Due to constantly seeing so many people reaching out about this specific camera model we have decided to dedicate today’s model to our own ultimate Kodak Pixpro az421 review. With so many people reaching out about the az421 we are hoping that our article will be able to help any of our own readers who are looking to add this great little camera to their collection as a way to get involved with super high zoom bridge cameras without having to break the bank.

Now, there is absolutely no denying that the Kodak Pixpro az421 is a very popular little camera that has managed to earn itself an absolutely outstanding reputation amongst both photographers and videographers who are involved in the wildlife, bird, and astrophotography niches. The camera just keeps on growing from strength to strength due to its low price tag but in our opinion, you should only be going with the Kodak AZ421 if you are on a very tight budget.

The Nikon p900 was one of the better bridge cameras on the market for many years and due to the recent release of the Nikon p1000, the p900 has received a price reduction from Nikon to lower its price tag substantially. If you are wanting the best image quality possible out of your camera then we would highly recommend that you consider the Nikon p900 as it is an excellent little camera that in our opinion, is very budget-friendly considering its performance and the image quality it provides.

With that out of the way, we will still be going over our full, dedicated review of the Kodak az421 below as it is a solid little entry-level bridge camera and we know that many of our readers will be on very tight budgets. In our opinion, the az421 offers some great bang for your buck and is probably one of the best cameras of its type in its price bracket.

Performance And Functionality

One of the best things about the Kodak Pixpro az421 that instantly sets it apart from the compeating camera bodies in its price bracket at the time of writing is the fact that it comes with a 16MP as standard whereas some compeating entry-level bridge cameras only have a 12MP camera sensor. This gets the Kodak az421 off to a good start right off the bat scoring it points over what the compeating entry-level bridge cameras are able to offer you.

The camera also offers you up to 42 x optical zoom that is fully native to the camera and does not rely on any digital zooming tweaks as some of the compeating camera bodies do in the entry-level price bracket. This often offers better image quality over the camera units that need to use digital zooming technology to reach the same maximum distances helping to score the camera even more points over its competition.

The 24mm wide-angle lens not only helps to move you closer to the main subject of your photograph or video but also allows you to capture more with the same frame. Now, we know that this will not be useful for everyone and depending on your niche, you may not be too focused on the wide-angle size of things but again, it is great for things such as wildlife photography as you are able to capture the natural habitat of the animal with ease.

If you are involved in the astrophotography, wildlife or bird niches or anything else where you need the best possible image quality going while at the higher zoom ranges of the camera then the Kodak Pixpro az421 is ideal. It offers some of the sharpest and clearly image quality going once you tweak its focus at its higher zoom ranges relative to its price tag. We have some example test footage below that has been captured using the Kodak az421 and offers an excellent example of exactly what mean.

When it comes to the video capabilities of the camera, it fully meets the 720p video resolution standards. We know that there are a few competing cameras that offer 1080p at this price point with similar zoom capabilities but the image quality they provide looks grainy, especially when at their higher zoom levels. This is due to the actual encoding method the manufacturers have used to try and knock out 1080p in an entry-level camera as quickly and cheaply as possible while cutting corners. We would much rather have clearer video footage at 720p than low-quality video at 1080p so in our opinion, the Kodak camera comes out on top again.

Another thing that the Kodak az421 offers you over the compeating cameras in the entry-level price bracket is its excellent facial detection software. Now, again, the usefulness of this is going to depend on the niche that you are working in but the Kodak system has proven to be effective at automatically detecting the faces of animals as well as humans. This allows you to use the technology to help enhance your image quality for wildlife photographers and help get the perfect photographs possible.

The panoramic mode on the camera is pretty average in all honesty and is very similar to what the competing cameras offer for a similar price but the az421 scores so many points in other areas and so few people will likley use the panoramic feature anyway that we feel this can be overlooked. If you are traveling or in a landscape based niche then the panoramic feature on the Kodak az421 can help you quickly and easily capture epic 180-degree landscape vista images that are truly seamless.

Another area where we feel that the Kodak az421 performs well is with its optical image stabilization technology. It helps to minimize the disruption via movement or vibration even at a decent zoom level without issue. That said though if you are doing any work at the higher zoom ranges of the camera then we would always recommend that you use a tripod for optimal image stabilization and image quality. Even a decent, cheap tripod can be a valuable camera accessory and help you get som super stable video or improve the image quality of your photographs at higher image zoom ranges.

As with many things, the Kodak az421 also has a few weak areas and we wouldn’t feel right unless we made our readers aware of them. The Kodak az421 does take a standard SD memory card but does not support any memory sizes larger than 32GB. Although this should not be an issue for the vast majority of our readers due to the camera not offering 4k resolution and needing those larger memory cards, we just wanted to point it out.

The second main weakness of the camera is its lithium-ion battery but battery issues are very common at this price point in the market. The Kodak az421 has received a number of reports saying that its maximum battery life is inconsistent and can provide people with ten hours with one charge, four hours with the next charge, and eleven hours with the next charge. Now, this is going to naturally fluctuate depending on what you are doing with the camera but these massive fluctuations may present an issue for some people depending on what you will be doing with the camera.

From what we have seen from people who use the Kodak az421 as their go-to camera of choice, the most popular workaround seems to be to just switch over to third-party batteries and the battery life of the camera becomes much more consistent. This would suggest that the problem with the fluctuating battery life is with the batteries supplied with the camera rather than the camera itself.

Although a number of third-party brands do produce their own version of the NP-40 battery that the Kodak az421 uses, we would highly recommend that you consider the Powerextra NP-40 battery if you do want to purchase a set of spare batteries. Not only are they very cheap coming in at around $15 a set depending on the retailer but they perform very well and have earned a solid reputation amongst the community as the best third-party NP-40 battery around right now.

When you factor all of this in with all of the strong and neutral points for the Kodak az421 as well as the two weak points that can essentially either be easily fixed or won’t apply due to 32GB memory cards being plenty for the resolution the Kodak az421 supports, it is easy to see why it is so popular. It has one of the lowest price points going for this type of camera while offering some of the strongest performances that we have ever seen. In addition to this, the az421 owning community has chosen to publish a ton of glowing independent reviews for the camera too.

If you are worried about having issues with the memory card or battery life issues or just want more information on how well the camera performs, we would highly recommend you skim over some of those reviews. They have been posted by both photographers and videographers who have used the Kodak az421 in a large number of different niches and situations and go into detail on how the camera performs in each as well as the levels of image quality that you can realistically expect during use.

User Interface And Control System

Now, as you would expect for an entry-level camera body at this price point, the Kodak az421 does not come with touchscreen technology and relies on a number of buttons shown on the read in the image above as well as across the top of the camera body too. Although the buttons do look dated and have that cheap feel to them, they actually perform very well and register your touch quickly with no delay. Some cheap cameras can have low-quality buttons that won’t even register your button press but this is not an issue with the az421 as its buttons are very sensitive and responsive.

The three-inch LCD screen on the rear of the camera is bright, clear, and very easy to see, even if you are working in low light for some astrophotography work. The actual navigation menu that Kodak has put on the az421 is also very user-friendly and easy to follow too. If you are looking to purchase your first camera we have no doubt in our mind that you will easily get to grips with the Kodak system. We would imagine that the majority of people, especially if you are used to using a smartphone will be able to take the camera out the box and use it efficiently without having to read the manual or spend much time playing with it.

As we mentioned above, Kodak has put a number of different automated modes such as the face detection technology into the camera to make your life as easy as possible during use. This makes tasks that previously had to be done manual easy to automate to save you time and they are very quick to turn on and off via the navigation menu as required.

In our opinion, Kodak has done a great job of realizing that the vast majority of the photographers and videographers who are using the az421 will likley be entry-level users. Due to this, they have emphasized ease of use in ever aspect of the camera ensuring that it is as easy to use as possible for a novice user.

Build Quality And Design

Considering the low price point of the Kodak az421 we were actually expecting a low build quality but we are pleased to report that Kodak has absolutely smashed it and done an excellent job. The az421 comes in at around 3.3 x 4.4 x 3.2 inches while being 0.98 pounds of weight meaning that it is about average for its size and performance. The light payload weight of the camera also means that you are able to quickly and easily mount it to even entry-level cheap tripods without risking exceeding their maximum load capacities too.

Relative to the price point of the az421, it is also pretty touch in all fairness and we would imagine that it can easily take any bumps or knocks that are coming its way during use without having issues. On top of this, although the majority of cheap camera bags have great padding these days, we feel confident in saying that the az421 will also withstand and knocks during transit too without breaking.

Our Verdict

That brings our ultimate Kodak Pixpro az421 review to a close and we are happy to say that we would recommend that any of our readers looking to add a cheap bridge camera to their collection with high zoom capabilities consider the Kodak Pixpro az421. In our opinion, it is definatley the best option for the sub-two hundred dollar price point by far and it is easy to see why it has managed to earn the excellent reputation that it enjoys.

As we mentioned earlier in the article, if you are able to stretch your budget a little then the Nikon p900 is a great bit of kit that is currently a steal after the recent price reduction due to its successor, the P1000 being released. Although it comes in at the lower end of the intermediate price point camera range, it blows its competition out the water and also has one of the best reputations going for the intermediate level bridge cameras.

Due to this, we have decided to dedicate today’s article to our ultimate Nikon Keymission 170 review to try and help any of our readers who are considering purchasing this action camera. Now, this may be a little surprising to our readers due to the Keymission series being part of the Nikon range but we would not recommend that you actually purchase the Nikon Keymission 170 as it just falls short in so many areas while also being overpriced for what you are actually getting in our opinion.

At the time of writing, depending on the retailer, you can get either a GoPro Hero 5 Black or a refurbished GoPro Hero 6 Black for around the same price as the Nikon Keymission 170 and both of them absolutely blow it out of the water making much better additions to your camera accessories in our opinion. The Keymission 170 has a controversial reputation at best amongst the community whereas both of the GoPros have managed to earn and maintain the excellent reputation that you would expect from a GoPro action camera.

Although both the Hero 5 and Hero 6 are also a few years old at the time of writing with the GoPro Hero 8 Black being the current flagship of the GoPro range, they are still much better options than the Nikon Keymission 170. We just wanted to make this point as early in the article as possible rather than have our readers waste their time getting to the end only to be told not to purchase the featured camera and to go with a compeating unit.

Anyway, with all that out of the way, we will still be going over our full Nikon Keymission 170 review for any of our readers who want to know why we feel the way we do about the camera as well as to back up why we feel that you should be going with a GoPro over the Keymission 170.

Performance And Functionality

The actual resolution of 4k video footage is 4096 x 2160 whereas the Keymission 170 only comes in at 3840 x 2160 meeting the standards for UHD (ultra high definition). On top of this, if you do choose to capture you video footage with the Keymission 170 in its “4k video setting” it can rapidly deplete the cameras battery life in as little as only thirty minutes! A refurbished GoPro Hero 6 Black blows this out the water with ease making it the obvious option if you are wanting the best possible video image quality at this price point in the market.

The Nikon Keymission 170 also supports 1080p at 120 frames per second, 60 frames per second, and 30 frames per second as well as 720P at 240 frames per second too. Realistically, if you do choose to go with the Keymission 170 you will likley be capturing the majority of your video footage in 1080P at 60 frames per second but even then the cameras battery life falls short of what the GoPros are able to provide.

One thing that we do like about the Keymission 170 is that it offers four times slow-motion footage in the 1080p resolution at the 120 frames setting allowing you to capture some solid slow-motion video if needed. It also supports eight times slow motion in the 720p setting at 240 frames allowing you to capture the action of your extreme sport of choice in super slow motion with great image quality. If you are more on the vlogging or social media influencer side of things then the slow-motion can be used to capture some great slow-motion b-roll for you to help improve your content.

The Keymission 170 does have some pretty decent electronic image stabilization technology built-in as standard, especially when you factor in that the camera is a few years old now and definatley showing its age against the more modern action cameras on the market. That said though, the Nikon electronic image stabilization does not work when capturing your video footage in its 4K UHD video setting resulting in some very shaky video footage.

