REKA action cam from Aldi-worth a punt as a cycle cam?

[mjr]

The standard Yi is currently £52.99 but again ALWAYS on offer, It will either be on Promo or lightning deal and you can snag it for around £40-45 if not lower... Ive seen it as low as around £30 when it was on promo.

That's still a big step up from the £10-20 that the Aldi cameras eventually sold for and you'd have to deal with Amazon's somewhat hit-and-miss returns system if there were any problems, rather than simply returning it to the high street.

 

[Milkfloat]

For me it a battery life issue. The only thing suitable I can find that runs for +4 hours is the Fly 12, and there is no way I am paying £150.

 

[mjr]

For me it a battery life issue. The only thing suitable I can find that runs for +4 hours is the Fly 12, and there is no way I am paying £150.

I suspect I've said this before, but any camera that will run while connected to a USB power pack will probably run long enough to fill up its memory card and (if it does loop recording, which MD80s tend not to) then some. I've had several.

 

[Milkfloat]

I suspect I've said this before, but any camera that will run while connected to a USB power pack will probably run long enough to fill up its memory card and (if it does loop recording, which MD80s tend not to) then some. I've had several.

You have, but the problem then is then water ingestion, plus a more minor one issue of aesthetics.

 

[mjr]

You have, but the problem then is then water ingestion, plus a more minor one issue of aesthetics.

Yeah, waterproofing is fiddly, but aesthetics are a lost cause with most cameras anyway, unless you think ugly plastic or alloy boxes strapped onto things are beautiful!

 

[RoubaixCube]

That's still a big step up from the £10-20 that the Aldi cameras eventually sold for and you'd have to deal with Amazon's somewhat hit-and-miss returns system if there were any problems, rather than simply returning it to the high street.

My mistake. I thought the aldi camera was £30??? or £29.99. In any case, I still stand by my comment. With the Yi you know what you're getting. Cheapest the Yi has ever been according to price tracking websites is £43 but i am sure i have seen it cheaper. I swear i have seen it for under £40 on the amazon lightning deals. You might be paying an extra £10-15 but you know that the camera is of good spec and many have recommended it on amazon. That's why i spent so long looking for a camera myself. If youre happy with sub-par video quality claiming to be 1080p then go ahead.

as for Amazon's returns service, I have never had a problem returning things in the years I have been buying things from there. Once or twice they have given me the run around by pushing me to contact the manufacturer or merchant directly but they have always helped out when pursuing returns directly with them has drawn a blank. I have 100% confidence in Amazon's return policy. returning electrical goods to a store on the highstreet is so old fashioned. With amazon its a simple job of boxing up the items you want to return and getting a prepaid returns label from amazon and handing it to the post office or dropping it somewhere that has Collect+

But i guess you like being overcharged for electrical goods??

 

[Gasman]

Got a link ?

Here's a few.

 

[mjr]

My mistake. I thought the aldi camera was £30??? or £29.99.

Please read the thread - it's been heavily discounted, more so than the Yi... and it sounds like even if you waited for maximum discount on the Yi, you'd only slightly beat full price on the Aldi cameras.

That's why i spent so long looking for a camera myself. If youre happy with sub-par video quality claiming to be 1080p then go ahead.

To be frank, I don't care much beyond it being able to capture number plates and potholes in a reasonably wide range of lighting conditions and that's more to do with the lens and the image sensor than for video format. 1080p has a slight benefit but the main "feature" of 4K or UHD to me is less video fits on a card. If you want higher, then feel free to keep on paying for it.

as for Amazon's returns service, I have never had a problem returning things in the years I have been buying things from there.

Lucky you.

returning electrical goods to a store on the highstreet is so old fashioned. With amazon its a simple job of boxing up the items you want to return and getting a prepaid returns label from amazon and handing it to the post office or dropping it somewhere that has Collect+

In other words, handing it in at a post office or shop but then instead of taking the replacement away, waiting around for another delivery.

But i guess you like being overcharged for electrical goods??

And the winner of "logical disconnect of the day" is...

In case you hadn't noticed, the Aldi action cam came from a supermarket, not Currys.

 

[RoubaixCube]

Please read the thread - it's been heavily discounted, more so than the Yi... and it sounds like even if you waited for maximum discount on the Yi, you'd only slightly beat full price on the Aldi cameras.

