14 DAY TRIAL // You might be thinking otherwise if you’ve never been interested in an action camera, but this particular market is continuously growing, and more and more manufacturers join the fun with more or less advanced models.
Without a doubt, GoPro was, is, and will continue to be the most popular brand when it comes to action cameras, though those who decided to look beyond it and check out other products discovered that the market is full of surprises. And one of them is the SJCAM SJ5000X Elite.
Like many other products created by Chinese companies, the SJCAM SJ5000X Elite is focused on pricing, so it’s a lot more affordable than GoPro models, but without neglecting the performance side in a substantial way. Or at least, that’s what the parent company promises.
But truth be told, the spec sheet looks compelling, to say the least: a 12.4-megapixel sensor, adjustable wide angle that supports up to 170 degrees and 4K video with 24 FPS support places it close to what GoPro offers right now.
The SJ5000X Elite is the first action camera from SJCAM that offers a 2-inch LCD screen, allowing you to browse menus and even check out the recordings easily, without the need for connecting to a bigger screen. The camera is powered by a Novatek NTK9660 chip, and thanks to the 12-megapixel CMOS sensor, it promises to record all your outdoor activities, including water sports.
Because it all sounds too good to be true, we took the SJCAM SJ5000X Elite out for a spin (literally) as part of a longer series of action camera reviews that we’re starting here on Softpedia. Let’s jump straight to the next chapter to see what this model is all about.
The SJCAM SJ5000X Elite can be purchased for just $135 from Gearbest.
DESIGN and BUILD QUALITY
When holding the camera in hand, it’s pretty clear that SJCAM wanted this to be a rugged device, as it feels solid and capable of withstanding the typical shocks that it’s prone to when bungee jumping, scuba diving, or snowboarding at insane speeds.
Even though it’s super-light at just 68 grams, the camera not only that appears to be really tough, but it also feels nice in hand, thanks to the rubber case. Of course, thanks to the available accessories, such as the case created for water sports, you might not see the design of the camera too often, but it’s nice to know that despite the low price, quality is not at all an issue.
SJCAM offers the camera in 7 different colors, namely black, white, silver, gold, blue, red, and white, each looking pretty good, mostly because of the small dimensions of the camera: 6.10 x 2.50 x 4.30 cm / 2.4 x 0.98 x 1.69 inches.
There are 3 different notification LEDs, one next to the shutter and two on the front fascia, but all of which can be disabled for longer battery life. The display also features two additional LEDs, one for battery warnings and another one for charging.
The 2-inch display is the king of the castle on the back of the camera, and it’s there for several purposes, including letting you focus on the subject when taking a pic and watching recordings. A USB connector is also offered for quick transfers, and so is an HDMI port to connect the camera to an HD TV to watch videos like a boss.
The main button on the camera has two different goals: it serves as power on/power off toggle and it lets you fire up the menu, while the 3 side buttons make it possible to browse menus and enable Wi-Fi. At the top, there’s just one button, the shutter, which has the same purpose as the keyboard "enter" when browsing menus.
The bigger surprise comes at the bottom of the camera where the battery resides. The battery unit can be removed, so if you buy extra packs, you could have additional juice wherever you go. Charging is possible via USB with a connection to either a standard wall charger, laptop, or any other power source.
The camera comes with a lot of accessories, including the necessary mounts to use it on your bike or motorcycle. The full list of accessories can be found in the hardware section below.
All in all, the SJCAM SJ5000X Elite is a surprising product at the first encounter, especially because affordable often means poor quality. This isn’t the case this time, so let’s go further to hardware to see what it hides under the pretty case.
