SJCam SJ8 Pro - comprehensive review! (compared with Gopro7, SJ7)

[@Rcschim]

a few updates (collected from your comments and my answers): - Updated firmware (for higher bitrates): goo.gl/abcA8Y - pricepoint: found this cam around 150$ at gearbest! - mic quality: didnt mention this in review - but it's actually good!

[@themachine444]

As a matter of fact, I came upon that forum yesterday as well after I found out the bitrate for 1080p was only 18kbps. Have you tried those firmware? Keep up the good videos!

[@NeumiHD]

Hi Schim

[@Rcschim]

As a viewer asked me about bitrate again I tried the "Nutsey" mod 4.1 from the link above. It actually increases 1080p60 footage from 18mbit to 36 - which is really good news if you want nice detail in moving scenes (not so much of a problem on stationary shots). Attention: after the MOD firmware - the cam is on default - you need to INCREASE the quality setting to "fine" to get the higher bitrate!

[@managementmedia1190]

l personally think there using bad cards. l have a SJ4000 WIFI no big issues. But in saying that l just brought the HERO 7 Black with a additional 2 years unlimited warranty in Australia 550 AU. Again l here reports freezing. l been driving myself crazy for 3 days So l.just made a choice based on what lm filming with the camera..The high res is important shooting models

[@managementmedia1190]

@@Rcschim But this SJ8 is a nice camera. I nearly got the SJ9 STTIKE. But not many reviews there. End of the day hero 7 hard to beat

[@SergeGolikov]

Thanks for this comparative review, I still have the SJ7 and SJ8 Pro, and have ordered the Hero 10. This was very enlightening!

[@RawTopShot]

Nice! I agree with you on WDR, it is a little lacking, but it comes alive when the sun is out. Beautiful and it seems accurate colours. The stabilise function seems good, but obviously not quite as good as Go-Pro 7. I think SJ8 gives it a good run for its money. Excellent review again Mario, it's really good to see side by side comparisons like this. 🏆🏆🏆

[@Gwen667]

Super Video, sehr guter Cam Vergleich! Der Wetter-Wechsel-Übergangseffekt ist dir ganz toll gelungen, mehr davon bitte! Ewig schade um die schöne alte Renauer Villa und besonders die großen Bäume die für die neuen Wohnungen fallen mussten...

[@BOKI797]

RCSchim You sure do a Great job setting up & showing the difference in Cameras ! Another Great Video on the Cameras ! Thanks your always so Good ! I like the Go Pro Myself ! Thanks for the Video !

[@Rcschim]

Thanks for the kind words Dave!

[@hussainwarraich8139]

Excellent review 👌 👏

[@panthai272]

Immerwieder Klasse diese ausführlichen und wirklich informativen Test s von dir!

[@Rcschim]

Danke, wünschte nur ich hätte die Cam nicht mit 2 Monaten Verspätung bekommen (weil die nach Ungarn anstatt Österreich geschickt wurde :)

[@BBFPV]

@@Rcschim Österreichisch-Ungarische Monarchie 😂😂😂 die sind nur uptodate

[@CradyLab]

Excellent review, Mario. The GP7 may be the overall winner but the performance of the SJ8 is still very impressive - especially for its price. What a pity the old villa had to come down =(

[@watersprite7983]

Nice video. I agree the GoPro did better in the woods by being more sharp of picture, though with a faint foggy background. The SJCam SJ8 didn't have near as much background fogginess, but wasn't as sharp. All in all, for the performance per dollar spent, the SJCam wins easily. I really liked what I saw of the SJCam entry and I will be purchasing one shortly.

[@Rcschim]

Hi, SJCam is really nice for it's price. If you wanna film in 1080p make sure to check the modded firmware that allows much higher bitrate!

[@newearth-sylvie-ivanova]

best review

[@MCsCreations]

Fantastic cameras, man. Beautiful images! 😃 Thanks for the tests and comparison! 😊

[@managementmedia1190]

very professional and a lovely home. Please tell me is the SJ8 NOT problems with freezing

[@Rcschim]

I read it in the comments here, but I didn't have issues with freezing...

[@Techdragonz]

You should try the MODX firmware, highers the bitrate and helps with other issues! Absolute killer camera with that mod

[@alasdair4161]

The image looks to have superior contrast depth to Gopro, the only thing I could fault was the EIS was playing catchup which made frequent step jumps, buy it still looks like a contender. Great review, thanks.

[@Rcschim]

Thanks. I think the way better stabilizer comes from advanced algorithms which may require really much CPU power and RAM. RAM was one of the few hardware changes between GP6 and 7... On the beginning the 3 horizontal green landscapes: here I think the SJ7 looked sharpest :) but this may as well be because it had no stabilizer enabled while the other cams had...

[@ytmani550k]

Buy camera Kaisa Hai Ye Go

[@ytmani550k]

Nice video bro

[@CoppertopFPV]

Another brilliant review, I could watch yours for hours lol soothing at bedtime. Have you tried the stabilise function on a better 5” quad? Didn’t seem to have much of a chance on that one. I’m guessing the GoPro would struggle also? (Can’t remember if you used the same one). Looks a bargain if it works well in the air (even without stabilisation)

[@trt969]

Your camera reviews are awesome...

