SJCam C300 Action Camera – Review
Capturing life’s most memorable moments has never been a more popular thing to do. And, as an avid walker – short walks and longer hikes, I’m often whipping out my phone to document bits and pieces. Landscapes, waterfalls, family, nature…you name it.
But it can be a drag to rely on your phone so much. Not only for its battery time and storage allowance. So could an action camera be the answer to that? You might think an action camera is limited to cyclists, off-road riding and people who like to ride the waves. Not necessarily…although they are brilliant for such tasks.
So, I took delivery of the SJ Cam C300 – and put it through its paces on a hilly hike through the Lake District, and a slightly smaller venture around a local village scarecrow trail…
What’s in the Box
- 1x SJCam C300 Pocket cam with battery
- 1x 2800mAh removable battery
- 1x Waterproof housing
- 1x Frame mount
- 1x Base bracket
- 2x Stick-on brackets
- 1x Type-C cable
- 1x Lanyard
- 1x 3M sticker
- 1x Helmet base
- 1x Cleaning cloth
First thoughts
After getting hold of the SJCam C300, I really liked the device. The camera felt solid and well-built, yet surprisingly lightweight. Its sleek design and simple one button operation told me that this piece of kit was going to be great for outdoor adventures. The set up is a breeze, and its touch screen abilities to work out and change your settings is nice too.
It comes with a host of brilliant accessories, and I chose to order an extra magnetic lanyard to let me clip the SJCam 300 to clothing, so all that on-the-go filming, whether I was exploring rugged trails or documenting urban adventures was going to be nice and easy.
“All set up”
So, getting out and using the camera was the exciting part. My wife and I had a long trek planned in during a trip to the Lakes, at Gobarrow Fell. A five-and-a-half mile walk, with a climb of 1,140ft to tackle. It was a windy day, but we were all set up, and after dropping the lanyard behind my jacket, the SJCam C300 just clipped to it through the material. It held strongly too, and off we went.
With all that distance to cover, we were walking for a good three hours or more, and the battery life was never in question. I did keep checking the screen to see if we’d need to change over to the extra battery – but we were fine. We’d activated the steady shot functionality too, and despite slips, trips and staggering here and there when the legs got tired, we were given some smooth and stable footage to work with, even in the challenging windy conditions.
We’d downloaded the SJCam app to our phones before we’d set out, and this connects you to the camera via its in-built wifi. This let us check in on the angles we were filming at, and also let us decide if we wanted to shoot in 4k, or less (2k, 1080p etc). That’s all taken care of on the touch-screen, of course – but it’s nice to have that ability to manage the recording without dismounting the cam.
Spliced footage
By using the lanyard (and I can’t speak more highly of this accessory – it’s so simple, yet so genius), it let us swap the camera between the two of us and get footage of each other. It’s always important to let people know you’re there…when you’re behind the camera, are you REALLY there? You get the gist…
And when it comes to popping the Micro SD card out and into your laptop, it’s spliced the footage up into three minute segments – which means you can quickly scan through your clips, removing any you don’t want and keeping the bits you do. A great space saver when it comes to the editing process.
But the important question is this: What’s the resulting video quality like?
“Clarity of the picture”
So, after our jaunt in the lakes, we got back home and decided to take a look at the footage of our walk around Gowbarrow Fell. Bareing in mind it was a crisp day, it was still cloudy – we got some fantastic shots of our climb, and the views around Ullswater. The quality was fantastic, and we both felt that we’d grabbed ourselves the right camera for what we wanted to do.
It picked up our movements nicely, and barely compromised the clarity of the picture. It also gives you a very wide viewing range, meaning that you pack lots into your video – more than you can get with a mobile phone.
Happy? Oh yes. Very happy. So much so, that we decided to get more footage a couple of weeks later at the Scapegoat Hill Scarecrow Trail. A village full of Walt Disney themed scarecrows, and a route that ended up being around three miles – we put the cam to our jackets again, grabbed the dogs, and wandered around the village as a family.
Very fun, very windy again, but check out the results…after a very rough and not-so-ready bit of editing…
Features:
- Waterproof up to 30m with waterproof case
- 4K resolution and 20MP lens
- Remote control bracelet to easily control recordings and taking photos
- Immersive first-person view with the clip to position on your chest
- Adopts extra-large aperture to increase light intake by 40% to for low light shooting
- 1.3” Dual touch colour screen and 154° wide-angle lens to take pictures from the best angle
- App control
The Verdict:
For me, the SJCam C300 Action Camera is a standout choice for outdoor enthusiasts seeking a reliable and versatile camera for capturing their adventures. With its impressive performance, user-friendly features, and durable construction, this camera meets your expectations and offers great value for money. Whether you’re documenting scenic hikes or thrilling bike rides, the SJCam C300 becomes your companion for creating unforgettable memories.
Its compact and lightweight design and its intuitive controls lets users capture stunning footage with ease. With its easy connectivity options and rugged durability, it’s a brilliant recording device. Capturing memories and moments, wherever your adventures may take you.
The SJCam c300 is available to buy from sjcam.com – RRP: £129.99
