@lichme They could have added some pieces by completing the disassembly and removing screws, washers etc. “100+ pieces and almost as easy to assemble as Ikea furniture”
here’s a demo video indoors where the guy says it’s great except that low light quality sucks, then he shows us indoor video that seems not to suck too bad and good responsiveness to difficult light changes (outdoor to indoor).
I might buy one of these despite the fact that Meh has sold me several other models. But none of those are 4k.
@djslack I’ve been singed by 3 other chinasian cameras sold here. I finally gave up and just got a GoPro H4 Black (my H3 Black was stolen in the burglary a year and a half ago). 4x the price, 10x the quality.
So it’s not the same camera, spec-for-spec, but this might give you an idea of the quality you can expect for an item at this price point. It does also give me an excuse to show off some sweet vacation photos.
@theredia I see what you did there- nice picture, better editing, and the video was pretty decently detailed as well- although I noticed that I could not read any of the car’s license plate numbers.
Then again, none were shown, and I can’t read Italian…
@theredia I also got 2 of those and currently use one for a dashcamera. It’s ok video, but definitely not great. The battery life was only good for about 10 minutes before i wired in a voltage adapter (buck converter) to allow it to run from 12V. Thinking about one of these to replace it.
From having used these sorts of cameras before, I can say that you’ll likely not end up using most of the accessories it comes with. But they’re small and don’t get in the way, so they are nice to have.
@mehgrl@ruouttaurmind that $129 looks like a reasonable way to address the potentially false economy (nobody is Scot-cheaper than I) of cheap Chinese knockoffs. 12,000 sold this way - full price buyers remorse returns?!
Every time I get close to buying one of the sub-$50 copies something bad gets said about it.
Still, the near monopoly that GoPro has built for solid devices at super premium prices defies logic - that nobody else seems to be able to crack. (Marketing dollars)
Did those GoPro eBay store refurbs come with any accessories or was it simply a camera rattling around in a plain box? Their page says next to nothing.
@RedOak I bought my refurb Hero 3+ Black from their eBay store about 2 years ago. It arrived in retail packaging and included camera, battery, charging cable, remote control, documentation, waterproof/shock resistant housing and 2 or 3 mounting gewgaws. The camera was in as-new, pristine condition.
As far as the H4… It arrived on Saturday, and it is still sitting on the kitchen counter awaiting my attention. I’ll open the box before I head out to work and give you a cursory idea what’s included.
@RedOak It’s in a purpose-built not-retail box, and includes 3 mounts, housing, battery and charging cable. Condition appears as-new pristine. The full 1 year warranty by GoPro gives some piece of mind rather than having to deal with China or 3rd party authorized repair facilities for warranty issues.
For cheap people like me that don’t really need one of these, but might shell out $40 shipped for this one just as a toy… could you tell me what I would be missing out on vs paying way too much for a GoPro (which I wouldn’t do, since once again I don’t need one)?
@tsfisch I don’t really “need” one either. But crappy video is useless to me. If I’m going to buy one of these cameras, it must have minimally acceptable video in various situations. But I get the $40 vs. $130 hesitation. My hesitation is more about the “need” than the triple price since a $40 crappy camera will for sure sit unused. Anything more than $130 or so and it falls out of consideration tho.
@tsfisch a portion of the price of a GoPro versus a knockoff goes into things like optical quality and larger/better performing image sensor, which can translate into better quality videos, especially in low or challenging light situations. Another portion of the price goes into marketing, which gets you nada.
Some people find battery life to be lacking in no-name units as well. I have not seen this complaint about this model.
I linked a video on this thread which shows acceptable indoor video quality and handling of challenging light. The manufacturer’s promo video, also on this thread, shows some good video and some that looks less than good. And then someone else linked a video of a paintball game that calls the video quality “1080Potato” and it’s pretty awful. There could be quality control issues, or the first guy with the indoor video got a shining star of a unit.
As a toy, this is probably well worth the price of admission. If you’re only going to film well lit outdoor scenes, it may be great. If you want to actually film once in a lifetime experiences and know you got the video, it may be worth shelling out for the big name. If it’s just going to sit in your hoard closet, might as well save the bucks.
@tsfisch Mostly it’s about image quality. Color, clarity and resolution. Also, there’s build quality and reliability. Finally, features and ongoing support via software and hardware enhancements.
