When it comes to the best action cameras on the market, it takes a lot to draw attention away from GoPro, but SJCAM believes the dual-lens setup and night vision capabilities of its new SJ20 model have enough to be a serious challenger. to GoPro.
One of the two lenses (f/2.0) is specifically for daytime shooting and the other (f/1.3) is for night shooting, which SJCAM says ensures high-quality results no matter what time you’re shooting. Video recording goes up to 4K and image capture maxes out at 20 megapixels.
There’s also a built-in 6-axis gyroscope here, intended to ensure ultra-stable footage in any scenario, from kayaking to cycling. Clearly we can’t comment until we’ve reviewed the SJ20, but the demo images certainly look impressive.
SJCAM says battery life is about 7 hours between charges, although you can extend this by purchasing an external battery and a rechargeable camera grip. The camera has been specifically designed with a modular interface to make it easy to connect accessories.
Video modes and dual screens.
Other specs and features you’ll want to know about are waterproofing to depths of 16 feet (that’s almost 5 meters), motion detection, pre-recording and slow motion capabilities, and continuous and time-lapse shooting modes.
In addition to the dual-camera lenses, there are two displays: a 1.3-inch one on the front and a 2.29-inch touchscreen on the back. If you think all this sounds very promising, the camera is now available for $229 / £179.
It’s been a few years since we’ve looked closely at an SJCAM model, but our SJCAM SJ8 Pro review gave the device 4.5 stars. There was a lot of praise for the quality of the 4K video and the number of recording options on board.
The same star rating was awarded more recently in our GoPro Hero 12 Black review, and that’s the kind of competition the SJ20 will face, although it’s worth keeping in mind that the Hero 12 Black sells for $399 .99 / £399.99. / 649.95 to the dollar.
