Cheaper GoPro alternitives?

Zascar · 01-03-2015 3:39pm #1

I have one of the orignal her 2's but its rubbish, and I'd like a new one. The real gopro's are mad money but there seem to be loads of cheaper options. Ideally I'd like to keep the same style, as I have loads of the adaptor things and a chest mount etc.

I know there is a Chinese knockoff the SJ4000 - direct cheap and does the job but I only saw one breifly. Are they any good?

I saw a new one called the GoExtreme at the bike show today. Basically the same as a gopro, loads of accessories (same fitting as gopro) and has a screen at the back - very handy. Also has a remote and even wifi. It's 139 in Harvey Norman but about €110 on Amazon. Has anyone got one or used one? Or are there better alternatives?

http://www.goxtreme-action-cams.com/goxtreme-wifi-view-fhd-action-cam/
http://www.harveynorman.ie/digital-cameras/go-pro-and-action/goxtreme-wifi-action.html

thecivvie · 01-03-2015 4:34pm

Bought the daughter the GoExtreme and it seems ok. Didn't use their mount's bought a rake of GoPro ones as the case fits them, can use my Gopro chest and head mounts.

Sadly daughter won't show us any of her videos, think she falls off the horse more times that nought

But what I seen online they look ok. I may try and get one myself for the trip

GBX · 01-03-2015 4:39pm

The basic GoPro Hero is similar spec to the GoExtreme .. would be a toss up between those 2 if sticking to "branded" cameras.

arybvtcw0eolkf · 01-03-2015 5:02pm

I've done a bit of research and THIS is the one I'm getting next week.

There's a button on the Amazon page to change the order to a WiFi version.

If you're tempted to go after the SJ4000 do a little research as its faked, but by all accounts the fakes are excellent too ~ but I'd rather get a genuine SJ4000.

honda boi · 01-03-2015 5:17pm

Isabela Hundreds Shirt wrote: »

I've done a bit of research and THIS is the one I'm getting next week.

There's a button on the Amazon page to change the order to a WiFi version.

If you're tempted to go after the SJ4000 do a little research as its faked, but by all accounts the fakes are excellent too ~ but I'd rather get a genuine SJ4000.

Was looking at that one from amazon but doesn't want to ship my address(parcel motel would be an option)but I found this one on eBay.
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=161387517335&alt=web
Seems better value as you get an extra battery.
Any way to tell if this one is genuine or a fake?

arybvtcw0eolkf · 01-03-2015 5:22pm

honda boi wrote: »

Was looking at that one from amazon but doesn't want to ship my address(parcel motel would be an option)but I found this one on eBay.
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=161387517335&alt=web
Seems better value as you get an extra battery.
Any way to tell if this one is genuine or a fake?

The box and all the markings look genuine

zubair · 01-03-2015 6:27pm

Isabela Hundreds Shirt wrote: »

The box and all the markings look genuine

Get the sj4000. I 've had one a good while now and it does everything I would want in an action camera.

when I was buyng mine on eBay I just ensured it was being posted from the UK. I got it from a Chinese seller with a UK warehouse, was the genuine version.

arybvtcw0eolkf · 01-03-2015 6:45pm

zubair wrote: »

Get the sj4000. I 've had one a good while now and it does everything I would want in an action camera.

when I was buyng mine on eBay I just ensured it was being posted from the UK. I got it from a Chinese seller with a UK warehouse, was the genuine version.

The SJ4000 is the one I have embedded in the link

blade1 · 01-03-2015 7:31pm

I have 2 fake sj4000's and also the basic goPro.
The sj are good but the battery life is sh*t.
Picture quality is a bit better on goPro but it's pretty good on the fakes.
Sound quality is a way better on the goPro but strangely the night time picture quality is better on the fakes.

What I don't like about the goPro is there's no screen on the back so I'm not sure if I have the right angle.
This is the fake sj4000
http://youtu.be/Qnj8M6S22JY

honda boi · 01-03-2015 7:33pm

blade1 wrote: »

I have 2 fake sj4000's and also the basic goPro.
The sj are good but the battery life is sh*t.
Picture quality is a bit better on goPro but it's pretty good on the fakes.
Sound quality is a way better on the goPro but strangely the night time picture quality is better on the fakes.

