fix this android app.
As far as I know there is also an iOS app, but I haven’t had a chance to test it out. So if any of you iPhone users would like to share your experience on using the iOS app, drop a comment bellow and let me know.
Battery and memory card
One thing I found problematic is zero improvement or whatsoever when it comes to battery life and memory card over a previous model. SJCAM SJ4000+ has a 3.7V 900mAh li-ion rechargeable battery, absolutely the same one its predecessor used.
The maxim storage space is 32gb. It is recommended that you use MicroSD or MicroSDHC memory cards from reputable brands of at least class 10, for best performance and less headache later on.
Since I recently upgraded to Windows 10, I tried to make SJ4000+ works as a Skype camera, but I had no luck. So at the time of publishing this review, this camera is not compatable as a web camera on Win10. However its predecessor works just fine. It probably is a firmware that needs to be updated.
To use it as a webcam, just plug it into your own PC and select PC Camera. It is most likely that your PC (Windows) will search for a driver automatically (Windows 7 and above, not sure about XP) and after a minute you can test it out on the Skype.
Summary
My overall experience with SJ4000+ can be described in one word – disappointment. I will be honest with you and say that in my opinion this camera is not worth its price tag. It provides great videos in 2k and full HD at 30 or 60 fps, which is its biggest advantage.
Videos underwater look quite good, though I have not spend much time testing underwater performance, as I would have probably drowned.
Colors on both videos and photos are quite natural looking, though the sharpness of the images is terrible. This is here SJ4000+ starts to fail. Photography. Photos are simply dreadful considering the price-tag the camera has.
For some people poor quality of the photos might not be an issue, this is an action camera, for making videos, right? Well no. Images are important, especially if you want to survive on today’s the competitive market. People care about photos, especially if they pay 140$.
Packaging is quite neat and I really loved the security check up code they implemented on the boxes. Huge progress on these two points.
Manufacturer launched a WiFi camera without adjusting the app for this particular model, which means plenty of features were left out.
Battery life could be better, and I can not understand why they didn’t include a better battery, especially since other competitors who have cameras in same price-range have better batteries.
Design is standard, nothing new, pretty much a repack with + sign on it.
Let me now answer two questions, asked at the beginning of the article.
Should I upgrade from SJ4000 to SJ4000 plus? –
No. In my humble opinion existing owners of SJ4000 would not gain much considering the price. However if you do need 60 fps in your video, or want 2k, there are plenty of better and cheaper solution then the SJ4000+. This camera makes very good videos, but for its price it disappoints when it comes to images.
Is it worth the money, or are these guys playing the same “lets-take-the-money-fast” song all over again?
They are playing the same song over and over again. If they continue do produce products just to make profit, instead of satisfy the needs of their target customers, there will be no reason to buy their cameras soon. Competition has never been bigger, and SJCAM has never been in bigger crisis.
I truly hopped they will create amazing cheap action camera, but they created average mid-range action cam, which has plenty of better, cheaper alternatives. If SJCAM continues to take the piss out of their products and customers, the light at the end of a tunnel is non-existent.
You can also take a look at some alternatives which are cheaper, but preform better, like Xiaomi YI or Blackview Hero 1.
Your questions, experiences and suggestions
Like on any other article on this site, if you have any sort of question, idea, doubt or you want to tell us about your experience of using this camera, just click the post comment button bellow and leave a reply.
I would gladly update this article, once more info is available, and if significant firmware update appears. Until then, happy recording.
When I first got my SJ4000 WiFi I thought that the amount of equipment that came in a box will be more then enough. However, after utilizing camera for a while, I realized that I never used most of the gadgets. I swear to God, most of these things are still in original zip-lock bags.
On the other hand, as I wanted to use my camera on a more advanced level and record better, creative videos, the amount of the equipment that I had to purchase was growing.
In this post I will list my top 10 SJ4000 accessories, that I believe each and every one of us should have. If you would like to see what you get in a box, check out complete SJ4000 review here.
list of sj4000 accessories and how to assemble equipment illustration
Do you really need additional gear?
