SJCAM SJ7 Star 4K Action Camera (used as dashcam) (Ambarella A12LS75, Sony IMX117)

[Agie]

Time for another 4K action camera review, this time from SJCAM in the form of their SJ7 Star. Thanks to @sjcam_official for providing a review sample. You can purchase the SJCAM from many different retailers, @GearBest is a great retailer selling the camera here: Released early 2017. The camera comes in silver and black colour schemes, with rose gold also available from certain outlets.

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Specifications: Sony IMX117 sensor w/166 degree field of view (once again, same sensor as GoPro Hero 3/4), Ambarella A12LS75 chipset, 2 inch TFT LCD touch screen, 4K (3840 x 2160 pixels) video recorded at 30fps with varying bitrates, 2K at up to 60fps, full HD at up to 120fps, and HD up to 200fps. Note: EIS is only available at a maximum resolution of 1080p up to 60fps, not in 2K or 4K. Audio bitrate is constant at 128KBps (mono at 48kHz). There are a plethora of video options, including 2.7K and SuperView, which includes more vision at the top and bottom of the frame, also at varying bitrates. Note: this review has sample footage recorded at 4K, 30fps with SuperView disabled, in SuperFine mode with a bitrate of ~60MBps.
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Box Contents: SJCAM SJ7 Star action camera, anti-static wiping cloth, multi-language user guide, microUSB cable, waterproof case (up to 30m in depth), quick release buckle, handlebar/seat mount, curved adhesive mount, flat adhesive mount, three-way pivot arm mount, frame mount, quick release clip for frame, vertical quick release J-hook buckle, universal 1/4-inch camera tripod mount, 2 x 3M adhesive tape, SJCAM stickers, one 1000mAh battery. SJ Smart Remote and Microphone are sold separately and not included.
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Firmware Version: v1.12 released early April, previous versions were: v1.0.6 released late March 2017 - upgraded from v1.0.5 in box - will update review accordingly if new changes brought about by new firmware.



The final verdict: Competition is heating up in the 4K action camera space, with several new entrants. SJCAM has built on their extensive history with a great product in the SJ7 Star, and backed that up with extensive firmware support (beta-testing also available to members of the public), and a keen eye for design.
You get what you pay for, and it is money well-spent if you decide to go for the SJ7 Star.


Unboxing video:

The SJCAM SJ7 Star records in true 4K, unlike other cheaper cameras that may employ tricks such as interpolation or frame doubling to give the impression that it is recording in 4K. The Sony IMX117 is a tried and true quantity, and the new Ambarella A12LS75 chipset handles its tasks with ease. The camera records dash camera footage by enabling the Car DVR feature in the menu options, which records in loops.


My nitpickings:

• Night-time quality could be better and could do with some focussing improvements. However, this is not the strong suit of any action camera as obviously the action uses of this camera take priority.
• Although the camera does warn that it becoming excessively warm during operation is normal, perhaps optimisation is something that can be done by Ambarella with future chipsets (understandably, thermals in such a small enclosure can be difficult considering its main use-case scenario as an action camera).

The positive:

• Wi-Fi app is solid as concrete and works impressively well without any connection drop-outs, *cough cough* Thieye
• Build and quality of materials is solid and feels very nice in hand. I am absolutely in love with the rose gold colour option.
• Capacitive touch screen is smooth and responsive, and it makes changing options a hell of a lot easier - all dash cameras should have these. Tap to enter the settings menu; swipe up to enter menu for quick photo capture, video, time lapse, video lapse; swipe down to enter shortcuts menu to turn on WiFi/go to gallery to watch photos or videos.
  
• A multitude of in-box accessories should satiate even the most die-hard action sports fan - also makes the task of establishing this as a dash camera in-car much easier with reversible brackets.
• Microphone sensitivity is on point here, with fantastic volume and clarity. There is a bit of crackling, which hopefully can be rectified in a future firmware update - fixed in latest 1.12 update as of April 2017.
• Videos are well-exposed with accurate colour, and even though there are snippets of oversharpening, does not detract from the overall image. 4K dash-cam being standard footage is the future.

Close-up photos of the SJCAM SJ7 Star 4K Action Camera:

 

[Agie]

SJCAM SJ7 Star action camera sample footage:


SJCAM SJ7 Star daytime footage, 4K (2160p) at 30fps:

SJCAM SJ7 Star sunset footage, 4K (2160p) at 30fps:

SJCAM SJ7 Star Night-time footage, 4K (2160p) at 30fps:

SJCAM SJ7 Star sunset footage, 1080p at 60fps (EIS/gyro turned on):

 

[Agie]

Some screengrabs:

 

[TeriTerryTarry]