HARDWARE
| Chipset | Novatek 96660 |
|---|---|
| Display | LCD, 2", screen resolution: 320x240 |
| Battery | 900 mAh About 80 minutes with WiFi off (at 1080P 60fps and 2K 30fps) |
| Camera | Wide Angle: Adjust between 170° 140° 110° and 70° 12.0 megapixel |
| Video | Video/Image/Audio: Decode Format: H.264 Video format: MP4 Video Resolution: 1080P (1920x1080), 2K (2560x1440) 30fps, 4K (2880x2160), 720P (1280x720) Video System: NTSC, PAL Video Output: AV-Out, HDMI Image Format: JPG |
| Wi-Fi | Yes, up to 10 meters working range |
| Waterproof | IP68 with waterproof case, 30m underwater |
| Features | Motion Detection: Yes HDMI Output: Yes WDR: Yes USB Function: PC-Camera Delay Shutdown : Yes Time Stamp: Yes |
| Ports | Micro HDMI Micro USB Micro SD |
| Size and weight | 6.10 x 2.50 x 4.30 cm / 2.4 x 0.98 x 1.69 inches 68 grams |
The Sony IMX 078 sensor, however, does not support full 4K resolution at 3840x2160 pixels but uses interpolation to boost the original resolution of 2880x2160 pixels to 4K. The camera, however, supports several video resolutions, as it follows:
| 4K interpolated (3840×2160 from 2880×2160) at 24 fps |
| 2K at 30 fps |
| 1080p at 60 fps |
| 720p at 120 fps |
The camera also comes with several filters that can be applied to any video, just in case you feel like a movie director, but during our test, we found ourselves using them on rare occasions, probably because action videos look better in raw quality.
The so-called gyro anti-shake feature is the thing you’re going to look for, there’s no doubt about it, because it makes your videos feel less shaky thanks to optical stabilization, especially when riding a bike. What’s important to know, however, is that this stabilization system appears to work better when recording in 1080p resolution, with results somehow below expectations when switching to 4K.
As far as the photo quality is concerned, the camera offers a maximum resolution of 12-megapixel (4032x3024 pixels), as well as more advanced settings like white balance, with 4 different modes supported: Daylight, Auto, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Cloudy. You can also adjust the ISO between 100 and 1600, but you should set it to Auto if you’re not a skilled photographer. There are several photo shooting modes, as it follows:
| Single Shot |
| Burst-Shot Mode: 3 photos per second |
| Timer: 2s, 3s, 5s, 10s, 20s, 30s, 60s |
| Continuous: 2 seconds, 5 seconds to 10 seconds |
And last but not least, the SJ5000X Elite supports photos and video recording up to 30 meters deep, but only if you’re using the protective case that comes in the box. And speaking of accessories, below is the full list of extra accessories that you’ll find in the box:
| Quick Release Buckle | Housing Backdoor with Holes | Handlebar Seatpost Pole Mount |
| Curved Adhesive Mount | Flat Adhesive Mount; | 3-Way Pivot Arm Mount |
| 2 x 3M Adhesive Tape | Frame Mount | Quick Release Clip for The Frame |
| Vertical Quick Release J-Hook Buckle | Universal 1/4 Camera Tripod Mount | Tripod Mount Adapter |
| Bandage Set | Cleaning Cloth | USB Cable |
| 900mAh Li-ion Battery | Multi-language Manual | SJCAM Sticker |
VIDEO RECORDING
Most of our tests were performed in 1080p resolution at 60 FPS because these are the settings that the majority of people are using with an action camera, as it provides the best mix of video quality and file size. The gyro anti-shake feature was active all the time, though below you can also see a bike ride test without stabilization enabled.
SJCAM SX5000X Elite 4K video sample, riding a bike.
In most of the tests, the camera offers really good video quality, with surprising details and stabilization despite the low price. It shows its limits here and there, and it takes some time to adjust its settings when moving from some light conditions to others, such as when passing under a bridge, but overall it’s hard to complain about anything.
SJCAM SX5000X Elite 4K video sample, low light conditions.
When recording without the stabilization feature enabled, the video is super-shaky, and when riding a bike, for instance, every little move of the biker is automatically transferred to the camera and, in the end, to the video.
