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Water proof action camera

19K views 189 replies 16 participants last post by  jo662 
#1 ·
Anyone got one?

I need something I can mount on my scooter helmet or on my head in the Kayak. Must be fully water proof, decent audio and easy to record on the move.

I dont want to spend a lot either so Go Pro etc are ruled out. There seem to be loads of cheap ones on ebay and that site Groupon that Kev linked to in another thread but are they any good?
 
#2 ·
Most of the stuff that's posted seems to come from GoPro although I am sure others are OK, but....... if it fails you can guarantee it will be when you most want it to work..... the GoPro seems to claim it is waterproof to a decent depth too (30m?) which Ray will tell you is a good depth to venture (although not in an inflatable canoe Barry....).

There are times when you might do best to bite the bullet and go for a reliable make 'cos electrics and water do not mix too well..... and as a member of the Nikonos Flooders Society, having flooded my supposedly waterproof (to 50+m) 35mm camera at 3m in Kenya (that was expensive....), I am wary of cheap options..... "buy cheap, buy often" comes to mind.....

Dave
 
#4 ·
Yep there are loads like that going for next to nothing on Ebay. Can they possibly be any good at that price though? I was hoping maybe someone had bought a cheap one and could tell us what they are really like. At that price if it works for a year or two its a throw away item really. My concern with buying an expensive one apart from not wanting to chuck ÂŁ400 at a camera which will just be used for making daft videos is that there is a very good chance it will end up run over or end up in Davy Jones Locker.
 
#7 · (Edited)
Daughter bought this one for about ÂŁ40 last year , and I can vouch for it . Similar price with free shipping on Amazon at the minute. Although she says any of those cheap ones are good as long as they are Sports cam 1080 p, check out all the functions and pick the one with the functions that suits you. This one has wifi so last year we were able to go along a shallow lake in the canoe with the camera submerged on a selfie stick and watch what it was seeing on a Tablet thingy in the canoe.


ps These are primarily for video, still shots are not so good.
 

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#8 ·
I've just bought a cheapish Go Pro (which I haven't yet tried) and also have two Chinese "knock-offs" . One of them is very good and the other very poor! The trouble is that there are some good knock-offs and some bad ones. The last one I bought was a cheepo from Gearbest but returning it is difficult.

It also depends what quality you want. The last cheepo I bough is fine on my cycle helmet but the Go Pro should be good at snorkelling.
 
#9 ·
I just can't help feeling that if you're looking for a waterproof camera to mount on your head while canoeing you're doing something wrong.

You might like to address the problem that you're underwater for starters.
 
#11 · (Edited)
I use this on my motorbike as a helmet camera. Good Price, Good picture quality. Settings on the camera are made when connected to a computer so you don't get many buttons on the camera. There is no LCD to show you what you are recording, but a laser line displays for a few seconds so you can set the horizon to be level and rotate the lens. Sound is okay, but as will all cameras you get some wind noise. No facility for external mime though. Mounting brackets are low profile and cheap. A switch inside the cover means yo can have 2 recording settings without having to connect it to a computer. I have mine set to position 1 high quality. Position 2 takes a photo every 1 second.

Battery life for continuous recording is about 2 hours in real life at HQ recording. You have to charge the unit up as you cannot swap the battery.

Waterproof to 10m without an external case. Large sliding button to turn on and off when wearing gloves.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Contour-RO...=sr_1_1?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1485416002&sr=1-1
 
#12 ·
Barry,
i got myself one of these,
http://sjcamhd.com/sjcam-sj4000-wifi/
cheap as chips i did get the wifi version but wouldn't bother if i was to get it again,
i reckon it would pass all the test you can give it, i have chucked it in a fast flowing river it was jammed in the rocks, and still survived after getting levered out,
and all the gopro fittings fit it, we call it a NoPro,
not very good for stills,
i also use it as me dash cam in the van,
Misty
 
#17 ·
#19 ·
Do you not have any plastic bags then :D :D
 
#23 ·
They're difficult things to recommend for several reasons. New models come out very frequently, there is an enormous difference in price range (ÂŁ30 to ÂŁ700 and more) and what one person wants or values isn't the same necessarily as someone else. I've had an SJCam which took some great underwater photos but has limitations in other areas. I've also got a Panasonic Lumix that is shockproof and waterproof which is first class but doesn't have the same mounting capabilities as GoPro's, SJCam's etc. Lastly I've also got a GoPro but their model range is quite large and you pay a bit more for the name. However the quality of what you get is pretty good.

As I said in an earlier post there are loads of fakes online, particularly of the SJCam.
 
