SJCAM continues to chase after the top ranks of the action cam market, with annual launches that keep competitors on edge. This time around, we have the new SJCAM SJ30 Dual Lens Action Camera, the company’s latest flagship launch, and it brings a lot of new tricks with it.
The new action camera is another dual-lens release that allows users to take advantage of it both during the day and during the night, tackling one of the biggest issues that many action cams suffer from (low-light struggles). But it doesn’t just stop there.
We got our hands on the the SJCAM SJ30 Dual Lens Action Camera Charging Combo, which comes with a “power handle” that also acts as a portable battery bank (4200mAh) for it, giving you plenty of charge while away from home. The camera itself has a 2000mAh battery internally (not replaceable), so it helps to bring this along with you .
The entire combo comes with several accessories, as you’d expect with any action cam bundle package. This includes a vertical/horizontal frame that allows you to take the camera both ways, just in case you want a portrait capture at any point.
There are also multiple types of mounts, adapters, and stickers to help with placement, no matter what you are trying to capture. This should cover you for most surface or tripod situations. In addition to all of this, there are also three covers for the microphone on the front, that acts as windscreens.
It comes with cables, as well as a small storage bag. And, we have the optional (separate purchase) waterproof enclosure, so that you can take it even further underwater. The camera, by itself, is rated for just 16ft under water, for a limited time. However, if you slap it into the optional waterproof enclosure, that depth expands to 98ft (and I am sure a longer period of exposure, but that isn’t exactly stated).
I can say it is a must-have for anyone looking to capture content from any style of water sports or (wet) activities. The following video was captured using the SJCAM SJ30 in its waterproof enclosure and it looks great. There is no deformation or any other kind of handicap the user has to worry about when sticking it within the enclosure.
You never know when you need to push your action cam to its limits, and although 16ft sounds reasonable, it is only there to give you options during times where you might have forgotten to bring your enclosure (or haven’t bought into one yet). I say this from experience.
The power handle really is a handle, with that built-in 4200mAh battery, making it a good power bank for this camera since it more than doubles the camera’s own internal battery. It also comes with a pig tailed USB-C to USB-C cable so that you are ready to use it, right out of the box.
It also has camera/tripod threads at the bottom of the handle so that you can attach a tripod directly to it.
The vertical/horizontal frame is easy to use as the camera just slides right into it, with a corner clamp that helps grip the frame to the camera so it doesn’t slip out. All it does is add the side mounting ability to take it into portrait mode via any of the adapters/mounts.
You could say that it also provides a little bumper protection to the sides, top, and bottom of the camera as well.
When it comes to how things mount to the action camera, it is a little different than some action cams, including some of the company’s previous models. Instead of threads or a required frame/case to mount directly to the accessories, things come together magnetically and then secure together with a double-sided clamp (each side of the magnetic connection).
This makes for an easy experience when it comes to mounting (or unmounting) the camera. You can then use the normal adapter to adapt to just about any other “normal” action cam accessory out there that uses the typical 2-prong and 3-prong mount (a mount/connection made popular by the company GoPro and pretty much used everywhere else as a standard, ever since).
What makes this model (or at least, one of the things) special is that it can capture video at up to 8K 20fps. This isn’t really good for action shots where there is a lot of movement, but it is great for still scenes where there isn’t a lot of movement. It can do 6K at 30fps if you need a little less motion blur or stuttered frames, and 4K at 60fps if you really want the video to be nice and smooth. You can also opt to shoot in 2K, which will net you up to 120fps (and so on). So you have plenty of options when it comes to resolution and what you are trying to capture.
It still isn’t so common to find 8K in an action camera without spending a bit more than this, so it is always nice to see evolution doing its thing (and a company lighting a fire under the competition). It will still be awhile, though, before we see 8K at 60fps affordably.
Below is a sample video we took, opting to use 4K at 60fps since we wanted to see how smooth 4K can look with this camera. Ultimately, this is the setting most will be using, opting to only bump it up to 8K in specific situations.
The above video shows that this camera can capture some pretty decent coverage for how small the sensors are (compared to something like a DSLR). This includes considering color detail, lighting/shadows, an more. It also shows off the camera’s image stabilization since most of the clips include some kind of movement. It offers both SteadyMotion 2.0 and 45° Horizon Lock, giving you two powerful options to pick from, helping to keep your image steady.
The above video also shows off the internal microphone, which should be used for general reference more than anything. If you really wanted good audio, you could always opt for SJCAM’s external M4 wireless microphone ($15), or better yet, record audio separately using a pro-level (or semi-pro) mic kit.
When it comes to photos, it is able to capture up to 48MP resolution (8640×4864), which can look pretty decent depending on how you are using the camera. It works better when you are taking wide-open shots, such as distant scenery. The closer you get to what you are capturing, the quicker you see that this camera is best for video than anything else.