On top of this, due to Nikon using their own form factor and dimensions for the camera rather than just mimicking the GoPro form factor like many of the compeating brands on the market, it is an absolute nightmare to find a gimbal stabilizer that will allow you to mount the Nikon Keymission 170 to it. This means that if you are planning to capture your video footage in 4k UHD with the camera, you are going to be stuck with the poor image stabilization without any real workaround.

The camera does have a solid stereo microphone built-in that does an excellent job of accurately capturing the audio track of your adventures. Unfortunately for Nikon though, the majority of action camera users out there are focused on the video and photographic performance of the camera and the Keymission 170 definatley falls short in both of these areas.

The camera comes with an 8MP camera sensor as standard that again falls short of what we would expect from an action camera at this price point even back when the Keymission 170 was initially released. This just pushes a refurbished GoPro Hero 6 Black even further out ahead of the Keymission 170. Although the f/2.8 aperture on the Nikon action camera is nice to have and does provide some great low light performance, in our opinion, it is just too little too late.

Another feature that we feel is lacking is that the Keymission 170 is fixed at the 170-degree field of view. Now, we know that this is kind of a given due to its name but even sub-fifty dollar action cameras like the Campark Act 74 have been offering a variable action camera lens covering the 170°, 140°, 110°, and 70° fields of view just causing the Keymission 170 to drop even more points against compeating cameras.

One area where the Nikon action camera performs particularly poorly against the competition is when it comes to its maximum battery life. As we touched on earlier in the article, the Keymission 170 only provides around thirty minutes worth of battery when capturing UHD 4k video footage, this is around half of what we would expect from a digitally upscaled 4k action camera released back when the Keymission 170 was and less than a third of what we would expect from a native 4k video camera!

When it comes to the 1080p video resolution on the Keymission 170 you can only expect around an hour of power coming in at around half of what we would expect from a sub-one hundred dollar action camera, never mind a camera that currently costs almost double that and cost almost four times that back when initially released. On top of this, unlike the vast majority other action camera brands, Nikon only provides you with one battery with the Keymission 170 meaning you have to purchase your spare at additional cost to you.

When you take all of this into account, it is very easy to see how the Nikon Keymission 170 has managed to earn so many other negative reviews from the community from action camera users who fell foul to purchasing the Keymission 170 and decided to post their own review to try and prevent anyone else from making the mistake. We really can’t stress enough that you should be considering a refurbished GoPro Hero 6 Black

User Interface And Control System

The actual navigation menu itself is pretty decent in all fairness to Nikon and it is very easy to use and navigate through. It’s just when you actually get to settings that you want to tweak, it can be a pain to read the text and see what you are actually changing due to the smaller LCD screen on the camera. If you are more of an advanced action camera user who will be tweaking their camera settings on a regular basis then this is a massive disadvantage for the Keymission 170.

The GoPro system on the GoPro Hero 6 Black is just as easy to navigate but its larger screen allows you to quickly and easily tweak the settings of the camera accurately and get back to your action sport of choice without having to waste any time. We hope that it is starting to become obvious why we said we would not recommend the Nikon Keymission 170 to our readers back at the start of the article.

Another niggly little thing that seems to be annoying a large number of people is that the auto turn offsetting on the Nikon Keymission 170 can’t be turned off or changed. This means after sitting idle for two minutes the camera powers down to try and save you battery life. This is a total pain as the camera does not register its timelapse mode with over a two-minute capture as being active so the camera will power down and stop your time-lapse.

Build Quality And Design

With the GoPro action camera range and other, cheap GoPro alternatives essentially mimicking their form factor, the third-party companies who make action camera accessories only cater to cameras that fir the standard GoPro dimensions. As we mentioned earlier, this makes sourcing a gimbal stabilizer for the Keymission 170 pretty much impossible as well as a number of commonly used mounts for a number of popular action sports. With so many other brands have made this mistake in the past and learned from it, we really did think that Nikon would just match the standard action camera form factor right out the gate but for some reason, they never.

The Keymission 170 is also heavier than we would expect from a camera of its age coming in at just over 0.2 pounds. That said though, in the grand scheme of things this will likley not be noticed by any of our readers and the lack of an available gimbal stabilizer for the camera means that there are no payload limits the camera has to stick to anyway.

Although we have not experienced this next issue ourselves, we have seen multiple people report that the advertised safe working temperature range of the Nikon Keymission 170 is wrong. Multiple people have reported that once the camera gets below the 28-degree mark it starts to give various error messages while also rapidly depleting its already short battery life. This makes it a waste of time for any winter sports enthusiast and just keeps on scoring points for a refurbished GoPro Hero 6 Black.

One thing that we do like about the build quality of the Nikon Keymission 170 is that it is waterproof down to a depth of 33 feet right out of the box without you having to house it in a waterproof case. It is just a shame that the camera is let down in so many other ways to make this great little feature essentially useless at this stage.

Our Verdict

That concludes our Nikon Keymission 170 review and as you can probably tell, we would not recommend the action camera to our readers as we feel it is a total waste of money and that there are much better options out there. As we said back at the start of the article, both the GoPro Hero 5 Black and refurbished GoPro Hero 6 Black are currently going for similar price points to the Nikon Keymission 170 while blowing it out of the water in pretty much every single way possible.

We would highly recommend that our readers go with either of the GoPro options over the Nikon Keymission 170 and if you are still not convinced, we would recommend that you spend a few minutes skimming over some of these independent reviews of the camera. A large number of action camera users who have purchased the Nikon Keymission 170 are being brutally honest in their reviews and should be able to help convince you to avoid this action camera at all costs.

Due to this, we have seen a direct increase in the number of parents reaching out and asking for advice on what photography and videography gear they should be giving to their kids. With content being such a large part of being a YouTuber or social media influencer, we have seen a direct increase in the number of people reaching out with questions based around what action cameras they should be giving to their children with a number of parents specifically asking about the VTech Kidizoom action camera 180.

Due to this, we have decided to publish our own, dedicated VTech Kidizoom Action Cam 180 review to try and help any of our readers who have children and are looking to purchase an action camera for them. Although the VTech Kidizoom 180 can be a decent, cheap little action camera for young children it doe have a mixed reputation amongst parents.

In our opinion, this is largely down to the camera being advertised for ages three to ten but in reality, it definatley falls short for children in the older recommended age groups. As you would expect for a product designed for children, VTech has had to spend money to meet the various regulatory requirements for an action camera for children while also making it as simple and straight forward to use.

Due to this, the technical specifications of the camera are pretty low and even though the VTech Kidizoom 180 is a few years old now, it can easily be blown out of the water when it comes to specifications by something like the Campark Act 74 that is around the same price point. In our opinion, if you have young children that are five or under then the VTech Kidizoom 180 is a decent option as it is so user-friendly and easy to use. If your child is six or over then we would recommend you consider the Campark Act 74 as it offers so much more bang for your buck but does have a user interface designed for teens and adults.

That said though, we are still going to be going over our full VTech Kidizoom Action Cam 180 review below to share our thoughts on the camera and back up why we feel that it is still a solid action camera for younger children. Although it does have a number of negative reviews from the community, this seems to be due to the camera being given to older children who have out grown it already.

Performance And Functionality

As far as we can tell, the VTech Kidizoom 180 comes with a 0.3-megapixel camera’s sensor pretty much putting it dead last in the list of action cameras. In this day and age, we would expect a 12-megapixel camera sensor on an action camera for adults and we really can’t see why VTech has gone with a 0.3 sensor. With the price of technology in this day and age, they would likley have been able to pick an 8-megapixel sensor up for the same price as the 0.3 sensor they have used.

Although the VTech Kidizoom 180 can still capture some pretty solid image quality for a child and we have examples of the image quality you can expect later in the article, VTech could have provided so much more without having to hike the price tag up in our opinion. The same goes for the video footage that the camera is able to capture with it coming in with a fixed resolution of 480p capped at twenty-five frames per second and although this will be fine for a young child who just wants to have fun, they could have provided much better image quality for the price tag of the camera.

That said though, young children will still likley have a ton of fun when playing with the action camera as it performs in a similar way to the action cameras for adults and allow your child to capture their adventures. This lets your children go out and have fun with the action camera and then come back and show you what they have been up to and then upload their content onto sites like YouTube or Instagram with ease.

The camera does come with a 128MB internal memory to let your child capture around 400 photographs or ten minutes of video to the camera but anything longer will need an aftermarket memory card. Thankfully though, the price tag of memory cards has drastically fallen over the last few years offering some right bargains. Just keep in mind that the VTech Kidizoom 180 is only able to support an external memory card of up to 32GB and the card has to be a microSD card too.

The final point that we want to make about the VTech Kidizoom 180 is that it has a pretty solid battery life for its price tag. It uses a fully rechargeable li-ion polymer battery to ensure it is as safe as possible for use in a child’s action camera. A full charge of the battery should keep it going for around two and a half hours of video recording before needing to be recharged again.

User Interface And Control System

The LCD panel screen on the camera is very bright and easy to see and offers some solid replay of your kid’s video or photograph so they are able to quickly check out the content that there are capturing while out and about. The actual directional pad and buttons on the camera are also massively oversized to make them as easy to press and use as possible for young children.

VTech has done a great job of keeping the buttons as responsive as possible so they register the press when your child presses them while also keeping the buttons protection. There are likley times when your child will b playing with their camera while eating and end up getting food on the buttons but they do a decent job of taking punishment without breaking.

The actual camera sensor itself is on a full 180-degree bevel so your child is able to flip it between forward-facing and selfie mode as they see fit while out and about. This allows them to switch between vlogging into the camera and capturing their adventures and action sports within seconds. The actual waterproof protective case that comes with the camera is also very easy to add to the camera too without you having to do it for your child each time they want to use the camera in water mode. On top of this, the camera also has two different platform games build into it as well an augmented reality game so your child can play on the VTech Kidizoom 180 while in the back of the car and stay entertained.

Build Quality And Design

On top of this, it is also pretty small coming in at only 1.6 x 4.5 x 3.4 inches in size while being very light at only 0.9 pounds of weight. This makes the camera small and light enough for your child to use it without issue and mount it to their helmets or chest mount without the additional weight of the camera causing any issues.

All of the included camera accessories such as the various mounts that are included also have a decent build quality too. This allows your child to mount the camera to a number of locations to allow them to get the best angles during their sport of choice with ease. This can allow them to capture some unique looking footage without issue and the helmet mount and chest mount let your child capture their content while having both hands free to hold onto handlebars to maximize safety too.

Our Verdict

That brings our ultimate VTech Kidizoom Action Cam 180 review to a close and although the VTech Kidizoom 180 can be a decent kids action camera for anyone under five or maybe even six, we would highly recommend that you consider something like the Campark Act 74 for any older children though. It offers much better image quality for the same price point and will likley be a much better fit for any older children who are after an action camera. We also have our own review of the Campark Act 74 that maybe work reading if you are considering going with it over the VTech Kidizoom 180.

We are hoping that this article will be able to help any of our readers who are in the market for an ultra-cheap action camera that offers the absolute best performance possible for its price bracket. Thankfully, due to the rapid pace that technology advances and how quickly the price tag for the latest technology falls, you can actually get some solid little action cameras for under $50 these days.

Now, before going any further we just want to quickly point out that the prices of action cameras fluctuate so by the time you read this they may no longer be under the $50 price point. Our comparison table below will display the latest price tag for our featured cameras but all three of our featured cameras should remain around the $50 price point.

If you are looking for a cheap GoPro alternative then our comparison table puts what we feel are the three best options head to head and compares their key features to each other. Just under the table we also have a short breakdown going over our thoughts on each of the three featured action cameras before taking a more in-depth look at them throughout the rest of the article.

We feel that this is the best and most efficient way to go over the sub-fifty dollar price point action cameras that we feel our readers should be considering while presenting the information in a way that suits our readers who are in a rush and short on time as well as those who want to know as much as possible. So, without any further delay, let’s get into our comparison table below.

Comparison Table

Product

Best Option!