In the last few years of fussing with drones and their cameras I’ve also learned how many inexpensive cameras puff up their specifications via interpolated imaging. For example, a 4K image on a $30 or $40 camera is often not native 4K, but rather interpolated into 4K from a lower resolution image sensor. A 60 or 120 or 240 framerate is often interpolated from 28 or 30 FPS.
There are uses for cameras when all that doesn’t matter. For example, I have used one on my 3D printer to monitor and document build progress on larger, more time consuming projects. In that case, the el-cheapo camera was just fine. Or when I put one on Super Belle the Wonder Dog when I took her to the lake for the first time to get a dog’s eye view of her reaction to the water and fish and such. Or when I gave my exes son one to fuss with when he was learning to ride his RipStick. No sense in giving him a GoPro with the risk of serious damage being high.
So I get it. Not knowing what your intended purpose is, I can not begin to suggest this cheap WASPcam won’t be suitable for you. But there is a difference in what you get for the extra $$ with a GoPro.
@tsfisch One more note on video and image quality: Remember the rule “Crap in -> Crap Out” so if you anticipate editing or enhancing your vids/pics, the higher the quality of the source, the better the result. Stuff like speeding up or slowing down a vid clip, zooming, stabilizing, color enhancements, PIP, etc. I use Adobe Premier for my video post, and I have more options in how to fuss with a video if the source quality is fairly decent.
If all you’re going to do is snip out the bad stuff, throw on a title and some background music, none of this is relevant.
@uninflammable Get a real dash cam with all the dashcam features. This one “can be used as”. Not the same. You can get a reasonably capable 1080p dash cam for the same price.
@uninflammable If you submerge your car, are you sure you want photographic evidence available to the prosecution?
Dash cam functions like g-force sensor, parking mode with motion sensor, and possibly GPS which adds vehicle speed and heading data. Wide FOV is a great feature as well (the specs above say this one has 170* FOV which is very, very wide). Also, some dash cameras have a capacitor rather than a battery which keeps the camera from overheating due to excessive charging, and extends camera life by not killing overcharged batteries.
@ruouttaurmind@uninflammable The capacitor is not to keep the camera from overheating, but rather to eliminate the possibility of a battery from puffing and going boom due to the excessive heat buildup in a typical car. The summer heat will likely kill this much quicker than a straight dashcam. Also while 170 FOV is nice for catching action beyond the typical 100-140 FOV of most dashcams, it is not good for resolving useful details like the license plate of the car that just side swiped you and is getting away.
@PhysAssist That’s a very long article which I choose to briefly skim. In my very cursory perusal I didn’t see the info which suggested avoiding accelerometers, parking features, and GPS?
@ruouttaurmind To be honest, I hadn’t re-read the updated version, and it no longer recommends against the GPS [which initially they said could possibly be used against you in court], G-force sensor, and Parking mode as non-viable or at least not very useful features.
Sorry
“Parking surveillance: Models with this feature use optical motion detection or G-sensors to “wake up” and start recording if something happens to or around your vehicle while it’s parked. But the odds of the camera picking up useful information are low, since the camera faces a single direction and also requires persistent power to do this. We tested the parking mode in the models that offered it, but we were unable to trigger any of the cameras. Car owners shouldn’t consider this feature a reliable security tool.”
“Safety features: Some dash cams (and car GPS devices) provide safety alerts similar to the type that are becoming more common in newer cars. These include forward-collision warnings, which sound an audible alert if you are following another car too closely, and lane-departure warnings, which let you know if your car is crossing a lane marker on the road. Both can be helpful in some situations, but as you might expect, these features on a dash cam aren’t as reliable, consistent, or sophisticated as the more expensive safety systems in new cars. In some dash cam models, the alerts are also overly sensitive, which causes them to go off too often and can make them annoying enough that you want to turn them off. Again, this feature is not really a necessity for most people.”
@PhysAssist What’s listed under ‘Safety features’ isn’t the same thing as having G-force sensors. The G-force sensor is rather important in a dash cam as it causes the camera to save the recording after an incident that’s strong enough for the sensors to be triggered. Since dash cams rewrite over their own memory, you wouldn’t want to be in an accident where you were unable to shut it off manually and have the camera erase vital footage.
