Kshioe Sports Cam - Review 2022

The Kshioe Sports Cam ($67.99) looks a lot like other upkeep activity cameras, including the very capable Aukey AC-LC2. But looks can be deceiving. The tiny camera promises 4K capture, but video quality is poor and rife with artifacts, with an audio soundtrack that's just as dubious. If you're on a tight budget, the same Aukey and Wimius L1 deliver meliorate results. If you lot can spend a bit more than, the $160 Sjcam SJ6 Legend is our Editors' Choice, thanks to a touch interface and stabilized 4K video capture.

Design

The Sports Cam boasts the same small, boxy design that y'all go with virtually every other action cam. It measures 2.2 by three.two by 1.6 inches (HWD) and is very low-cal, just 2.ane ounces. Kshioe sells it in black, which we received to test, and silver. The silver version is actually a few dollars cheaper, at $63.99. But both colors seem similar products that are permanently on sale, and then expect to pay about $45 to $fifty.

The photographic camera uses four control buttons to navigate through menus and adjust settings. Power/Fashion is on front, with OK/Record at top, and Up and Down buttons on the right side. Y'all'll employ the Manner button to switch between video, photo, slow-motion video, playback, and settings, and a combination of Upwardly/Downwardly and OK to navigate through the four-folio card system.

Information technology'due south actually one of the better card systems I've seen in a low-toll activeness camera. It shows both the setting yous're adjusting and to what it's set up to, which is more than than y'all get with others. Information technology takes some guesswork out of navigation. My but real complaint is that some of the options bear witness "Close" when they're turned off instead of, well, "Off."

The screen itself looks like the same 2-inch console yous get with the Aukey Ac-LC2 and similar cameras in this toll range. It'due south acceptably abrupt, and viewing angles are good. It'southward bright plenty to see in the shade and on a bright day equally long as the sun isn't shining direct on information technology—if you've got the lord's day to your back when setting up a shot, you tin can cup your hand effectually it to meet improve.

There are a ton of accessories bundled with the Kshioe. Yous get a waterproof example with a standard GoPro human foot, expert for depths of 100 anxiety (30 meters), a cage with summit and bottom tripod mounts, a tripod adapter for the waterproof case, and a slew of mounting arms, brackets, and adhesive mounts. In that location'south also a small wristwatch-manner remote control with a big red button to start and stop video recording.

Connectivity

Kshioe Sports Cam : App The camera uses standard microSD memory and boasts micro HDMI video output and micro USB for data transfer and charging. You get two batteries, besides as an external micro USB charger, and then yous're not limited to in-camera charging. The Kshioe's battery life is pretty poor, netting only 35 minutes of 4K capture.

In that location's likewise Wi-Fi. It's turned on by pressing the Up button and the photographic camera displays both its network name and password on the screen. You lot'll need to download the XDV app, available for Android and iOS, in order to utilize your telephone every bit a remote control or to transfer videos and images wirelessly.

Video Quality and Features

The Kshioe completely falls autonomously when it comes to its most of import function, video capture. On paper, it looks pretty practiced, with 4K capture at a stock-still 30fps frame rate. But the video quality is poor. I saw tons of purple colour fringing in our test footage, and too quite a number of glitches and artifacts. QuickTime showed occasional garbles during playback, but when I edited the footage in Adobe Premiere Pro CC, the gold-standard for desktop editing, information technology resulted in skips and repeated video. Likewise, audio quality is not good—sound is deadened and hollow, even when you aren't using the waterproof example.

There'due south no stabilization, so handheld footage is very jittery. When it doesn't glitch or show color issues, static shots have a bit of detail. But equally soon every bit you lot outset panning the photographic camera, artifacts begin to announced. I'm thinking this is because of the 30fps frame rate. Other cameras in this range tape 4K at 24fps—the actress frames might exist too much for the Kshioe's processor to handle.

You don't accept to shoot in 4K, of course. You can also scroll in ii.7K at 30fps, 1080p at 60 or 30fps, and 720p at 120, 60, or 30fps. You have the pick of wide, medium, or narrow views at every setting. There'south no 24fps adequacy at all. In addition to standard video, the camera can capture looped footage, recording short clips until the retentiveness bill of fare is total, and overwriting the oldest so information technology can keep going afterward storage is exasperated. In that location's also a time-lapse video manner, with 4K output.

Photograph quality isn't good. It'southward not the accented worst I've seen from a camera of this type—that laurels goes to the otherwise-decent Aukey Ac-LC2. The Kshioe is a chip amend, just you still go a lot of noise and pixelation, even on a vivid day. I don't expect exquisite detail in afar green reeds from a 12MP, ultra-wide shot, but when clouds look similar something from a Seurat painting, you've got problems.

Conclusions

Don't buy the Kshioe Sports Cam. Yes, you tin can easily get it for less than $50 and it ships with a ton of accessories. Simply for around $70 you tin can opt for its doppleganger, the Aukey Air conditioning-LC2, which delivers much better video that's free of glitches and garbles, or the Wimius L1. Our Editors' Selection budget action photographic camera is the Sjcam SJ6 Legend. It's more expensive—about $160—merely for the coin you get stabilized 4K footage and a touch on screen. It's not ultra-cheap, but it's certainly not as expensive as a GoPro with similar capabilities.