HP Action Cam

[Musketeer]

I'll be testing mine this weekend and check the battery life etc.

[ScottCM]

please all come back and give feedback as to the battery life, video quality ets.

[RDK]

I also ordered mine and delivery will be this Friday, just down with the flu now so don't know if I will be riding this weekend.

[Musketeer]

Ok so I took mine out for it's first test run yesterday at Meerendal.

 

Touch screen works quite well although a little small for my fingers, but once used to it, it worked quite well. I set up the HD video mode for the trail as I played with the camera portion earlier and the pics also came out quite nice and clear.

 

Propped it on the handlebar mount and off I went. Battery was fully charged and lasted about an hour and a half, so you won't be able to record any rides longer than that but in my opinion I only record the single track and take pics on the scenic sites, so if you manage it, it should give you more than 1 and half hours if you are not recording your ENTIRE ride. I switch the camera off on the areas where I don't want to record.

 

The remote is limited to snap, record and off... you are not able to switch the camera on from the remote, which might be bit of a limitation but it didn't bother me much.

 

Sound and video quality was also quite acceptable and I was actually pleasantly surprised when I got home and viewed the footage on my laptop and TV. I rode Meerendal and the single track is extremely washed out and very bumpy so the video is not as nice as I had the picture painted but it is not the camera's fault hehehe. I was quite impressed with how it captured the "rattling" as normally the other cameras would struggle to keep up with the refresh rate, but the HP did a very descent job.

 

Downside... I broke the handlebar mount clean of just below the camera. I don't think it was designed to take that type of hammering as the rocky descents were very bumpy. When I got home and looked at the other mounts it was clear that they look a lot more sturdy than the one on the handle bar mount.

 

In a nutshell without going into technicalities, I think for the amount you pay for this cam and what you get, it is definitely worth it. Apart from the mount snapping off I could not find any serious issues with it on this first test. The shock case is easy to open and the outside buttons makes it ease to operate the on/off and recording buttons.

 

I'll have run again tomorrow, maybe with the helmet mount... although I'm not very keen on helmet mounts, just to see how it works.

[Flowta]

Ok so I took mine out for it's first test run yesterday at Meerendal.

 

Touch screen works quite well although a little small for my fingers, but once used to it, it worked quite well. I set up the HD video mode for the trail as I played with the camera portion earlier and the pics also came out quite nice and clear.

 

Propped it on the handlebar mount and off I went. Battery was fully charged and lasted about an hour and a half, so you won't be able to record any rides longer than that but in my opinion I only record the single track and take pics on the scenic sites, so if you manage it, it should give you more than 1 and half hours if you are not recording your ENTIRE ride. I switch the camera off on the areas where I don't want to record.

 

The remote is limited to snap, record and off... you are not able to switch the camera on from the remote, which might be bit of a limitation but it didn't bother me much.

 

Sound and video quality was also quite acceptable and I was actually pleasantly surprised when I got home and viewed the footage on my laptop and TV. I rode Meerendal and the single track is extremely washed out and very bumpy so the video is not as nice as I had the picture painted but it is not the camera's fault hehehe. I was quite impressed with how it captured the "rattling" as normally the other cameras would struggle to keep up with the refresh rate, but the HP did a very descent job.

 

Downside... I broke the handlebar mount clean of just below the camera. I don't think it was designed to take that type of hammering as the rocky descents were very bumpy. When I got home and looked at the other mounts it was clear that they look a lot more sturdy than the one on the handle bar mount.

 

In a nutshell without going into technicalities, I think for the amount you pay for this cam and what you get, it is definitely worth it. Apart from the mount snapping off I could not find any serious issues with it on this first test. The shock case is easy to open and the outside buttons makes it ease to operate the on/off and recording buttons.

 

I'll have run again tomorrow, maybe with the helmet mount... although I'm not very keen on helmet mounts, just to see how it works.