I’m in for one. ( warm-tenuous-mole ) Since
I have the VIP membership I try to only buy one item per month, ( I really wasn’t that much of a hoarder until meh came along ) and I’m trying to reform my fiendish hoarding ways, mother F-ing VIP membership…
@bigtom67 FYI, VMP status does not mean you have to buy at least one thing per month. Better to wave goodbye to that 5 bucks than spend another $x on something that simply fills your hoard closet.
Disclosure: it took about 3 years for me to fill our hoard closet with this wisdom.
Biggest issue with these knock-offs (I don’t have this one, but I have another faceless Chinese knock-off that’s exactly like this one in virtually every aspect) is that the battery life is abysmal.
Learned the hard way when my bargain camera crapped out after about 6 minutes filming on the Great Barrier Reef (I was in the middle of a very cool “shark encounter”)
@PhysAssist Amazon snob, who’s aware of the many entirely fake reviews often posted, especially on the Chinese knock-off products.
But at least there are 45 reviews posted there, as opposed to the 7 only semi-suspicious reviews on Best Buy, including 4 from “inactive” users, and 0 from the 6 people who rated the WaspCam 1, 2, or 3 stars.
@norman8 They’re all just various thingamabobs to attach the camera to slightly different things, like flat surfaces, bars, straps, tripods, etc. You don’t have to use them all at once, or at all.
@mcemanuel Note: That review is for a different model (9905). Whether this the model from today’s cam has the same issues is anyone’s guess. That said, this reviewers main issues were with the customer service from the manufacturer.
WASPCAM 9941 Wi-Fi Waterproof 4K Action Camera HD USB Action Cam in Black $139.99
Shoots up to 4K 30fps for capturing super high definition videos
Takes up to 16MP images forultra-crisp photos
Matte black waterproof case provides protection down to 98ft. underwater
Built in Wi-Fi for connectivity to the WASPcam ROX app
WASPcam ROX app allows for remote control of camera and sharing directly from your smartphone
Includes Time-Lapse, Loop Recording, and Photo Timer features for more versatility in the shots you take
2” LCD Screen helps set up the perfect shot as well as delivers great playback on-the-go
Compatible with MicroSD Cards SDHC Class 10 up to 64GB (sold separately)
Removeable and rechargeable lithium ion battery provides 70 minutes continuous recording
Includes loads of mounts/accessories right out of the box to handle a variety of activities with the action camera
I’m reading this over lunch. It seems like a pretty exciting camera on the cheap. I’m gonna think this over, (which is very anti-meh), and if they’re not sold out, I’m gonna grab one this evening.
Don’t know if anyone’s still reading this thread. But just in case… Got my camera. Got a microSD with adapter. Took some video. Put in my macBook… says unreadable without formatting. Reformatted as exFAT. Put in camera, says can’t be used without reformatting, which I did… and the Mac can’t read it again.
So is the file system of the camera simply incompatible with anything Mac can read, or…
@tsfisch Yup, same problem. Wether or not you use the camera to format the memory, it will become unreadable on your Mac. DO NOT put a memory in this camera that has anything you want to keep. I’m in the process of recovering what I last shot on my GoPro. And I didn’t even let the Wasp cam format my card. After a little experimenting with another (empty) card, it looks like the only way to copy/save what the WASP shoots, is to connect the camera to the Mac and use the camera as a card reader.
@tsfisch I have gotten the (android) application to work with it once in approximately 40 attempts.
I just stepped outside and took a video that looked way better than the first few I took at home the other day. So, less bad than I was thinking. It was probably a low light issue. I’m a little happier now, but I wish I could get it to connect to my phone again.
@jmkiii I haven’t done any comprehensive tests with it, but so far the few test videos I’ve taken (mostly indoors with good window daylight, but some outdoors) have turned out decent. And the iPhone app seems to work reasonably well, although it’s odd that you can’t control zoom (as far as I can tell) from it.
One of these days I’m going to bike into work (approx 15 miles each way) and give it a good test.
@texnick It certainly seems to be variable. Some people like you are reporting this. Others seem to be ok, like mine is so far. I don’t think my standards are that low lol.
@texnick Have you connected to it with a phone? When I was finally able to do it I think the firmware may have updated because the video got significantly better. I could be totally off, IDK.
