SJCam SJ6 Legend Air Action Camera Review

Our postman never rings twice. The system is, he just honks his car klaxon; it freaks our doggies, and then we know who’s out there, by the incredible din they orchestrate.

The new package from Far Far Away has arrived!

It’s a camera that I have eagerly awaited and very much looked forward to exploring. One of the reasons is that SJ company has so far produced a lot of interesting models. I bought the M10+ some years ago, and I still genuinely enjoy using it during my snorkeling swims.

Another reason is, SJCam also had a few unexpected glitches in some of their models, which folks might feel differently about, but to me, it’s the proof that this manufacturer is not afraid to do things which sometimes are not quite simple.

But pushing the envelope gains one an experience, and it always pays. SJCam products get better, and this trend will continue – as long as the wisdom of patience for extensive and thorough testing is kept paramount.

Now lessee… the previous model in the SJ6 series was named Legend, so it was obviously aimed at creating some. This one is SJ6 Legend Air. Is it just a cleverly misspelled Legendaire, or is it meant to hover in the air of legends? Or is it simply airweight? Can’t say which without examining it.

So let’s find out about that fresh Air peeking out of yonder large white box.

What’s inside the box?

There is the camera and its waterproof casing with one touchscreen hatch and a hard hatch. What should be (but is not) one usual accessory with every cam from every manufacturer is a lens cover, meant to shield the lens from scratches and fingerprints: one welcome add-on.

Also welcome is the RF (remote control unit) which can be used with optional “selfie stick” and/or worn as a wrist watch. This little device is optionally available as well, but has been added with the sample for testing purposes.

With SJCAMs, you will find a generous supply of various mounts included, so the package here contains a frame mount, a 360° arched bracket and 360° parallel bracket, the curved and the flat mount, the switch supports 1, 2, and 3, a bicycle mount, and adapters 1 and 2.

The “usuals” conclude the package contents: an USB data & charging cable, the Quick Guide (Manual) booklet, 3M fixing stickers, a square of wiping cloth, and two SJCam stickers that the proud cam owner may wish to display.

Closer look

The camera looks nice and feels great in the hand. The box components fit each other nicely with no noticeable gaps, and the buttons are laid-in flush, so are unlikely to be pressed accidentally.

One obvious thing when first you take the camera out of its package is the overall quality of its build. It seems like made out of one solid piece, the surfaces are grippy and unlikely to slip. The camera sides are corrugated while the front surface is finished in what was once called “leather effect” paint looking like sprayed in relief-forming droplets.  Its three buttons sink shallowly, responding in tactile clicks that can be registered even with the camera sounds switched off.

The lens protrudes beyond its mount, which is normal due to its wide field of view, but it is also exposed to careless fingerprint smudges and contacts with the ambient. Fingerprint residue contains various chemical components including fatty acids and cholesterol that can influence the lens surface / coating, so one has to take care in handling to avoid this. To that effect, a simple lens cap has been included, but it can only be effective if regularly used.

This lens cap is made of milky-white translucent silicone compound. While it is one very useful accessory as it is, there are two improvements that could be implemented in its future version. Firstly, it should be black, thus able to block out all light, so it could be used for pixel-mapping procedure which resets hot pixels. And then it should have a line-attaching point on its outside rim, so one could save it someplace other than the pocket and not so easily lose.

You might say the cam and almost all the accompanying parts appear pretty standard. There are no major changes in shape and building principles there as far as one can see. The box-in-the-box concept seems to be still prevalent, although the camera could have easily been constructed right into the water / pressure-proof box. The very “action camera” term points at the fact that it is a device meant for exclusive or prevalent outdoors usage.

Mounts of various kind account for the large part of the package and are neatly manufactured, fitting well together and to each other. One thing I have noticed is that maybe the meshing surfaces of swiveling inter-connecting pieces could benefit from slight roughing; their friction would become better without the need for forceful tightening!

In the meantime, one can take a diamond nail file to those inner swivel surfaces, and achieve more friction with less finger-tightening force. This would be good for various multi-part mounting arrangements that are exposed to a lot of vibration, while the esthetic appearance of the mounts wouldn’t be affected at all. Maybe the manufacturers should look into it!

