Home Reviews ,,,,, It's true, with the new iPhone 7 it is possible to record videos even underwater or during a sandstorm in the desert without having to close it inside an envelope. However, to record videos in particular situations such as during a snowboard descent, a boat trip or a motorcycle trip, the action camera is still the best solution, not only because it is much smaller and more discreet but also because it offers a angle of view most suitable for this type of shooting. It is also an independent device, which does not affect the autonomy of the smartphone, nor does it affect its use during registration.
Cyber Layman in the past has had the opportunity to try dozens of various brands and different price ranges, evaluating the pros and cons for each model examined. In today's review we talk about Takihoo's action cam, a name unknown to us but which, following our tests, we decided to mention due to – in the case of the product in question – the excellent quality / price ratio.
Not surprisingly, reading among the comments of those who have tried it before us, it turns out that it is actually the Eken H8s , the acronym of which we have also verified the presence within the Action camera Settings in the Firmware Info panel. Even this name might not tell you anything, in reality it is a fairly well-known manufacturer in the sector (here website and Facebook page) and which among other things participated with its own stand at the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas last January. .
Positive vote for the case and the large range of accessories
First of all, there is no sales package but this is far from being criticized. Instead of boxes and tins, the action cam arrives at home inside a semi-rigid case that protects the contents in an excellent way thanks to the thick foam inserts and that, just for how is conceived, it is also useful after the first unpacking.
Foldable with a zip, it is equipped with two handles and facilitates the transport of all accessories either by hand or by letting it wander inside a backpack. The accessories then do not have to be purchased separately: in fact, in the package there are all the most common ones and which cover the main methods of use, from plates to attach the camera to the helmet, bicycle handlebars, tripods, selfie rods and much more.
In addition to the classics, in addition to the classic kits supplied we have an additional battery , an excellent choice as it is one of those accessories that, those who make extensive use of action cameras, first or later will have to buy separately. Like the one already inserted in the camera, it offers 1,050 mAh, enough to ensure more than an hour of continuous shooting.
Then there is a remote control for the remote control of the action camera, complete with a band to attach it to the wrist or handlebars of motorcycles and bicycles to always have it at hand.
How it is made
The action cam aesthetically does not differ much from the others currently on the market. Taken in hand it is apparently heavier (the kitchen scale tells us that it weighs 75 grams including the battery) and is characterized by a thin rubber coating that covers the whole shell.
It stands out from the crowd because of the secondary display , recessed on the front, which shows some very useful information during recording, especially if you turn the lens towards yourself for a video- selfie. Specifically, this screen, in addition to indicating whether we are in photo mode or video mode (complete with an abbreviation for the resolution for both), tells us how many shots we have taken and how many we still have available or, in the case of video recording, if we are actually recording and, if so, for how many minutes, through a time counter.
How it works e what can it do
There are only three buttons: On / Off, Rec and WiFi. We say “only” because in fact, during use, we missed the two directional buttons that we usually found in action cameras of the same price range. Here, in fact, to scroll through the menu items it is necessary to press the On / Off key, with a click of the Rec key the selection is confirmed.
You get used to the system quickly, however if in a hurry we click the power button once too often while scrolling, we will be forced to make the complete turn again to return to the desired item. In short, there is no key to go back (from this point of view it would have been preferable to associate this function with the WiFi key at least in the menu).
The cam offers four different capture modes: video, photo, burst and time lapse. The parameters of each of them can be adjusted in the settings menu.
As for the videos , you can choose between different resolutions, starting from 4K 3840 x 2160 pixels at 30 fps, passing to 2K (2560 x 1440 pixels) with the same framerate. Going down in resolution the fps go up, specifically it is possible to opt for Full HD 1920 x 1080 pixels at 60 fps or for HD at 1280 x 720 pixels at 120 fps.
Movies are automatically cut into 1 or 5 minute clips, so any software glitches while shooting will only lose five minutes of recording in the worst case scenario. In this sense it is important to activate the Looping video to avoid that the camera only records a clip of 1–5 minutes and then goes into standby.
It is also possible to decide whether to show the time and date, or only the latter, imprinted during the entire shoot, or whether to completely disable this option. Exposure is automatically adjusted by the system according to the lighting conditions, however it is possible to manually compensate by ± 0.3, 0.7, 1.0, 1.3, 1.7, 2.0 stops, immediately adapting the shot to the scene. For example, in a cave with poor lighting it might be more convenient to increase the starting exposure, vice versa in strong lighting conditions a negative compensation could offer better results. In 99% of cases it is unlikely that this value will be handled, but in order to avoid hours and hours of throwaway footage, it is advisable to do some test recordings and check the final result, possibly via WiFi, directly on the smartphone.
Takihoo's action cam can also take photos from 14 MP to 4320 x 3248 pixels, both with single shots and with bursts ( burst) from 3 photos in 1 second, 7 photos in 2 seconds, 15 photos in 4 seconds or 30 photos in 8 seconds.
Finally, it is possible to record videos in time lapse , i.e. taking photographs at predefined intervals (every 3, 5, 10, 20, 30 or 60 seconds) which will then be automatically mounted by the software in a video that tells hours and hours of filming in a few minutes. This function is very convenient for recording, for example, sunrise and sunset, a motorcycle trip or the movement of stars at high altitudes (well away from light pollution).