Campark Act 74

Crosstour CT7000

Akaso Brave 4

Image

Prime Delivary

-

Video Resolutions

4K@30fps, 2.7K@30fps, 1080P@60fps, 1080P@30fps, 720P@120fps

1080P@30fps, 720P@60fps, 720P@30fps

4K@24fps, 2K@30fps, 1080P@60fps, 1080P@30fps, 720P@120fps, 720@60fps, 720P@30fps

4k Rendering

Digitally Upscaled

Digitally Upscaled

Digitally Upscaled

Photograph Resolution

16MP, 12MP, 8MP, 5MP, 2MP

12MP, 8MP, 5MP, 4MP

20MP, 16MP, 12MP, 10MP, 8MP, 5MP, 3MP

Adjustable Lens Angles

170°, 140°, 110°, and 70°

Fixed 170° Lens

170°, 140°, 110°, and 70°

Image Stabilization

None

None

Electronic Image Stabilization

Waterproof Case

Smartphone App

Our Rating

Independent Reviews

Click To Read

Click To Read

Click To Read

Price

$58.99

Price not available

$89.99

Buy Now

Buy on Amazon

Buy on Amazon

Buy on Amazon

Best Option!

Product

Campark Act 74

Image

Prime Delivary

Video Resolutions

4K@30fps, 2.7K@30fps, 1080P@60fps, 1080P@30fps, 720P@120fps

4k Rendering

Digitally Upscaled

Photograph Resolution

16MP, 12MP, 8MP, 5MP, 2MP

Adjustable Lens Angles

170°, 140°, 110°, and 70°

Image Stabilization

None

Waterproof Case

Smartphone App

Our Rating

Independent Reviews

Click To Read

Price

$58.99

Buy Now

Buy on Amazon

Product

Crosstour CT7000

Image

Prime Delivary

-

Video Resolutions

1080P@30fps, 720P@60fps, 720P@30fps

4k Rendering

Digitally Upscaled

Photograph Resolution

12MP, 8MP, 5MP, 4MP

Adjustable Lens Angles

Fixed 170° Lens

Image Stabilization

None

Waterproof Case

Smartphone App

Our Rating

Independent Reviews

Click To Read

Price

Price not available

Buy Now

Buy on Amazon

Product

Akaso Brave 4

Image

Prime Delivary

Video Resolutions

4K@24fps, 2K@30fps, 1080P@60fps, 1080P@30fps, 720P@120fps, 720@60fps, 720P@30fps

4k Rendering

Digitally Upscaled

Photograph Resolution

20MP, 16MP, 12MP, 10MP, 8MP, 5MP, 3MP

Adjustable Lens Angles

170°, 140°, 110°, and 70°

Image Stabilization

Electronic Image Stabilization

Waterproof Case

Smartphone App

Our Rating

Independent Reviews

Click To Read

Price

$89.99

Buy Now

Buy on Amazon

Last update on 2021-07-02 / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

As you can see from our comparison table above, we feel that the best action camera for under $50 on the market right now is the Campark Act 74. It is a great little action camera that has just received a price reduction from Apeman due to the recent release of the Apeman Trawo that we feel is one of the best action cameras under $100 too. Apeman is doing a great job of locking up the cheap GoPro alternative market with their range and we only expect this trend to continue over the coming years.

Now, unlike the CT7000 below that has been specifically designed for this price point in the market, the Act 74 was originally retailed at a much higher price point when released. Due to having been on the market for a few years now the technology in the action camera has reduced in price drastically allowing Apeman to slash its price tag.

Since its release the Apeman Act 74 has built up and maintained an excellent reputation for itself amongst the action camera using community. It is a very popular option for action sports enthusiasts, vloggers, social media influencers, and anyone just looking to purchase a cheap action camera for themselves. In our opinion, it should definatley be your primary consideration for the sub-fifty dollar price range and we are confident that it will be able to meet your needs.

Next up we have the Crosstour CT7000 that is the only featured action camera in our article that has been specifically designed to retail in the sub-fifty dollar price bracket from the very start. Unlike the compeating brands on the market who just put their older camera units through a price reduction each year to keep them competitive, Crosstour has come up with their own strategy and we have to say, it is working very well.

Rather than release an action camera with a ton of features that the majority of users will never need or use, Crosstour has dumped a large number of the popular features on action cameras to cut their costs. They have then done everything in their power to offer the absolute best performance possible for the features that the CT7000 does support offering some outstanding image quality for the price tag.

This is why the CT7000 looks a little light on features in the comparison table above against our other two feature action cameras but the features it does offer are excellent. It would seem that a large amount of the community agree with us also as the CT7000 has managed to earn a great reputation for itself over the years with an absolute ton of action camera users adding it to their camera collection.

Finally, we have the Akaso Brave 4 that once ruled the entry-level action camera market and dominated the niche. Due to Akaso recently releasing their new Akaso V50 Pro that we actually feel is one of the best cheap action cameras ever produced, they have lowered the price on the Brave 4.

Now, the Brave 4 price tag can fluctuate so out of all three of our featured action cameras we feel that this is the main one that may jump over the $50 price point. In all honesty, if the Brave 4 is more than $50 (the price in the comparison table above is updated in real-time) when you are reading this then we would not recommend that you purchase it and go with either of the other two feature action cameras. That said though, the Brave 4 does have one of the largest customer bases going while also having a solid reputation amongst the community.

Anyway, that concludes our comparison table and we will not be going over some of the key features of the three featured action cameras and taking a more in-depth look at them below. That said though, as the Campark Act 74 is our primary recommendation for anyone looking for an action camera under $50, we will mainly be focusing on it and the features that it offers.

Performance And Functionality

Now, although all three of the featured cheap action cameras are around the same price point on the market, their performance and functionality are surprisingly different with each camera having their own advantages and disadvantages over each other. Now, the vast majority of people who are reading this and in the market for a sub $50 action camera will likley be doing so as they want something that allows them to capture video footage without having to break the bank.

Although the Campark Act 74 and Akaso Brave 4 support 4k video resolution whereas the Crosstour CT7000 does not, this does not instantly knock the CT7000 out of the race and can actually work against the act 74 and Brave 4 depending on your needs. Neither the Act 74 or Brave 4 offer native 4k video resolution directly from the camera sensor and requires the camera to use a digital upscaling process to improve the resolution.

Now, both of these cameras are definatley showing their age and their digital upscaling process was never the best meaning it can sometimes result in worse overall image quality than just using their 1080p resolution. In addition to that, both cameras have a very power-intensive digital upscaling process that is able to rapidly deplete your camera battery. If you are capturing 4k video with either of these cameras for an extended period of time not only can the digital upscaling process half your usable battery life per charge but can also generate a whole bunch of heat. Although rare, this heat can then result in your action camera overheating and needing to be turned off for a while to cool down before it is usable again.

As we mentioned above, Crosstour has essentially cherry-picked the features that they want their action cameras to offer and ensured that they excel at those features. As the CT7000 is a much newer camera its 1080p is much smoother than what the Act 74 and Brave 4 offer even though it runs at a lower frame rate too. On top of this, due to the problems that we have pointed out with the 4k resolution in the cameras above as well as the fact that the 2k resolution can also rapidly deplete your battery we feel you will likley be using the 1080p resolution most of the time no matter the action camera you choose.

Due to this, we just want to quickly take a more in-depth look at the 1080p resolution for all three of the featured action cameras. Both the Campark Act 74 and the Akaso Brave 4 offer 1080p at sixty frames per second but in our opinion, the actual image quality on the Act 74 is better than the Brave 4 due to its encoding protocol. The Crosstour CT7000 only offers 1080p at thirty frames per second but its encoding is much better than that of the other two featured cameras and provides an image quality better than the Brave 4 but slightly worse than the Act 74 in our opinion.

All three of the featured cameras also offer 720p video footage with the Act 74 and Brave 4 offering 720p at up to 120 frames per second offering some excellent slow-motion video recording in this mode. This can be excellent for you to record your action sport of choice in slow-motion footage to capture all of the action in detail to add some excitement to your videos. If you are a vlogger or social media influencer then the 720p at 120 frames per second setting can help you capture some excellent slow motion b-roll video footage for your content too.

The CT7000 does offer 720p video resolution but it is limited to sixty frames per second meaning that if you do want to have any slow-motion footage when using the camera to capture your content, you will have to do some post-production editing. Depending on what you are planning to use your action camera for, this may not be an issue but we just wanted to make our readers aware of this as it can be an issue for some videography niches even at this price point.

That said though, the distinct lack of any inbuilt electronic image stabilization on the Act 74 is obvious in the video above as it has no post-production to help try and stabilize the video footage. This offers our readers a realist idea of what they will be able to capture right out of the camera with the same being true for the CT7000 due to its lack of anti-shake or electronic image stabilization.

Now, there are workarounds to this such as purchasing a cheap gimbal for action cameras such as the Feiyutech G6. The G6 offers some of the best image stabilization available for action cameras at the time of writing and is probably the best action camera gimbal made to date. That said though, picking up a dedicated gimbal does hike the overall price of your kit up so you will have to factor in your needs from your camera.

If you are looking to purchase a cheap action camera for an action sport that involved a large amount of vibration or bumps then the Brave 4 can sneak out ahead of the other two featured action cameras. That said though if you are in a smooth action sport, a vlogger, or a social media influencer either of the other two cameras will be a better addition to your camera collection.

Now, we know that most of our readers who are considering purchasing a sub $50 action camera will likley be wanting it for its video capability but some people may also use their action cameras to capture photographs. Due to this, we want to spend some time going over the photographic capabilities of our three featured action cameras on the market. Now when it comes to the photographic performance of the cameras, personal preference will come into what you feel is best due to each camera having their own color capturing table to produce slightly different images even of the exact same subject.

All three of the cameras offer some solid still image quality and although the Akaso Brave 4 should be way out ahead due to its 20MP camera sensor, we feel that both the Campark Act 74 with its 16MP camera sensor and even the Crosstour CT7000 with its 12MP camera sensor are able to hold their own when it comes to still images.

Although on paper the CT7000 should have the worse image quality when it comes to photography, we feel that it actually offers the best low light image quality out of the three. Although we are not exactly sure why this is, we would guess that it has something to do with the more modern technology on the CT7000 as well as its image encoding. That said though, any pixel peepers out there will definatley see some image distortion from the CT7000 but if you only want small images for Instagram this should not be an issue.

The Act 74 offers some decent still image quality that in our opinion is the most well rounded when it comes to photography due to having both decent resolution on its photography with minimal distortion as well as solid low light performance for its price. This is just another reason why we feel that the Act 74 will be the best sub $50 action camera for the majority of our readers and should be your primary consideration.

Both the Act 74 and the Brave 4 also come with a variable camera lens that supports 170°, 140°, 110°, and 70° fields of view whereas the CT7000 uses a fixed 170° lens. The variable lens on the Act 74 and Brave 4 allow you to quickly and easily switch up the field of view of your action camera to meet the needs of your situation. For example, the 70° narrow field of view is good for close-ups whereas the 170° ultra-wide-angle lens is perfect for some epic wide-angle landscape vista photography too.

The final point that we want to cover for our three features action cameras that are under $50 under the performance and functionality tab is the maximum battery life of the cameras. Now, the CT7000 has the highest capacity battery that offers the maximum battery life of the three cameras with you being able to capture up to around two hours of 1080p video footage. Both the Campark and Akaso can get around an hour and a half of battery life at 1080p with their battery life dropping down to around an hour at the 4k resolution too.

All three of the action cameras do come with a spare battery so provided you have both of the batteries fully charged and keep your spare in your backpack or pocket you can essentially double the above times. Additionally, you can also invest in a USB power bank to allow you to recharge your spare battery when not in use to allow you to stay out on your adventures all day without running out of battery.

This allows you to score all three of the featured action cameras at a pretty equal level when it comes to battery life as a USB power bank lets you extend all three cameras battery life for as long as required. That said, although, without the USB power bank, the CT7000 does sneak out ever so slightly ahead of the other two action cameras with around half an hour’s worth of additional power per charge of each battery.

User Interface And Control System

As you would probably expect, even in this day and age, action cameras that are under $50 don’t have touchscreen interfaces due to the touchscreen system hiking the price tag up. We know that there are a small number of cheap action cameras on the market right now that are trying to use touchscreens but in all honesty, it ends up doing more harm than good in our opinion, especially for action sports. Not only do the touchscreens not work well but they become even harder to use if your fingertips are cold or wet. With so many action sports involving water or cold weather, this can be a total pain.