Just sayin’…

SJCAM SJ6 Legend Air Specifications

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Touchscreen

One significant option with SJ6 Legend Air is a case hatch for its touchscreen, an innovation over the standard hard hatch. The central part of the hatch has been replaced by pliable plastic material that transfers capacitive charge to the camera monitor. Due to touch-sensing specifics, this feature works fine on dry land. I found that the touch function responds swiftly and positively in dry conditions… somewhat erratically when the touch door is wet… and not at all under the surface.

Physically, the pliable, soft touch part of the hatch (with the camera it presses against) can withstand the water pressure down to the depth of 3m / ~10′. If there is no camera inside to support it, the soft material might  stretch, deform, and become unusable. You should not expose the empty casing sealed with touch door to any outside pressure.

Optional Accessories

I was provided with a few handy optional accessories which are not included in the original packing of the SJ6 Air. You can buy these separately.

RF Remote Control

The RF Remote Control unit lets you issue certain commands to the camera over a distance. It will communicate with SJCam’s M20, SJ6 and SJ7 series cameras via its 2.4 GHz transmitter to a distance of 10 meters.

This nifty smartwatch-looking Remote Control (sized W35 x L35 x H9.6mm) can be worn as a wristwatch, or be clipped to the optional “selfie stick”. The wristwatch band has a hard rubber holder wherein the Remote can be slotted, and similar holder has been molded as an open ring which fits the selfie stick above its handle.

The unit surface has five keys that control the following camera functions: WiFi On/Off, Video, Photo, Burst Mode, and Power Off. As the camera does not have any stand-by mode, you have to switch the camera On manually, while it can be then switched Off by the remote signal. Yes, Remote Power On would be nice, but the circuit to await such a signal would then be constantly drawing the battery power… so a compromise here makes sense.

NOTE: There were/are two distinctive versions: waterproof, which can be submerged to 10 meters depth, and only weatherproof – usually meaning: safe to use in the rain. When the button markings are black (relief in the button surface), the device is waterproof. If the RF buttons are marked in white, it denotes that it is only weatherproof, but those have now been discontinued in preference to properly waterproofed Remote Control units.

By principles of radio emission RF does not work well underwater*, but will operate even in wet conditions – as long as both the transmitter (remote control) and receiver (camera) are in the air. I have taken my sample to its rated depth while pressing the buttons vigorously to test the watertightness. The unit withstood the test, and there was no water inside. Back on the surface, the Remote worked normally.

Never forget to rinse this device thoroughly in freshwater immediately after every swim in the sea, to prevent damage from dried salt crystals, sediment and biological matter. All that has to be dislodged and washed away!

* After reading this I’ll have to conduct more extensive tests of RC units operating at 2.4GHz…

Selfie Stick

There is something with this invention that always made me grin, seeing people with a smartphone clipped on top of it, smiling at the box while trying to enframe their faces and features diverse with some background. Somehow, it made me think of various lonelinesses, self-obsessions, networking compulsions, social alienation… stuff like that. And though selfie-sticks nowadays are as usual as spoons, I never thought about actually using one.

And then I got one selfie stick in the extended accessories package, and had a chance for a closer look.

First, let me say that the product is excellently manufactured, all the way from the choice of materials thru pedantry of manufacturing to the ease of use. Its telescoping elements are made of round tubular aluminum segments that have each been stressed along two sides to form interlocking ovals (in cross section). This enables you to extend the segments and interlock them at any length from collapsed 25 cm to fully extended 70 cm, by rotating the handle against the camera-connecting swivel. It holds the camera firmly – there is absolutely no wobbling there.

For added safety, there is a wrist strap attached to the lower rim of the stick handle, but for us folks with “spade-class” hands it will probably need to be replaced for a more spacious loop.

The base of the rubber-coated handle has a standard ¼” tripod bushing made of brass, which is practical for various things, except one: the aluminum tubing and brass inset should not be dunked in saltwater, as the combination of materials might generate galvanic currents that, with prolonged use, eats away the aluminum! In freshwater application (the way I am using it) there is no such danger. Although the aluminum stick segments are anodized in elegant matte black, I have deep-sprayed the unit with WD-40 to keep the water away from metal surfaces (talk about belt plus suspensors thinking!). Still, I would avoid the brine, just in case.