Time for another 4K action camera review, this time from SJCAM in the form of their SJ7 Star. Thanks to @sjcam_official for providing a review sample. You can purchase the SJCAM from many different retailers, @GearBest is a great retailer selling the camera here: Released early 2017. The camera comes in silver and black colour schemes, with rose gold also available from certain outlets.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Specifications: Sony IMX117 sensor w/166 degree field of view (once again, same sensor as GoPro Hero 3/4), Ambarella A12LS75 chipset, 2 inch TFT LCD touch screen, 4K (3840 x 2160 pixels) video recorded at 30fps with varying bitrates, 2K at up to 60fps, full HD at up to 120fps, and HD up to 200fps. Note: EIS is only available at a maximum resolution of 1080p up to 60fps, not in 2K or 4K. Audio bitrate is constant at 128KBps (mono at 48kHz). There are a plethora of video options, including 2.7K and SuperView, which includes more vision at the top and bottom of the frame, also at varying bitrates. Note: this review has sample footage recorded at 4K, 30fps with SuperView disabled, in SuperFine mode with a bitrate of ~60MBps.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Box Contents: SJCAM SJ7 Star action camera, anti-static wiping cloth, multi-language user guide, microUSB cable, waterproof case (up to 30m in depth), quick release buckle, handlebar/seat mount, curved adhesive mount, flat adhesive mount, three-way pivot arm mount, frame mount, quick release clip for frame, vertical quick release J-hook buckle, universal 1/4-inch camera tripod mount, 2 x 3M adhesive tape, SJCAM stickers, one 1000mAh battery. SJ Smart Remote and Microphone are sold separately and not included.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Firmware Version: v1.0.6 released late March 2017 - upgraded from v1.0.5 in box - will update review accordingly if new changes brought about by new firmware.



The final verdict: Competition is heating up in the 4K action camera space, with several new entrants. SJCAM has built on their extensive history with a great product in the SJ7 Star, and backed that up with extensive firmware support (beta-testing also available to members of the public), and a keen eye for design.
You get what you pay for, and it is money well-spent if you decide to go for the SJ7 Star.


Unboxing video:

The SJCAM SJ7 Star records in true 4K, unlike other cheaper cameras that may employ tricks such as interpolation or frame doubling to give the impression that it is recording in 4K. The Sony IMX117 is a tried and true quantity, and the new Ambarella A12LS75 chipset handles its tasks with ease. The camera records dash camera footage by enabling the Car DVR feature in the menu options, which records in loops.


My nitpickings:

• Night-time quality could be better and could do with some focussing improvements. However, this is not the strong suit of any action camera as obviously the action uses of this camera take priority.
• Although the camera does warn that it becoming excessively warm during operation is normal, perhaps optimisation is something that can be done by Ambarella with future chipsets (understandably, thermals in such a small enclosure can be difficult considering its main use-case scenario as an action camera).

The positive:

• Wi-Fi app is solid as concrete and works impressively well without any connection drop-outs, *cough cough* Thieye
• Build and quality of materials is solid and feels very nice in hand. I am absolutely in love with the rose gold colour option.
• Capacitive touch screen is smooth and responsive, and it makes changing options a hell of a lot easier - all dash cameras should have these.
  
• A multitude of in-box accessories should satiate even the most die-hard action sports fan - also makes the task of establishing this as a dash camera in-car much easier with reversible brackets.
• Microphone sensitivity is on point here, with fantastic volume and clarity. There is a bit of crackling, which hopefully can be rectified in a future firmware update.
• Videos are well-exposed with accurate colour, and even though there are snippets of oversharpening, does not detract from the overall image. 4K dash-cam being standard footage is the future.

Close-up photos of the SJCAM SJ7 Star 4K Action Camera:

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Great review. I'm surprised to find that I also really like the Rose Gold color of the tester SJCam sent me. I'm just now starting to shoot vids and pics. Based on your samples I'm quite enthusiastic!

Unfortunately I haven't been able to get the Android app to work. Both my phone and the camera indicate that the WiFi is connected but nothing happens beyond the app start screen. I just get the little spinning wheel at the bottom. I only have firmware version 1.06 but I think the latest is 1.09. I'm still waiting for access to the tester's forum to get the latest version.

Again great review. Cheers!

 

[Agie]

Great review. I'm surprised to find that I also really like the Rose Gold color of the tester SJCam sent me. I'm just now starting to shoot vids and pics. Based on your samples I'm quite enthusiastic!

Unfortunately I haven't been able to get the Android app to work. Both my phone and the camera indicate that the WiFi is connected but nothing happens beyond the app start screen. I just get the little spinning wheel at the bottom. I only have firmware version 1.06 but I think the latest is 1.09. I'm still waiting for access to the tester's forum to get the latest version.

Again great review. Cheers!

Thanks for your kind words mate, and can't wait to hear your verdict on the SJ7 Star too. I have a few rose gold items around the house, and it's really becoming one of my favourites haha.

First time it didn't find it, but after that the other ten times or so I used the app on different days etc it connected fine, and very fast too. I was using version 1.06 too so not sure what is going on. Was very hard to find anything to fault anything with this camera, but SJCAM and Thieye are both pretty good companies, and it's nice to see these Chinese companies cottoning onto the fact that firmware and customer support is important to business. Viofo is my favourite in the dash camera space that also take the same approach.