#22 ·
There will be others..
http://www.comparaboo.co.uk/action-cameras?origin=google&google_params[matchtype]=p&google_params[network]=g&google_params[device]=t&google_params[creative]=167400391169&google_params[keyword]=best%20action%20cameras&google_params[adposition]=1t1&google_params[adgroupid]=28396837012&google_params[campaignid]=314677372&rme=t&dest=0&sys_id=0|58&gclid=Cj0KEQiAwrbEBRDqxqzMsrTGmogBEiQAeSE6ZYVRrikTyKnMlmkYO5cmFPolKIcB5HTTJLHlCuP_49oaAlIt8P8HAQ
 
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#24 ·
Thanks again. I just want something thats going to take reasonable quality videos of trips out on the bike or out on the water. Doesnt need to be the latest 4K HD (Whatever that is), just good enough quality to watch back on a laptop or TV or maybe for youtube.

From this thread I am assuming that the millions of cameras on Ebay with similar spec to the SJcam but going for twenty quid or even less should probably be avoided but the SJcam if its genuine seems to fit the bill. Most of the reviews on Amazon seem to recommend "Mini Kitty" as a seller supplying genuine SJcam 4000's so I searched for them and this was the result. https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_s...sprefix=mini+kitty,aps,157&crid=1M3L889E83OGB

However they have just used the word mini kitty in the item title and they are all different sellers. Im not that clued up on Amazon. Whats the best way to ensure I get a genuine one?
 
#26 ·
However they have just used the word mini kitty in the item title and they are all different sellers. Im not that clued up on Amazon. Whats the best way to ensure I get a genuine one?
The best way is to choose a reputable seller with a good review rating - seller not the product. Also very important is to look out for where it's being shipped from. If it's outside of the UK you have to think about what the returns / refunds process is in case it goes wrong.

Looking at the link in your post Barry, I clicked on the first one and then on the Available from these sellers link. Amazon Warehouse deals came up with Amazon as the seller and I have bought loads of things like this with no problems. It is used but often it's just a return item and in any event Amazon will take it back if you aren't happy.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-l...0?ie=UTF8&condition=all&qid=1485689303&sr=8-1
 
#25 ·
I have a shop on Amazon using their FBA service (Fulfilment by Amazon) What this means is I send my stock to Amazon, they hold it for me and when I gen an order from eBay, Amazon or my website, Amazon will pick, pack and ship the order for me. When it says Amazom Prime on the listing, this stock is coming from Amazons stock. Amazon are very strict when you send stock to them to be sold via AMazon Prime, and if you send fake items and they find out, you are banned from Amazon within hours. If a seller is using Amazon FBA they do not want to lose their Amazon shop so and decent seller will not ship fake goods to Amazon.

Also when you buy using Amazon Prime, Amazon are doing all the work, and if there are any problems with the item, Amazon will sort it out for you. Even after 10 months if you complain it is Amazon who will refund you and just take the money back from the seller.

I always look for a listing stating that it is sold by Amazon Prime. You do not need to be a prime member to purchase this.
 
#28 ·
I find Amazon a most confusing market place to shop, I much prefer Ebay and PayPal, I'm not bothered too much about fakes if they perform as they are supposed to do as they are usually priced accordingly.
 
#39 ·
Both sites list items differently.

In eBay everybody creates their own listing and pictures in a description so if 10 sellers are selling the same item there will be 10 listings. Each will have their own listing

When an item is for sale on Amazon there is only 1 listing and each seller offers their best price for that listing. So the 10 sellers will all use the same listing but just put there best price on it.

Ideally, on Amazon there should only be 1 listing per item as they cross reference bar codes so more items are not listed. but sellers manipulate barcodes so they get their own listing. That is why you see more than 1 listing on Amazon for the same thing.

Buying fake is a high risk. I used to sell GHD hair straighteners. (Genuine ones) A lady bought a set from me and told me her daughter who was 14 bought a fake set from ebay and they burnt her head so much that the hair will never grow back and she is left with a bald spot.

I go to China to buy and see lots of fake items. They are made as cheaply as possible and they do not care if it sets your house on fire and could kill your family.
 
#33 ·
Thanks again for all these helpful responses. Ill take a look at those others Jo. Buying through Amazon Prime then seems to be the best way. I assume as Im not a Prime member ill have to pay postage as well.

All these specs, reviews and buying methods is doing my head in. :D Not a good day to take it all in as I have a hangover. :(
 
#35 ·
I wouldn't mind one but I honestly can't think of a justification to buy one even if the were ÂŁ5 each, I have a dash cam which may have given it a job, but nowt else.
 
#45 ·
The beauty of a dash cam is it records more than video, which is of more use later.
 
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