The stick top ends in by now standard three-pronged swivel where two-pronged counterpart accessories attach. The wealth of various attachments allow for many combinations, of course.

Adapter & Filter(s)

Another useful accessory comes in a small round box that looks just like a cream jar, except that the top sticker explains its contents. Its padded interior contains a precision-machined, matte black aluminum adapter that can be push-fitted over the camera lens. The adapter is threaded to accept 40.5 mm screw-in filters (and/or other lens front optical elements). My sample contained an UV (Skylight) filter, good for cutting through the mist or haze, but there is a side sticker on the box that reveals what kind of filters are available in this size.

You can thus use the adapter for UV, CPL, ND, Gradient, or Star digital filters, though the choice is limited only by your imagination. There are adapters available for SJ4000, SJ5000, SJ6, SJ7, M20 and M10 cameras.

Cherry-on-top, there is also the spring-loaded lens cap that grips into filter or adapter threads, to guard against accidental bumps, spray and scratches.

SJCAM ZONE App

Excerpt from the SJCam web page: “SJCAM ZONE App with social sharing and post-production tools! The new app for Wifi-powered SJCAM cameras is a whole new experience to the action camera market. Remote control your SJCAM to record some great shots, use the built-in post production tools, and share to the SJCAM world thanks to the built in social sharing platform. Everything is free of charge for all SJCAM users, available on App Store and Google Play store!”

There is more. You can operate your WiFi-enabled SJCams from Android, iOS, or even from the Windows platform. Of those, I have tried it with Android and it works as advertised. Which is to say, hardly more can be expected, right?

Quick Start Guide

A nicely made small booklet of ~10 x 9 cm, presents basic operations in several languages (English, German, Russian and Chinese) and adequate drawings. The back cover has two QR codes which get you the camera’s app, either for iOS or Android. The texts, so far as I was able to check the English and German sections, is fairly correct and to-the-point, while the drawings and description of parts makes it practically self-explainable. If you so prefer, you can also download a .pdf version of the Guide.

Video Quality

The camera has a 2.0″ touch-screen to simplify the setup, and also to see what you are shooting. It is as easy to use as the one on your smartphone.

With SJ6 Legend Air, the company introduces its first SJCAM A9S chipset which, combined with the Panasonic’s MN34112PA 14Mpx sensor manages to record up to 4K at 24fps (interpolated), and up to 2K at 30fps FHD real video recording (2560×1440) in either MOV or MP4 using H.264 compressed video format.

The formats you can choose among are 4K (2880x2160px @ 24 fps Interpolated), 2K (2560x1440px @ 30 fps), 1080P (1920x1080px @ 60/30 fps), 1080P (1440×1080 @ 30 fps 4:3), 1080P (1920×1080 @ 30 fps Super), 720px (1280×720 @ 120/60/30 fps), and VGA (640×480 @ 240 fps).

SJ6 Legend Air optics allow Wide 166° field of view, further modifiable in two more downsteps that SJCAM calls Middle and Narrow. For people which do not like the usual wide-angle lens distortion, there is now an useful function allowing one to shoot rectilinear (corrected) wide angle videos and photos without much fisheye effect bending the straight-lined objects. This also means somewhat less work in post-production editor.

Legend Air has following video modes that you can easily pick from its Video mode menu, right off the touchscreen: Video (normal), Video Lapse, Slow Rec (-2X, -4X and -8X), Video+Photo, Car Mode, and Underwater Movie. Similar choice is available for Photo shooting, such as Photo Lapse, Burst Mode, and all subsequent specs you’d care to implement for any among those.

You can choose whether the camera opens in Photo or Video mode when you switch it on, depending on your prevalent usage, but long-press on the shutter button swaps between photo and video at any time. Considering that the Legend Air only has three buttons for all of its settings and functions makes it very elegant, as long as you remember which button does what in which mode. Since the touch screen is a more than welcome alternative to command buttons, it’ll be good to work the buttons from time to time, just to not forget their roles!
Gyro stabilization is working fine. It smooths out the camera vibrations in the video, which is another useful feature, especially when you record in motion. So, using SJ6 Legend Air while running, biking, for FPV or as a dash cam, the Gyro function makes your videos a lot more pleasant to watch.