Thankfully though, all three of the featured sub $50 action cameras in our article use the old school, side button control system that works very well no matter the conditions that you are capturing your video footage in. Not only does this ensure that you are able to easily tweak your action camera if you are involved in a water or cold weather sport but also allows you to make changes when the camera is housed in its protective case too.

The buttons on the side of all three of the action cameras are very responsive and register your press first time. Even amongst some of the compeating action cameras that use this interface that cost less than $50 there can be issues with the buttons actually registering a button press and allowing you to work through the navigation menu of the camera. Thankfully though, this is not an issue with any of the three featured cameras.

Akaso, Campark, and Crosstour all use a very similar navigation menu to each other that maximizes the ease of use for their action camera users. If you are looking to purchase your very first action camera and have no prior experience using an action camera you should easily be able to learn the navigation menu on the cameras quickly. The full system on all three of the cameras has been designed to be as quick and easy to use too allowing you to make any tweaks to the performance of the camera as quickly as possible without you having to waste time.

Smartphone App

All three of the cameras do have a smartphone app available for them and unlike some compeating brands that have issues with their apps, the Akaso, Campark, and Crosstour apps do not have connectivity issues and also don’t randomly drop their connection during use. The smartphone apps offer some solid wireless remote control functionality to allow you to tweak the performance of your action camera without actually having to hold it in your hands.

If you are involved in the action sports side of things and plan to have your action camera mounted to your helmet, chest mount, or any other type of mount this can definatley play to your advantage. Having the smartphone app on your phone allows you to keep your action camera mounted while still being able to tweak its settings via the app and making your life much easier. It can be a right pain when using some other action cameras without the wireless remote control functionality and having to remove your camera from the mount, make your tweaks, and then remount it.

All three of the smartphone apps for the featured action cameras also support playback from the action camera too. This can allow you to quickly and easily check over the video footage that you have captured or view your photographs on your phone that often have a much larger screen and allow you to get a much better idea of the content you are capturing while out and about.

The final feature that all three of the smartphone apps support is to directly upload your content to various social media sites. Although this does seem good in theory, the vast majority of vloggers and social media influencers will want to be doing some post-production editing on their video footage prior to uploading anyway. This usually means that you will be transferring the content that you capture with your action camera to a computer or tablet to edit it prior to uploading.

All in all though, all three of the brands have managed to publish some solid smartphone apps that work very well. In our opinion, the apps are some of the better ones that are used by the super cheap action camera range but this is due to the three featured camera brands having multiple action cameras on the market in a number of price points. This allows them to use the same app across their full range and offset the costs of developing their app and keeping it in a good working condition for their cheaper cameras due to the sales of their more expensive cameras on the market.

Build Quality And Design

All three of the featured action cameras essentially follow the same standard design of what the GoPro action camera range follows. This works to your advantage as although they do not fit the GoPro form factor completely, many of the action camera accessories on the market designed to work with the GoPro range can work with either of the three featured gimbals too. This allows you to easily pick up action camera accessories to meet your needs with ease as some cameras that use a unique design can be a nightmare to source accessories for.

When it comes to the build quality of the cameras, you have to be realistic. At this price point in the market, there is absolutely no way that any of the cameras can be as tough as the premium price point Gopros. That said though, all three cameras are surprisingly robust and should be able to take a number of bumps without breaking with ease. On top of this, if your action sport of choice does have a high risk of you falling over then you can just keep your action camera in its protective case during use to further increase its robustness.

If you are more on the vlogging or social media side of things looking for a cheap, sub $50 action camera to capture your content this should not be an issue for you anyway as the camera should not be taking much punishment during use. All three cameras have a very small size and come in under 0.2 pounds of weight making them very easy to just store in your pocket or bag when out and about without really realizing the additional weight or having to take up much space.

All three of the waterproof cases included with the featured action cameras are decent quality and usable down to a depth of around one hundred feet. That said though, the Crosstour CT7000 does definatley have the weakest waterproof case and we would not trust the waterproof seals on the case if it has taken a few serious bumps and knocks. Thankfully, you can easily check them visually for damage prior to using the camera in the water to make sure it will seal correctly.

Our Verdict

That brings our article going over what we feel are the best action cameras under $50 on the market right now to an end. As we mentioned back at the start of the article, the prices of these action cameras can fluctuate due to supply and demand so they may not be under $50 by the time you read this. Our comparison table back at the top of the article updates itself with the prices each day to give you a better idea of what each of the featured cameras cost you at the time you are reading the article.

In our opinion, the best action camera that costs less than $50 at the time of writing is definatley the Campark Act 74 as it is an excellent little camera that has managed to earn an excellent reputation for itself since released. Additionally, we also have our own dedicated review of the Act 74 online that you may find helpful but most of the points have already been covered in this article.

in our opinion, the Crosstour CT7000 is definatley a solid little camera and has the best image quality for photographs out of the three featured action cameras. If you know you will be taking a large number of photographs with your cameras then the CT7000 may be the stronger option. Again, the camera has a great reputation and we also have our own review of the CT7000 online that you can read if you wish.

Finally, we have the Akaso Brave 4 and like we mentioned earlier in the article, we would not recommend the Brave 4 unless you are taking part in an action sport that has a bunch of vibrations. In our opinion, this is the only situation where the Brave 4 comes out ahead due to its built-in electronic image stabilization. The Brave 4 has also managed to earn an excellent reputation for itself amongst the community and again we also have our own dedicated review online for the camera too.

Over the last few weeks, we have noticed more and more people reaching out and asking for a dedicated Xiaomi Mi 4k action camera review due to the camera has such a great reputation amongst the community while at the same time having such a small customer base compared to the competition and failing to really take off.

On the flip side of this, there are other compeating cameras to the Xiaomi Mi 4K like the Akaso V50 Pro that just keeps on becoming more and more popular amongst the community while its reputation just keeps on getting better and better. This is largely due to the features that each of the cameras offers the user that we will explain in more detail throughout the article. That said though, for the vast majority of our readers, we can’t help but feel the Akaso v50 Pro or even the Apeman Trawo would be better options and make a much better addition to your collection.

That said though, we will still be going over our full Xiaomi Mi 4K action camera review to share our thoughts on the camera as well as why we feel our readers should be going with a compeating camera over the Xiaomi Mi 4K. We know that there will always b the die-hard fans of the camera but if we can help most of our readers pick up a better camera then we will be happy.

Performance And Functionality

The vast majority of cheap GoPro alternatives on the market offer 1080p at sixty frames per second and 720p at one hundred and twenty frames per second and it more than meets the needs for the target user. These resolution and frame rate combinations are cheap to produce and perform very well for the user to capture their content. Upping the frame rates so much as Xiaomi for their Mi action camera increases the costs of the camera forcing them to sacrifice performance or miss other common features out of the camera.

Additionally, the 4k offered on the Xiaomi Mi 4K is not native 4k and is digitally upscaled from the 2k resolution. Although this is still common in entry-level action cameras even to this day, it has been implemented poorly in the Xiaomi Mi 4K action camera and results in poor image quality. Native 4k tends to be better and smoother as it is natively captured via the camera’s sensor but the technology costs more and hikes the price tag up. This allows cameras such as the Akaso V50 Pro that offer native 4k to push out ahead of the Xiaomi Mi 4K and take more of the market share with their superior technology and lower price point.

Digitally upscaled 4k video is captured at a lower resolution before being put through a digital upscaling process that requires a large amount of battery and generates a large amount of heat too. Not only can this cut your usable battery life in half but it can also lead to overheating issues while also producing a 4k video resolution with low image quality. On top of this, we have seen multiple reports from people saying that the 4k video their Xiaomi Mi 4K captures is fuzzy and lags too.

If you are planning to use the Xiaomi Mi 4K for action sports, especially fast-paced or vibration intense action sports then the v50 Pro or Trawo are definatley better options. Their native 4k is much better than the digitally upscaled 4k from the Xiaomi Mi 4K and results in smoother high-resolution video clips that are free from hand and drag while capturing all of the action.

Additionally, although the Xiaomi Mi 4K does offer some electronic image stabilization technology, in our opinion it is dated and definatley showing its age. The latest Akaso and Apeman advanced, next-generation electronic image stabilization blows the Xiaomi tech on the Mi out the water without even being comparable. On top of this, due to the Xiaomi Mi 4K not using a similar factor to the GoPro range, it is a nightmare to find a cheap gimbal stabilizer for the camera that can provide you with image stabilization.

The Xiaomi Mi 4K comes with an excellent Sony IMX 317 camera sensor that can produce some excellent, high-quality video and photographs provided the tech on the back end is up to scratch but we feel that Xiaomi has focused on the high frame rates of the Mi too much and sacrificed too much to reach them to do the camera sensor justice. The camera also comes with a seven-element lens that offers some excellent low light performance for photographs that can be captured up to 8MP.

Although the Xiaomi Mi 4K is a few years old now, even back when it was released its photograph resolution was sub-par with the vast majority of the competition offering a 16MP still image resolution with the latest entry-level action cameras offering 20MP. In our opinion, this is just another area where the Xiaomi Mi 4K falls short and pushes cameras like the Akaso V50 Pro and Apeman Trawo further ahead.

The Xiaomi Mi 4K supports three camera modes (timelapse, slow motion, and burst photo) that do perform well but in our opinion, it is just too little too late to help claw any hope back for the camera. Especially in this day and age where the next generation cheap action cameras blow the Xiaomi Mi 4K out the water in every way for the same price point in the market.

Finishing off with the battery life of the camera, Xiaomi has used the higher 1450mAh battery rather than the smaller capacity batteries that most of the compeating cameras use. Unfortunately, due to using digitally upscaled 4k video footage, this advantage is nulled due to the additional power required to capture the 4k and upscale it making the camera offer a lower maximum battery life than the compeating cameras with a smaller battery.

When you take an objective look at the performance and features on the Xiaomi Mi 4K, it is pretty easy to see why it failed to take off amongst the community and how its competitors have outsold it with ease. Although there are a few decent independent reviews for the camera online from people who use it as their action camera of choice, they are a fraction of the reviews that cameras like the Akaso v50 Pro have even though the v50 Pro has only been available for a matter of months rather than the years the Xiaomi Mi 4K has had.

User Interface And Control System

The navigation menu that Xiaomi has put on the Mi is very easy to follow allowing you to quickly and easily work your way through the camera’s menu to quickly and easily get to the settings that you want to tweak. The touchscreen is also made from the highest quality Gorilla Glass to ensuring that it can take a ton of punishment without breaking. This helps it stand the test of time and take the bumps that are common in action sports.

The Xiaomi Mi 4K also supports 2.4G wireless technology and wireless remote control is included with your purchase as standard. The remote control offers some solid remote control of the camera allowing you to capture photographs or control the stop/start of your videos without having to actually touch your camera. If you are involved in a sport where your action camera may be mounted to a helmet mount and be a pain to reach this can help make your life easier as you can just control it from the remote control.

Build Quality And Design

The build quality of the Xiaomi Mi 4K is actually excellent in all fairness to Xiaomi but again, this is overshadowed by the poor performance of the camera. The Mi is very lightweight coming in at only 0.19 pounds while also being very tough and able to take the bumps and knocks while being used in action sports. The latest similar price point action cameras from Akaso, Apeman, and even Campark also offer this level of build quality too while offering much better video capturing and general performance improvements over the Xiaomi Mi 4K too though.

Our Verdict

That concludes our Xiaomi Mi action camera 4k review and as you can probably guess, we would not recommend that our readers add this action camera to their collection. It is definatley starting to show it again and falls short in too many areas for its price tag to be worth purchasing in our opinion. We would recommend that our readers seriously consider something like the Akaso V50 Pro (click here to read our ultimate v50 Pro review), or the Apeman Trawo (click here to read our ultimate Apeman Trawo review) as they are just better cameras at the same price point.

Although we can see what Xiaomi has tried to do with their Mi 4k with the higher frame rates for the standard video resolutions, we can’t help but feel that it is simply not needed on a cheap action camera and has drastically limited the potential customer base of the camera. On the flip side of this, Xiaomi competition such as Akaso and Apeman have done the opposite and focused on the most popular video resolutions and adding native 4k video to their cameras to give the majority of people what they will actually use in a cheap action camera.