What I don't like about the goPro is there's no screen on the back so I'm not sure if I have the right angle.
This is the fake sj4000
http://youtu.be/Qnj8M6S22JY

What's the battery life on yours?
Hoping the battery would last my nearly 3 hour commute on the bike each day

blade1 · 01-03-2015 7:38pm

honda boi wrote: »

What's the battery life on yours?
Hoping the battery would last my nearly 3 hour commute on the bike each day

No chance on a fake sj4000.
I have to have mine plugged in to cig lighter socket constantly.
It lasted for about an hour when I got it first but after a few weeks it started fading big time.
Only lasts 10 or 15 min now.

DJDylan106 · 01-03-2015 8:05pm

I myself have 2 SJ4000's, 1 genuine and 1 fake, find them absolutely superb. Had a GoPro beforehand and I would definitely say the SJ4000 is as good quality in terms of average filming in 1080p etc. running it on the helmet of the bike, anything like that. I usually use it in 720p, gives the best quality:memory-usage ratio in my opinion. As blade1 says, battery life isn't the bes compared to the GoPro. I get 1 hour 10 minutes consistent from each battery. If you're buying one, buy a ****heap of batteries with it to bring with you on the go and one of them little chargers that you slip the batteries into to charge. I find dx.com the best for accessories/batteries/memory cards/cases etc. that will work with the SJ4000 and all the stuff is cheaper than most places as-well as being genuine and gooq quality for the most part. Got both of my SJ4000s from dealextreme and one ended up being real and the other fake. So they are not consistent in delivering the genuine ones I see. The silver one was genuine and the black one I ordered wasn't genuine. Friend of mine ordered the silver one at the same time so my guess is any of them that aren't the silver ones are more than likely fake. From dealextreme anyways. I watched a great review concerning every last aspect of the SJ4000 before ordering it ( link : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnHDu-oW7_Y ) it's 28 minutes long but definitely worth the watch if you're going to buy one.

Overall I find them brilliant. Only 2 cons to them is that the battery life isn't to boast about and they aren't built with any port for an external microphone like the GoPro is. Also, as TechMoan says in the video, the mounts that are included are very shiny in appearance so you need to sand down the joints a bit just so the mounts don't cause the camera to point at the sky as soon as you leave the house because the little hinges won't be tight enough if you leave them as the shiny surface.

Basically, to put it short. If you're buying one
1. Make sure the one you're ordering is genuine.
2. Shop around, some sites are significantly cheaper than others.
3. Buy a handful of batteries.
4. Make sure to sand down the attachments when you get them!

Hope this helps somebody anyways!

Wonda-Boy · 01-03-2015 8:26pm

Lads, adverts have a rake of go pro alternatives for sale at some very good prices. Might save you the hassle and waiting from ordering from far east etc.

arybvtcw0eolkf · 01-03-2015 10:48pm

Ok reading about the poor battery life makes me reconsider. Most of my filming would be made up of cycling rather than motorbiking, and some martial arts coaching.

blade1 · 01-03-2015 10:56pm

Isabela Hundreds Shirt wrote: »

Ok reading about the poor battery life makes me reconsider. Most of my filming would be made up of cycling rather than motorbiking, and some martial arts coaching.

Go for the basic goPro so at around €125.
I done 4 hour journey one day and did not need to charge it.

arybvtcw0eolkf · 01-03-2015 11:29pm

blade1 wrote: »

Go for the basic goPro so at around €125.
I done 4 hour journey one day and did not need to charge it.

I was drawn to the 4000 by its cheap price and the LCD screen, but a battery life of one hour is no good to me. Sure my commute into work on my bicycle would drain it if I wanted to use it, and my training cycles would be twice or three times that journey time.

blade1 · 01-03-2015 11:40pm

Isabela Hundreds Shirt wrote: »

I was drawn to the 4000 by its cheap price and the LCD screen, but a battery life of one hour is no good to me. Sure my commute into work on my bicycle would drain it if I wanted to use it, and my training cycles would be twice or three times that journey time.

The lcd screen is definitely a plus alright.
Another thing to consider is sj4000 records mov files and GoPro records in MP4.
Although if you want to make movies on windows movie maker, both need to be converted to WMV.
Takes a long time if you want the end product in 1080

zubair · 02-03-2015 9:27am

Isabela Hundreds Shirt wrote: »

I was drawn to the 4000 by its cheap price and the LCD screen, but a battery life of one hour is no good to me. Sure my commute into work on my bicycle would drain it if I wanted to use it, and my training cycles would be twice or three times that journey time.

My batteries last around 2.5 hours recording in 1080p. Plus the batteries are so cheap I have 2 backups, they cost me 10.00 for 2 including postage on ebay.

Wonda-Boy · 02-03-2015 10:32am

Its a major plus if you have power outlets on your bike all the same.....charge and ride. Save on batteries and the loike!