I have tried to conduct my tests mainly underwater, for a change. Since water is a different medium, the results can show you somewhat more than what you’d see in a dry-land record, especially the way the camera treats the contrast and shadow. Not every time was the visibility excellent, due to seasonal algae-blooming conditions, but you’ll see what I mean…

Photo Quality

You can make photos in image sizes and resolutions throughout its range from interpolated 16Mpx images, via sensor-sized 14Mpx, 12, 10, 8, 5, 3, 2, down to 1.3Mpx. And the cam can do JPEG or RAW, as per wish…

Beside image size, you can vary the Exposure Time (from Auto thru 60 sec), Delay Capture (from Off thru 10 sec), Quality (between fine, normal and economy), Sharpness (normal, strong, soft), White Balance (auto, daylight, cloudy, tungsten, fluorescent), Color (normal, b&w, retro, warm, cool), ISO (from auto thru 1600), EV (from +2/3 thru -2/3), RAW (Off/On)… You can switch the Gyro Sensor ON or OFF, or change the Field Of View (between wide, middle, and narrow), switch Wide Dynamic Range On/Off, apply Distortion Correction, (making picture rectilinear), and use a Time Stamp if you wish or need it in the picture.

As to the image quality, let me just say that I was pleasantly surprised. The lens system is very good, and regardless of the small sensor and a rather limited ISO range, images appear very good. No doubt, the efficient Gyro sensor adds to the fact. In all, if this cam had a zoom arrangement, it would replace many a P&S camera for everyday use.

NOTE: Get SJCAM’s RAW Converter!

Sound Quality

I got two extra microphones which connect to the Legend Air via its USB point. These look pretty much the same, except that one is a typical “shirt collar” type, while the other has a bendable cable segment of 12cm, a type usually referred to as “gooseneck”. These mikes have pinch clips you use to attach ’em to clothes – or elsewhere.

Both mikes have 145 centimeters of cable length between mike head and USB connector, and this cable is clad in woven material which makes it extremely pliable; like a soft string. For some reason, the USB connectors at the end of cables are L-formed (at right angle to cable). These connectors, together with the kind of cable protection make the microphones unusable with the new weather / waterproof camera casing which has an extra USB port. More about it later.

However, there are times and situations when I would like to have the camera enclosed and the microphone on the outside… Maybe such an accessory will be available later on, if someone from SJ company reads this…

The built-in microphone can be regulated between values of 10% and 100%, in ten levels from 1 to 10 (in the Video / Volume Menu). Default is set at 8, and I have used that setting in all the records, but you can also listen to the built-in mike recording in the Night Video, where some music was gathered during the drive.

Recording the sound from within the closed waterproof casing generally makes little sense, since soundwaves get to be mightily muted. Raising the microphone sensitivity to the top level (10) won’t help much; thus, some properly watertighted outside microphone would be helpful. By this I’m “putting a bug in SJCAM’s ear”, since the new “USB casing” could be the obvious solution – and not only for underwater sound recordings!

Truth be said, the situation is a tad better if and when you’re using the casing with its touchdoor. Thinner protective plastic layer responds better and to a wider range of sound frequencies, which helps some.

Still, an outside waterproof microphone (perhaps of the kind they build into amphibious cameras) could be a proper future solution. So, c’mon SJCAM! If submarines can listen underwater, surely your cameras can too!

Battery Test

SJ6 Legend Air is powered by a removable 1000mAh 5V/1A battery that is good for video recording time of ~80 minutes (with WiFi On) or ~110 minutes (WiFi Off). Recharging a flat battery, as the specs state, should not take longer than 3 hours. They were right.

The battery was charged in-camera at room temperature (28°C) using Tesla smartphone charger outputting 1A/5VDC. Power-depleting times were measured outdoors with the camera out of its waterproof casing, using the highest resolution and also the highest frame-per-second rate. In all tests the monitor  was constantly ON, to force the most energy spending.

