At $110, this is one of the least expensive real 4K cams available on Amazon. At the time of posting I think it’s one of the better deals for someone who wants more resolution than 1080p but doesn’t want to break the bank. This is my initial test and review, more testing and a full breakdown of video quality (including comparisons to other cams) will be released in the next few weeks.
This was originally intended to be a review of the Eken H6S, however the camera I received was defective – it was out of focus, and the camera would regularly reset itself, until finally it outright refused to power on. This is the second Eken camera I have owned recently with a focus issue. They used to be a decent mid-range action cam brand, however it looks like they are having some serious quality control issues that need to be resolved. The H6S had the specifications of a good camera – real 4K at 30FPS, stabilization for 2.7K, dual screens and nice quality included accessories, however due to receiving two defective problems in a row Eken will no longer receive my recommendation until they can regain my trust.
he MGCool Explorer Pro 2 is anything but pro. The best feature it has is the touch screen and user interface, but unfortunately the video quality and build just can’t keep up to the price. There are several better cameras available for the money, and spending just a little bit more nets a real 4K capable camera.
The SJ7 Star comes with a whole host of accessories, all of decent quality. Accessories between action cams are fairly standard so we’re going to fast forward through this section: note that the important basics are included, sticky mounts, handlebar mounts, and right-angle adapters.
The Ele Rexso Explorer Dual is a interpolated 4K action cam based on the Novatek NT96660 processor and an unknown image sensor (likely the Omnivision OV4689, since some spec sheets say “IMX179” but the IMX179 has not been combined with the NT96660 before. This is just a guess, however, so please don’t take it as truth). Externally the camera is near identical to the Firefly 7S, but the video results are quite different. I love this wine-red color it comes in too.
With a good build quality and great gyro, once the bugs are worked out this will probably be one of the better cameras available. Many Chinese companies release their products in a “beta” state and iron out issues as users bring them up… The SJ6 Air reminds me of the Mijia camera, where it feels like it has not yet reached its full potential.
All of these cameras are so close and the differences in how they process video are so minimal, that what you should look for while watching is which camera processes exposure more appealingly to you, which camera has the most appealing audio to you and which cameras user interface will work best for you. No matter which you buy you’ll end up with a camera that has decent video quality.
The Hamswan F68 is the perfect example of “fake specification”. This camera is capable of a maximum 1080p @ 30FPS. It uses frame doubling to achieve 1080p @ 60FPS. There is not enough resolution on the sensor for 2.3K nor 4K. Due to the high price and poor video quality, we recommend avoiding this camera.
This is one of the first cameras that combine the Ambarella A12 with an 8MP Sony IMX317 Sensor, so it has the possibility of standing out among competing real 4K cams for video quality. It’s got solid 4K video so far. It just needs some refining here and there (and a waterproof case).
Sure, the color and exposure is a bit off, the framerate of the 4K is too low (not real 4K) and the 1080p 60 looks like it’s been scaled up from 720p… But funny thing, from my preliminary tests this camera does better sharpness wise than many other cams I’ve tested that are also based on the Allwinner V3 / IMX179 (that are often 3x the price!). I can forgive a $25 cam for these issues but when resellers are selling these things for $75 – $150… Heck no! If you buy one, buy it at this price instead.