[@bwxmoto]

They had Gopro hero7 blacks on sale for $316 no tax free shipping here in the US the other day. I missed out on that but got one for $375 with a battery and memory card. Was going to get an SJ or other 4k action cam but when spending that much, might as well just get the best I guess. Been comparing these for months but couldn't decide.

[@MunsKi]

hello,what video editor are you using?

[@Rcschim]

former Sony Vegas (now Magix Vegas) and currently they have version 17 out. Really good editor! Wanted to move to Premiere several times - but I dont wanna re-learn all - and Vegas is also very capeable and fast for me...

[@TheMadmacs]

really impressive camera, did the gopro have a wider field of view? wider than 170? now that i have discovered how to fix lens distortion a bit and get a truer cinema style without any cropping i am happy to have as wide a view as possible.

[@Rcschim]

Without checking it I'd say their fov is about the same. If different then because of stabilization zooming in...

[@TheMadmacs]

@@Rcschim ah cool, thanks, go have a look at my vid ''superview for cinema style''

[@greatselfies6369]

Good work

[@locouk]

I wonder what the 3 axis video stabilisation on the Plus, you certainly eat a good bang for your buck with the pro version.

[@Rcschim]

Yes, feel much more confident to mount 150$ on a fast risky quad flight than the 400$ GPS...

[@MPQuads237]

Looks good. Are you going to test it also on quadcopter? Thanks for the review.

[@RawTopShot]

MPQuads He just did!

[@MPQuads237]

@@RawTopShot Oh, I missed that. I could not watch it till end. Now I see. Thanks for pointing that out.

[@razgriz3238]

can the SJ8 pro do fpv? or is the firefly 8se better? my fpv gimbal car needs extra stabilization from EIS.

[@cirykpopeye7587]

I'm looking into buying an SJ8 Pro, I did hear many had freezing issues. Are you experiencing this after the FW updates?

[@Rcschim]

maybe one or two freezes in all my testing. Didnt use it extremly often, but the last time I took a timelapse (my ski video from today, the car shot at the end) it worked flawless.

[@albertonovales]

Hello, I bought my camera Sjcam8 pro and when I record my videos like yours, I cant hear my voice. Instead of that, an annoying noise can be heared. Could you help me, please?

[@Rcschim]

Sorry, don’t know the problem. Maybe try firmware upgrade, set mic Volume lower, try another resolution or codec (does the sj8 do h265 and h264?)

[@alexakrivos]

some info for cj8 pro lenses?does it have many options?thank you.

[@donmistral]

Sjcam 8 pro vs yi 4k plus ? Which do you find better in terms of quality image ? It' the same price tag.

[@Rcschim]

Hi, I only have the older Yi 4k (non plus). The yi4k plus is older than the SJ8 pro - I guess the SJ is a bit better - but I cant really tell. The Yi4k is great for build quality, touch screen response, batterylife - I assume this also translates to the newer yi4k+.

[@tekoppentekoppen761]

Hmm. Will it fit my Tarot 2D gimbal? My old cam is a gopro Hero +3.

[@Rcschim]

well, I didnt measure myself - but these are the official dimensions of both: SJ8 pro: 62.5 mm * 41 mm * 28.8 mm GP3: 41 x 59 x 21/30 mm. The two depth measurements vary depending on whether the protruding lens is taken into account (on Gopro - not sure about SJ8)

[@modificationsdrives]

Hi How would you rate digital image stabilization compared to other competing cameras???

[@Rcschim]

I'd say it's as good as most cams - with the exception of Gopro7 hypersmooth - which is outstanding.

[@modificationsdrives]

@@Rcschim Thanks for the information. I have this camera in the basket on Aliexpress and I hesitate to choose a cheaper alternative, which is very popular and quite highly rated - AKASO V50 pro. I need it for mounting on a motorcycle - hayabusa. If I get lost at high speeds, I will not despair ($ 115). pl.aliexpress.com/af/Akaso-V50.html?SearchText=Akaso+V50&d=y&initiative_id=SB_20190120104909&origin=n&catId=0&isViewCP=y&jump=afs Do you have a plan in a comparative test of this camera?

[@EricDIY]

I have now switched to the GoPro Hero 7 Black....My SJCAM SJ8 Pro broke within a couple of months of using it (shut off and wouldn't turn on at all). SJCAM told me to contact the seller which I did who offered to send me a new one...it never arrived. They supposedly sent a second (from Malaysia again) it never arrived again. Then the seller said they would refund me...never happened despite repeated promises. I contacted SJCAM to tell them I wanted to get a replacement and sent them video of the malfunction (like I did to the seller). They erased my help ticket like it never existed...I haven't heard back from them...I'm done with SJCAM...which is sad because I like the SJ7 STAR for cockpit audio when I fly. The only problem I've had with the two SJ7 STAR cameras is that the micro usb port has broken off in both cameras (I superglued a micro usb to usb cable on the second one before it totally broke off so I could keep using it in the plane while charging it at the same time with a USB power supply). The first SJ7 would not record sound after the micro usb port broke (while using the plug in official SJCAM microphone. The GoPro Hero 7 surpasses everything...that's all I'm saying..the only problem is that it's never going to be as cheap as SJCAM. I did all of my video reviewing with the SJ7 and SJ8 but they will be retired soon with GoPro cameras. The hypersmooth technology is what sold me and it is great. I do not have room in the plane to have a gyro. UPDATE: They also took down my 2nd help ticket without anything said....DO NOT BUY SJCAM!!!!....or should we call it SCAM and make the J silent?