In our opinion, the translation of the menu into the Italian language should be improved. Our tests were carried out with the firmware version STD_EKHK 161031, where the English language is preferable for a better tracing and understanding of the various functions.
How are you doing
Unfortunately in recent weeks the weather has not been favorable at all, forcing us to take a manual video recording in the city at least to be able to evaluate the quality of the recovery.
The camera records very well, with an excellent color spectrum rendering. Noise is very present at night and in low-light scenes, albeit still fully appreciable. Credit for the excellent quality of the files certainly goes to the Panasonic MN34110 sensor, the same that we find in the SJ5000 + among other things. In rapid exposure changes, it tends to overexpose the scene initially, and then correct it by bringing it back to the right value without disturbing the view, with a quick but gradual transition.
We did some tests in 4K even if when uploading the video example you find below, for reasons of data consumption, we limited ourselves to Full HD mode at 60 fps.
Shooting in 4K is uniquely better from the point of view of resolution but can only be used in small doses: both the latter and 2K, the video looping option is not selectable, this means that the camera is able to record short clips of 1 or 5 minutes only. With HD and Full HD, however, the camera records continuously until the memory in the microSD card is exhausted.
There is also a big limitation in the choice of microSD . In fact, the software does not recognize cards with a capacity of less than 32 GB. The same user manual clarifies that you must necessarily use 32 GB or 64 GB class 10 cards, a limit probably imposed by 4K which requires precise performance and spaces to guarantee the quality that is expected. Furthermore, the video stabilization is missing, a feature not difficult to find today in this product category and which, considering the general quality of the camera, we would certainly have preferred to find even in the face of a list price. greater.
Although 4K recording is available at a rather important framerate (lower quality cameras hardly exceed 15 fps for 4K), from our tests we nevertheless appreciated the better versatility of Full HD, both for the 60 fps which ensure greater fluidity (as well as the possibility of slightly slowing down some scenes for effective slow motion), and for continuous recording. It should also be noted that, with a 32GB memory, there is room for about 60 minutes in Full HD @ 60fps, 80 minutes in 4K @ 30fps, 120 minutes in 2K @ 30fps.
The room is also excellent from the point of view of the photographs . below we show you some sample photos where you can better appreciate not only the color rendering, in our opinion better than many others, even higher-end ones, but also for the details, of which we include some crops for further information. It is also surprising for the color rendition of the skin, which some rooms usually tend to liven up too much with brighter shades of pink and purple. In backlighting it generally tends to underexpose the scene, but nothing that cannot be solved with a click from the smartphone or computer from which the files are processed (in our case, however, we offer you images without any retouching).
example photo 
100% and 200% crop 
other photo 
where there is more light it tends to underexpose the scene 
another example of underexposure 
the wide angle is very strong, photographing subjects shows a strong distortion 
which can however be circumvented with vertical shots and then cutting the image. an example is this photo 
photo with the “sun” behind 
crop at 100% and 200%
Again with regard to our experience of use, we point out the dancer operation of the remote control. We are not able to delve into this topic as it is not excluded that we may have a defective model in our hands. In this case, the remote control allows you to start / stop video recording or take photographs through two separate keys without interacting with the camera up to 8 meters away. Unfortunately, even at super close distances, the click is recognized on average once in three, unfortunately making it unreliable for more interesting uses, such as control with the camera attached to the helmet.
As anticipated, the action cam integrates a WiFi module for remote control from the smartphone. It is sufficient to pair it through the Ez iCam app , free for iPhone and Android, which allows you to use the phone screen as a wireless monitor (convenient for setting the right shot when mounting it in a point where it is not possible to see live video footage from the built-in screen, once again we return to the example of the helmet).
From the app it is also possible to manage the acquisition of photos and videos or download files directly to the phone memory, a very convenient option to retouch them on the fly and upload them to the web. The interface is very simple and essential: in the current version (3.0.3) there is a development error in landscape mode, which essentially cuts half the video. However, by keeping the phone vertically, it is comfortable and easy to use.
The streaming is excellent: there is practically only a few milliseconds of latency between the two parts, plus the app offers some built-in video editing functions, thus allowing the user to perform cuts and adjustments without switching between apps.
Conclusions
This camera turned out to be an excellent alternative to others especially for those who want to start recording action videos right away. The shooting quality is excellent, even the photographs are of high quality, the controls are simple, it offers the most common acquisition modes and in the package there is really everything you need to start using it right away, complete with a briefcase. which facilitates transport.
The price is great considering the accessories already included, without forgetting the extra battery and slow motion available up to 120 fps with HD shooting.
Pro
Case with accessories already included Remote control and additional battery Front secondary display Slow motion up to 120 fps WiFi, excellent streaming with smartphone
Against
Translation in Italian that can be improved There is a lack of directional keys to scroll through the menu items No continuous recording for 2K and 4K Only supports 32 GB and 64 GB class 10 microSD cards Unreliable remote control (is ours faulty?) Lacks video stabilization
Retail price
The Takihoo action camera is on sale on Amazon for 159.99 euros. However, thanks to a collaboration between Cyber Layman and the manufacturer, it is possible to pay only 119.99 euros (40 euros discount) by entering the code TNCWB3OM . This promotion will only be valid until March 1st 2017.
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