Lets first start of understanding what you want to do with your camera. Do you use it for sports activities, hunting or just recording your son and daughter while they play in the backyard. There is a huge difference between this. The easiest way to figure out if you need an additional accessories for your SJ4000 is to go open a manual if you still have it. There you have a nice least of gadgets you received and a few that can be bought separately. Think which of those could make your life easier and video better. If there is at least one, then move to the next paragraph.
SJ4000 accessories – prices and comparability
Unlike many bigger-brand action cameras, SJ4000 gear is dirty cheap and widely available. Literately there are tens of reliable online websites selling all sorts of gadgets for quite affordable figures.
Besides pricing, I really love comparability with other cameras. That means that once you buy additional equipment for one camera, chances are high it will fit next one you get.
Also I look at these accessories as Lego bricks. Possibilities are endless, and you can get your creative juices flowing just by finding different ways to mount a camera on a bike, car or on head. There are plenty of people doing their own DIY gear projects, being clever and improving their own video projects.
Lets now sum up most important things about SJ4000 accessories.
You have to determine what you want to do with your camera
There are hundreds of pieces so chose wisely, you obviously do not need every single one
Accessories are compatible among themselves and majority of them can be used with different camera brands
You can combine different pieces and create your own stands, mounts, etc
SJ4000 gadgets are affordable and easily available
Its now time for my favorite picks. Here is a top 10 list of best SJ4000 accessories.
#11 Monopod
Taking selfies has been a major thing for lots of people these days. Even if you do not remember right away what it is, I am sure you have seen people with their camera attached to a stick. Selfie stick or monopod is exactly what it sounds like. A stick on which you can mount your camera. There are different types of selfie sticks, but it all comes to three models :
Bluetooth monopod controls your phone/smartphone
Headphone jack monopod which allows you to put headphone 3.5mm jack in it and take shots
Basic monopod without triggers
If you would like to learn more about each type, there is a good guide here. To make long story short, since most of the action cameras including SJ4000 do not have Bluetooth or headphone jack, the only selfie stick for it is basic, bare bone monopod.
You can take photos in two ways, depending which model you have WiFi or Non WiFi. Since SJ4000 does not have a self-timer, you will have to set photo interval to at least 5 seconds. Better way is via the Android or IOS app which will let you take shoots by controlling camera via your smartphone.
I have really basic and not that good looking one, but it does a job for me, since I am not much of a selfie person. One interesting thing is that these stick come in different length, so if you want to capture as much background as possible, you should get larger or at least medium one.
Where you can get selfie sticks for SJ4000? I am sure you will have no problem finding them all around the web, but if you ask me the two places to get them would be eBay or Amazon.
Though most of people never use their SJ4000 as a dashcam, cam itself preforms quite good that way. There is even an option to set it up to work as a dash-cam. Car mount does not come in original packaging and has to be purchased additionally. There is no specific mount for the SJ4000. The only thing you should consider is the quality of the Suction Cup Adapter since you do nto want it to fall out while driving. I got a great deal for Car Adapter on Since I frequently compare more cameras performance as a dash-cam, I bought 3 of these.
#9 Bike Stand
Bike stand comes in original box together with your sj4000. It is pretty simple to set up, but it gives a lot of vibrations which causes your videos to look a bit shaky. If you do a lot of cycling, you might consider getting slightly better stand for your bicycle. Additionally you can combine different mounts and create your own stand.
Bike stand for SJ4000
#8 Floating Hand Grip Handle
If you plan to use camera underwater, besides waterproof case, you might want a floating grip handle. It is used to prevent your SJ4000 from sinking. Grip is made from a spongy material so your camera will float if God forbid you drop your camera while diving.
Floating grip can be quite useful when using SJ4000 underwater
#7 Dog chest strap
Though probably the least favorite on my list, dog chest proved to be fairly useful accessory for dog trainers and animal lovers. Basically put this thing on your dog, and creative video from dog or cat perspective. Since I was a bit concerned about these gear being a bit heavy or painful for the pets, I was assured by few people that its quite light-weight and safe.
chest strap for your pets
#6 Chest Strap
Similar to the one used for animals, chest strap is for humans. It is something that people who do any sort of climbing use. It allows you to remain focused on sports activities while making sure everything is recorded. Sounds good enough!