That’s good advice, I’ll give it a shot. I think it’s likely that maybe the quality control was off, so maybe some of us got duds. I don’t know why I bought this thing really, I have gopro sessions, bargain hunter in me I guess.
Got mine, can’t even determine the pic/vid quality since I can’t get the thing to charge at all. These reviews are making me think this was a swing and a miss unfortunately.
You: Look at all the stuff this comes with:
Me: That sure does look complicated
@lichme At the end of the day you wind up using 2 items out of all that kit.
@lichme They could have added some pieces by completing the disassembly and removing screws, washers etc. “100+ pieces and almost as easy to assemble as Ikea furniture”
I always feel like somebody’s WASPing me.
@jsh139 And you have no privacy.
White Anglo-Saxon Photography?
here’s a demo video indoors where the guy says it’s great except that low light quality sucks, then he shows us indoor video that seems not to suck too bad and good responsiveness to difficult light changes (outdoor to indoor).
I might buy one of these despite the fact that Meh has sold me several other models. But none of those are 4k.
@djslack I’ve been singed by 3 other chinasian cameras sold here. I finally gave up and just got a GoPro H4 Black (my H3 Black was stolen in the burglary a year and a half ago). 4x the price, 10x the quality.
Almost two years ago, I purchased this inexpensive action cam and GoPro accessory kit for $35 from Meh.
A few months later I took it to Europe and- along with many others- captured this shot:
Using the Nik Collection of photo editing software downloadable for free from Google, I was able to turn that shot into this:
I also got video like this:
Arriving in Tirano, Italy
So it’s not the same camera, spec-for-spec, but this might give you an idea of the quality you can expect for an item at this price point. It does also give me an excuse to show off some sweet vacation photos.
@theredia I see what you did there- nice picture, better editing, and the video was pretty decently detailed as well- although I noticed that I could not read any of the car’s license plate numbers.
Then again, none were shown, and I can’t read Italian…
@theredia 4:20 Dispensaries in Italy?
(yes, I am aware most pharmacies/chemists in European countries use a green cross versus the red cross used in the US)
@theredia I also got 2 of those and currently use one for a dashcamera. It’s ok video, but definitely not great. The battery life was only good for about 10 minutes before i wired in a voltage adapter (buck converter) to allow it to run from 12V. Thinking about one of these to replace it.
@theredia I actually bought this to replace my Nabi Look - I gave it to my 3 year old daughter and she’s a video shooting fool. haha
Just for the record… chances are pretty good it’s waterproof down to zero feet without it’s waterproof case…
Meh camera - picture owning it
From having used these sorts of cameras before, I can say that you’ll likely not end up using most of the accessories it comes with. But they’re small and don’t get in the way, so they are nice to have.
Buy a GoPro instead…these type of cameras typically suck. GoPro’s are expensive but the footage you capture is worth spending more. Thank me later.
@Stallion This looks good to me since I don’t have GoPro money.
@mehgrl Check out this thread. Still more ‘spensive, but as I mentioned below, 4x the price for 10x the camera.
@mehgrl @ruouttaurmind that $129 looks like a reasonable way to address the potentially false economy (nobody is Scot-cheaper than I) of cheap Chinese knockoffs. 12,000 sold this way - full price buyers remorse returns?!
Every time I get close to buying one of the sub-$50 copies something bad gets said about it.
Still, the near monopoly that GoPro has built for solid devices at super premium prices defies logic - that nobody else seems to be able to crack. (Marketing dollars)
Did those GoPro eBay store refurbs come with any accessories or was it simply a camera rattling around in a plain box? Their page says next to nothing.
@RedOak I bought my refurb Hero 3+ Black from their eBay store about 2 years ago. It arrived in retail packaging and included camera, battery, charging cable, remote control, documentation, waterproof/shock resistant housing and 2 or 3 mounting gewgaws. The camera was in as-new, pristine condition.
As far as the H4… It arrived on Saturday, and it is still sitting on the kitchen counter awaiting my attention. I’ll open the box before I head out to work and give you a cursory idea what’s included.
@RedOak It’s in a purpose-built not-retail box, and includes 3 mounts, housing, battery and charging cable. Condition appears as-new pristine. The full 1 year warranty by GoPro gives some piece of mind rather than having to deal with China or 3rd party authorized repair facilities for warranty issues.