There was no difference worth mentioning between the values stated and actual battery performance, which is good news. Recording time of 80 – 85 minutes usually depleted the battery and recharging time was consistent; 183 to 185 minutes. While charging, there is a red LED signal on, and the screen shows animated battery-charging symbol.

NOTE: Values displayed are not absolute, since there are variables that influence the tests, such as ambiental temperature, internal temperature, usage with or without protective housing, specific charger, production batch, also monitor or WiFi being Off or On, etc.

Waterproof Case

As always, there is this feeling that all camera manufacturers acquire their protective encasements from the one & only manufacturer – the one who hates changes! The only difference to find is in the casing’s dimensioning, the layout of its command buttons, maybe the lock shape, and in certain variety of the way the lens ports are put together. Thus, regarding this camera case, there is not much to disclose. It is able to shield the camera down to 30m / ~100′ – or against pressure equal to 4 kg per cm² (4 Bar) when closed by its hard hatch.

The SJ6 Legend Air case lens port is by default resistant to depth pressure, solidly watertight, and enclosed in black, non-transparent hood shielding the lens against scattered light. Users are strongly advised to regard the port of the camera casing as a part of the cam’s optical system. The casing lens port material is hard plastic, not scratch-proof, so do take care to avoid any contact of case’s port with harder materials, so as not to affect its performance.

Then there is one interesting deviation from the usual. SJCAM offers another housing which has an extra opening on the camera’s contact (right hand) side. Unscrewing the (o-ring sealed) waterproof plug enables you to insert the USB cable right into the otherwise closed encasement and secure it there by a similar plug the cable runs through. It is then weather-sealed as regards the camera casing, while the other cable end is supposed to connect to your computer or charger. This fashion, you can arrange for real long recording sessions in the open, like time-lapse shoots, while the power comes from, say, an outside power bank unit. Nifty!

The USB casing is delivered with a touch door, which can, of course, be replaced by a hard hatch version. When the cable port is safely blind-plugged, you can use the camera underwater just like in a standard encasement.

The fact that SJCam has actually used o-rings on this specific feature has caused me to add some rant below (aimed rather optimistically at the casing designer), but as regards the reliable sealing principles, I’m glad to see things possibly moving in the right direction.

Waterproof Case Care

Please see this article for details!

SJ6 Legend vs. SJ6 Legend Air

I’m certain that at one point you’ll ask yourself about the difference between the SJ6 Legend and SJ6 Legend Air. Well, aside from the obvious difference in the name, there are few other things. First among those, the distribution. According to the manufacturer, SJ6 Legend Air will be sold to a limited market, mostly in Europe, e.g., European distributors will have SJ6 Legend Air available.

The traditional B2C websites will not be selling the SJ6 Air. Why SJCAM decided to go this way, remains a mystery. It’s not the first time they released this kind of a limited edition product. Last year they launched SJ5000x and X1000, which were both sold to a limited market.

Furthermore, SJ6 Legend has a RRP of $159, whereas the SJ6 AIR costs $135.

The difference is also in hardware. Cameras have different processors and image sensors. SJ6 Legend Air has a touch screen LCD at the back, while the SJ6 Legend features two screens; front one for data, and rear one for image.

Take a look at the table below. It illustrates only the differences between the two models.

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Summary

All in all, the feeling is good. I predict you will like this camera. From the neatly put together body, via its features which comprise external microphone support, timelapse operations, motion detection ability, burst shooting mode, slow-motion recording, and gyro stabilization, to the ease of disregarding the buttons in favor of a touchscreen… one can do a lot with this small, but surprisingly able camera. Laurels are not meant to be slept on, but facts are facts.

That said, there were a few things which, frankly, I have found unnecessarily changed. For instance, the quick-release mount piece does not lock sidewise to its shoe as before; the new type locks downward. This means I can’t use it with, say, SJCam M10 counterpart, unless I start by combining the mounting pieces right from the camera casing swivel. While the majority of action cameras have mounting elements that are interchangeable, it really should be de rigueur for one manufacturer to maintain total compatibility within its range of products.

Same goes for USB connector types on their camera end, at least while there are standard operating voltages and/or data transfer speeds. The USB connector issued with SJ6 Legend Air can be dated about 20 years back. Remember that ancient trapezoid profile with bent-in lateral sides? Luckily, it is one type that has always been praised for its rock solid mechanical connection, and I still have several such cables from my old Sony cameras and backup disks.