Thanks

 

Now I wish I'd snagged one

[Musketeer]

Ok so I took mine out for it's first test run yesterday at Meerendal.

 

Touch screen works quite well although a little small for my fingers, but once used to it, it worked quite well. I set up the HD video mode for the trail as I played with the camera portion earlier and the pics also came out quite nice and clear.

 

Propped it on the handlebar mount and off I went. Battery was fully charged and lasted about an hour and a half, so you won't be able to record any rides longer than that but in my opinion I only record the single track and take pics on the scenic sites, so if you manage it, it should give you more than 1 and half hours if you are not recording your ENTIRE ride. I switch the camera off on the areas where I don't want to record.

 

The remote is limited to snap, record and off... you are not able to switch the camera on from the remote, which might be bit of a limitation but it didn't bother me much.

 

Sound and video quality was also quite acceptable and I was actually pleasantly surprised when I got home and viewed the footage on my laptop and TV. I rode Meerendal and the single track is extremely washed out and very bumpy so the video is not as nice as I had the picture painted but it is not the camera's fault hehehe. I was quite impressed with how it captured the "rattling" as normally the other cameras would struggle to keep up with the refresh rate, but the HP did a very descent job.

 

Downside... I broke the handlebar mount clean of just below the camera. I don't think it was designed to take that type of hammering as the rocky descents were very bumpy. When I got home and looked at the other mounts it was clear that they look a lot more sturdy than the one on the handle bar mount.

 

In a nutshell without going into technicalities, I think for the amount you pay for this cam and what you get, it is definitely worth it. Apart from the mount snapping off I could not find any serious issues with it on this first test. The shock case is easy to open and the outside buttons makes it ease to operate the on/off and recording buttons.

 

I'll have run again tomorrow, maybe with the helmet mount... although I'm not very keen on helmet mounts, just to see how it works.

 

I'll try and edit a bit of video tomorrow afternoon and upload it.

[ScottCM]

Thanks for the decent feedback. sorry about the mount. 90min of HD recording time is good news for the battery, puts it on par with the "Higher" / More expensive one's on the market.

 

Please upload a video so we can see the picture quality. Thanks a lot

[Scotty P]

You can still 'snag' on. Take a lot have them for R699 at the moment. St Nick's sorting me one ;-)

 

Thanks

 

Now I wish I'd snagged one

[renburg]

R599 at Takealot today!  

[Amberdrake]

Placed order and they had free same day delivery.

Hoping to fiddle tonight and ride tomorrow!

Is there a aftermarket handlebar mount for this camera?

[scotty]

Good deal, Kalahari has it listed for R929. 

[Runbikeswim]

For 599 its not a bad deal... Ordered one. Also looking fir abgopro and will then use this one for a back view

[Amien]

Ok so I took mine out for it's first test run yesterday at Meerendal.

 

Touch screen works quite well although a little small for my fingers, but once used to it, it worked quite well. I set up the HD video mode for the trail as I played with the camera portion earlier and the pics also came out quite nice and clear.

 

Propped it on the handlebar mount and off I went. Battery was fully charged and lasted about an hour and a half, so you won't be able to record any rides longer than that but in my opinion I only record the single track and take pics on the scenic sites, so if you manage it, it should give you more than 1 and half hours if you are not recording your ENTIRE ride. I switch the camera off on the areas where I don't want to record.

 

The remote is limited to snap, record and off... you are not able to switch the camera on from the remote, which might be bit of a limitation but it didn't bother me much.

 

Sound and video quality was also quite acceptable and I was actually pleasantly surprised when I got home and viewed the footage on my laptop and TV. I rode Meerendal and the single track is extremely washed out and very bumpy so the video is not as nice as I had the picture painted but it is not the camera's fault hehehe. I was quite impressed with how it captured the "rattling" as normally the other cameras would struggle to keep up with the refresh rate, but the HP did a very descent job.