Chest mount. Compatible with GoPro as well.
#5 Headband
Headband is my favorite additional accessory. It allows me to hike, climb, run and shoot video at the same time. Some people are afraid to wear it because they might look like idiots. I agree. You will look like an idiot wearing this if wear it while buying a beer in Wall-mart or recording crowded squares. But in extreme situations. Hell, I do not give a damn. I do not like being distracted when doing anything extreme. Why would you hike and hold camera, when you can simply put it on your head and get much better first person video?
There are plenty of head straps available, so you should make sure to get the most comfortable one. Trust me, you do not wish your camera to be unstable, or even worse to cause your camera to fell out. Upon testing three different head-straps, I found that this one on GearBest fits my needs the best. You can also get cheaper ones on their site.
Its the best to have comfortable head strap
#4 Storage bag
Organization. Simplicity. Perfection. I like to keep things organized. One thing you might not know about me is that I collect trading cards. Now you get a point, mint condition is everything. Anyway, back to the topic. Storage bag will not only protect your camera but also help you organize and quickly access mounts and gear. There are variety of bags available, and there is no particular one that is best. I have the largest one, since I have two cameras. If you have only one, medium or smaller bags will do the job for you. Alternatively, if you are on the budget you can keep your camera in ear-bud case which is 2-3$.
organizing and protection of your camera is essential
#3 Lens Cap
It is often said that the lens determines quality of your camera. In conjunction with a cam body, it definitely is integral part. Though its hard to keep lenses in perfect shape, especially the action camera lenses which operate in more extreme situations then other cameras, you can do your best to protect it from dust and scratches. Lens cap is ridiculously cheap thingy that can be a life saver for the lens.
Lens is important. Protect it. It costs little, but value is huge.
#2 Tripod Mount
Tiniest of all, but not least important, tripod mount is a life-saver when it comes to camera attachment to a mount. At the same time, it is the most useful part when you try to combine different types of mount and create a custom stand for your SJ4000. Though you get one with a camera itself, it is really handy to have few spare as it can also be used for buckle and bike attachment. Absolutely the least expensive gear of all on the list and very handy one.
Important part that enables you to attach a cam to a mount and plenty other things.
#1 Power Bank and spare battery
The worst thing that can happen besides loosing or crashing your camera is loosing a chance to capture memorable video. Imagine you finally did that jump, kick or shoot. Upon checking your camera hoping video was awesome -crap, your battery drained.
I promised myself never to allow battery to drain out. Some things happen once in a lifetime. What if I was unable to capture them? Stupid, feeling, right? That is why power bank and/or spare batteries are absolutely must.
Simply said, power bank is a huge battery that can charge not only your camera, but also smartphone or anything else powered via USB. Since I go out a lot, I got a brandable, neatly looking Xiaomi 16000mah power bank.
16000Mah USB Power Bank. Top quality from Xiaomi.
I bought it on since it was the only place that guarantees that it was not fake. And there are tons of fake Xiaomi power banks. You do not necessarily need this one, since it is around 35$ (when not on discount), you can get cheaper ones for 10-15$.
I always prefer to add few bucks and get quality stuff for charging. I simply do not like to mess around with something that can burn my house. Xiaomi is reliable brand, so I thought that for that price it was a good deal. Also it looks like an Apple device. Design is beautiful. Additionally it is swat resistant and has over-voltage protection.
NOTE > Currently there is an amazing deal on GearBest for this power bank. Its only around 23$ (50% off the retail price). And its 100% original one, not a copy. For that price, do not even think about buying flimsy cheaper copies, this one is really fabulous.
In addition to spare power bank which charges your camera, I wanted to have at least one more spare batteries. So that I can record immediately, without having to wait for power bank to charge it. Usually it takes 2-3 hours for power bank to recharge the battery, so one or two extra batteries should do the job. On official manufacturers site spare batteries are around 9$, where as on Amazon you can get them for around 6$.