 

[kamkar]

You could do with the Sj7 as a 4K dashcam, not least if you have a pretty down to earth expectations to what you actually need and can make do with for night footage.

I am also like the spring time is sort of under way here finally, and i trust my friend have the new Chevy Blazer body painted up real nice for my RC truck so we can get out there in nature and do some wheeling again.
Also i have some creative plans for a little camera like the SJ7, so i have to go scout locations, and buy me a little hardware i will need to pull those things off.

I think the Sj7 will be a really cool little camera, the Sj6 too, for sure i am still kicking myself for "loosing" that one, but i hope i can rescue it when it is dried out.
Will know about the Sj6 in a few days as i go visiting my M8 again.

 

[mikek753]

hi Agie,

Would you compare SJ7 to ThiEYE T5e that you reviewed before.
Also, do you see improvement vs current good 1080P dashcams?
At night it isn't as good as cams with 1080p Exmor sensor, while at day it looks more details, but due to 30fps isn't as sharp ether vs 1080/60p.

thanks.

 

[Agie]

hi Agie,

Would you compare SJ7 to ThiEYE T5e that you reviewed before.
Also, do you see improvement vs current good 1080P dashcams?
At night it isn't as good as cams with 1080p Exmor sensor, while at day it looks more details, but due to 30fps isn't as sharp ether vs 1080/60p.

thanks.

if you check my YouTube channel or bring up both my Thieye and SJCAM reviews, you can compare the footage side by side in YouTube in-line videos.

I do see a very noticeable improvement in the quality of the footage, but certain dash cameras do exposure and details better than these (Viofo is a good company at that). And I do agree with you that at night IQ takes a bit of a turn for the worse, and definitely I am impressed with how much light the Sony sensors pull in. Due to degradation in details such as licence plates, I'm not a fan of 60fps video anyway.

 

[mikek753]

Due to degradation in details such as licence plates, I'm not a fan of 60fps video anyway.

Would you mind to elaborate this? Please.
I thought that 60fps has to be better, less motion blur vs 30fps, as for any action cam 60fps+ is a must - IMHO.

 

[kamkar]

Thats what i like on 60FPS cameras that do actual 60 fps and not frame doubling.

Okay a 1/60 second exposure time are still pretty slow for anything at speed, but its at least 2 X better then a 1/30 second exposure.

I would prefer a dashcam with a more light sensitive sensor doing 60 FPS Vs a dashcam with a less light sensitive sensor with 30 FPS, cuz then even if the brightness of the resulting footage's are the same the images captured at 60 FPS should have less motion blur to it.

I hope newer dashcams will be able to support 60 FPS at night, and then maybe have same footage brightness like current good dashcams at night.
Cuz all things being equal it will give a greater chance of good footage in that little sweet spot dashcams have at night ( right in front of car in the light of headlights )

What road side trees / buildings and so i cant see anyway or are just a motion blur ( new sensor or not ) i cant really use for anything anyway.

 

[TonyCams]

Please remember that we have a firmware version B which locks in the frame rate at night. Not sure if you guys have tested A vs B firmware yet. Thanks for all of your input and reviews

 

[kamkar]

Thats their dashcam and its just 1080p the SJ7 is a 4K action camera first and foremost, but it can be used as a dashcam if you want to.
So with 4k you get stuning daytime footage, but due to 4K sensor night time performance is at a minimum.

I would not get any of those 10 cameras, i would just go and pick up a Vifo A119S and be done with it.
Granted not as cheap, but there are reasons why some dashcams are cheap, and often those conflict with the #1 must have feature in dashcams, and that's reliability.

 

[jokiin]

I would not get any of those 10 cameras

it's a fake review site with affiliate links to Amazon, authored by the same guy

 

[kamkar]

Yeah a first post like that set off my alarm, second time i got that feeling today.

 

[jokiin]

you get these most days here, I just report them as I find them and let dashcamman sort them out

 

[Agie]

you get these most days here, I just report them as I find them and let dashcamman sort them out

has me intrigued, what is this fake guy (and where is the threads), unless i haven't been following enough of the forums on here

 

[jokiin]

has me intrigued, what is this fake guy (and where is the threads), unless i haven't been following enough of the forums on here

was posted just above, I see it has been deleted already though, was just a link to a 'review' site which was all affiliate links and was authored by the guy that posted the link

 

[Agie]

was posted just above, I see it has been deleted already though, was just a link to a 'review' site which was all affiliate links and was authored by the guy that posted the link

thanks mate thought that may have been the case where it disappeared. seems like no forum is safe these days from people like this

 

[jokiin]

thanks mate thought that may have been the case where it disappeared. seems like no forum is safe these days from people like this

not a successful forum if the spammers don't try it on