Doesnt matter. Im not just talking about the price itself but the price to performance/quality ratio as it if were so to speak. And I know that Yi camera goes on the lightning deals pretty regularly because Xiaomi the manufacturer pays amazon to do it and i get a little notification that pops up on my phone letting me know that the camera or any item in my wishlist is up on lightning deal. You might be waiting what?? another week or two? are you in that much of a rush to get a camera?? then why not go to currys or any brick and mortar store and pick up a gopro brand new or pre-owned? waiting a week or two aint going to kill you.

The video footage of the Yi is of much higher quality then the one of the aldi camera shown.

To be frank, I don't care much beyond it being able to capture number plates and potholes in a reasonably wide range of lighting conditions and that's more to do with the lens and the image sensor than for video format. 1080p has a slight benefit but the main "feature" of 4K or UHD to me is less video fits on a card. If you want higher, then feel free to keep on paying for it.

Yeah but thats you though, and im replying to the person who started the thread who asked the question and not you. I could care less what you want in a camera. you didnt ask the question. Maybe Night Cycler might want to do other things with the camera apart from just recording 'number plates and potholes'. If the video quality is that poor during the day or when its overcast then i dread to think how the quality would be when recording at night... its not going to be spectacular is it? unless you live in a dream world.

Lucky you.

Thanks. I have seen a lot happy customers singing amazons praises when it comes to returns. The only thing im not happy about them is the fact that they avoid paying their taxes.

In other words, handing it in at a post office or shop but then instead of taking the replacement away, waiting around for another delivery.

If youre in a rush you could always go buy a gopro from Currys, ComputerExchange or Cash Converters. waiting 3 or 4 days wont kill you and you can even ask for them to deliver to an amazon locker near where you work so you can pick it up during your lunch break or before you go home.

Honestly If you are that impatient, go out and buy a gopro.

And the winner of "logical disconnect of the day" is...

In case you hadn't noticed, the Aldi action cam came from a supermarket, not Currys.

It doesnt matter where the camera came from. the same thing still applies though Aldi might not overcharge you and sell you an extended warranty that you dont need without letting you know.


if youre happy with the camera -- more power to you, Rather than spend £20 for something utterly sh!tty, I try to find something else that i can use it for so it might be worth investing a little more money.

All im hearing from your comment is a little child screaming "i want it now! NOWWWWW NOWWWWWWWWW!"

 

[eagles633]

Not exactly the best quality video footage @1080p...

Looks more like somewhere between 480 and 720p.

If you pay a little more on top. you can get some proper 1080p or 4k action cameras off amazon. I would rather pay the extra for a Yi or Yi Lite action camera. The Yi lite is currently £90 but i picked mine up for £60 when it was on promo and its ALWAYS on promo or lightning deal! Sadly i sent it back because there was no video flip or rotation function to record the right way up when the camera itself was mounted upside down.

The standard Yi is currently £52.99 but again ALWAYS on offer, It will either be on Promo or lightning deal and you can snag it for around £40-45 if not lower... Ive seen it as low as around £30 when it was on promo.

Currently using an ELECAM REXSO Explorer 4k which was purchased off Gearbest during a flash sale for £66... Now its £103 crikey!!

If you dont need 4k. There are some amazingly good value cameras to be had on amazon with video footage even better than this video here. I spent a month or two researching action cameras so send me a PM if you find something you like off amazon or ebay and i'll tell you if its good for the money.

The current hype with Action Cameras currently is '4K' and loads of manufacturers are pushing out these 'fake 4k' cameras that record at 4k but technically dont as the image is either upscaled from 720p or 1080p depending on the chipset used.

Feel free to fire me a PM

I'm thinking most people upload their vids to youtube. Does'nt youtube reduce the video quality anyway? making 4k not worth it for most? That's what i heard of the techmoan chaps vids anyway..

 

[RoubaixCube]

I'm thinking most people upload their vids to youtube. Does'nt youtube reduce the video quality anyway? making 4k not worth it for most? That's what i heard of the techmoan chaps vids anyway..

Ive heard this too. but I dont think it reduces it a whole much. From what ive heard its more to do with the audio on videos that youtube 'messes up' when they convert your video to their file format during the upload. 4k will still look beautiful even if you upload it to YT or not (so long as its a camera that natively supports 4k and not some upscaled rubbish like a lot of random 4k cameras on amazon/ebay)

Best quality 4k cameras I have seen so far apart from the bog standard gopro's are the SJCAM SJ6 and above range of cameras, Xiaomi Yi 4k range of cameras, Thieye T5E. Eken V8 -- There are probably a few others that i have forgot to mention.

I used to watch Techmoan as well for his camera reviews but he doesnt do as many of them anymore. His review of the SJCAM M10+ was the reason why i ended up buying one.