One brand that we have noticed more and more people reaching out with questions about is one of the new kids on the block, Crosstour. Although the entry-level action camera price ranges are dominated by Akaso, Campark, and Apeman, Crosstour has decided to throw their hat into the ring and try to gain some of the market share. They have a full range of action cameras spread across the various cheap GoPro alternative price points but we are seeing a whole bunch of questions for the Crosstour ct7000.

We feel that this is due to the extremely low price tag of the Crosstour ct7000 with it coming in at around $35 depending on the retailer. In addition to this, relative to its super low price point, it actually offers some solid performance that has enabled the ct7000 to rapidly earn an excellent reputation for itself amongst the community that is just getting stronger.

Due to this and the increasing number of questions we are seeing about the action camera we have decided to publish our own ultimate Crosstour ct7000 review to try and help any of our readers who are considering adding the ct7000 to their collection. In our opinion, the ct7000 is a great little action camera for anyone who is wanting to pick up something that offers solid image quality while being on a very tight budget.

The ct7000 has proven to be a popular option in a wide range of niches too with the standard action sports enthusiasts picking it up as well as a number of vloggers, social media influencers, and parents wanting to give their young children their first action camera. Additionally, we have also noticed a number of people who cycle to work in busy cities purchasing the ct7000 as a cheap way to record their journey due to the common occurrences of traffic violations against cyclists too.

Although the Crosstour ct7000 is a great little action camera that will likley meet the needs of a wide range of our readers, the Akaso V50 Pro is not that much more and is probably the best cheap action camera on the market right now. It also has managed to earn itself an excellent reputation amongst action camera users and offers you an absolute ton of functionality for its price point making it an absolute steal.

Performance And Functionality

To our knowledge, Crosstour are the first brand to use this strategy in the action camera space and we are massive fans of it. To our knowledge, all of the compeating brands are essentially attempting to provide their customers with the same features as the most expensive flagship GoPro with a lower quality. Crosstour has turned this on its head and try to offer fewer features than the latest premium action camera while ensuring that its features as close to the premium action camera as possible. In our opinion, Crosstour has hit the nail on the head and this is one of the main reasons that the ct7000 has managed to become so successful amongst action camera users in such a short amount of time.

The Crosstour ct7000 offers two video resolutions that have both been tweaked for optimal performance. The 1080p resolution offers sixty frames per second and will likley be your primary video resolution when capturing your video footage with the camera and performs great. The 720p at one hundred and twenty frames per second offers some excellent slow-motion video that performs better than many of the compeating action cameras at this price point in the market.

Although there is no 4k video resolution available on the Crosstour ct7000, the vast majority of cheap action cameras on the market right now actually use digitally upscaled 4k rather than native 4k anyway. In our opinion, the Crosstour system is better as both of the video resolutions are flawless. The 1080p allows you to capture your adventures in excellent quality to share on YouTube or social media while the 720p offers some great slow motion for any b-roll footage or to capture your action sport in slow motion if needed.

Due to the ct7000 not offering 4k video, you can get away with using the older and cheaper memory cards too that have a transmission speed as low as 30MB/s helping reduce the costs even further. One of the main problems that we see with other entry-level action cameras on the market is that users try to capture 4k video footage to a memory card that is just not fast enough to write the data resulting in issues and a ton of heat being generated. Thankfully though, this is not a problem with the Crosstour ct7000.

Now, the ct7000 does not have any electronic image stabilization or even any basic anti-shake technology meaning you will likley have to invest into something like a Feiyutech G6 if you are set on using the ct7000 but want some image stabilization. In our opinion, the Feiyutech G6 is the best gimbal on the market for action cameras right now and performs flawlessly.

If you are involved in a rough action sport that has a ton of vibration, you could also just go with an action camera such as the Akaso V50 Pro that has the best advanced electronic image stabilization we have ever seen in a cheap action camera. Again though, this is only really an issue if you are planning to use your action camera for a rough action sport and need the image stabilization. The Crosstour ct7000 will be fine for the calmer sports, vlogging, or for a social media influencer.

Moving on to the photographic capabilities of the camera, the Crosstour ct7000 comes with a 12MP camera sensor that is far from the 20MP standard of the $50-$100 action cameras on the market right now but considering that the ct7000 is only around $35, we feel that we can give it a little slack, especially considering that its image quality for photographs is surprisingly good.

The 170-degree angle lens on the camera also ensures that you can easily capture some epic looking landscape photographs with ease. If you are into an action sport that has you up in the mountains or any other location with great landscape view on a regular basis this is particularly handy. It ensures that you can share the epic sights that you see while on our adventures on your social media channels with some excellent image quality.

If you do require more battery life then you can easily source additional spare batteries to stretch this out even further or even pick up a USB power bank. The USB power bank allows you to charge up the battery that is not in use to allow you to supply your ct7000 with power throughout the course of a full day of your sport.

We really can’t believe that Crosstour has managed to offer this level of performance in a camera as cheap as the ct7000 with such a low price tag. We feel that the compeating brands will try to use the Crosstour tactic of cutting the less used features out of their entry-level action cameras to offer the best performance for the features that are used the most. It is easy to understand how the camera has managed to earn such a massive core customer base in such a short term while also having managed to earn so many outstanding independent reviews from the community.

User Interface And Control System

The Crosstour ct7000 uses a control system based around the up and down buttons on the side of the camera body making it so easy to use no matter what the conditions. This not only makes it very easy to use if you are into water or snow-based sports but it also ensures that you can use the menu system while the camera is in its waterproof case too. This offers maximum control of the camera at all times to ensure that you can tweak its performance as needed.

With the ct7000 being such a low price point action camera it is obvious that it is intended to be the first action camera for the vast majority of its users. Due to this, Crosstour have been sure to make it as user-friendly as possible so everyone can pick the camera up and use it effectively without having to waste a ton of time learning what to do.

All in all, Crosstour really has done a great job of planning out the control interface for the ct7000 and we feel that they have implemented their ideas very well. It is very easy to use while also being very easy to learn essentially allowing even a first-time action camera user to take the ct7000 out the box and set it up and be ready to go within minutes.

Build Quality And Design

That said though, the ct7000 has been put together pretty well and is very small considering the amount of technology that the camera has in it. We feel that this is a testament to the build quality that Crosstour put into even their cheapest action camera and shows that they care about their customers. The camera is pretty lightweight for its size and price point as most entry-level action cameras are heavier than the ct7000 due to being packed out with the tech for the other features that they offer.

The waterproof case on the Crosstour ct7000 is rated to be waterproof down to a depth of just under one hundred feet and although we have seen a bunch of reports saying the waterproof case works well, you can definatley see that it is cheap. The waterproof seals seem weak and may give way when used allowing water into the case. Thankfully, if this does happen the ct7000 can be replaced for only $35 but you can usually purchase better waterproof cases from other third-party brands for around $10 that will perform better than the one that comes with the camera.

Our Verdict

That concludes this ultimate Crosstour ct7000 review and we hope that you have found it helpful. We feel that the Crosstour ct7000 absolutely blows the compeating action cameras out of the water in its price range and we are happy to say that it is well worth adding to your camera accessories. Although the camera has a lower quality camera sensor and supports fewer video resolutions the ones it does support are flawless.

As we touched on earlier in the article, it is easy to see why the Crosstour ct7000 is such a popular option amongst the community and why so many users of the camera have posted so many great reviews for the camera. No matter how random your action sport of choice is, we are confident that there is probably at least one other person who has posted a review for the camera amongst those reviews so they can be well worth checking out if you are still on the fence about the ct7000.

The main entry-level action camera that we see people reaching out about is without a doubt the Campark Act 74 due to it having been a very popular camera back when it was initially released onto the market while also having earned itself a great reputation amongst action camera enthusiasts. The Act 74 has also recently had its price tag reduced from around $70 depending on the retailed to the sub $50 mark presenting a great deal for anyone on a tight budget.

Due to this, we have decided to publish our own, ultimate Campark Act 74 review to take a more in-depth look at this solid little camera to try and help any of our readers who are considering purchasing it. That said though, before we go any further, we just want to say that the Campark X30 is now available on the market and blows the Campark Act 74 out of the water due to being a better camera with modern technology. It is still a cheap, sub-one hundred dollar action camera and we feel the slightly higher price tag is well worth it due to its great image quality.

In addition to this, the main rival of Campark, Akaso have just released their next-generation action cameras and we feel that their Akaso V50 Pro is the best cheap action camera made to date. If you are looking to purchase an action camera for yourself that offers the best bang for your buck, the v50 Pro is the way to go but it is more expensive than both of the Campark action cameras.

That said though, we will still be going over our full Campark Act 74 review below as we know that some of our readers may be looking for the best possible action camera while being on the tightest possible budget. In our opinion, the Act 74 is definatley a strong candidate for this and is probably one of, if not the best sub-fifty dollar action camera on the market right now.

Performance And Functionality

The Act 74 supports the following video resolutions and frame rates:-

• 4K@30fps
• 2.7K@30fps
• 1080P@60fps
• 1080P@30fps
• 720P@120fps

As you can see, the camera definatley has the functionality to meet the requirements of many people looking for a cheap action camera and will likley be able to meet the needs of many of our readers who are looking to purchase a cheap action camera. The 720P@120fps offers some excellent slow-motion video capabilities too so you can capture your sport of choice in slow motion. Additionally, if you are a vlogger or social media influencer who uses action cameras to capture your content then the slow-motion footage can make for some excellent b-roll.

In our opinion, the 1080P@60fps and 1080P@30fps settings are the best options to capture your video in as they offer a nice mix of image quality and battery consumption. The frame rates allow you to tweak the performance of the camera as needed to meet most action sport and vlogging situations too. In our opinion, the 2.7k resolution is close to useless as it does not offer the image quality of 2.7k while also consuming high amounts of battery too.

That leaves the 4k video footage and although the resolution that the Campark Act 74 is able to capture does meet the requirements of 4k, it is not native 4k delivered via the camera sensor on the action camera. The Act 74 uses a digital upscaling process to increase the resolution via digital processing with the camera sensor actually capturing it in a lower resolution.

Not only can this actually result in a lower level of image quality but it also eats through your cameras battery life like there’s no tomorrow while generating a ton of heat that may lead to overheating problems too. Our advice would be to go with an action camera like the Akaso V50 Pro that captures native 4k and does not have to digitally upscale the footage and put it through this whole process.

Either way, if you do plan to capture large amounts of 4k video footage with the Campark Act 74 then you are going to need to get a decent memory card with at least a 90MB/s data rate for optimal transmission. This not only allows the camera to save the footage in its higher resolution more efficiently but it prevents buffering and minimizes the generation of excess heat. Just keep in mind that the Act 74 does not support memory cards that are over 32GB so ensure you purchase on that is 32GB or smaller.

This means that something like the Feiyutech G6 is almost essential as a camera accessory to provide you with image stabilization for any action sports with large amounts of vibration. In our opinion, the G6 is without a doubt the best action camera gimbal on the market at the time of writing and performs very well. That said though, this can hike the total price tag up but going with a camera like the Akaso V50 Pro instead of with its advanced built-in electronic image stabilization can be a better option overall.

When it comes to the photographic performance of the Campark Act 74 it offers some solid image quality for stills, especially when you consider how old the camera is. It features a 16MP camera sensor and allows you to capture your photographs in either 16MP, 12MP, 8MP, 5MP, and 2MP resolution. In all fairness though, if you are using a larger memory card for capturing 4k video, you should be able to keep your photograph resolution at 16MP without running into any problems.

The Campark Act 74 was also one of the first action cameras on the market to come with a fully adjustable lens with four options. Although this is commonplace in this day and age, back when the Act 74 was released, it was commonplace to come with two variable angles with very few entry-level action cameras offering three. The Act 74 offers 170°, 140°, 110°, and 70° fields of view to allow you to get up close and personal with its 70° field of view or use the ultra-wide-angle 170° for those epic landscape scenes you can see in many popular action sports.

