Watch out GoPro: Xiaomi Yi 2 4K Action Camera Review

Xiaomi Yi 2 4k: http://amzn.to/2nkttF8

Few brands have dominated a market so closely as to become synonymous with the item itself-GoPro is one such example. However, as their plunging stock price attests to (from $86 down to $10 in 2 years!), the public has finally realized that yes, there are wonderful alternatives on the market today.

Sure, many of these are considerably lower quality and don't have the amazing features like true 4k 30 FPS that the GoPro Hero 4 Black offers. But what if I told you there is a action camera from a reputable company, with not only basically the same specifications as the GoPro Hero 4, but offered additional features, and sold for only ~$225 (half the price)? That's where the Xiaomi Yi 2 4K camera steps onto the stage. Stick with me as I take a look at this amazing action camera. 

ELE Explorer PRO Action Camera Review

Remember the ELE Explorer action camera I reviewed a few months back (review here)? It was one of my favorites of this year so far, but had a few issues with image colors in high-contrast scenes. ELE has since released a new camera, the ELE Explorer Pro, and I just got my hands on it courtesy of GearBest. Take a look at the full video with sample footage and read the review below for this hot camera:

The GoPro Killer: GitUp2 Action Camera

Remember the GitUp1 action camera I reviewed several months back? I recently got to try out the latest upgrade to the GitUp series, with the GitUp2 courtesy of GearBest: (Edit: no longer on Gearbest, now only on Amazon: http://amzn.to/2v2I50T). Wow! I am happy to report that it blew away my expectations and has taken the premium features seen in many more expensive action cameras, and packaged it all into a very affordable package. 

First, let's start with the specification. The GitUp2 the high-quality Sony Ezmor IMX206 16MP image sensory + Novatek NTK96660 chipset, a significant upgrade from the GitUp 1. This allows it to take not only high quality video (with resolution up to 2K video resolution) but also photopgraphs in up to true 16MP quality. One of the weak points of the original GitUp was the very low-quality photographs (unless you extracted individual frames from each video); the GitUp2 has rectified that problem nicely.

(Continued below the jump!)

SJ7000 Action Camera Review: Bargain-Priced Cam

[2017 update: The SJ7000 is a still a decent camera, but it's been quickly outpaced by many other budget cameras. Consider the excellent Firefly 7S, a very budget-priced action camera with awesome features and fantastic image quality. Check out the review here and video here https://youtu.be/Vv3cAGdYJDI  ]

Recently got my hands on the SJ7000, courtesy of GearBest, a new budget-priced action camera. Got to take it out on a long fishing trip to the Eastern Sierra. Check out the review AND the footage of the awesome fishing trip I had in this part of California!

Overview

The SJ7000 is yet another action camera aiming for the bargain market, with a host of neat features. At first glance, it looks just like the popular SJ4000, which I have also reviewed. In fact, it's basically a clone of it but don't take this as a bad thing! The cases are compatible, batteries, and even actual camera size are virtually identicle. Two main differences: SJ7000 sports a different software and the SJ7000 has a much larger back LCD screen, making viewing photos and adjusting settings much easier. 

SJ4000 on the right, SJ7000 on the left

Krazilla Action Camera Review

Next up in our review series on affordable action cameras and GoPro alternatives is the Krazilla Sports action camera. I was fortunate enough to take it on several fishing and outdoor trips recently and wanted to share my thoughts on this compact action camera.

(More after the jump + videos)

Product Review: Midland XTC 450VP Action Camera

Midland offers a wide variety of action cameras, geared towards the outdoors aficionado. In the past, I have reviewed their excellent XTC 300 and am thrilled to try out their new XTC 450 Action Camera. 

Features

The Midland XTC 450 offers a considerable upgrade from the XTC 300, now offering 1080p recording at 16:9 aspect ratio with a rotatable, 7 element lenses. Sadly, the viewing angle is limited at 1080p (30fps) to 105 degrees. At 720p (60fps), it jumps up to 142 degrees. A 1700mAH battery, with life up to 4 hours (very reliable for me during testing) will keep users recording at length during trips. Focal length 5 inch to infinity and MP4 video at H.264 compression round out the specs on this action camera. Settings are adjustable via the back panel (video quality, WiFi, etc) or through the smartphone app, Action Connect.

(More after the jump)