Update : User ukbren from RC Groups forum suggested a battery cradle for charging battery without having to plug in camera.
If you’re going to suggest spare batteries, i would say the usb charging cradle (so you can charge batteries outside of the camera) – essential if you have more than one battery.
BONUS – Optical Filters for SJ4000
Below is an article written by Reddit user Ryan, who kindly offered to share his experience about Optical filters with our readers. Huge thanks to Ryan for an amazing analysis.
Strangely all filters are referred to as ‘pink’ in the title, but you can choose your own colors. I picked Red and Purple, they cost approximately £3.23 GBP each. They arrived in good time, however they came in a regular envelope with no padding.
The red filter had a small crack in the corner, but hasn’t appeared to affect it’s performance. The purple filter has a small shard of what appears to be metal right in the center of the lens, as far as I can tell this shard is inside the plastic and irremovable, perhaps it is debris left in the mold when this filter was cast.
Unfortunately it is also visible on any footage taken, I have not contacted SJCAM about this due to the low price, but I will update you if I decide to. I have enclosed photos of the damage to both the filters.
There is no way to clip the filters onto the camera casing, instead they slide on. On my initial dives they stayed in place, however they did begin to fall off later on. Although there is a little hole allowing you to secure the filter, it’s left up to you to find out how. An elastic band has worked quite nicely for me so far.
Here are some photos I took of my living room to compare filters.
SJ4000 Oprical Filters – No filter, Pink, Red filter
As you can see the red filter is very strong, I suspect it’s only use in scuba diving would be for deep blue water possibly with additional lighting, as a UK-only diver I have never dived/filmed in deep blue water, so this is merely speculation on my part. Perhaps the ‘orange’ and ‘pink’ filters might be a more suitable choice for blue water diving.
The purple filter is the closest thing SJCAM offer to ‘magenta’. However it still works well in green water anyway. Here is some footage I recorded at a depth of 6m, conveniently as the unsecured filter bounces around it gives a good opportunity for comparisons to be made with and without the filter.
In summary, despite it’s setbacks the cheap price of the purple filter definitely makes it a worthwhile purchase if you intend to record in green water and I would recommend it.
Editor note : You can check the amazing video comparison side by side, made by Ryan, on this DropBox link.
Update 11/5/2015 Ryan was in touch again regarding waterproof case. He personally performed SJ4000 up to 20m in the water so far without problems. You can check this image of his. (Thanks Ryan).
What is your favorite gadget for SJ4000?
Alright, so those were my TOP 11 accessories for SJ4000. I would really like to know which one of these you use? And more importantly do you use something that is not on the list? Let me know in the comments bellow, I would like to hear what you think.
As always, for any question about particular accessory, feel free to ask me in the comments section.
While I was having awesome time recording with my SJ4000, like any other early adopter, I was happy to hear that SJCAM launched new camera called M10. It took me two months to test out this camera. Footage has been recorded in different sunlight, weather conditions and locations. That is why I feel this review is an ultimate test of SJCAM M10.
My Yellow M10 cube.
M10 is an multipurpose action cam that can be used underwater with waterproof housing. It can also be used as a web cam and daschcam (car camera). It supports multiple languages and firmwares are upgraded regularly. One thing that makes SJCAM different then the big brand ones, besides price and action pack gadgets is LCD screen, which I really love. It makes things so much easier. Best thing of all, it is very affordable and records really great videos and a bit less great photographs.
To begin with, like its predecessor SJ4000, the M10 comes in different two different models.
However, besides the built in WiFi difference, manufacturer decided to offer two types of gear sets Lite and Deluxe.
Basic / Lite
Bare-bone basic version includes :
1x camera
1x cradle
1x USB cable charger
1x manual
Since I already had SJ4000, I bought the basic one without WiFi. I thought that bunch of gadgets that I got with 4000, will be more then enough for M10. And it really was like that. Nearly all the gadgets are the same, except for the water-resistant case. If you have a SJ4000 and want to upgrade to M10 you definitely should go with basic version.