That said though, you can purchase additional batteries for the action camera to keep it supplied with juice or add a decent USB power bank to your camera accessories to allow you to recharge the spare battery while out and about. This is becoming more and more popular as USB power banks have seen a dramatic fall in price over the last few years while their power output levels have increased too.

On the flip side of this though, you could just purchase a modern cheap action camera like the Akaso V50 Pro that uses the 1350mAh battery with superior battery life. Anyway, when you factor in that the Act 74 comes in at under $50 it is easy to see why its customer base is still steadily increasing. Additionally, over the years since its release, it has managed to earn some excellent independent reviews for itself too that offer some great insight into its performance in pretty much ever action sport you can think of.

User Interface And Control System

On the flip side of this, the Act 74 also offers quick and easy access to your camera’s settings via its easy to follow navigation menu allowing you to change or tweak any of the camera’s settings as required. Due to the situation and lighting in many action sports changing at a rapid pace, this helps to save you a bunch of time over the course of a day to ensure you are always capturing optimal image quality with your action camera.

Although the Campark Act 74 was always designed to be an entry-level action camera, its control system also offers some quick and easy features for any advanced action camera users who may add it to their collection for whatever reason too. This ensures that the camera is able to meet the needs of new and experienced action camera users alike without running into issues.

The final point about the camera’s interface that we want to make is that it is fully compatible with 2.4g wireless technology allowing you to use a wireless camera remotely with it if needed. Although a wrist-based remote is included with your purchase that allows you to trigger the camera to capture images or start or stop recording your videos, there are some more advanced third-party ones you can purchase for additional controls too.

Build Quality And Design

The protective case that comes with the Campark Act 74 does help to add the extra protection that ensures that it can take the punishment coming its way during action sports but it is still pretty flimsy compared to the modern cheap action cameras like the Akaso V50 Pro. If you are just looking for a cheap action camera for vlogging or to mess around with then the Campark Act 74 can still perform well but we doubt that it will be able to take many bumps.

The protective case also offers waterproof protection for the camera down to a depth of just under one hundred foot too. One thing that we would like to mention is that the waterproof case that comes with the Act 74 has the older waterproof seals on it. If you do use the case to protect your camera when used for other sports then we would not trust its seals to still offer waterproof protection after taking a bunch of knocks.

Our Verdict

That brings our Campark Act 74 review to an end and although it can be a great little action camera for anyone wanting something under $50, we would highly recommend that our readers seriously consider the Akaso V50 Pro instead. In our opinion, it is a much better action camera that really does not cost that much more than the Act 74 while blowing it out the water when it comes to the technology offered and its performance. We also have our own dedicated review of the v50 Pro online that may be helpful if you are considering going with it over the Act 74.

Thankfully though, Akaso seems to have pulled it all together and managed to get back on track with their new range of reimagined cheap action cameras that are taking the action sports community by storm. Rather than just releasing one single action camera per generation as they have with their previous generations of action cameras, Akaso seems to have taken a leaf out of GoPro’s book and released three different cameras to target different price points in the market.

These are the Akaso V50 X, the Akaso V50 Pro, and the Akaso V50 Elite in price ascending order and at the time of writing, all three variants of the cameras are doing very well and rapidly growing their customer bases. Thankfully, all three variants of the camera are relatively cheap while offering some excellent performance and image quality relative to their price point in the market.

Due to the three new, modern variants of the Akaso v50 being released and being received so well by the community and earning such a great reputation, we have seen an almost exponential increase in the number of people reaching out with questions about the cameras. Due to this, we have decided to publish our own ultimate Akaso v50 review to take a massive in-depth look at the three cameras and share our thoughts on how Akaso have managed to turn everything around and establish themselves as the dominant entry-level action camera brand again so quickly.

We will try to answer as many of the commonly asked questions that we see throughout our article while also trying to help as many of our readers as possible. Our regular readers will be aware of the format of our articles with our comparison table just below going over the main features of each camera for anyone who is short on time and just wants a quick and easy breakdown. For any of our readers who like to know as much as possible about any new potential purchase, we then have our more in-depth look at the three cameras and their features blow the comparison table section.

We have tried formatting this type of ultimate review article in multiple ways but the feedback always seems to suggest that this is the best way to cater to our readers who are in a hurry and short on time as well as those who want to know as much as possible. Anyway, without any further ado, lts get stuck into our ultimate Akaso v50 review!

Comparison Table

Product

AKASO V50 X

Best Option

AKASO V50 Pro

AKASO V50 Elite

Image

Prime Delivary

Video Resolutions

4K/30fps, 2.7K/30fps, 1080P/60fps, 720P/120fps

4K/30fps, 2.7K/60fps, 2.7K/30fps, 1080P/60fps, 720P/120fps

4K@60fps, 4K@30fps, 2.7K@60fps, 2.7K@30fps, 1080P@120fps, 720P@240fps

4k Rendering

Native 4k

Native 4k

Native 4k

Photograph Resolution

20MP

20MP

20MP

Adjustable Lens Angles

170°, 140°, 110° and 70°

170°, 140°, 110° and 70°

170°, 140°, 110° and 70°

Image Stabilization

Electronic Image Stabilization

Advanced Electronic Image Stabilization

Advanced Electronic Image Stabilization

Waterproof Case

Smartphone App

Our Rating

Independent Reviews

Click To Read

Click To Read

Click To Read

Price

$99.99

$119.99

$139.99

Buy Now

Buy on Amazon

Buy on Amazon

Buy on Amazon

Product

AKASO V50 X

Image

Prime Delivary

Video Resolutions

4K/30fps, 2.7K/30fps, 1080P/60fps, 720P/120fps

4k Rendering

Native 4k

Photograph Resolution

20MP

Adjustable Lens Angles

170°, 140°, 110° and 70°

Image Stabilization

Electronic Image Stabilization

Waterproof Case

Smartphone App

Our Rating

Independent Reviews

Click To Read

Price

$99.99

Buy Now

Buy on Amazon

Best Option

Product

AKASO V50 Pro

Image

Prime Delivary

Video Resolutions

4K/30fps, 2.7K/60fps, 2.7K/30fps, 1080P/60fps, 720P/120fps

4k Rendering

Native 4k

Photograph Resolution

20MP

Adjustable Lens Angles

170°, 140°, 110° and 70°

Image Stabilization

Advanced Electronic Image Stabilization

Waterproof Case

Smartphone App

Our Rating

Independent Reviews

Click To Read

Price

$119.99

Buy Now

Buy on Amazon

Product

AKASO V50 Elite

Image

Prime Delivary

Video Resolutions

4K@60fps, 4K@30fps, 2.7K@60fps, 2.7K@30fps, 1080P@120fps, 720P@240fps

4k Rendering

Native 4k

Photograph Resolution

20MP

Adjustable Lens Angles

170°, 140°, 110° and 70°

Image Stabilization

Advanced Electronic Image Stabilization

Waterproof Case

Smartphone App

Our Rating

Independent Reviews

Click To Read

Price

$139.99

Buy Now

Buy on Amazon

Last update on 2022-07-22 / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

As you can see from our comparison table above, all three of the cameras have their own specs-based around their relative price point and in all fairness, each model dominates their respective price ranges on paper at the time of writing. The new V50 range is also the first action camera range to offer features such as 720P@240fps as well as advanced electronic image stabilization in an action camera under $150 so it’s not surprising that the cameras are selling as well as they are.

First up, we have the Akaso v50 x that is the cheapest camera in the new v50 range and offers some solid performance for its price tag. It is a great entry-level action camera and probably the best sub-one hundred dollar action camera on the market right now it that is perfect for capturing your adventures. the V50 X has managed to earn itself an excellent reputation amongst the community in the few months since it was released and its sals just keep on increasing as time goes on.

That said though, although the Akaso v50 x is a great little action camera that provides some great image quality, its audio track can be muffled and be a total pain. If you are an action sports enthusiast then this will likley not be an issue as most people play music over their sports footage. On the flip side of this though, if you are a vlogger using an action camera to capture your content then this can be a nightmare as your audio track can be low quality making either of the other two variants of the v50 the better option.

Next up we have the Akaso v50 Pro that we actually think offers the best value for money out of the three cameras and is our primary recommendation for anyone looking to purchase a new action camera. At the time of writing, it is without a doubt our favorite cheap action camera and we are very impressed with its performance and image quality for its price.

As you would expect from a camera that is absolutely jam-packed with all these features, the Akaso v50 Pro has managed to quickly build up a massive customer base of action sports enthusiasts. Many of these have chosen to post their own independent reviews of the camera sharing their experiences and as you can think, they feel very highly of the camera too. The audio quality on the Akaso v50 Pro is much better than its little brother, the v50 x too making it a much better option for a vlogger or social media influencer too.

Although 4k@60fps looks great, it absolutely burns through your camera battery life like there’s no tomorrow while also creating a ton of heat that can cause your camera to overheat during use. 4k@30fps is almost as good and the vast majority of people won’t be able to tell the difference between them anyway while being much more battery-friendly. The 720P@240fps can offer some solid slow-motion video footage but again, the majority of people won’t be able to tell the difference between 240fps and the 720P at 120fps on the v50 Pro.

That said though, the Akaso v50 Elite is still growing itself a large customer base while also earning a bunch of great independent reviews from the community. Its sales are also increasing at an almost exponential rate at the time of writing too as word gets out it can save you money while rivaling the entry-level GoPros.

Anyway, that brings our comparison table section to a close and for the rest of the article, we will be taking a more in-depth look at the various features on the new Akaso v50 action camera range that set them apart from the competition.

Performance And Functionality

Another thing that we feel that Akaso has done right is to add native 4k to the v50 range rather than digitally upscale their video resolutions helping make them much more competitive to what Apeman and Campark are offering in their latest cameras. One of the main issues with the Brave 6 was that it used digitally upscaled 4k rather than native 4k pretty much giving Apeman free range with their native 4k action camera range until these new v50 cameras were released.

For those of you who don’t know, native 4k video means that the camera sensor on the action camera is able to capture true 4k video resolution. Digitally upscaled 4k video is actually captured with a weaker camera sensor in a lower resolution before the footage is then digitally upscaled to meet the resolution requirements for the brand to advertise their camera as offering 4k.

As you can probably expect, digitally upscaling the video footage to meet the requirements of 4k requires a ton of battery and can literally half the battery life you can get per charge. On top of this, digitally upscaled 4k causes a fair amount of heat to be generated while capturing 4k and can potentially lead to problems with your camera overheating. Thankfully, the Akaso v50 action camera range has native 4k and does not need to digitally upscale the video footage.

All three of the variants of the Akaso v50 support some form of slow-motion frame rate. With the V50 X and the V50 Pro this is delivered in 720p at 120 frames per second while the V50 Elite offers you 1080p at 120 frames per second as well as the massive 720p at 240 frames per second. To our knowledge, the Akaso v50 Elite is the first budget-friendly action camera on the market to offer these frame rates for 1080p and 720p too.

That said though, as we mentioned in our comparison table section, the vast majority of our readers will easily be able to do without those higher frame rates and just go with the v50 x or the v50 Pro and just save some cash. We also touched on how the v50 Elite offers 4k at 60 frames per second but it can actually end up causing issues with battery life and storage space so you will likley be using 4k at 30 frames per second instead that both of the other cameras support anyway.

No matter what variant of the Akaso v50 you choose to go with, if you are planning on capturing 4k video footage then we would highly recommend that you pick up a memory card that offers at least 100MB/s data transfer. This will allow your v50 to save the 4k video footage to your memory card in an optimal way at the standard transfer speed to help prevent any buffering issues that may degrade image quality. Thankfully, these higher data rate memory cards have fallen drastically in price over the last two or three years and depending on the storage size can often be picked up for around $10-$20.

Although not the best to show of the advanced electronic image stabilization technology, you can get a hint of the technology from the sample video footage above. That said though, even though the Akaso v50 Elite has a higher price tag, in our opinion, even though it is the exact same technology, we feel that the cheaper V50 Pro actually has the better build-in image stabilization. We have no idea why this is as Akaso has confirmed it is the exact same advanced electronic image stabilization technology in both cameras but the v50 Pro just seems to pull it off better.