[@abivky]

Sjcam 8 or yi 4k? Can u suggest?

[@Rcschim]

Sj8 because it is much more recent!

[@kubaistube]

Very comprehensive review indeed. Thanks. That bitrate for 4k is a joke.

[@Rcschim]

Thanks! Maybe we have to re-think bitrate requirements with h265. For mainstream application production quality bitrates dont matter that much (action sports guys dont wanna edit extremly large files I guess). And you see: the SJ7 with much higher BR looked worse than SJ8 (on that tree sample shot in the beginning).

[@Rcschim]

apparently there's a modded firmware that let's you use 130mbit? I just found this and need to test - but sounds like a nice option for the quality nerds :)

[@kubaistube]

@@Rcschim Totally agree that it´s not just about bitrate. But having good HW that is capable of good picture and allowing only low bitrates is kind of shame. I had the same happening with my Firefly 8s and only thanks to modded FW (not all chipsets are moddable atm) I could have 110Mbps instead of 40. As for h265 I thought you were talking about 40Mbps @h264, not @h265, sorry, my bad.

[@Techdragonz]

@@Rcschim This mod is what I was talking about just 2 minutes ago haha...Exactly the reason I bought the SJCam... Its now only 130EURO!!!

[@Hoggdoc1946]

Does this camera have any provision for external mics without using an adapter?

[@Rcschim]

They have an option for external mic but since there is only usbc port you have to use an adapter.

[@Rcschim]

The mic built in is actually really good btw...

[@taqyon]

Thanks! Is it possible to zoom using pwm?

[@Rcschim]

I think there is no pwm support since they now use USB c, but I didn't look if there is an adapter avail...

[@taqyon]

@@Rcschim Andrew Newton's review mentioned pwm for record on off etc, was hoping one could zoom in fpv!

[@bwxmoto]

Is that the Gopro 7 black or silver?

[@Rcschim]

Black

[@watersprite7983]

Well after watching this video, and another 20 like it, I went out and bought me the SJ8 Pro kit. Boy was that a mistake! The camera that I received has a defective speaker straight from the factory and SJCAM support has basically told me touch luck, and are doing nothing to remedy the issue. I've done everything to correct the problem I can think of - checking all the right buttons in the menus, new quality sd-micro mem card, and using the camera without the waterproof case, and although the volume level is turned up to 10, the maximum, I can barely hear any sound with my ear pressed up against the camera's speaker. The videos that I produced with the camera play just fine on my computer, with solid sound, so I know the units microphones are working. But play the same video on the camera and silence. So there you have it...1.) SJCAM has an issue with quality control from their factory and, 2.) SJCAM does not care if the camera works or not once it is sold. Buyer beware!

[@retiredpainter259]

watersprite thanks for that I was gonna buy one ,, not now

[@KrzychOlsztyn]

Put this cam on racing drone and try it 😃

[@Rcschim]

Yep, I will. As I said before: much more relaxed flying with a cheaper cam than the gp7 ;)

[@MarinaBeach5]

👍🎥🎬📷🎼✨🌍👍

[@greatselfies6369]

🤗😁👏👏🚀

[@shirouwildfluff4542]

Omg is very destroyed and hi I'm Pekkalord from Rec Room

[@Rcschim]

Keine Ahnung was du meinst, aber danke für den Kommentar war eine lustige Runde Golden trophy!

[@ducfilms6647]

Sj8 xài củng được nhỉ.

[@wildhog3217]

Here's a sample of my video, tell me what you think and thanks: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mqOyeWqvjcdreZY I think this camera is decent. I'm disappointed though of the lower bit rate that it records, especially at 1080p. I also have some issues of it freezing up at start up. Have to remove battery to turn it off. I've tried firmware versions v1.2.0 through v1.2.9 and had the same freezing results. I'm using a 32gb Sandisk Extreme Pro Class 10 and U3 rated for 4K videos.

[@Rcschim]

maybe try another card? I dont remeber a lot of freezing up on mine. maybe once or twice?

[@wildhog3217]

@@Rcschim What card did you use?

[@Rcschim]

@@wildhog3217 sorry, dont remember. probbably a kingston 32gb but I dont remember the details, sorry.

[@NeumiHD]

Hi schim

[@BBFPV]

To big for my 2 inch Kwad 😂

[@pujakumari3649]

I want to sell the same sjcam 8 pro camera Because of some emergency it's only 4 months old and location is Delhi. If someone interested to buy then please let me know