 

Downside... I broke the handlebar mount clean of just below the camera. I don't think it was designed to take that type of hammering as the rocky descents were very bumpy. When I got home and looked at the other mounts it was clear that they look a lot more sturdy than the one on the handle bar mount.

 

In a nutshell without going into technicalities, I think for the amount you pay for this cam and what you get, it is definitely worth it. Apart from the mount snapping off I could not find any serious issues with it on this first test. The shock case is easy to open and the outside buttons makes it ease to operate the on/off and recording buttons.

 

I'll have run again tomorrow, maybe with the helmet mount... although I'm not very keen on helmet mounts, just to see how it works.

Heya,

 

Can you confirm it really is 1.5 hours of usage? Everywhere else seems to suggest it's 0.5 hours. Could the difference be that you didn't use it with the LCD on and they had it on? 1.5 hours would really be helpful

 

Thanks,

Amien

[popcorn_skollie]

[1:11PM, 2014/12/22] Ashiq: hp review coming up

[1:11PM, 2014/12/22] Ashiq: i took it out for a surf yesterday

[2:57PM, 2014/12/22] Ashiq: the quality of the video isnt as crisp as you expect from a something which delivers 1080p resolution. They should just have limited it to 720p. there is not much difference in quality between the 2.at least on 720p you get a higher framerate. Having said that when you consider that this is an action cam and all you really wanna do is upload short clips. then this camera is more than good enough to meet youtubes HD viewing standards.

[3:01PM, 2014/12/22] Ashiq: the still picture quality is very good in broad well lit daylight. certainly meets todays photo standards. but the shutter speed is very slow. and when you consider that an action cam requires split second reaction to capture stills. the camera falls short. to compensate for this there is a action shot mode where one press of the button captures a few frames. which is cool for making sure you dont miss that moment you want to capture. but the qulity of stills suffers when selecting this option

[3:03PM, 2014/12/22] Ashiq: if you want value for money you cant beat this camera. spec for price. and when you consider that the package includes a surfboard mount, a handlebar mount and helmet mount its really is unbeatable value since those goodies need to be bought seperately for gopro

[3:04PM, 2014/12/22] Ashiq: i dont like the handlebar mount though. it wont bold up in rigorous mountain biking. but fine for tarmac only

[3:06PM, 2014/12/22] Ashiq: then theres the main issue i had with this camera. when i took it out yesterday for a surf the water proof case holds up quite well in small to moderate surf. i surfed dangers and it took a beating without any water leaks.

[3:07PM, 2014/12/22] Ashiq: but... when i took it out the camera was too hot for comfort from extended use. it was hot yesterday. but still. the camera doesnt feel like it would last long with prolonged use in summer heat

[3:08PM, 2014/12/22] Ashiq: the hot camera and contact with cold water also caused the waterproof case to mist up inside rendering sbooting useless within 40 minutes

[3:09PM, 2014/12/22] Ashiq: its great fun. decent quality. and very cheap for 599. but if you considering paying 1199 at makro when the special runs out. dont. buy the new gopro hero for 1999

[popcorn_skollie]

sorry about the message format. i was asked to post a review in the whatsapp group. its a copy and paste. theres one thing i forgot to mention. the remote is infrared instead of bluetooth. which is seriously outdated and pretty useless since you have to point it at the camera directly. even at a short range.

it also doesnt come with a memory card so when you buy one make sure its a newer model sd class 4 for hd recording. or your video might suffer from frameloss or sound that is out of sync.

 

bottom line. very good value for money at 599

[SiriS]

Took it out yesterday on proper rugged mountain bike terrain. Video quality is decent, used 720p at 60fps. Mount is atrocious, moving all over the place, will try to replace with something decent. Well worth the R700 for a bit of fun and playing around with.

 

Doubt I will ever take it serious enough, long enough to justify a GoPro so this is perfect.

 

BTW Took 30 minutes of footage and battery indicator was still full afterwards.