That said though, even the digital image stabilization technology on the latest premium price point GoPro cameras is no match for what a cheap 3 axis action camera gimbal like the Feiyutech G6 is able to provide. If you are more of an action sports enthusiast, rather than a vlogger or social media influencer, especially in a sport with a ton of vibration then a gimbal is a great little camera accessory to invest in. The G6 is an excellent gimbal too and in our opinion, it is definatley the best gimbal for action cameras available at the time of writing.

Before moving onto the v50 ranges underwater performance we want to quickly touch on the night mode of the range. Now, it is a nice little thing to have but in all honesty, we would rather it just be missed off the cameras totally to lower their price tag is possible as in our opinion it is not fit for purpose. The Akaso v50 X does not actually have the night mode technology but actually has the best image quality in low light in our opinion and we have seen multiple reports from other people using the v50 range who agree with us.

In our opinion, the issues with night mode stem from the camera frame rate dropping drastically when the v50 Pro and v50 Elite are capturing video with night mode turned on. Although the tech helps improve the visibility of the camera slightly, the drop in frame rate makes it almost unwatchable. Running the cameras in regular mode for the better frame rate is the better option as far as we are concerned but we hope that Akaso can release a firmware update soon to make their night mode better and actually usable.

The underwater sample video above also does a great job of showing off the image quality the v50 Pro is able to offer in variable light conditions too. As you can see, it has no problems when the surface waves cause the lighting to change and it keeps its focus with ease. This is a rarity at this price point in the market and is just another reason that we would recommend that you go with the V50 Pro over the v50 X or the v50 Elite.

Moving onto the photographic capabilities of the cameras and we are happy to say that all three variants of the Akaso v50 offer excellent photographic image quality due to their 20MP camera sensor. Now, we have seen a number of people report that the new v50 range uses a Sony camera sensor but we are yet to see anything from Akaso or Sony to confirm this to date but the image quality the sensor captures is excellent.

Additionally, the variable lens on the action cameras allows you to switch the field of view between 170°, 140°, 110° and 70° that translates into ultra-wide, wide, medium and narrow-angle photography. Although these variable angles are commonplace and the vast majority of the compeating action cameras offer them to, we are pleased to see that Akaso has included them in their v50 cameras.

With so many action sports getting you up in the mountains or into locations where you have a high chance of seeing some excellent landscapes, the 170° ultra-wide-angle field of view allows you to capture them in all their beauty while still being able to adjust to something like the 70° field of view for close-ups of a subject. If you are into your vlogging then the 140° and 110° angles are great for general vlogging too.

All three of the action cameras in the v50 range offer some form of digital zoom with the v50 X and v50 Pro offering four times digital zoom whereas the v50 lite offers eight times digital zoom. The technology for these cheap cameras has come on a long way and the digital zoom does not distort your image quality much or cause issues with chromatic aberration either. Depending on what niche you are planning to work in, this will likley be something you either never use or use every time but all three cameras offer some solid zoom capability.

Next up we have the Akaso v50 Pro that in our opinion, comes out on top of all three of the cameras again with the best audio quality. Not only does the v50 Pro capture the best treble and bass with its microphone but its quality does not fluctuate much either so you know what kind of audio track that you are likley to capture.

Finally, we have the most expensive option, the Akaso v50 Elite that is kind of between both of the two cheaper variants of the v50 when it comes to its audio performance. Although it still handles the bass and treble well while recording like the v50 Pro, it also has some wild fluctuations in audio quality that can be detrimental to the overall video if you are trying to vlog. Again, this is just another reason why we feel that the middle price point v50 Pro is the better option.

Next up we want to touch on the battery life of the Akaso v50 camera range. Now, unlike the vast majority of the compeating cheap action cameras on the market right now that use the 1050mAh Akaso have used the higher capacity 1350mAh batteries in their v50 action cameras. Not only does this offer better maximum battery life but it also allows you to get more usable time per hour spend charging the battery too.

As we mentioned earlier in the article, all three of the Akaso v50 cameras capture native 4k too so don’t have to waste power digitally upscaling their video footage. This can result in around three hours of 720p recording, an hour an a half of 1080p recording, and around an hour of 4k video footage. That said though, this is the official advertised battery life for the cameras but we have seen multiple reports from different people of the 1080p and 4k battery lives lasting up to a third more than their advertised maximums.

As you get two 1350mAh batteries with your purchase of any of the three v50 cameras you can charge one up in your backpack with a USB power bank while using the other battery. When your active battery is empty switch them over and you can essentially keep doing this indefinitely to keep your Akaso v50 supplied with power all day to allow you to capture the video footage that you need.

Just like the other modern action cameras, all three versions of the v50 support a number of camera modes including diving mode, burst photo mode, time-lapse mode, slow motion, look mode, driving mode, and audio-only mode. This allows you to easily tweak the mode of the camera to meet the needs of a number of common situations that any content creator may find themselves in.

When you factor all of this in, it really is not surprising that the cameras in the new Akaso v50 range have been able to earn so many excellent reviews in a matter of months since they were released. We feel that reading some of those reviews can offer some excellent insight from other users of these action cameras who have used it in pretty much any situation that you can think of.

User Interface And Control System

This ensures that if you are purchasing your very first action camera, all of the Akaso v50 cameras will be very easy for you to learn while offering you with some of the best performance available, especially at this price point. That said though, we know that many advanced action cameras may be reading this looking to pick up a more budget-friendly action cam but the v50 range offer all of the advanced features that an advanced user needs too.

The control system on the v50 range is all done via the camera’s two-inch IPS touchscreen display with a navigation menu that is very easy to follow allowing you to quickly and easily tweak any settings on your camera to adjust to your situation. The navigation menu has the most commonly tweaked settings prioritized to be closer to the start of the menu too to try and save you as much time as possible during use.

The actual touchscreen technology on these new Akaso v50 cameras is the best that we have seen in the sub $150 price point too. If you are planning to use your action camera for action sports then you will be pleased to know that all three variants of the v50 have a touchscreen that can perform well if your hands are wet or cold. This is one of the main issues with these more budget-friendly action cameras but Akaso have invested in their touchscreen technology and it has paid off allowing user involved in water-based or winter sports to use their cameras with ease.

If you are wanting to use any of the v50 cameras for photography then their streamlined capture modes make it as easy as possible. You literally just have to swipe up to start capture mode and then tap to actually capture your photograph. This minimized the amount of wasted time to get the camera ready for photography and increases the chance of you catching those rare, time-sensitive photographs.

You are able to quickly and easily capture photographs via the remote control or start and stop your video capture as well as a number of other key functions too. On top of this, the Akaso smartphone app offers similar functionality as well as the ability to easily tweak the settings on your camera too. If you are involved in a sport where your action camera will be mounted during use, the smartphone app allows you to easily tweak its settings for optimal performance without having to unmount the camera and waste time.

All in all, Akaso has done a great job of producting a solid little control system for their new v50 cameras that should easily be able to meet the needs of all of their target user groups. It is perfect for vloggers, social media influencers, and action sports enthusiasts alike while also being ideal for new and advanced action cameras too.

Build Quality And Design

If you are a travel vlogger or take part in an action sport that requires you to travel around on a regular basis then the small size and lightweight allows you to easily add any of the v50 action cameras to your luggage without having to use up much space or add much weight either. More and more vloggers are switching over to action cameras and smartphones due to their image quality going through the roof over the last few years while their size and weight are so much smaller than a mirrorless or DSLR camera.

Akaso has also improved the working temperature range for their latest action cameras too with all of the new v50 cameras being able to work in the 23°F/-5°C to 113°F/45°C temperature range helping to improve their winter sports performance too. The waterproof case that comes with the v50 cameras is pretty standard for this day and age and will protect your camera down to a depth of around 130 feet during use too while also helping to protect your camera in various other action sports too.

Just like the majority of other action cameras on the market right now, the three new Akaso v50 cameras come with a bunch of different camera accessories and mounts too. All of the mounts have a solid build quality too helping to ensure that your camera will stay mounted to whatever you attach it to offering peace of mind that it is safe too.

Our Verdict

That brings our ultimate Akaso v50 review and as you can probably tell, we feel that Akaso has done an excellent job of upping their game and regaining their title of being the best entry-level action camera brand on the market. In our opinion, the Akaso V50 Pro is the best option out of the three cameras and offers the best blend of price for performance. Judging by the number of independent reviews that the v50 Pro has received from the community, it would seem that many people also agree with us too.

The Akaso V50 X is a solid little sub-one hundred dollar action camera but its issues with its microphone make it useless for vloggers although it offers some great performance for anyone just wanting great, cheap image quality. Although the Akaso V50 Elite offers some excellent technology for its price tag, we just feel that the majority of our readers will not use it meaning they are paying to tech they simply don’t need whereas the Akaso V50 Pro is not only cheaper but also should easily be able to meet the needs of our readers while also saving you some cash.

Due to this, we have noticed a steady increase in people reaching out for advice on a number of different action cameras on the market over the last few months. Our regular readers will probably know that we have been publishing a fair few articles based around various camera bodies that we have seen people reaching out for advice on and today is the turn of the Akaso ek7000.

Around three years ago, Akaso absolutely dominated the entry-level action camera market and managed to earn an excellent reputation for themselves. They knocked out camera after camera that blew the competition out of the water and allowed the Akaso range to become the dominant camera range in the sub-one hundred dollar price bracket. Due to this, we see a ton of people asking about their various cameras so we have decided to publish our own, dedicated Akaso ek7000 review to help any of our readers who are considering adding the camera to their collection.

Now, although the Akaso ek7000 was pretty much the undisputed king of entry-level action cameras back when it was released and managed to earn an excellent reputation for itself times have definatley changed. Technology evolves at such a rapid pace these days that the ek7000 is definatley showing its age and even the latest flash ship from Akaso, the Brave 6 blows it out of the water with only a small increase in price.

That said though, in our opinion, Akaso has become complacent due to the success of their older cameras and have stopped innovating as much as they once did. In our opinion, the Akaso Brave 6 is missing basic technology that we would expect as standard in a modern entry-level action camera and in our opinion, the Apeman Trawo is the best cheap action camera on the market right now. It has an excellent reputation amongst the community and pretty much dominates this price point at the time of writing.

In our opinion, our readers should seriously be considering the Apeman Trawo over the Akaso ek7000 as it is a much better action camera with only a slight increase in price. That said though, we know that a some of our readers will still want to know more about the ek7000 so we will still be going over our review of the action camera below. We will also be sharing various points throughout the review as to where the Trawo is better due to the ek7000 being almost four years old at the time of writing and having dated technology in it.

Performance And Functionality

Although the ek7000 does offer 4k video footage, it is digitally upscaled 4k rather than native 4k. Depending on what you are planning to do with your new action camera this could be an issue as it can rapidly deplete your camera’s battery power for the digital upscaling process. Essentially, the ek7000 actually captures its video footage in a lower resolution and then processes it to digitally change its resolution to meet the requirements of 4k.

In all fairness to Akaso, this process is still very common today on higher price point cameras due to it being such a cheap technology. That said though, the Apeman Trawo is a similar price point and offers native 4k right out of the box making it a much better option. Not only does this result in better battery life but it also removes the excess heat that is generated during digital upscaling footage that may lead to overheating in the ek7000. That said though, if you don’t plan to use 4k video and want to record in a lower resolution, this is not an issue and the Akaso ek7000 should be able to perform well enough.

The camera is able to record its video footage at 4k with twenty-five frames per second, 2.7k with thirty frames per second, and 1080p at sixty frames per second. In our opinion, for optimal performance of the ek7000 as well as the best possible battery life, the 1080p setting is the best and it also offers the best frame rate too.

One thing that may hurt the ek7000 is the lack of 720p at one hundred and twenty frames per second. This is essentially the slow-motion setting for compeating action cameras and is supported by the Apeman Trawo but is missing on the ek7000. If you are wanting to capture your action sports in slow motion or to record some slow-motion b-roll video for your vlogs then the lack of a slow-motion mode can be a pain.

Additionally, the image stabilization technology on the ek7000 is so dated that it may well be none existant by today’s standard even for the entry-level action cameras. If you do choose to go with the Akaso ek7000 then a cheap action camera gimbal like the Feiyutech G6 is pretty much going to be an essential camera accessory. It will ensure that you are getting super smooth video footage and in our opinion, is the best action camera gimbal on the market right now.