For cheap people like me that don’t really need one of these, but might shell out $40 shipped for this one just as a toy… could you tell me what I would be missing out on vs paying way too much for a GoPro (which I wouldn’t do, since once again I don’t need one)?
@ruouttaurmind Thanks! So tempted…
@tsfisch I don’t really “need” one either. But crappy video is useless to me. If I’m going to buy one of these cameras, it must have minimally acceptable video in various situations. But I get the $40 vs. $130 hesitation. My hesitation is more about the “need” than the triple price since a $40 crappy camera will for sure sit unused. Anything more than $130 or so and it falls out of consideration tho.
@tsfisch a portion of the price of a GoPro versus a knockoff goes into things like optical quality and larger/better performing image sensor, which can translate into better quality videos, especially in low or challenging light situations. Another portion of the price goes into marketing, which gets you nada.
Some people find battery life to be lacking in no-name units as well. I have not seen this complaint about this model.
I linked a video on this thread which shows acceptable indoor video quality and handling of challenging light. The manufacturer’s promo video, also on this thread, shows some good video and some that looks less than good. And then someone else linked a video of a paintball game that calls the video quality “1080Potato” and it’s pretty awful. There could be quality control issues, or the first guy with the indoor video got a shining star of a unit.
As a toy, this is probably well worth the price of admission. If you’re only going to film well lit outdoor scenes, it may be great. If you want to actually film once in a lifetime experiences and know you got the video, it may be worth shelling out for the big name. If it’s just going to sit in your hoard closet, might as well save the bucks.
@tsfisch Mostly it’s about image quality. Color, clarity and resolution. Also, there’s build quality and reliability. Finally, features and ongoing support via software and hardware enhancements.
I’m totally on board with the “when good enough is good enough” concept. I did a comparison of a few action cameras back in the Drone.Horse days. I compared 4 cameras ranging from dirt cheap through a (then) powerhouse GoPro Hero 3+ Black. In that review I assert the “when good enough is good enough” idea, but also, the pics and videos clearly illustrate a difference in image quality.
In the last few years of fussing with drones and their cameras I’ve also learned how many inexpensive cameras puff up their specifications via interpolated imaging. For example, a 4K image on a $30 or $40 camera is often not native 4K, but rather interpolated into 4K from a lower resolution image sensor. A 60 or 120 or 240 framerate is often interpolated from 28 or 30 FPS.
There are uses for cameras when all that doesn’t matter. For example, I have used one on my 3D printer to monitor and document build progress on larger, more time consuming projects. In that case, the el-cheapo camera was just fine. Or when I put one on Super Belle the Wonder Dog when I took her to the lake for the first time to get a dog’s eye view of her reaction to the water and fish and such. Or when I gave my exes son one to fuss with when he was learning to ride his RipStick. No sense in giving him a GoPro with the risk of serious damage being high.
So I get it. Not knowing what your intended purpose is, I can not begin to suggest this cheap WASPcam won’t be suitable for you. But there is a difference in what you get for the extra $$ with a GoPro.
@tsfisch One more note on video and image quality: Remember the rule “Crap in -> Crap Out” so if you anticipate editing or enhancing your vids/pics, the higher the quality of the source, the better the result. Stuff like speeding up or slowing down a vid clip, zooming, stabilizing, color enhancements, PIP, etc. I use Adobe Premier for my video post, and I have more options in how to fuss with a video if the source quality is fairly decent.
If all you’re going to do is snip out the bad stuff, throw on a title and some background music, none of this is relevant.
Wait, seriously?
That seems like an unusually low SD card size limit for a camera that’s shooting 4K video.
@The_Tim not a $34 one
@The_Tim @uninflammable : Let’s keep it in perspective… That’s way more than your i-piece of crap. It’s all you’ll need.
Wide Angle Sparkle Party cam!
@mehcuda67 Whip A$$ Spanking Cam
Wherefore Art Shakespeare’s Photographs
(It’s National Talk Like Shakespeare Day…)
@shahnm At yon photomat, they be.
@shahnm y
Just so you know, “wherefore” means “why”
@12liny Poetic license.
I’ve been waiting for something to use as a dashcam. Someone talk me out of it
@uninflammable Get a real dash cam with all the dashcam features. This one “can be used as”. Not the same. You can get a reasonably capable 1080p dash cam for the same price.
