Almost all cheaper action cameras have no water resistance without a case. The good news: all in this test bar the GoPro Hero 7 White come with one as standard. The bad news: these cases ruin audio capture and also spoil image quality to an extent. They put a layer of plastic between the subject and the camera lens, which is far less crystal clear than it looks. The ideal is still an action cabers with baked-in water resistance. Don’t use the waterproof housing unless you need to. What is a good cheap GoPro? However, we encountered more basic problems here than with the other cheap action cameras. Try to change the field of view, or switch electronic image stabilization (EIS) on and off, and the Campark often just won’t play ball. Make these tweaks and the preview image, and resulting video, just stay as they were before. This also doesn’t appear to be a true 4K camera in most modes, as footage recorded using the '4K/30p' and '4K/60p' modes is 3200 x 1800 resolution, not 3840 x 2160. The 4K/60p mode, which would otherwise be standard-setting, also uses a restrictive crop that further reduces captured detail. It looks more like 1080p. The Apeman A77 can record in native 4K Ultra HD which is amazing for a low-budget action camera, it uses a 170° super wide-angle 7G lens to provide video and 16MP photos even in low light. The negative thing is, it doesn’t have a touch screen which is becoming more popular every day with an action camera and it doesn’t do well in low-light. The camera can also go underwater very deep up to 30m (100ft) with the waterproof case.

We were bowled over by the sheer wealth of accessories most of these cheapo cameras include. But have a look over the product listing to make sure the one you want is included. Remotes are a surprise hit, a fantastic 'freebie' that lets you shoot stills of video with the press of a button. Cyclists take particular note, as handlebar grips need a specific accessory. It’s capable to record up to 4K full HD to 30 frames per second, and it’s able to record for 180 minutes. The videos captured with this action camera are stored in.MP4 format under the H.264 codecThe Akaso Brave 7 LE also leans heavily on noise reduction as the light level dips, making your footage appear soft regardless of the resolution. Electronic image stabilization is fair, but a little jumpy, as if it only catches up on motion at a delay, rather than aiming to make pans appear smooth. The A77 also has the option of Time Lapse in Photo mode and other picture features, something I greatly appreciate and the possibility of putting the resolutions of the pictures in 4:3 or 16:9 format. The Apeman A77 is a GoPro alternative and very impressive for its price. Apeman is a successful action camera brand that most people don’t know about, this model, the Apeman A77 is one of the most sold action cameras, in this review we discover why it’s so popular. It offers 4K quality and 16MP pictures. The Apeman A77 uses Electronic Image Stabilization, built-in Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS) that detects the position and motion changes when the camera moves or shakes, which is impressive to gets rid of the horrible jerky jumping most action cameras have. The Apeman can also have multiple ways of control to enjoying a hands-free control of your camera via simple voice commands. Or conveniently control it remotely. Moreover, you can edit and share your special-effect pics with ThiEYE Cam App on your Android or iOS devices instantly.

Sure, it won’t drop down to anything like the prices of some cameras in this list, but you could well see significant amounts shaved off its current price, making it a great value option. How we test action cameras It's a shame because the camera has a responsive, fairly pretty UI with more gloss than another models at the price. Stabilization is also among the best in its class, able to make walking speed motion look very smooth. We did wonder if electronic image stabilization caused image quality degradation, but turning it off had no effect on clarity. Its microphone quality is solid too. Voices sound louder and clearer than any of the ultra-cheap cameras, second only to the Akaso Brave 7 LE. The X30 Xtreme V has a touchscreen and a decent interface, which is very similar to that of the Apeman A100 and Kaiser Baas V50 (above).