The 4K video obviously looks better than the lower resolutions, but on the other hand, the stabilization system becomes substantially less effective this time. Everything looks shaky, almost just like the gyro option wasn’t enabled.
SJCAM SX5000X Elite 4K video sample, riding a bike without stabilization.
There’s also a slow-motion option that offers 3 different zoom settings, namely 2X, 4X, and 8X, and you can see the last one in action in the video below. In low-light, the quality of the recording is substantially reduced with noise everywhere you look, but otherwise offering above-the-average performance of a camera this affordable.
As far as the sound is concerned, this is the main drawback, as performance leaves a lot to be desired, with wind noise covering pretty much everything during a typical bike riding session.
PHOTO SHOOTING
We’ve tried the photo capabilities in different conditions, and we got mixed results, though once again, the SJ5000X Elite proved to be a surprising device.
In the first test, the photo captured well-balanced colors, but with lower detail quality. With auto settings enabled, the Sony IMX 087 12-megapixel sensor with F2.0 adjusted exposure to 1/230 seconds and ISO 100, making the photo look darker and somehow blurry in the lower side.
“The SJ5000X Elite is, first of all, an action camera that's focused on video.”
In the second test, the tree keeps its natural colors, but once again the overall quality leaves a lot to be desired. Once again, the automatic settings seem to be incorrect, with ISO 212 and exposure time to 1/50 seconds. Of course, this is an action camera and not a DSLR, but it’s good to know what to expect when planning to take some still shots.
And last but not least, the third photo was shot with 2X zoom in the same light conditions, this time getting better colors. ISO 212 and 1/50 exposure time leads to lack of detail and contrast though. Photos 2 and 3 with 4x and 8x zoom, respectively, are kind of awful, with noise everywhere you look and complete lack of details.
BATTERY
The SJ5000X Elite uses a removable 900 mAh battery, which allows continuous video recording for up to 70 minutes when 1080p resolution is being used at 60 fps.
When charging from 0 to 100 percent, the process takes 90 minutes, according to our tests when connected to a power bank.
This makes an external battery or a second battery unit must-haves when planning to do some outdoor activities, especially if you’re planning on recording videos that are longer than an hour. This is the area where SJCAM needs to improve in future updates, and hopefully, the next generation would include a bigger battery unit.
| Power Supply | 3.7V / 3.33 Wh |
|---|---|
| Charging | USB charge by PC |
| Working time | About 80 minutes with WiFi off at 1080P 60fps and 2K 30fps |
THE BOTTOM LINE
It goes without saying that the SJ5000X Elite was developed from the very beginning to be used for video recording and not for taking pics.
When it comes to hardware, this camera is surprising, to say the least, not to mention the plethora of accessories that it includes right in the box. As for software, it’s pretty easy to use, and it takes only a couple of minutes to set up the device and start recording.
While the video quality is impressive, not the same thing can be said about audio, with sound turning to wind noise whenever speed exceeds 5 km/h. As for stabilization, which is probably the most important thing for an action camera, it works correctly in 1080p, but it becomes ineffective when switching to 4K.
Thanks to Wi-Fi support, the SJ5000X Elite can be paired with a smartphone running Android or iOS and with the companion app, to watch and transfer videos and photos. You also get a live view of the camera and change settings on the go.
What we learned, however, is that even though you configure the camera to record in 4K using a connected phone, the device automatically switches to 1080p, so you need to manually configure this resolution from the camera’s settings.
Overall, the SJ5000X Elite is a pretty good camera with awesome design, user-friendly interface, and lots of accessories that allow you to use it pretty much everywhere you go.
There still are things that need to be improved, that’s for sure, such as battery life, stabilization, and smartphone capabilities, but SJCAM delivers firmware updates every once in a while, and hopefully, these bugs would be addressed soon as well.
The SJ5000X Elite offers incredibly good value for the money, especially when compared with its much more expensive rivals. It’s certainly worth the money, and it could go beyond that if SJCAM keeps up the good work and delivers high-quality firmware updates in the future.