@ruouttaurmind like what? I don’t know what to look for in a dash cam
Also what if I want to submerge my car underwater? This one seems capable of handling that
@uninflammable If you submerge your car, are you sure you want photographic evidence available to the prosecution?
Dash cam functions like g-force sensor, parking mode with motion sensor, and possibly GPS which adds vehicle speed and heading data. Wide FOV is a great feature as well (the specs above say this one has 170* FOV which is very, very wide). Also, some dash cameras have a capacitor rather than a battery which keeps the camera from overheating due to excessive charging, and extends camera life by not killing overcharged batteries.
@uninflammable Me, too! If you find a good one cheap, please let me know!
@ruouttaurmind @uninflammable The capacitor is not to keep the camera from overheating, but rather to eliminate the possibility of a battery from puffing and going boom due to the excessive heat buildup in a typical car. The summer heat will likely kill this much quicker than a straight dashcam. Also while 170 FOV is nice for catching action beyond the typical 100-140 FOV of most dashcams, it is not good for resolving useful details like the license plate of the car that just side swiped you and is getting away.
KuoH
@ruouttaurmind @uninflammable Except that The Wirecutter recommends NOT using ANY of the features you stated were necessary for true DashCam use-ability. https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-dash-cam/
@PhysAssist That’s a very long article which I choose to briefly skim. In my very cursory perusal I didn’t see the info which suggested avoiding accelerometers, parking features, and GPS?
@ruouttaurmind To be honest, I hadn’t re-read the updated version, and it no longer recommends against the GPS [which initially they said could possibly be used against you in court], G-force sensor, and Parking mode as non-viable or at least not very useful features.
Sorry
“Parking surveillance: Models with this feature use optical motion detection or G-sensors to “wake up” and start recording if something happens to or around your vehicle while it’s parked. But the odds of the camera picking up useful information are low, since the camera faces a single direction and also requires persistent power to do this. We tested the parking mode in the models that offered it, but we were unable to trigger any of the cameras. Car owners shouldn’t consider this feature a reliable security tool.”
“Safety features: Some dash cams (and car GPS devices) provide safety alerts similar to the type that are becoming more common in newer cars. These include forward-collision warnings, which sound an audible alert if you are following another car too closely, and lane-departure warnings, which let you know if your car is crossing a lane marker on the road. Both can be helpful in some situations, but as you might expect, these features on a dash cam aren’t as reliable, consistent, or sophisticated as the more expensive safety systems in new cars. In some dash cam models, the alerts are also overly sensitive, which causes them to go off too often and can make them annoying enough that you want to turn them off. Again, this feature is not really a necessity for most people.”
@PhysAssist What’s listed under ‘Safety features’ isn’t the same thing as having G-force sensors. The G-force sensor is rather important in a dash cam as it causes the camera to save the recording after an incident that’s strong enough for the sensors to be triggered. Since dash cams rewrite over their own memory, you wouldn’t want to be in an accident where you were unable to shut it off manually and have the camera erase vital footage.
@cinoclav Understood, point taken.
This indoor paintball footage looks pretty bad, so it’s probably only good for outdoor daytime use…
So where do I find the non-WASP cameras?? This camera is so not inclusive.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Anglo-Saxon_Protestant)
I’m in for one. ( warm-tenuous-mole ) Since
I have the VIP membership I try to only buy one item per month, ( I really wasn’t that much of a hoarder until meh came along ) and I’m trying to reform my fiendish hoarding ways, mother F-ing VIP membership…
@bigtom67 FYI, VMP status does not mean you have to buy at least one thing per month. Better to wave goodbye to that 5 bucks than spend another $x on something that simply fills your hoard closet.
Disclosure: it took about 3 years for me to fill our hoard closet with this wisdom.
@bigtom67 I feel your pain- except I was already a hoarder-in-training before Meh, and it’s gotten worse- but now it’s getting better again…
I just wanna beee somebody…
@Bumplepimp I wouldn’t mess with that guy.
@Bumplepimp @mehvermore That’s a guy?
@Bumplepimp @mehvermore @SaintO That’s Blackie Lawless. No relation to Lucy Lawless. He’s seen better days.
