{"id":104304,"date":"2024-02-06T01:30:31","date_gmt":"2024-02-06T00:30:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pevly.com\/?p=104304---1fcdfbb6-26a1-4fe7-85f7-11f302f318e3"},"modified":"2024-02-06T01:30:31","modified_gmt":"2024-02-06T00:30:31","slug":"what-makes-the-difference-in-a-cheap-action-cam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pevly.com\/what-makes-the-difference-in-a-cheap-action-cam\/","title":{"rendered":"What makes the difference in a cheap action cam?"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are several but important aspects useful in evaluating the purchase of an action cam, even more so with these Chinese cameras. Here is a Quick List of what you have to check prior to buying:<\/p>\n

Resolution<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Every camera can record videos in a number of different resolutions. Some are capable of capturing images in 4K, but most of the times this resolution on cheap cameras is fake, due to interpolation. At this point, should you ignore these? Absolutely not! First of all, we can\u2019t expect too much from highly affordable cameras, but it doesn\u2019t mean that such cams are bad. If you are interested, you can find more specifically about 4K resolution below.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Bitrate<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Many times we mention bitrate as the cause of low image quality, also when we said before that certain camera has a good potential. Are we crazy? I hope not, but if you want to research deeper to clear some doubts, you can read a bit more in the section below.<\/p>\n

Frame rate<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The frame rate is the number of frames per second (fps) captured by the camera. This feature is important if you want to record slow motion videos, because it makes your recording absolutely EPIC! This also becomes very useful if you need smoother videos, especially if you are a sport lover.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Credits https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/theslowmoguys<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bitrate – Explanation<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When we approach a camera, we find ourselves facing tons of numbers and features. Well, bitrate is probably the most unknown and undervalued of all. Let’s clear it in the simplest way possible.<\/p>\n

What is the bitrate?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The bitrate is amount of digital information (bits) recorded in time. In general, bitrate is expressed in bits per second, and usually expressed as Megabits-per-second (Mb\/sec) and Kilobits-per-second (Kb\/sec).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Why is that important?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The bitrate affects a lot of parameters in any digital recording, and everything spins around it.<\/p>\n

First, it affects the video quality, and thus the size of a record file. Obviously, when more data per second needs to be written, it requires more space.<\/p>\n

Does that mean the higher the bitrate the higher the quality? This equation is always right. Why? Let\u2019s observe those three aspects together.<\/p>\n

Bitrate, Framerate and Resolution\u2026 TOGETHER!<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The framerate is easy to explain and easy to understand. There is a fast explanation above and I think it\u2019s clear. The resolution, instead, is nothing more than the quantity of pixels that a camera uses to record the scene. Higher resolution means more details.<\/p>\n

The bitrate could also be a limitation that can lose part of the information in the video.<\/p>\n

A little bit of math makes the concept more understandable:<\/p>\n

Let’s use the same camera at two different resolutions. The first will be 4K (4096×2160) at 60fps, and the second 1080p (1920×1080) at 30fps:<\/p>\n