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Anybody looked at the SJ4000 action cam? It is obviously supposed to look and function like a GoPro, without some of the features or the cost. I can't even remember where I saw this come up yesterday, but it was being talked about on some website I was reading.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...on_camera.html
Damn, that IS a straight up gopro ripoff. I don't like the idea of the LCD on the backside as that's where I have the "lifejacket" floaty attached to my case.
It even uses the same mounts as real gopro's.
I like how it has a screen on the back for a quick and dirty framing of the shot. No wifi, so no remote control. that's a downer in my book. I use the remote almost exclusively. I put the gopro on a telescoping wand and get lots of cool still shots using the remote. plus as the driver of the boat, I like to mount the gopro and still be able to start/stop the vid without relying on other people to do it for me.
Here's a good review I found for ya:
http://shortbarrelshepherd.com/sj400...camera-review/
I'd say that if you're cash strapped and it's this or nothing, then it might be a reasonable choice. I went with the "go big or go home" theory and got a 3+ black edition and don't regret it. (although I got it for a sweet deal from a buddy and was in it under $300)
Apparently there is a wifi version available now too. I honestly have not had enough time to research it too carefully. There are also some fake versions of the real GoPro knockoff, go figure. All in all I'm not sure it is worth it depending on what your needs are but I wanted to throw it out there and see people's thoughts.
Competition is any market is always good for consumers -- keeps those prices in check. GoPro may be the gold std but never hurts to have some competition.
Even cheaper on Amazon. I wonder how good the software is by comparison... guess someone needs to buy one! I agree, competition is a good thing for consumers... leads to innovation and price optimizations.
I used to be on the other side of the GoPro competition. I had a ContourHD, then a ContourHD 1080p, then a Contour GPS. I finally had to give up on them (I even held on after they went bankrupt) because my cam wasn't reliable.
It had better sound quality than the gopro's and had less of a fisheye picture, and much better profile for helmet and motorcycle mounting. And the integrated GPS was quite cool. But when you can't depend on it to record and stop recording when it's supposed to (and you lose complete videos as a result), then it's almost worthless. I had it happen where I was recording my 8 year old son doing a run on the Mt Hood Meadows superpipe where he got all the way out of the pipe. My stupid contour lost that video and that memory. About a month ago I finally gave up when even the contour app wasn't working well with my cam. The stupid thing got returned to REI, and I jumped over to the solid/proven competitor--gopro.
I've been damn happy with my gopro ever since.
Like I said, this knockoff seems doable for a cam on a budget. I mean, hey, I roll a 1992 direct drive, so I understand budget!