Biggest issue with these knock-offs (I don’t have this one, but I have another faceless Chinese knock-off that’s exactly like this one in virtually every aspect) is that the battery life is abysmal.
Learned the hard way when my bargain camera crapped out after about 6 minutes filming on the Great Barrier Reef (I was in the middle of a very cool “shark encounter”)
Set your expectations accordingly.
@Pufferfishy Too bad it wasn’t an electric eel encounter… could have recharged and kept going.
May have been mentioned here but does this have a remote ?
@jmbunkin it can use an app on your phone as a remote.
@djslack thanks
No Amazon reviews at all for this model in a turn-off. For $5 more, one can get a different GoPro knockoff with 91% (4.4/5) positive Amazon reviews… https://www.amazon.com/COOAU-Underwater-Waterproof-Accessories-Motorcycle/dp/B06Y29DQZ2/ref=as_li_ss_tl?tag=shopperz_origin1-20&ascsubtag=731947068-2-1060209103.1524494062&SubscriptionId=AKIAJO7E5OLQ67NVPFZA#customerReviews
@MrNews As listed above by SSChong: There are some Best Buy reviews:
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/reviews/waspcam-rox-4k-action-camera-black/6110819
Or are you the kind of snob who has to have Amazon reviews [many of which are bought by free or discounted merch]…
@PhysAssist Amazon snob, who’s aware of the many entirely fake reviews often posted, especially on the Chinese knock-off products.
But at least there are 45 reviews posted there, as opposed to the 7 only semi-suspicious reviews on Best Buy, including 4 from “inactive” users, and 0 from the 6 people who rated the WaspCam 1, 2, or 3 stars.
Specs
What’s in the Box?
1x WASPcam ROX 4K Camera
1x Black Waterproof Case
1x Camera Holder
1x USB Cable
1x 3M Adhesive Pads
1x 900mAh Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery
1x Flat/Curved Adhesive Mounts
1x Camera Holder Clip
1x Velcro Straps x3
3x Straight Joint Mounts
1x Basic Buckle Mount
1x Tripod Mount
1x J-Hook Buckle
1x Bike Handlebar Mount
1x Tripod Mount Adapter
Pictures
Camera
Box
Camera
Flat base thing
Side
Case opened
Out of the case
Side
Ports
Look at all this shit
There’s so much stuff here
Kinda a highlight reel
Wasp!
Price Comparison
$139.99 at Amazon
Reviews at Best Buy
Warranty
1 Year Cobra
Estimated Delivery
Monday, July 13th - Thursday, July 16th
This thing looks cool but the number of parts is dizzying.
@norman8 They’re all just various thingamabobs to attach the camera to slightly different things, like flat surfaces, bars, straps, tripods, etc. You don’t have to use them all at once, or at all.
Without Ant Man, Wasp just isn’t complete.
And it looks like Marvel left Ant Man out of the coming Avengers Infinity War film. That is just not right.
Too bad, was hoping to film apis not vespidae. Ah well, I can wait for the BEEcam next time.
Reviews on Amazon are less than encouraging… meh
@gatesboy23 Link?
This model on Amazon hasn’t any reviews.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0768CCMPB/?tag=meh0ec-20
/image whiny-neat-ladybug
Why not?
/giphy chaste-nasally-scallion
This youtuber says its not good (audio problems) and the customer service is poor as well.
@mcemanuel Note: That review is for a different model (9905). Whether this the model from today’s cam has the same issues is anyone’s guess. That said, this reviewers main issues were with the customer service from the manufacturer.
Here are some reviews and videos for your consideration.
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/reviews/waspcam-rox-4k-action-camera-black/6110819
The last link is by Washcam themselves.
@sschong Not really “Washcam”- “WASPcam”, just sayin’
Meh, due to spheksophobia triggering branding.
@KMakato Bzzzzzz… lol
“Entering wasp nest. WASPcam ready.”
Does this have any internal storage or do you have to use a memory card?
@GilliganLQ Gotta use a memory card
Here is a bunch of demo videos https://www.youtube.com/user/WASPcamchannel
1X only or is it telephoto capable?
@werekong No apparent Zoom function listed, but at 4K, you can prolly do a digital zoom on the output with reasonable image quality.
https://www.iskysoft.com/video-editing/video-zoom-software.html
Why not…
/giphy sassy-dying-marble
curious which chunk of land is pictured here
@username wherever that is, it sure looks bleak.