On the other hand if SJCAM M10 is your first action camera, and you do not posses any extra mounts, clips, stands, my strong recommendation is to go with deluxe model.
Unlike most of others action cameras, this one has LCD screen.
Deluxe
x1 camera
x1 waterproof case
x1 bicycle stand
2x base mounts
1x clip
1x fixed base
3x switch supports mounts
1x adapter
22x helmet base bandage
1x USB cable
2x 3M adhesive tape
1x manual
1x wiper (cleaning cloth)
SJCAM M10 Specs
In the table bellow you can see specification of the m10 cam. You can also check its specs comparison to the SJ4000 and see if there is any difference between the two.
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Design
Camera has quite big resemblance to a Polaroid Cube. Even though camera name is SJCAM M10 Cube, the shape is not exactly the cube. Camera size is 48.1×43.3×48.1 mm. It is available in seven different colors. One of the biggest improvements compared to the previous versions, is easier navigation and improved user interface. To many people, including myself camera design and shape seams really appealing.
Camera is available in seven different colors.
Features
There are few things you can do with this camera besides recording movies and taking images. Its multipurpose enables you to use it as a dashcamera (in your car), PC Camera (for recording video calls for instance) and even home surveillance cam. Since all the features are the same as SJ4000, for further explanation on these options, read this article. Even though its a diifferent model, all options are absolutely the same.
Waterproof
When used with water-resistant plastic housing, M10 cube is waterproof for up to 30 meters under water. Only the deluxe version comes with case, but if you have basic one, you can also buy housing separately. As said many times, camera itself without additional hosing is not splash proof, so make sure to avoid water-contact, even the rain, unless its in protective case.
Video
The SJCAM M10 Mini Cube allows you to record HD videos in different modes and resolutions. To begin with, it supports these resolutions :
1080p x 30 fps (1920*1080) Full HD
720p x 60 fps (1280*720) HD (be aware – not true fps, just double frame)
720p x 30 fps (1280*720) HD
WVGA 848*480
VGA 640*480
Besides different resolution, it offers different shooting modes such as Single Shot or Self-timer (5s / 10s / 20s / Continuous Shooting).
For its price this lightweight action cam makes great videos in full HD. Camera uses 170° wide-angle 6 layers glass lens. It also has 4x digital zoom. Video output format is MOV, while the compression format is H.264.
The video review bellow includes in depth test of the camera. However since YouTube reduces the video quality, download these sample clips I took, to really see how the video preforms in different weather conditions and environment. (Please do not use sample clips for your own videos.)
White balance
Even though camera works out of the box when you hit record, there are some additional settings which will enable you to be creative and improve your video. White balance will calibrate your video and show slightly different colors (warm, cold, fluorescent) depending on the option. Here are the options available :
Auto (default) – By choosing this, you leave it up to your camera to chose what is the best light settings
Daylight – Obviously the best option to chose on a very bright and strong sun.
Cloudy – When its rainy or glum. Adds more warmth then daylight
Tungsten – Good when shooting indoors under a tungsten (incandescent) lighting, for instance light bulb.
Fluorescent – This is the option that I used the least.
Without any doubt, I found these options extremely useful. Unlike most other camera settings, I really found them handy. It takes a while for you to figure out which works best, but with the LCD that camera has, it is much quicker to learn and setup when you are shooting live.
To learn more about white balance setup in general, check these great articles by DP School and Vmeo Video School.
Garda Lake beach photo taken with M10. 12 megapixels. (Compressed size)
Photos
SJCAM M10 has AR0330 image sensor and supports these resolutions :
12mp (4032 x 3024)
10mp (3648 x 2736)
8mp (3264 x 2448)
5mp (2592 x 1944)
3mp (2048 x 1536)
2MHD (1920 x 1080)
VGA (640 x 480)
1.3mp (1280 x 960)
Bellow you can see few more sample images taken in auto white balance mode and 12 megapixels. Please note that photos have been resized and compressed so that they can load fast on this site. Therefore, I recommend you to download sample photos in original size.
