Yi action cam Review!

  • By Vien
  • 9 October, 2015
  • Comments Off on Yi action cam Review!

 

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Yi Action Cam, weights .5 lbs with battery.

Everyone is talking about the Yi action cam, so I had to go out and buy one for testing.

I bought the SanDisk Ultra 32GB memory card, $14

I bought the  YI Basic Equipment Accessories Kit, $36

I bought the Xiaomi Yi Action Camera with Wi-Fi,White, $72

Total Price: $122

Not bad considering that the cheapest Gopro with Wifi cost $199(comes with just a waterproof case, no extra accessories).

Could this be a Gopro killer? It depends on your needs.  For my needs… I want it to film ice hockey while i’m playing(chest mount), underwater for fishing(waterproof case), mount on my Hague MMC Mini Motion Cam Camera Stabilizer as a second camera, I will do a review about that later.  So yes it works for me.

 

 

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When I first got it, I had to update the firmware on my PC.  I downloaded the app with no problem, the app is in english and was easy to use.  My favorite feature on this camera is the 120fps while filming at 720p.  This will give you a sweet and smooth slow motion after you slow it down in post.

 

Also the still mode isn’t bad either 16 megapixel instead of 8 mp.  I enjoyed playing with the burst mode.  I can shoot 7fps if I need an action sequence and it looks great!

 

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The accessories kit came with the wrong battery, but before I could complain, I got an email saying that they will send me a new one(make sure you get extra battery).  What a nice company!  This kit is nice because the waterproof case, lens protector is square not round.  You do not what the round one, trust me.  If you have the round one, it will have water buildup as you are emerging from the water, therefore it will obscure your view.

 

I really like the tripod mount on the bottom of the camera instead of always relying on the waterproof case.  When connected to wifi, there is a little lag, so it’s just good for framing your shot.  Also while the wifi is on, the battery life doesn’t last long at all, you’ve been warned.  You also have the options to turn off all or half the indicator lights on the camera to be discreet.  This camera doesn’t have the lcd display like the Gopro does, but who cares.  You set everything up via wifi/bluetooth on your smartphone than every time you turn on your camera, the red light near the shutter button indicates video mode.   Press the big selection button and the red light disappear, meaning still mode.  If you hold down the big selection button for 2 second, it will shut down the camera.  Its so easy to use, even a kid can do it.

My only complaint so far:

  1.  When all the indicator lights are on, minus the wifi light, I can’t record a whole hockey game(one hour game).
  2. When filming outside at 120fps, its noisy around the shadow areas.  Grass blades and tree leaves are muddy.

A lot of people said, its not as sharp as the Gopro, but you can sharpen in post.  The color science is also different, a little bit more orange color, which is not bad.  When walking around with the camera mounted on the body, it produce more camera shake compare to the competition.  Buy a stabilizer like this one Hague MMC Stabilizer, I would never use it in a video mode walking around without a stabilizer, the footage will be useless.  Stationary or tripod shots will work good.

Conclusion:

I felt like I got a lot for my money. No regrets.  Great product, very solid.  I’m quickly becoming a fan.  Now I can afford to buy another one.  There’s no such thing as a perfect camera, so do your own research and see if it will meet your needs.  For me it’s just what I was looking for.

 

 

 

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