Apeman A77 Review

The V50 Pro's 4K video benefits from basic electronic image stabilization (EIS) tech that does work better as you drop down to 2.7K/30fps and 1080p/60fp, but 4K video is always watchable. There are tons of modes, from slo-mo and fast-mo to time-lapse file length limits (to one, three or five minutes). That’s because as well as respectable results it comes with a host of extras that you really shouldn’t expect at this low price. On the camera itself there’s a 170-degree wide-angle lens, a large touchscreen and a very welcome 1/4-inch tripod thread (something no GoPro has), with the only quirk being a Mini USB slot for recharging its internal 1,100 mAh battery. Mini USB? They haven’t been in circulation for a decade! The definition, focus, and detail is good quality. It comes with a multitude of accessories so you can use it to get better footage. Action cameras are among the toughest cameras around, so we properly put them through their paces to make sure they live up to their rugged billing – and can shoot excellent video and stills, too.

Akaso’s user interface is great. It’s touchscreen-led and has the touch of gloss you don’t see in most other GoPro clones. Dare we say it: for the basics it’s faster and more intuitive than GoPro’s own.Creating a good first impression is one thing, but Akaso has put more effort into other areas too. The Akaso Brave LE 7’s audio quality is better than any other non-GoPro tested here when used in a quiet environment. The quality of the mic is good. As it uses a single mic it’s highly susceptible to wind noise, but there is a basic wind noise reduction mode that helps a bit. Still, there’s only so much you can do with a single mic array.

The X450 also has the best non-GoPro stabilization in this guide too. To get this effect, an action camera has to make good use of a gyroscope, which can tell when natural handshake causes a little tilt motion. It can’t offer anything close to the gimbal-like stabilization of an Insta360 or GoPro, but for a cheap action camera we’re impressed. The Apeman A77 is a GoPro alternative from the brand of Apeman with an affordable price and decent video quality. The Apeman A77 lets you take photos up to 16MP with 4K recording, and allows you to use other cool features as well as record underwater with the case and use the many accessories it comes with. What’s the best cheap action camera right now? We think the Kaiser Baas X450 is the top affordable action cam for most people. Its build is basic and its audio performance isn't anything to write home about, but it’s also lightweight at 73g and can capture lovely, detailed 4K footage at 30fps. Plus it has the best stabilization of any non-GoPro camera in this guide. The Apeman A77 is waterproof and comes with 2 batteries. The protective case is waterproof and impact-resistant, which makes it possible to shoot videos underwater up to 30m. It also comes with 2 rechargeable 1050mAh batteries to never let you miss a wonderful time and an external charger. If there’s one word to sum up the Akaso V50 X, it’s 'soft'. Its 4K video is less sharp than the cheaper Akaso EK7000’s, and that’s a camera we recommend using at 2.7k or 1080p because 4K doesn’t bring much benefit. Whether Akaso used the wrong lens, wrong sensor or the wrong processing, something is not quite right in the Akaso V50 X.We go through a similar process to analyze each camera's image stabilization, which is crucial to maintaining image quality during movement, and look at the quality of any special shooting modes too, including slo-mo and timelapses. It’s compatible with most accessories like all of the GoPro accessories. It uses pretty cheaply but decent quality batteries which can last up to 180min. The Akaso EK7000 looks an awful lot like the Dragon Touch Vision 4 Lite (see below). It has the same diamond pattern sides, an all-button interface, and those buttons sit in exactly the same spots. It has also fewer features – no stabilization and a slightly worse screen – but we liked it more and it’s a decent buy if your budget is very tight. EIS, electronic image stabilization, is a must if you want remotely smooth-looking video. A totally non-stabilized camera is a reminder how much our hands move even when standing still. However, if the budget is really tight you can add this smoothing with software on your laptop. And the EIS of really cheap cameras is completely useless anyway. The Campark X30 Xtreme V is a mid-priced budget camera. It costs more than the ultra-cheap models, but dips below the Apeman A100 – and for some people, it may be the sweet spot. For example, the reassuringly solid X30 Xtreme V feels has a built-in tripod thread. You can mount it without any accessories at all, although the exposed ports mean that’s probably a bad idea, unless you’re shooting indoors or on a sunny day.