We took the above image of nearby foliage/trees/bushes. You can click on it to get to the original (full size) image. We were standing about three feet or so from everything and you can see the details are a little blotty. Things begin to blur a bit when you get close and even more so if you get closer. So it isn’t so good at macro or near macro detail.
The following are comparison shots using a Samsung S23 Ultra smartphone, known for its image quality, although it has smaller lenses/sensors than the SJCAM, and the SJCAM SJ30. These images represent some product shots of another story we are working on.
So there is noticeably more compression within the sJCAM shots than there is with the images coming from the phone. So this is something to keep in mind as you don’t want to go into things thinking that you are going to come out with DSLR-quality images. While at the same time, we have seen better with smaller sensors like these. So this could be due to a decision to move away from name-brand sensors (like Sony), but that is just a theory.
Video is where it counts with this camera, as you have good detail, good color, and plenty of resolutions and FPS options to pick from. For images, you’ll likely want to stick to the phone in your pocket if you have anything close to a flagship. Just to be safe. Then again, there could be a firmware update that comes along that might prove us wrong, so you never know.
One of the other things that allows this model to stand out is its flip-up 2.51″ touchscreen. So if you are using it for a selfie of some kind, you know exactly what it is seeing at all times. It can flip completely up (180-degrees).
The brightness of the screen during the day is also nice as you don’t have any trouble seeing anything, and you are able to quickly get around with a familiar touch-layout, if you are familiar with SJCAM’s latest models.
Our Conclusion
This proves to be another great action cam model from SJCAM. The SJ30 brings so many features to the table, including great stabilization, great video image quality, good color detail, and lots and lots of resolution.
The dual lens is a nice feature to have since many action cams stumble quickly in low-light situations, where the SJ30 can step up quickly to provide better detail. The flip-up screen is also incredibly useful for vloggers/influencers, and the power handle (available in the specific combo we’ve been testing) is quite useful so you don’t lose power too quickly on the go. Shooting in higher resolutions can typically be taxing to the battery life of action cams.
This combo we’ve tested provides plenty of accessories, and you can find huge accessory kits to adapt to via places like Amazon. So you have so many options to make sure you are ready to start capturing. You just want to make sure to pick up the optional waterproof enclosure if you ever plan to get it wet (just to make sure you have options for how deep you want to go).
It doesn’t do so well with photos in our experience. This could possibly be handled by a firmware update, but I am sure it is similar to many action cams that specialize more so on video than photos.
The price point is great for what you get.
Additional Images:
Specifications:
- Standard Recording:
- 8K(16:9)20fps
6K(16:9)30fps
5K(16:9)45/30fps
5K(9:16)30fps
4K(16:9)60/30fps
4K(9:16)60/30fps
2K(16:9)120/60/30fps
2K(9:16)120/60/30fps
1080P(16:9)240/120/60/30fps
1080P(9:16)240/120/60/30fps
720P(16:9)120/60/30fps
720P(9:16)120/60/30fps
- 8K(16:9)20fps
- Photo Resolution:
- 48M-8640×4864
32M-7680×4352
20M-5888×3328
16M-5376x 3072
14M-5056x 2816
12M-4672x 2624
10M-4352×2432
8M-3840×2176
5M-3200×1856
3M-2560 x1472
2M-1920 x 1088
- 48M-8640×4864
- Video Mode:
- Video ModeNormal Video Recording
Time Lapse
Slow Motion
Car Mode
Loop-recording
Pre-recording
Delayed-recording
Motion Detection
Portrait Mode
- Photo Mode:
- Normal Photo
Interval Photo
Burst Mode
- Normal Photo
- Slow Motion:
- 2K: -2X(60fps)
1080P: -4X(120fps)
1080P: -8X(120fps)
- 2K: -2X(60fps)
- Lens: FOV: 140°
- Video Format: MP4
- Photo Format: JPG
- Screen: 2.51″ Flip Touchscreen
- Aperture: f/2.8(Day), f/1.8(Night)
- Color Profiles:
- Normal
B&W
Sepia
Warm
Cold
- Exposure Value: ±3EV
- ISO Range: 100-3200
- White Balance: Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Diving
- Digital Zoom: 8x
- Stabilization Algorithm: SteadyMotion 2.0
- Gyroscope: 6-axis gyroscope
- Live-Streaming
- Voice Control
- Waterproof:
- Up to 16ft(5m) without Waterproof Case
- Up to 98ft(30m) with Waterproof Case
- Wi-Fi
- Storage: MicroSD
- Built-in Mics: 2
- Battery Capacity: 2000mAh + 4200mAh (Charging Bundle handle accessory)
- Weight: 162g
- Dimensions: 74x52x38mm
Are you a manufacturer or distributor that would like us to test something out for review? Contact us, and we can let you know where to send the product, and we will try it out.