From the [unreviewed] listing on Walmart.com:
WASPCAM 9941 Wi-Fi Waterproof 4K Action Camera HD USB Action Cam in Black $139.99
Shoots up to 4K 30fps for capturing super high definition videos
Takes up to 16MP images forultra-crisp photos
Matte black waterproof case provides protection down to 98ft. underwater
Built in Wi-Fi for connectivity to the WASPcam ROX app
WASPcam ROX app allows for remote control of camera and sharing directly from your smartphone
Includes Time-Lapse, Loop Recording, and Photo Timer features for more versatility in the shots you take
2” LCD Screen helps set up the perfect shot as well as delivers great playback on-the-go
Compatible with MicroSD Cards SDHC Class 10 up to 64GB (sold separately)
Removeable and rechargeable lithium ion battery provides 70 minutes continuous recording
Includes loads of mounts/accessories right out of the box to handle a variety of activities with the action camera
https://www.twice.com/product/cobra-expands-action-cams-waspcam-purchase-61223
Interestingly [to my pea-brain anyway
] the Cobra website has it selling for $129.99 [less than Walmart or Amazon].
I’m reading this over lunch. It seems like a pretty exciting camera on the cheap. I’m gonna think this over, (which is very anti-meh), and if they’re not sold out, I’m gonna grab one this evening.
It’s $39 bucks with shipping. Worth the chance. Not putting the app on my phone though. no…just no.
@mikeymikenova Why would you not? This isn’t some shady back-alley camera from Aliexpress… just a no-name that Best Buy and Wal-Mart sells.
These sold out quietly. Which is for the better, else I probably would have caved in and bought one by now.
Don’t know if anyone’s still reading this thread. But just in case… Got my camera. Got a microSD with adapter. Took some video. Put in my macBook… says unreadable without formatting. Reformatted as exFAT. Put in camera, says can’t be used without reformatting, which I did… and the Mac can’t read it again.
So is the file system of the camera simply incompatible with anything Mac can read, or…
@tsfisch try hooking the camera up to the computer with the card in it?
@tsfisch Yup, same problem. Wether or not you use the camera to format the memory, it will become unreadable on your Mac. DO NOT put a memory in this camera that has anything you want to keep. I’m in the process of recovering what I last shot on my GoPro. And I didn’t even let the Wasp cam format my card. After a little experimenting with another (empty) card, it looks like the only way to copy/save what the WASP shoots, is to connect the camera to the Mac and use the camera as a card reader.
@djslack Yeah… just a lot more inconvenient than sticking a card in the slot in the side of my lappy.
This thing is terrible!
@jmkiii Explain? So far I’ve been ok with it, other than the above-mentioned Mac incompatibility.
@tsfisch I have gotten the (android) application to work with it once in approximately 40 attempts.
I just stepped outside and took a video that looked way better than the first few I took at home the other day. So, less bad than I was thinking. It was probably a low light issue. I’m a little happier now, but I wish I could get it to connect to my phone again.
@jmkiii I haven’t done any comprehensive tests with it, but so far the few test videos I’ve taken (mostly indoors with good window daylight, but some outdoors) have turned out decent. And the iPhone app seems to work reasonably well, although it’s odd that you can’t control zoom (as far as I can tell) from it.
One of these days I’m going to bike into work (approx 15 miles each way) and give it a good test.
I’m suspicious this lot of cameras was defective as mine takes truly HORRIBLE video, unwatchable. IMO the unit I received is a piece of crap.
@texnick It certainly seems to be variable. Some people like you are reporting this. Others seem to be ok, like mine is so far. I don’t think my standards are that low lol.
@texnick Have you connected to it with a phone? When I was finally able to do it I think the firmware may have updated because the video got significantly better. I could be totally off, IDK.
I’m on firmware 20170623V10
That’s good advice, I’ll give it a shot. I think it’s likely that maybe the quality control was off, so maybe some of us got duds. I don’t know why I bought this thing really, I have gopro sessions, bargain hunter in me I guess.
Got mine, can’t even determine the pic/vid quality since I can’t get the thing to charge at all. These reviews are making me think this was a swing and a miss unfortunately.