TECHMOAN: Winter isn’t the best time of year to shoot an action camera review…especially when it’s one of Britain’s wettest winters on record. I haven’t managed to get out on my motorbike for weeks…and as a result this action camera review features very little action. I’ll try
to upload some biking footage taken with this camera when conditions improve. Despite the lack of extreme action footage, hopefully this review can still help you to decide whether the SJ4000 fits your needs.
SAMPLE CLIPS
Here’s where you’ll find the Downloadable Samples I mention in the video.
As always, don’t stream these, because if you do the quality will be no different to watching them on youtube. To download, change the dropbox thumbnail-based file page into a list (click the icon with the four horizontal lines at the top right) then click on a file and choose Download (Icon bottom right ‘More Actions’). Once they are downloaded you can play them from your hard-drive to see the true untouched video quality.
WHERE TO BUY
Foxoffer this link goes directly to the product on Foxoffer where the camera is currently being sold at $99 (£61). It might be worth paying extra for the quick delivery option and be prepared to pay some import duties as well. If you need some accessories you’ll find them here too (be sure to scroll the window at the top to see them all).
Here are some alternative suppliers
Foxoffer supplied me with this camera on behalf of the Manufacturer, Hongfeng Century. Foxoffer and HC saw my review on the SJ1000 and are interested in hearing your feedback about this camera as well, so if there is a feature you’d like to see included in one of their future budget cameras, be sure to let them know in the comments below.
I held back on releasing this review for a day so that I could pick up some of the original mounts made for this camera’s doppelgänger. I wanted to test out the interchangeability of the original accessories with the SJ4000 versions, and I can happily confirm that the mounts that attach at the case hinge or onto the clip all work perfectly well…all the dimensions are the same.
Anyone looking for a budget waterproof action camera with access to a wide variety of mounting options should put the SJ4000 at the top of their shortlist….and I can’t think of what would go in second place.
UPDATE 1: FIRMWARE
Here’s the Jan 2014 Firmware. If you want to install it, download the zip file, unzip it, copy the FW96650A.BIN file to the SD card in the camera. Turn the camera on WAIT until it (eventually) boots up. You’ll then need to delete the bin file from the card…the simplest way to do this would be to format the card using the camera menus…or alternatively attach the camera or SD card up to your computer and delete the file manually. Below is a comprehensive list of all the exciting features added if you install this update.
1) The yellow light now flashes when the camera is recording.
UPDATE 2: MOUNTS
When attempting to attach this to my motorcycle helment I discovered that however hard I tightened the screws on the hinge mounts, they could still be feely moved. My solution to this was to use sandpaper on the disassembled hinges to roughen up the shiny plastic. They now work how they should. I will demonstrate this in a new video when I manage to finally take this out on my bike…but unfortunately as soon as I finished mounting the camera to my helmet another storm blew in, so it’s not going to be today.
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