Vikings · 02-03-2015 5:25pm

The next version up from the SJ4000 is out now also

http://www.techmoan.com/blog/2015/2/7/the-big-sj5000-action-camera-review.html

arybvtcw0eolkf · 02-03-2015 5:31pm

Vikings wrote: »

The next version up from the SJ4000 is out now also

http://www.techmoan.com/blog/2015/2/7/the-big-sj5000-action-camera-review.html

Thanks, but I stopped viewing the embedded youtube clip when the reviewer said its battery life was 38 minutes!.

Zascar · 02-03-2015 6:18pm

Yeah me too, that and the first thing he says which is "Not ready yet" and the only major plus is the 60p. Seems a bit slow as well. Is the SJ4000 slow through the menus? I did not know it has a screen at the back so that's a huge plus!

How do I know to get a genuine one? What are the fakes like? Isn't this just a fake GoPro anyway??

blade1 · 02-03-2015 6:33pm

Zascar wrote: »

How do I know to get a genuine one? What are the fakes like? Isn't this just a fake GoPro anyway??

They are usually a bit cheaper.
Also the old fakes had a misprint on the box.
A couple of little differences with the case aswell.

Faing · 02-03-2015 10:35pm

Genuine ones are marked SJCAM on the front.They ain't no GoPro but they ain't a third of the price either They also can be put into car mode, ie run from a12v power outlet on the bike and they start recording when you switch the bike on so battery life isn't a problem.I got mine from DX and it got held by custaims but with the duty, camera ,32gig micro card and spare battery and charger + €7 to an post it was still under €150. Great little thing.

zubair · 03-03-2015 9:08am

I paid 100.00 for mine including a 32G memeory card (bought separately).

I'm not sure where this 1 hour battery life is coming from. 1 charge lasts me to and from work, 2 hours, with juice left in it when I get home.

rowanh · 03-03-2015 12:44pm

zubair wrote: »

I paid 100.00 for mine including a 32G memeory card (bought separately).

I'm not sure where this 1 hour battery life is coming from. 1 charge lasts me to and from work, 2 hours, with juice left in it when I get home.

Do you have a link to where you bought yours?

Zascar · 03-03-2015 2:30pm

Interesting http://www.cnet.com/uk/news/xiaomi-launches-yi-action-camera-gopro/

GBX · 03-03-2015 2:44pm

Zascar wrote: »

Interesting http://www.cnet.com/uk/news/xiaomi-launches-yi-action-camera-gopro/

Got there before me ! Was just reading that article. As said the price could swing it if I was buying and this was available.
I wonder if the likes of accessories for the SJ4 would work. If so id be buying 2 of these over 1 basic go pro.

Peanut2011 · 03-03-2015 2:55pm

honda boi wrote: »

Any way to tell if this one is genuine or a fake?

Yup, http://www.foxoffer.com/blog/2014/07/05/the-difference-between-original-and-fake-sj4000/

zubair · 03-03-2015 3:57pm

rowanh wrote: »

Do you have a link to where you bought yours?

I got mine on ebay, just checked the seller for you and he doesn't have any for sale at the moment. It appears he is more focused on the lucrative business of silicon keyboards at the moment, I'd say he's practically printing money $$$$

DJDylan106 · 03-03-2015 8:42pm

As one of the lads said above about having SJ CAM printed on the front, that was only introduced lately ( last few months ) with these cameras so some old stock like my model may not be fake at all, just produced before the SJCAM was printed on the now " genuine " ones. Basically, to clear the whole fake issue up, although the SJ4000 is a fake of the GoPro, there is some form of company in the heart of china producing fake SJ4000's. Essentially, fakes of fakes! I have one genuine and one fake and both are pretty much the exact same other than minor discrepencies in the size of the case, size of the slot for the battery ( to fit genuine SJ4000 batteries into the fake one you need to file out little guiding slots in the compartment for the battery, in my case anyways, no big deal really ). Quality of footage is exactly the same, menu is a tad slower than the genuine one and has a different font but other than that, no difference whatsoever. Battery life exactly the same, video quality exactly the same, still fits in the genuine SJ4000 case. So even if you do order one don't be too bummed if you recieve a fake, they are for the most part, pretty much the same!

As for the screen on the back, great for monitoring battery, viewing clips you've taken already, and for switching between picture and video mode and knowing whether HDR etc. is turned on. Menu doesn't lag at all except for changing from video mode to picture mode can sometimes be a bit slow. I'd recommend them to anybody, cheap as chips and great little cameras!

Cheaper GoPro alternitives?

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