- SJCAM’s new budget SJ30 action camera shoots 8K video, but only at 20fps
- There are many improvements over its lackluster predecessor.
- Costs from $265 / £199
Interested in trying out an action camera? SJCAM has just announced the SJ30, an affordable adventure-focused camera with a unique dual-lens design.
Following on from 2024’s SJ20, the predictably named SJ30 features 8K (but only at 20fps), 4K/30fps video recording, plus a host of other features that should appeal to beginning mixed media content creators.
The SJ30’s IPX8-rated body is waterproof up to 17ft/5m, which increases to 98ft/30m with the camera installed in an optional waterproof case. It’s on par with some of the best action cameras on the market.
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It also has a battery life of seven hours, which isn’t a bad performance if you’re able to live up to that figure in the field. The caveat to this specification is that it is when you combine the SJ30 with the optional power handle, which can supply an additional 4200 mAh of power. When worn body-worn only, the maximum stated battery life is reduced to 150 minutes, recording 4K clips under laboratory test conditions. The performance of this battery squares with the most obvious competitor, the budget Akaso Brave 8 Lite, which costs about the same.
The camera features a 2.51-inch touchscreen, which can rotate 180 degrees for taking selfies and should be useful for daily vlogging needs. This is an upgrade from the SJ20’s 2.29-inch rear main touchscreen, which was not articulated. Instead, in that previous model, users had to rely on a 1.3-inch front screen of limited capacity. There’s no denying that the larger rear LCD screen offers an advantage in both size and resolution, but I wonder what impact the articulation might have on the rigidity of the body and its resistance to harder hits when doing activities like mountain biking.
That said, the press release highlights the camera’s suitability for working “in extreme conditions”, in a temperature range of -20°C to 60°C. So, at least on paper, the SJ30 still seems built to take a beating, or at least mild frostbite or heatstroke.
The main feature, however, is the dual lens design. The reason behind this is that one lens faces a 1/2.0-inch sensor and the other a slightly larger 1/1.8-inch chip that is equipped with an f/1.8 equivalent aperture. The latter is called the ‘Starlight’ sensor and the former is called the ‘Daylight’ sensor, which allows quality photographs in all types of lighting.
I’m not sure why you couldn’t just have a single 1/1.8 inch sensor and a brighter lens. If the larger aperture had been combined with the smaller sensor, I would have understood that this was to allow for greater light accumulation while keeping weight and costs down, but surely having two pairs is even more expensive.
Be that as it may, the night camera actually features a smaller aperture than the SJ20, which could open up to f/1.3. In that review, we weren’t very impressed with the low-light image quality, so it will be interesting to see if a new processor has enabled superior noise control.
Good value?
The SJ30 also uses a six-axis gyroscope and improved stabilization algorithms, as part of the updated SteadyMotion 2.0 system. I hope this offers an improvement over the system used in the previous model, which didn’t help much with camera shake in video sequences. Another gyro-based feature is the 45-degree horizon lock, which maintains recording level while driving over rough terrain.
Although the SJ30 allows for 8K video recording, this is only at 20fps, a strange frame rate limitation that could cause problems if you’re hoping to fit clips into the timeline of other video with conventional 24 or 30fps frame rates.
In the initial press material there is no mention of photo resolution, although the SJ20 took 20MP photos, so I would be surprised if on a camera of this level this decreases for the next generation. This is below the DJI Osmo Action 4, which records 4K up to 120fps and 1080p up to 240fps and, being two generations old, is available for around the same price.
To improve sound quality, the newest camera includes a detachable wind shield and is compatible with the SJCAM M4 wireless microphone, although we’ll have to test it independently to see if its performance measures up to the best wireless microphones. A nice little feature is the quick-release magnetic mounting system for audio accessories, although only time and a proper test will tell how this works when riding a bumpy trail.
When you think of action cameras, SJCam may not be the first brand that comes to mind, but that hasn’t stopped them from having high aspirations. The most attractive element of their action camera range is the price and the SJ30 holds its own, being available now for $264 / £195 (Australian price to be confirmed). More information can be found on the SJCAM website.
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