8Ten SDV - 5271 First Impressions

I got mine from Lazada. I guess I should start with that. This is my review of the 8ten  SDV -5271 (it records 1080p25) action camera.

Capturing action shots have always been something, that many of us dream't of doing. I remember when I wanted to capture our trail riding because it was so cool and it's a shame that I couldn't because I don't have a wearable camera. A cellphone can only do so much too. You can't exactly ride the trail with one hand occupied by a cellphone, in the event you crash, you can get hurt or worse die. With action cameras from Go Pro, Sony and many others, you can do just that and then some.

But there's always one issue that tend to hold one down in purchasing these cameras, they're expensive. Go Pros cost a few hundreds of dollars and mounts, harnesses and attachments would make it cost even more; the same thing goes for Sony's action cameras. Simply put, not everyone can afford one.

And like most things in life, the chinese came into the picture and voila, in the last couple of years, we have tons of cheap and surprisingly decent performing alternatives that is light in the wallet. It all started with the SJcam and although those cameras is within the price range of a Go Pro Hero and Polaroid action cameras, they performed well and many, if you do your research are happy with them.

So here I am with the 8ten SDV-5271. I remember buying this around 4AM in the morning. Lazada had a 1k off coupon for 6k and more purchases and since I was buying a new phone, I grabbed one 8ten along the way. If i was to apply the coupon to the camera exclusively, I would have cost me a cheap 399.00 PHP. the price has for the last month, increased slowly. It retailed for 6k which is a price I would never pay for one.

It's a sweet deal but never did i set my expectations too high. I had to be honest though, I was excited for its arrival.

NOTE: my first  unit came in and it was defective. It kept resetting no matter what I do and changing the cards did not help. I got my  replacement and it has been solid so far.

Box

Nothing much to see on the box itself but I figured potential buyers might be interested in this info. The camera comes in a sturdy enough box but is not of the same quality for the most part as those used to house cellphones from well known brands. Who cares though. if it comes intact, its okay.

specs sheet at the back.

A photo of the camera up front and some dude skiing and on the back a specs sheet of the two models available. Nothing much can be seen on the front face of the box, no feature presentations of sorts like what you'd see in camera boxes. the right side of the box shows some more photos with labels, videos, photos and edit/share. the left side tells you the particular color the camera inside is. This model only comes with one color and that is silver by the way and on the bottom part, the serial code. the back portion aside from showing a specs sheet also tells you what can be found inside the box. lol.

The camera comes housed inside the waterproof casing and a separate portion of the plastic container contains all of the mounts you need. One thing that makes these cameras worthwhile is that they have enough mounts to start, unlike a go pro or a sony where they are sold separately.

A thick manual is included in different languages. The English is not that good, not surprising from a small chinese brand. Its informative enough though including instructions on just about anything you can do with the camera as well as specs for the lens, battery type and what descriptions on what the features does.

Camera Unit

Noteworthy specs

You can pretty much view everything there is to know about the camera on the photo posted before this, so for this bit, only main highlights I'd include.

• The camera can record 1080p at 25 fps. Yes that's 25 fps, 5 fps less than most others. I wish it was 30fps honestly. It records 30fps for 720p and VGA. 
• The camera is a 5 megapixel CMOS sensor. Adequate enough for facebook and social media sites. You can shoot at 12mp mode however which is odd because the sensor is only 5MP.
• an F3.2 lens up front. Its slow in general but in well lit conditions, its enough really. I wish for a f2.0 but hey at the price, can't complain.
• The screen at the back is a 2 inch TFT lcd screen.
• The camera has a standing recording time of 80mins, although I've yet to test it.

The design of the camera is rather boring. Look at it up front and you'd notice the lens module  like its off a bit to the left. The back of it houses a low resolution screen and the screen is occupying a bit more on the right side. It may have something to do with the lens upfront. The top portion of the device is occupied by the power button and the record button, the mic and two led lights indicating busy and charging.

You got the model number and battery information taped in the bottom and a few screws and the hole where you connect all of the mounts in. looks like the screw grooves are made of plastic a thumbs down unfortunately even at this pricepoint.

One of the sides is covered by a rubberized flap that covers the AV OUT port and an HDMI port while the other side houses the usb port/ charging port and the micro sd card slot. 8ten recommends a class 4 or class 10 or better card. This has to do with the data bandwitdh the camera can record. When shooting 1080p a slow card simply wont do that is why a class 4 or better card is needed.

Build quality - Build quality is excellent as it feels solid in the hand. the rubberized ports are textured although the rest is as boring as it can be plastic.  Squeezing the unit you might see some flex in between the front and back piece. Opening the flaps you'd quickly notice the quality of the plastic inside. It reminds me of cheap toys at the department store. 

It doesn't matter though since the camera would spend much of its time in its casing, it should be safe. 

Just don't drop it. It might disintegrate.

Speaking of the waterproof housing, I'm no plastic expert but i believe its a poly carbonate case. Its sturdy, really sturdy and I wont be afraid of dropping it. the buttons however felt cheap. the flaps secures the camera perfectly inside. The case is thick enough that when you press on a particular spot or squeeze it, it'll resist flexing. A good thing or not depends on you. 

When the camera is inside the case. There's no way to adjust settings other than powering the camera up and recording video or taking photos. If you want to change a mode, you'd have to open the case and access the touch screen from there. Certainly inconvenient to those who want to shoot photos and video one after the other.

I've yet to test the case in water though.

The camera protrudes out and does not have anything moving inside when you power up.

Powering Up

When you power up the unit, the logo of 8ten before a white back  ground will make its introduction first followed by a sound that reminds of me of a cellphone booting up. The device powers up and the LCD will automatically give you a feed of what it sees.

LCD display

check out how small it is.

As mentioned, the LCD is low res but surprisingly vivid in well lit conditions and scenes. When the light drops though, grain pops up but feed speed stays the same which is good. Even with its low resolution screen the touch sensitivity is surprisingly adequate. Its not resistive and a light tap if your fingers are small enough to hit what you want is enough to access what's behind each icon. 

Screen icons

From the top left portion of the

1. tells you the camera mode and size video/photo.

2. across the screen shows the recording time you card can do

3. below it is a touchscreen control for zooming in an d out

4. below it is the battery indicator

5. beside it to the left is the date, then the running time of unit since used and lastly

6. the person icon, accesses the menu, camera mode and playback.

Accessories

These are the accessories included. I was expecting  cheap, thin plastic hardware but to my surprise the quality of the accessories is very good. There's a secure flap system for the strap and although it feels thin, it has held up with all the pressure the strap is pulling up on it. The mounts are of good quality too.

Photo and Video Quality.

I'll be testing the camera tomorrow in all of the video modes and the 12 mp mode of the camera.

Stay tuned for image and video quality updates here!

update: click here.

Overall Conclusion...so far.

The 8ten was priced at 6k initially. At the price, there are tons of other good camera options to buy. But when Lazada slashed the price considerably there's no reason why this camera is not a good buy. Taking into consideration the price range I got it for, it's bang on so far. The accessories don't feel cheap at all and feels sturdy.  

Granted its a thumb down that my initially unit was a dud, Lazada took care of me and even the replacement has its own 14 day warranty, I couldn't be happier.

We tend to throw the saying, "you get what you pay for" but until we get this working on the trail, put it in situations it is intended to handle, then I'd avoid saying that I might say something else, like say, "bang on for the buck!"