Nevertheless, many connecting accessory types should finally become and remain standard, even for no reason other than reducing the “cable salad” in our homes!

The new “USB Housing” allows one to connect the encased camera to an outside power source through the special side port. There is also a corresponding USB cable which can be connected and sealed in position. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was also an outside microphone which could be used with it? An(y) underwater casing is severely reducing the sound level (with touchdoor, somewhat less), and an outside mike would be welcome! So maybe I’m allowed to suggest a weather-proofed microphone with plastic-coated cable ending in a straight connector that can utilise the side port? Even an L-shaped small gooseneck mike built into the port seal cap would be an useful accessory to have with this casing! And then there are electrical wet contacts too, have been used 30 years ago for reliable light and flash cable connections at any depth… sea or freshwater… (SJCam – there’s more. Just ask!)

*
I was an active diver-photographer for 50+ years, and still am, in an ever more age-limiting way. In my heyday I was quite inventive, always striving to improve both the breathing and the photographing gear I was using. I wish users and manufacturers of underwater cameras would have patience to read this through and maybe use my experience. So please bear with me going off at a tangent here.

Whosoever makes these watertight housings still stubbornly employs the same GoPro-like hatch gasket copy, simply refusing to see that this should be replaced by an o-ring, as its principle has been proven the best – from bathyscaphs and submarines to spacecrafts – and through millions of other serious, no-nonsense applications.

An o-ring is a small thing which has the main role in anything underwater. It moves in response to the raising depth pressure, and adapts its position and shape to seal progressively tighter. The gaskets of the kind implemented with almost all action cameras can’t behave in the same way. To my sorrow, the current gaskets can’t be directly replaced by o-rings until the seal groove of the hatch was re-shaped, though not by much.

I can’t predict how the current sealings behave beyond certain depths / pressures, also after longer usage time. Frankly, I have no way to do full and proper tests to the fail level, so as to determine a water ingress point, to measure deformations of the case, its material resilience and fatigue, or ability to return to its original form. Until such time, we’ll have to, er, trust the Creator.

As for now, at least the command button pins are o-ring sealed. These are standardly placed in guiding / shielding wells, so the pins run straight through the casing hull. A biased spring between the underside of the button and a small metal plate keeps the o-ring around the pin in proper position. The pin is held on its inner end by small e-clip type retaining ring.

The simplicity of this arrangement ensures certain safety of operation, but it is also dependent upon the strength of the spring working in variable pressure ambient. For lesser depths, the spring force outweighs the pressure upon the exposed sealing area surface. With increasing depth the pin command becomes easier to push in, using more spring force to return. In any ambient of variable pressure the rotating command works more precisely, since the parts interact much smoother. In return, the use of weaker springs (where needed) augments the tactile feel of rotating commands, which translates into more exact operating of the device.

The lens port is also one critical part, since it is factually the only surface of the waterproof enclosure that has to be transparent in a very special way. So in order to ensure the light passing uniformly through the whole surface, the best lens ports are precisely polished plan-parallel pieces of hardglass, sapphire glass, or similar scratch-resistant crystal.

Without intermediate box (where the camera’s innards are built right into an impermeable case), the safest way to operate the cam would be by several reed switches on the inside actuated by small magnets from the outside of the casing. Avoiding mechanical commands through the encasement wall means reducing water ingress risk, and removes maintenance.

Such single-case-all-conditions concept simplifies construction, reduces the number of parts (so the costs), and warrants an amphibious usage right out of the package. For now, this is still only my standard personal beef wish for any and all outdoors devices, which is way too slow in fulfillment. There were cameras built that way thirty years ago… Why not now?

Oh, well. Rant off. Maybe some day manufacturers will see it the same way we users do!

PROS

CONS

Conclusion

SJ6 Legend Air is one great camera for small money. Beside its operating qualities, there is a wide range of accessories in the initial package, and also some very usable and interesting optional accessories. You get all the basic mounting elements right with the camera, and only add what you need from the optional accessories range. Good concept plus good product plus good price equals good buy.