Can I get away with a 2 axis gimbal?

[Chris Harding]

Hi Mark

The model gimbal that Noa and I have (except he has the 3 axis one) are specifically made to mount a GoPro so since Noa has spent a heap of money on the gimbal it would probably be difficult to try and modify the mount (and have enough space for a phone) ... he has his gimbal already plus the GoPro is on it's way hence the reluctance to use a phone in it's place ..he probably would have to end up getting a new gimbal that could fit a phone.

I'm sure a phone would work much the same... do phones have a wide angle view like an action cam or do you need a fisheyes lens? I can see the advantage however of having on board monitoring. My SJ4000 has an LCD but in the mount the sensor blocks the LCD almost totally sadly but I will just link it to a little 2.5" lcd behind the gimbal roll motor

Chris

[Noa Put]

Didn't hear about that sj4000 before and from the reviews I read it seems to compare quite well to the gopro3 when it comes to image quality, considering it's so cheap. How long does it record on one battery? Do you know if it has the same dimensions and weight as the gopro? The gopro4 is too expensive to use it in situations where it might get damaged (like when you attach it outside a moving vehicle) but such a sj4000 would be a good replacement for shots that have some risk involved, for almost 7 times the price differences it wouldn't hurt that much if you would loose one.

And yes, my gimbal is only suitable for a gopro, if it proves to be a working solution to even replace my steadicam I might look into a similar 3 axis gimbal suitable for a panasonic lx100. The only thing I do worry about is reliability, it's still lots of electronics and can let you down during a important recording, something you don't have to worry about with a normal steadicam.

[Chris Harding]

Hi Noa

The ones I bought come with 3 batteries and I yet to have a battery die on me. At just over $100 here including all the mounts they are a steal and the built in LCD is very good!

On the gimbal you need to buy two M2 x 30 machine screws to replace the GoPro M2x 22 mm as they are just too short ..otherwise dimensions are identical ..their mounts also fit Hero mounts and the mounts they give you are far more useful too!! Lots of mounts with both 1/4" studs and threads for stand/tripod mounting

Chris

[Roger Gunkel]

I'd agree with Chris that the dimensions are virtually identical. I can mount my SJ4000 on my Phantom GoPro gimbal with no alterations. The battery life seems to be about the same as the GoPro although I do have an external battery power pack if I am anticipating running over an hour.

There has been a lot of discussion on which cameras are original and which are fake and there is quite a bit of variation in price. The official SJcam model apparently uses the Novatek board and firmware and there are a couple of rebadged identical cams that all have the same components. I believe Qumox is one of them, but due to the ridiculously low price, I decided to take a gamble and order this one from Novatek SJ4000 Novatek 1080P 30fps 12MP H.264 1.5Inch 170°: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics
Bearing in mind that I could buy seven of these for the price of one GoPro hero 3 in the UK, it seems like a risk worth taking, especially as it seems to be identical to the one I bought a month or so ago that has been excellent.

I'll report back when it arrives in about 3 weeks.

Roger

[Noa Put]

There are several comparison videos online and from I can see so far the main differences are that the sj4000 has issues with correct whitebalancing and doesn't do smooth transfer in exposure, below a video I found that shows the problem. He shot it waving the thing around but you can see the exposurejumps on the sj400 when he goes from the ground to the sky, the gopro colour is also much warmer.

SJ4000 vs GoPro 3 Black on Vimeo

[Chris Harding]

Just one thing to note is that the genuine ones come in two models. With and without WiFi and very little price difference! My are all non wifi and I find Smartphones a PIA anyway !!

Noa? Just be aware that you cannot adjust the angle of view on the SJ4000 ..it's fixed full wide BUT it has a very good digital zoom and I seriously cannot see any difference in IQ as long as I only zoom 1.5X which takes all the curvature away ... also nice!!

Most eBay sellers go to great lengths to insist that the product they are selling is the real McCoy and not a fake one. I believe the fake ones even have spelling errors on the box!!

I only had Hero 2 cameras with ProTune and the indoor shots were horrific ..the SJ4000 seems to do a far better job and in normal lighting it outperforms a GoPro 2 easily!!

I needed 2 underwater cams for my upcoming diving holiday in the Cocos Islands in December so I figured that at the price they were brilliant but used them at weddings and sold my GoPro and that paid for 2 more!!

[Chris Harding]

To me the GoPro 3 black should be miles ahead on exposure but in that video it looks decidedly crappy. That's closer to "muddy" rather than "warm"

I did have one issue where it struggled with balance on a hot day but easily correctable. Never had any exposure issues or jumps but then again I don't send it into the air.

So far very pleased with the footage and love the tripod mounted snap in clip ...I can use the camera on a light stand with no issues!!

[Roger Gunkel]

There are a number of things that the video brings up. The clarity on both cams is pretty much the same and although I agree that the GoPro looks warmer, that is down to incorrect white balance on the SJ4000 judging by the blue tinge. I don't get that with mine on auto, but there is also a manual white balance select, so he may have it set for indoors. There is also a manual exposure and ISO option, so you don't need to use auto.

As Chris pointed out, it is a fixed wide view, but there is a digital zoom function. As the GoPro just crops the pixels for the narrower view, I would say that the SJ4000 zoom is doing basically the same thing. The other good thing with the SJ4000 of course is that it has the back screen and just about every attachment possible.

I would consider a GoPro 4 to be a big step forward, but I think the SJ4000 is a worthwhile alternative to the GP3 at a fraction of the price.

Roger

[Noa Put]

Yes, there is no argument against the very cheap price, I think the optional lcd backpanel of the gopro4 black is almost as expensive as the sj4000 itself.