Although it was pretty much the standard for the sub-one hundred dollar price point back when the Akaso ek7000 was released, the camera has a 12MP camera sensor. This is most definatley sub-par by what you can get today for the same price range with the Apeman Trawo coming with a 20MP camera sensor as standard. If you are planning on capturing a large number of photographs with your new action camera then the Trawo offers much better stills than the ek7000.

The ek7000 has a fully adjustable lens that has aged pretty well with you being able to select either 170°, 120° or 90° for your photographs. This lets you get some narrow close-ups while also being able to adjust the field of view to ultra-wide-angle to capture any epic landscape scenes that you see while out and about on your adventures. Although the more modern action cameras also offer you a 70° option, there is very little difference between 70° and 90°.

The Akaso ek7000 uses a 1050mAh battery that is able to power the camera for around ninety minutes when capturing 1080p video footage. The camera comes with two batteries allowing you to power your action camera with one while you carry the spare battery with you. If you do need a longer battery then you are able to pick up a USB power bank to allow you to charge the spare battery in your bag while on the move while using the other battery to power your camera.

Although the Akaso ek7000 has managed to earn a great reputation amongst the community while also earning plenty of excellent independent reviews from action sports enthusiasts most of these are from a few years back. Although the customer base of the Akaso ek7000 is still growing at a slow pace, in our opinion, the Apeman Trawo is the camera that you should be going with.

User Interface And Control System

That said though if you are not involved in an action sport that involved water of cold weather the control system for the Akaso ek7000 should perform fine for you without issue. The navigation menu is very easy to work through while the options are all easy to find with ease making the system on the Akaso ek7000 very user-friendly for anyone who has not previously used an action camera as everything is so straight forward.

The camera is also fully compatible with 2.4g wireless technology too and comes with a wireless wrist strap remote control with your purchase as standard. This allows you to easily operate the basic functions of capturing a photograph or start/stop your video capture right from your wrist. This is particularly handy if you are in a sport where your action camera will be chest or helmet-mounted. Additionally, if you are doing something like mountain biking, the wrist remote also lets you keep one hand on your handlebars at all times while controlling your ek7000.

Smartphone App

There are no features on the Akaso ek7000 that require the smartphone app to function either meaning if you don’t want to use the smartphone app you really don’t have to. In all honesty, we doubt that many of our readers will get many benefits from actually using the app anyway but we just wanted to make our readers aware that it does exist and does perform well compared to some of the compeating cameras apps.

Build Quality And Design

Again though, this is going to depend on what you are doing as we know more and more people are using cheap action cameras for vlogging rather than actual action sports. If you are just planning to vlog or capture video footage for your social media accounts then this probably won’t matter much but again, the image resolution of the Apeman Trawo would make it the better option over the ek7000 for vloggers and social media influencers anyway.

The Akaso ek7000 comes in at 0.9 x 2 x 1.5 inches making it fit the majority of action camera mounting units on the market right now allowing you to mount the ek7000 to pretty much any action camera accessory you can find. It comes in at around 0.2 pounds of weight and although this should not be an issue for the vast majority of our readers, it may cause issues with some of the cheaper action camera gimbals by knocking you over the gimbals maximum load capacity.

The build quality of the waterproof camera that comes with the ek7000 is pretty solid in all fairness and can protect your camera down to around one hundred foot. That said though, we have seen a few reports of the cases leaking at its deeper limits. On the flip side of this though, this is a very small number of reports in the grand scheme of things and the protective cases can take a ton of punishment during use in other activities that can have an effect on their watertight sealing anyway.

Our Verdict

That concludes our ultimate Akaso ek7000 review and we hope that you have found it helpful. Although the Akaso ek7000 was a solid action camera back when it was released we would not recommend that you add it to your collection of camera accessories in this day and age. There have been multiple releases in the Akaso range with the Brave 6 (click here to read out full review) being their latest action camera.

That said though like we said back at the start of the article, the Brave 6 definatley falls short in a number of areas and in all honesty, is overpriced for what you are actually getting for your money in our opinion. We would highly recommend that our readers take a serious look at the Apeman Trawo and consider adding it to their collection of camera accessories instead as it is a much better option.

It has managed to earn itself one of, if not the best reputation of the current generation of cheap action cameras while earning a ton of excellent independent reviews from the community. Additionally, we have our own review of the camera and it also came top of our list of action cameras under $100 too.

We have seen a number of people reaching out specifically for information on the Apeman a79 over the last few weeks so, for today’s article, we are going to be taking an in-depth look at the camera in our ultimate Apeman a79 review. Now, before we go any further with our review, we just want to make our readers aware that the newer, better Apeman Trawo is now available on the market that blows the a79 out the water while being retailed at a very similar price point. Since its release, the newer Apeman Trawo has managed to build itself a great reputation amongst the community that just keeps on getting better with each passing month.

That said though, the Apeman a79 can still be a solid little action camera that is very cheap and ideal for anyone on a very strict budget or just wants a cheap action camera. In its own right, the Apeman a79 has also managed to earn itself a decent reputation amongst the community that keeps growing even though the a79 is starting to show its age.

Due to this, we are wanting to still take a more detailed look at the a79 for any of our readers who are still considering adding it to their accessories over the Trawo. We have noticed a distinct lack of content available for the Apeman a79 for some reason so we are hoping that our article will be able to help as many of our readers as possible as it is able to capture some solid image quality for its price point in the market.

Performance And Functionality

For those of our readers who don’t know, many of the cheaper action cameras on the market do not support full, native 4k video footage and capture their videos in a lower resolution before having to digitally upscale the video footage to 4k standards. Not only can this have a strange effect on the image quality produced but it also rapidly depletes your battery while potentially generating a ton of additional heat that can cause overheating problems too.

Thankfully though, due to the Apeman a79 offering full native 4k, the video footage captured via the camera’s sensor is 4k and has no need for the digital upscaling process. Apeman has further improved on their tech with the Apeman Trawo to perfect the native 4k and produce some of the best image quality available in the sub-one hundred dollar action camera bracket.

As you would expect in this day and age, the a79 supports a number of different video resolutions at a number of different frame rates as follows. Native 4k at thirty frames per second, 2.7k at thirty frames per second, 1080p at sixty frames per second, 1080p at thirty frames per second, and 720p at one hundred and twenty frames per second. We are pleased to see that Apeman included the 720p settings on the a79 as many brands are starting to miss it out of their feature list but the high frame rate is perfect for slow-motion video footage for your b-roll or action sports and in our opinion should be included as standard until 1080p at one hundred and twenty frames per second is commonplace in this price range.

If you are planning on capturing a large amount of 4k video footage with your Apeman a79 then we would highly recommend that you use a memory card that has a minimum transfer speed of 90MB/s. This ensures the camera is able to save the footage at an optimal rate and can reduce the chances of the camera overheating. The a79 is able to support cards that are between 8GB and 64GB meaning that you can have plenty of space available to capture your content while on your adventures.

The camera does come with build-in electronic image stabilization as standard that is fine for sports like skateboarding over smooth terrain like in the clips above. If you are planning to take part in a more vibration heavy action sport then a cheap action camera gimbal like the Feiyutech G6 will likley be the best option and our article going over the best action camera gimbals can offer some solid insight into their performance and levels of image stabilization.

The Apeman a79 uses a Sony camera sensor ensuring that you get the best possible resolution for your photographs. The camera can capture stills in 16MP, 12MP, 8MP, and 5MP to allow you to tweak the performance as required. That said though, if you are using a memory card that is large enough to store 4k video footage, there is no need to downscale the image quality of your photographs below the 16MP mark. If you do plan to be capturing a bunch of photographs with your action camera then the Apeman Trawo is definatley the better option due to the better camera sensor and 20MP image quality.

The microphone on the Apeman a79 is excellent and performs very well in all fairness and easily beats the audio quality of many compeating entry-level action cameras on the market right now. There are even higher price point Vivitar action cameras that the a79 blows out of the water when it comes to their audio quality.

The time-lapse mode allows you to capture a frame every 1, 5, 10, 30 or 60 seconds making for some quick and easy b-roll of the sights you see that offer a more unique look at the footage. The burst mode allows you to capture a burst of three or five photographs allowing you to capture the action while out and about and the selfie timer has intervals of two and ten seconds.

Moving onto the battery life of the Apeman a79, as the camera offers native 4k rather than digitally upscaled 4k it offers a decent maximum battery life for each full charge of the battery. The camera uses the standard 1050mAh battery and comes with two included so you can carry a spare with you to extend the usage of your camera if needed. You can expect around two hours of recording video at 1080p and just over an hour of footage at 4k.

If you think that you will need more battery for your adventures then you are able to invest in a USB power bank to allow you to charge your spare battery while out and about. This can pretty much keep you going indefinitely and make sure you always have the juice you need to capture the content you want over a full day of your action sport of choice.

With all of these features resulting in some great levels of performance, it is easy to see why the action sports enthusiast community has posted so many glowing, independent reviews of the camera body. As we mentioned though, the Apeman Trawo offers better performance for a very similar price point on the market and also has an absolute ton of excellent reviews making it the better option for most of our readers.

User Interface And Control System

On the flip side of this though, if you are more of an advanced user then the Apeman a79 also offers some advanced features and camera modes that we mentioned above. This ensures that the a79 as well as the rest of the action cameras in the Apeman A range as well as the Apeman Trawo is easy to learn for anyone new to using action cameras while also having all of the features that a more advanced user will require.

The camera is also fully compatible with the wireless 2.4g protocol and comes with a wrist strap remote control too. This allows you to capture photographs or start/stop your video recording on the go via the wireless remote control. This can ensure that you always have at least one dedicated hand for something like downhill mountain biking to maximize safety while using the other hand to control your action camera.

Apeman has put a fair amount of money into improving on their touchscreen technology for their action cameras too. Their touchscreen system is much better than their older action cameras and works pretty well relative to its price tag if your hands are wet or cold. With so many action sports involving either water or snow, this can be one of the main issues with entry-level action cameras. To be clear, the a79 still has its issues with wet or cold hands but it is better than what some of the competition offer.

The actual navigation menu itself for the a79 is set out in a very similar way to what the other action camera brands are using in all fairness and does not score or lost it points over what the other brands are using. The navigation menu is easy to work through and all of the settings that you may wish to tweak are easy to find without having to waste your time.

All in all though, we feel that Apeman has done a great job on their more recent action cameras when it comes to the control interface. The improvements to their touchscreen along score it points over similar price point camera units from the competition although the Apeman Trawo is still the better option due to the actual image quality improvements that it has over the a79.

Build Quality And Design

If your action sport of choice does need you to travel around on a regular basis then the lightweight of the camera allows you to quickly and easily add the a79 to your camera bag without coming close to knocking you over your baggage allowance. This is a solid little feature for such a cheap camera as you saw the level of image quality that it is able to produce for such a low price tag while also being so small and light.

The waterproof case that comes with your a79 is able to protect your a79 down to a depth of around one hundred and twenty feet for any waterbased action sports too. If you are involved in scuba diving then there are a number of third-party cameras that can protect you down to a deeper depth if required but we would imagine that the case that comes with the camera will be enough for the vast majority of our readers anyway.

Another solid thing about the Apeman A range of action cameras is that all of their mounting units that come with the camera as standard also have a great build quality. Some compeating cheap action cameras come with low-quality mounts that are essentially a waste of time but the various mount types that come with the a79 are solid and perform very well.

Our Verdict

That concludes our Apeman a79 review and although it is a pretty solid little action camera, we would definatley recommend that our readers add the Apeman Trawo to their collection of camera accessories instead. Not only does it blow the performance of the Apeman a79 out of the water but it is retailed at a very similar price point in the market making it the obvious option in our opinion. The Trawo has also managed to earn itself an excellent reputation amongst the community since its release too.

On top of this, we also have our own review of the Apeman Trawo online where we take a more in-depth look at camera and the level of performance that it is able to provide for you. In addition to this, the Trawo also came in at first place in our article going over what we feel are the best action cameras under $100 too. Although a few compeating brands have tried to knock the Trawo off the top spot for its price bracket, to date, none of them have been successful and actually managed to do it.