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C**R
Unimpressed
After my last incredible disappointment with a supposedly 1080p "full HD" camera, I didn't rush to review this camera. But, after some deliberation, and careful consideration...I'd have to say...meh. I mean, it's strictly speaking not a bad camera. There's not artifacts on every motion. Indeed, the picture is quite...well, you'd expect more from a 4k camera, but it's good. For instance, I recorded a road trip (as a passenger), and I could read license plate numbers at a reasonable range - maybe 10-15 ft, if I were to guess.As for the batteries, it comes with two...which seem to neccesarily be plugged in to the camera to charge...thing is...you've only got 1 camera. Also, and I've not really tested it out for fear of bricking the camera, or at least the battery, but having to pull out the battery means you have to stop the recording. So yeah. Not as good as just having a single good-sized battery.About the ports...for some god-forsaken reason, they are placed between the screen and the main body of the camera. So, to charge the camera, you must have the screen open the entire time. This is not a durable construction, and having the screen so exposed for the rather lengthy charge time is...kind of frightening for a 200-300 dollar camera. Oh, and this is the same port area for the attachable microphone.On to the charger... I thought we got these standardized ages ago. I guess not. Well, you better make damned sure it never leaves your sight. And lastly, it has no lens cap, though it comes with a piece of cloth that I assume you're supposed to clean the lens with...OK. I guess that's about an even trade.These gripes are kinda...not super big deals. The more important fact (to me) is that it is a functional camera that takes decent (if unimpressive) video. I might also be under the misconception, and a 4k camera does not actually translate to a real 4k video (like you'd see on YouTube), which might explain my disappointment, but that is just a guess.EDIT: well... I used it for 2 weeks, and I didn't record all the time, so the fact that the camera froze 2 times during recording in 2 weeks is more than a little concerning. And the freeze was so bad that no button worked, and the only fix was to eject the battery....which causes the recording file to fail (obviously), and can lose you around 20 minutes of recording, which is really annoying when you're only recording the important stuff anyway.
J**E
Decent, but Not Great
*Updated 11-24-18*As a videographer and live streamer, I look for cool tech that can save me money. This camera, although looking like a decent competitor, had many flaws.The first camera I got would not record. The manufacturer sent me a working model, which I am using for this review.Even though this is a "4K' camera, it works a lot better in 1080p mode. The reality is this camera is 1440p, but can be stretched in post to 4k (2880x1440). The 4K is only 24 fps, which kinda ruins the 4K effect.The microphone works pretty well, and the lens adapter kit does a great job with the Macro lens and the fisheye. I don't need to zoom out to remove any corners.The camera itself is a webcam in a prosumer camera case. It only has a digital zoom, and no way to change the focus. The camera also doesn't handle shake well in 2k or 4k modes.Connecting up to TV works well, and the display does disappear, unless if you've got the camera plugged in. The charging icon will blink on the screen.For live streaming, running off batteries is not ideal.Speaking of which, the NP-FV5 Plus battery works really well for the camera. Only issue is I cannot find a battery larger than 2500 mAh.BIG ISSUE: This camera won't take certain cards well. If you have an SD card over 128 GB, it will cause issue. I had to find an older class 10 card to get it to record in 4k. I put a 512 GB card in, and it locked up the camera.The WIFI and app do a good job in remote use. The device paired up easy, and I could take photos and video from it.The 13 MP CMOS sensor is technology from 2012, and it's meant for small devices - like a webcam or action camera. The image is dark in standard light.Photo mode will give you facial focus, but as you can see from the photos, it's blurry at 36MP. f/1.8 - ISO-1796, +.3 step Exposure.The camera itself is not an original. There are a few companies selling the same HDV-534KM model on Amazon. It will capture your video, but it'll be like capturing from an older or cheaper phone camera.I got this when it was $149, but the price jumped up to $221 a couple days later. For $221, I can find a used camera from a brand name that will do more. The microphone is nice, but doesn't add more value to the overall package.
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