 

[mjr]

Yeah but thats you though, and im replying to the person who started the thread who asked the question and not you.

Try using the "reply" link or at least @ing them, to make it look less like a reply to the recent posters.

waiting 3 or 4 days wont kill you and you can even ask for them to deliver to an amazon locker near where you work so you can pick it up during your lunch break or before you go home.

Yeah, an amazon locker in a town 5 or 10 miles away is so covenient(!)

All im hearing from your comment is a little child screaming "i want it now! NOWWWWW NOWWWWWWWWW!"

And all I'm getting from you is a second-rate imitation of @Markymark's Apple comments. I'm out.

 

[RoubaixCube]

Try using the "reply" link or at least @ing them, to make it look less like a reply to the recent posters.


Yeah, an amazon locker in a town 5 or 10 miles away is so covenient(!)


And all I'm getting from you is a second-rate imitation of @Markymark's Apple comments. I'm out.

If you dont have anything good to say, dont say it.

I had a google and put up a video of what i found mainly to answer the the OPs question but at the same time for all those who are interested (in this thread) to see how bad the quality was so that people could make their own decisions if they wanted to buy one or not while making recommendations based of my own opinions and research i had done while looking for a camera and you seem to have gotten your knickers in a twist over it.

you called me out on my opinion and i have countered with valid points/reasons while you have done nothing else but throw your toys out of the pram.

Go have a smoke in the garden or make a cuppa, It will help you relax. Hopefully you'll come to realise that the world doesn't revolve around you.

 

[eagles633]

Ive heard this too. but I dont think it reduces it a whole much. From what ive heard its more to do with the audio on videos that youtube 'messes up' when they convert your video to their file format during the upload. 4k will still look beautiful even if you upload it to YT or not (so long as its a camera that natively supports 4k and not some upscaled rubbish like a lot of random 4k cameras on amazon/ebay)
Where are you going to watch a 4k video anyway? Are laptops 4k nowadays? I doubt a 4k phone screen makes any difference being so small.
I bought the stealth 2 after watching techmoan. I hope he makes some cash out of it. seems to put a lot of effort in his vids.

Ive heard this too. but I dont think it reduces it a whole much. From what ive heard its more to do with the audio on videos that youtube 'messes up' when they convert your video to their file format during the upload. 4k will still look beautiful even if you upload it to YT or not (so long as its a camera that natively supports 4k and not some upscaled rubbish like a lot of random 4k cameras on amazon/ebay)

Best quality 4k cameras I have seen so far apart from the bog standard gopro's are the SJCAM SJ6 and above range of cameras, Xiaomi Yi 4k range of cameras, Thieye T5E. Eken V8 -- There are probably a few others that i have forgot to mention.

I used to watch Techmoan as well for his camera reviews but he doesnt do as many of them anymore. His review of the SJCAM M10+ was the reason why i ended up buying one.

Pretty sure techmoan used to upload seperate files so you could see how good the camera performed visually before youtube messed with it.
I can't see myself where 4k works for most people anyway. If you watch on a 4k phone the screen size makes it pointless. Do laptops have 4k screens now? And i doubt people are gonna watch clips on their 50" 4k tv if they have one.
I think techmoan is great. the reason i bought my stealth 2. I hope he makes plenty off his channel.

 

[RoubaixCube]

Pretty sure techmoan used to upload seperate files so you could see how good the camera performed visually before youtube messed with it.
I can't see myself where 4k works for most people anyway. If you watch on a 4k phone the screen size makes it pointless. Do laptops have 4k screens now? And i doubt people are gonna watch clips on their 50" 4k tv if they have one.
I think techmoan is great. the reason i bought my stealth 2. I hope he makes plenty off his channel.

he did on his website I believe. I think there is a small difference between the before and after quality of a video uploaded on youtube though I dont think it makes a huge difference, youre still getting above 1080p quality. Ive seen some idiots record in 4k but encode or upload their video in 720p... Its an absolute waste of time.

Laptops have 4k screens, as do mobile phones and some tablets. though the 4k monika is a little half baked at best. kind of like Apple's 'Retina display' on their devices. You cant see images sharper beyond what the human eye can see.

4k is definitely higher fidelity and bloody enjoyable on a 50" 4k tv as you have mentioned!

Its like beaches. some beaches are beautiful, The shade of blue of the sky, the vibrant colour and warmth of the sun and the sand and the crystal clear waters slowly lapping over your feet....

Then you come to the UK, Its wet, windy and overcast, the sand is grey and the sea is the colour of mud.