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amazon SJCam SJ7 Star reviews
The newest model in SJCAM’s premium action camera range features alluding 4k resolution, a superbly built and powerful anti-vibration system.
SJCAM is a renowned brand in the action camera segment that sells cheap products starting from 100 bucks for an action camera, the quality being no less than good. But within the high-end range, SJCAM had not had many show-stealers. That was, until late last year, when it launched its 4K true-shot camera entry in the arena-SJCAM SJ6 Legend.
This was then followed by the new star, doom-worthy upgrade: and yet with more beautiful high-end design, many differences in components. SJCAM SJ7 Star uses a Sony IMX117 image sensor, 12.4 megapixels, and an Ambarella A12S75 processor chipset. The lens of the camera comes with a viewing angle of 166 degrees. For features-the SJ7 Star records 4K at 30 fps, 1440p and Full HD at 60 fps, with a gyroscope. It can use an external microphone.
Design
The appearance of the SJ7 Star can be said to be far greater than the previous products from SJCam, thanks to a frame of aluminum alloy monolith in silver, mixed with smooth plastic cover on the front. The aluminum frame feels sturdier, safer, and bestows a more luxurious feel than the plastic of its predecessors.
The SJ7 star remains compact enough to fit into a pocket even when wearing a wetsuit. While the SJ6 has two screens for demonstration purposes, the SJ7 Star is only provided with a 2 inch touch display at the back. It has three buttons, which are quite enough to control when attached to the housing, but the touch screen really helps one to learn it more quickly and use it. Now, of course, the display quality of the screen is just about okay for simple control and review of images and videos and is certainly not in the range of a smartphone screen.
The ports for connectivity are located on the left side of the camera, including Mini HDMI, Mini USB, and a Micro SD card slot, which supports UHS-1 speed cards. An abundance of accessories has always been offered by SJCAM. In the case of SJ7 Star, the manufacturer offers a box with waterproof cases along with handles, hooks, and adhesive tapes used for attaching to helmets, motorcycles, or bicycles.
The waterproof casing made by SJCam is made from hard plastic, with a very secure grip, as it is said by the manufacturer, to be waterproof till a depth of 30m. The company also offers a second type of dorsal, in the middle of which is a thin plastic layer, allowing the use of the touch screen. If this back is installed, however, the vest will be water resistant only to more than 1m.
To conclude, the SJ7 Star is well designed and appealing, looking more expensive than its early models with a plastic cover. More glaring is the drawback after using it with the waterproof casing: after some time using it and pressing that button to take a lot of shots, the top finish of this button starts peeling off somewhat.
User experience
I’m ready to bring the SJ7 Star on any trip, thanks to the abundant accessories in the box provided, including a waterproof case and a “selfie stick” attachment. The underwater condition will serve very comfortably: swimming or diving for an extended period would not work with the touch screen.
Touch screen control brings so much more convenience, although it can still be manually adjusted using buttons with just enough functions. SJCam remains intuitive and easy to operate, even with various options. The more important ones are always at the forefront.
From smartphones, the SJCam application available in both iOS and Android versions can connect the camera and control it without actually touching the camera. Connection is easy, and the interface is user-friendly, albeit a little flicker here and there. Furthermore, the manufacturer sells a smart remote, a bracelet accessory that comes in handy.
The speed of the camera is good, good rotation, and good transfer mode. An extra mark in favor of this camera is that it is really fast compared with some of the cheaper models of the SJCam that we have tested.
The battery is rated at 1000mAh (3.8Wh), which is sufficient for approximately 1 hour of continuous video recording. I shot with the camera from early morning until midday, and after about 5 hours of use, the camera was dead. So if you want to take it for a full-day outing, carrying around a spare battery and charger would be handy for charging on the go! Unfortunately the camera has a Mini USB port, which is rather inconvenient as most smartphones charge via MicroUSB or Lightning.
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A real cutting-edge film worker.
Video clarity and detail are very good while shooting during the daytime. The video works on the GYRO foundation and vibration-free performance but is limited only for the max resolution of 60 fps Full HD. Even when tipping or handheld shooting on a tripod riding a motorbike like that shown in the video down below, the image is visibly stable and not jarring in too many areas. However, once higher resolutions are used, this feature gets disabled, and recordings taken while riding are bound to be jarring with poor-quality images.
At max 4K resolution, the image is beautiful and the picture is sharp, but this comes at the cost of losing the shake resistance and occupying more space. For those who have the ability for editing purposes, large resolution still works since it can be zoomed/cropped during editing to give output Full HD video.
When shooting in low-light conditions, those modes with SuperView will serve better illumination. Supports resolution up to 4K at 25fps.
Poor recording capabilities have been inherited from earlier generations and continue to plague SJ7 Star. The videos are filled with noise, wind and the voice of the recorder is not clear while driving. This can be solved by using external microphones but still, it’s a weakness for manufacturers to improve.
When shooting, maximum resolution is 14MP, and 16MP in interpolation mode. This machine supports exposure for as long as one minute, timelapse capture, white balance adjustment, brightness, metering points … quite detailed it is. The image quality is average even by day, when lighting is good. Snapshot is somewhat darker than reality, not so lively as colors, but all these shortcomings can be corrected through software. SJ7 Star’s wide-angle lens is good for landscape, architecture, or even normal daily happenings but in a rather strange view.
It is now obvious that SJ7 Star is not just but another new device. The video recording quality very well and quite good vibration efficiency and resolution, has a mode of rotation for re-adjusting. With this, $200 is the cheapest option for the action camera user who needs the capacity to shoot videos at 4K resolution.