Last updated on August 14th, 2019 at 06:25 am
I’ve wanted an action camera for a while, but there was no way I could justify $400 or so that the GoPro Hero 6 commands as an asking price. The search for an action camera began even before GoPro launched the Hero-6. Even when they launched the 6th model and reduced the GoPro Hero 5 to around $300, I was still thinking that I could not warrant spending even $299 on the Hero 5, which is basically old technology now. What to do?
My approach with technology is that if I can’t bring the wallet to the tech, wait a while and the technology will come to the wallet… ie, prices of technology comes down, while technology gets better. That’s just how it works with technology. It gets cheaper – wait a while…
So I waited and researched… I built a list of features that were ‘nice to have’ and ‘really important’.
My must-have list was:
- Sony Sensor – it’s just a lot better than the others/
- Long Battery Life – no-one wants 30minutes of recording, it’s not useful to anyone.
- Less than $150 – I have no real ‘need’ of an action camera, so keeping it cheap is important.
The ‘nice to have’ list was about 3 items also:
- Image stabilization or ‘EIS’
- Next-gen image processor
- Front LCD screen – so I can tell what it’s doing when the lens is facing me
During my searches I found some models that were pretty close – the following models made my short-list – and I’m listing them with pros and cons:
AKASO EK7000 4K
Pros:
- Very affordable – sub $70 can be found!
- 4K Ultra HD in up to 25fps
- Multiple mounts and accessories in the box.
- Lots of positive reviews on Amazon
- Overall Rating of > 4 stars on Amazon
- Built-in WiFi and HDMI
Cons:
- A few negative reviews on Amazon
- No EIS
- No Sony Sensor
- Older Image Processor
AKASO Brave 4 4K
Pros:
- Affordable – under $90 on Amazon
- This is the upgrade to the AKASO EK7000
- 4K Ultra HD in up to 24fps
- Sony Sensor
- Front screen to see that it’s doing!
- 20MP – very high resolution still photos
- The same Multiple mounts and accessories in the box.
- Lots of positive reviews on Amazon
- Overall Rating of > 4 stars on Amazon
- Built-in WiFi and HDMI
Cons:
- Again a few very negative reviews on Amazon
- Has a basic EIS according to the manufacturer
- Older Image Processor.
- Some reviews said that the battery life was poor.
YI 4K+ Sports and Action Camera
Pros:
- Gets really good reviews
- Less than the GoPro Hero 6
- 4K Ultra HD in up to 60fps
- Built-in Sony IMX377 image sensor
- 12MP – high resolution still photos
- can save as RAW image format (no-lossy)
- The same Multiple mounts and accessories in the box.
- Mostly positive reviews on Amazon
- Overall Rating of about a 4 stars on Amazon
- It does have EIS
- Very nice sized rear screen
Cons:
- It’s almost $300
- No front screen.
- Comes with very few accessories.
- Not waterproof
EKEN H9R 4K
Pros:
- Again, very affordable – $63!!
- 4K Ultra HD in up to 25fps
- Multiple mounts and accessories in the box.
- Comes with 2 Batteries
- Comes with a small Tripod
- Available in Black + Silver (if that matters to you)
- Many positive reviews on Amazon
- Overall Rating of 4.5 stars on Amazon
- Built-in WiFi and HDMI
- Video Format: MOV, H.264
Cons:
- A few negative reviews on Amazon
- No EIS
- No Sony Sensor
- Older Image Processor Again.
EKEN H6s Ultra HD Camera 4K
Pros:
- Affordable-ish – under $110 on Amazon
- Waterproof to 100 ft.
- 4K Ultra HD in up to 30fps
- Panasonic Sensor (not quite a Sony)
- It has the Front screen
- 14MP – very high resolution still photos
- Tons of mounts and accessories in the box.
- Lots of positive reviews on Amazon
- Overall Rating of 4 stars on Amazon
- Reviewers were giving this camera some really good ratings.
- Built-in WiFi and HDMI
Cons:
- A few very negative reviews on Amazon
- Has a basic EIS according to the manufacturer
- Older Image Processor – but newer than some.
- Some reviews had missing accessories, or broken out of the box.
I was going to mention the GoPro cameras which started the whole thing, but I think it’s clear – I don’t want to spend $300 or $400 so reviewing them when I’ve already knocked out a $300 camera is a little redundant – I just won’t pay that kind of money, but I don’t begrudge you doing so if that’s your thing.. 😉
Meanwhile – back to my hunt for the best Action Camera for *my money*…
It was at this stage I got a little discouraged by the choices. It seemed to me that AKASO and EKEN had a lot in common, and might even be the same cameras, or made in the same factory. So I decided to chat to someone I knew that was headed to CES in Las Vegas – EKEN was there and had a new camera that they were pitching against the Hero 6 – this new camera is the ‘EKEN H5s Plus’ and the specs looked impressive…. the down-side? It’s so new, that it wasn’t available on Amazon, so I decided to wait and see if it would arrive on Amazon… no-one likes to think they might be missing out on the next best thing by a couple of week right?
OK – so here is the camera and the pros and cons as I see them for the EKEN H5S Plus:
EKEN H5s Plus nextGen Action Camera
Pros:
- Affordable-ish – under $129.99 and a coupon for 5% off ($123.49)
- Waterproof to 100 ft.
- 4K Ultra HD in up to 30fps with EIA
- Sony Sensor
- It has the Front screen I wanted
- 12MP – high resolution still photos (good enough)
- Many mounts and accessories in the box – including remote.
- Lots of positive reviews on Amazon
- Overall Rating of 4.5 stars on Amazon
- Save 5% with coupon on Amazon
- AMBARELLA A12S75 Image Processor
- Built-in WiFi and HDMI
Cons:
- A few very negative reviews on Amazon
- Has a basic EIS according to the manufacturer
- Some reviews had missing accessories, or broken out of the box.
Well it took a few months – but the new EKEN finally arrived on Amazon – and the reviews started coming in… I decided to pull the trigger… it’s on it’s way… I’ll report back when it arrives and I’ve had a change to test it!
For MicroSD cards, I have also ordered a single 64GB card as follows:
Patriot LX Series 64GB High Speed Micro SD
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First Impressions: Nice camera, 1050mAh batteries included don’t last long while recording, but stronger batteries are available online very reasonably prices – I got 3x 1350 mAh batteries for $10. EIS works well, and for $125-ish, this is a great option as an affordable action camera or as a GoPro alternative for less!