SJCAM SJ5000+ a bargain GoPro?

Occasionally a brand becomes so pre-eminent that it comes to signify a whole genre. In the case of Hoover it mutated into a verb and even Dyson households still hoover their carpets. Thus has the GoPro brand become pre-eminent in the field of tiny video cameras in clear plastic waterproof boxes which can be attached to vehicle or person. Otherwise known as Action Cams these little protuberances have sprouted from every type of moving object, motorcycle, skier, quadcopter or can be seen waving about at the end of every 20-something tourist's selfie pole. The GoPro itself is now a mature product having evolved through several generations but its premium price left a hole on the market for copycat versions. The inside of a GoPro is essentially a beefed up version of the simple board camera used in countless surveillance cameras mated to a fixed focus fisheye lens. All of these components are available off the shelf needing only tooling up for a plastic case to produce a "knockoff" known in the vernacular of Action Cams as a "NoPro". Formerly these anonymous copies from Chinese factories were of inferior performance but one manufacturer, SJCAM has been attempting to raise its profile as a brand with its new SJ5000 models with specifications pitched towards the middle of the GoPro range but selling for a third of the price. The flagship model is the  SJ5000+, (SK5000 plus), priced at $169, and when the specification was announced the inclusion of an Ambarella A7LS75 processor related to that in the GoPro Hero3 Black and a true 16 Megapixel Panasonic imaging chip set up a ripple of anticipation late in 2014.

There is considerable irony in SJCAM's situation as GoPro competitor as whilst the wealth of the GoPro brand has protected it from any significant counterfeiting by sale of "clone" cameras, SJCAM has been plagued by various backstreet manufacturers of fakes which are indistinguishable from the genuine article. These may even perform similarly but have no guarantee that there will be technical backup or updated firmware. This has led to SJCAM taking steps to protect their brand by putting a scratch and check sticker on product boxes and having a system of certification for approved resellers. However it is a jungle out their and buyers are advised to avoid incredible offers and buy from sources with robust refund policies. My own SJ5000+ was bought from HERE through AliExpress and communications with them have been swift and efficient.

Whilst SJCAM are trying to build their reputation as a trusted brand name the launch of the SJ5000+ has been in danger of undoing their good work. Early models shipped in late 2014 were plagued with problems with buggy firmware and a hardware issue with the shielding of the wireless antenna. Thanks to a dialogue between the manufacturer and members of the Radio Control community these have been addressed to some extent.

At the moment though the SJ5000+ is something of a work in progress. For example I am still attempting to get the wifi feature on mine to work reliably and other users report some quality control issues which have required units to be returned which is inconvenient for those trading directly with sellers in China. My initial trials though have shown that video and stills can be very good and I believe that the camera has real potential to compete with GoPro in terms of the quality of videos produced. The potential for high quality 16Megapixel stills puts it a big jump above the earlier SJ4000 which had only a 2Megapixel sensor.

If SJCAM have aspirations to rise above the other "me too" manufacturers of NoPros then how they deal with the development of the SJ5000+ is crucial. It is important that they continue to listen to their buyers and address any hardware problems which come to light by offering exchange units and by developing firmware especially to release extra features as a reward to early adopters.