I really enjoyed testing this camera on my holiday in Italy. Bellow picture shows lake Garda (yes its really a lake, though it looks like a sea) showing the Alps in the distance. As you can see blue color of the sky is really good looking. In the reality the sky was no this fluorescent. However I really like that kind of bluish effect that this cam gives. Photo taken in auto mode and with 12 mp.
Though manufacturer advertises that photos are 12MP that is not the true. Be aware of that. With this type of sensor your images might have the size of 12MP, but as you will see in the sample photos, they are closer to 8 mega pixels, or even 5mp. They do not look bad, but they are not perfect. So if you plan to take this camera solely for the purpose of taking photos and not video, you might reconsider your decision and go with another model. But for the combination of video making and taking photos from a hobbyist perspective, it will do more then a decent job.
Photo taken with M10. Garda Lake, Sirmione Italy. 12MP (compressed)
On the next photo depicting Cathedral Duomo in Milano (Italy) you can see how great the wide angle is. I managed to capture two streets and get the amazing wide field of view. It was extremely cloudy that day, and that can be a reason why objects in the distance are not that well visible.
Rooftop view from Duomo Cathedral in Milano (12 mp compressed)Serbian Mountain ,Trem, hiking. 12MP, Auto Mode. Sunny day.
One thing I forgot to mention when talking about video features is option which both video and photographs have. Camera allows you to chose from three types of colors :
Color
Black and White
Sepia
Once you have chosen a color option, you can take stills or video that will look like the photos bellow. Color options is used for all the photo samples above. As you can see it gives really good vintage effect. Probably not the best option when taking nature shoots, but I just wanted to illustrate it for you.
Black and White mode on the left (obviously) and Sepia right
Battery
Battery life of M10 Cube cam is around 100 minutes according to my own experience. On the official site, it says its around 90minutes of recording in 1080m. It uses rechargeable 900mAh Li-ion battery. Charging time via usb on PC is around 3 hours, where as on AV to usb converter its around hour and a half.
In case you want to record longer then that, you should get a replaceable battery. I always have at least one extra, as I do not want to miss out any good opportunity for making a great video. You can get one on eBay which include wall charger (and shipping is almost always free). Amazon also sells similar packs that come with charger.
Though AV to USB charger enables you to charge faster, it is always safer to use PC to USB if you have the time of course. On the other hand, I never faced any troubles when using AV. When you buy a bare-bone version, you will get only USB cable.
Memory Card
Camera supports microSD and microSDHC memory cards up to 32 GB. Recommendation from manufacturer is to use reliable, big brand micro SD cards for best performance. I recommend MicroSDHC cards class 10.
Where to buy?
Okay you want the good news first? If you did a research you probably know that there is another camera by the SJCAM called SJ4000. If you dig a bit deeper in your research you probably read that there are so many fakes about this camera that sometimes it is not possible to know which one is real and which one is not?
Oh yes, the good news. So far there are not problems with fake SJCAM M10. Manufacturer has branded their product and the risk is not much, much lower then before. So here are some great places to buy this camera.
The best place to buy a camera is on official website. Get WiFi on this link or Non Wifi here. However they do not ship to all countries, and on other sites you can find cam slightly cheaper.
Though not much improvement then the previous version, SJCAM M10 is beautify designed and light weight. In my humble opinion, camera is better looking then the SJ4000. In addition to the design, I really liked the M menu button on the side which makes navigation so much easier then before. There are not much fakes (if there are its easy to spot them, much easier then before) on the market which is (trust me) a big relief.
Should you buy it? If you already have some of the previous versions such as 4000, I would not recommend you buying it, since the only difference is esthetics. However if you do not have any SJCAM cameras, so far this is my number one choice because of fantastic price, water-resistance, decent image quality, bunch of equipment and easy use and navigation.
If you have this camera or consider buying one, feel free to let me know in the comments bellow. I would really like to hear from you and answer any questions or concerns that you might have.
Okay, that’s it. I am going out to take some nice shoots with my yellowish cube!
