A good action camera without the fish-eye effect. Action cameras without fisheye. Packaging and accessories

Many who have ever used action cameras are annoyed by severe distortion in the video. These are the consequences of distortion or the so-called “effect” fish eye" Today we will find out whether an action camera can shoot without a fish eye and how to achieve this.

There are two ways to get this video:

1. Optic. This method implies that the camera has a lens of no more than 90 degrees, which allows you to shoot video without distortion.
2. Program. This method involves correcting distortion using software. Many modern action cameras have this feature.

Action cameras with 90 degree lens, no fisheye effect

GitUp Git2P 90 – cost around $100.

This camera has a Novatek96660 processor, a wi-fi module, an F2.5 aperture, and a 950mAh battery. There is electronic stabilization. Possibility of connecting an external microphone and remote control. The pro version has an aquabox and various accessories included. Menu in Russian.

Firefly 8s 90 – cost around $150.

Unlike the previous model, Firefly 8s can shoot full video in 4K mode. There is electronic video stabilization. The camera is equipped with an ambarella-A12S75 processor, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and a 1200mAh battery. It is richly equipped with an underwater case and various mounts. It is possible to connect a remote control and an external microphone.

Firefly 8se 90 – cost around $150.

This is a slightly modified and improved version of Firefly 8s. New camera has a touch display. The kit comes with a large set of accessories, including an external microphone. To date – This best camera, capable of shooting video without distortion.

Today, there are quite a few cameras with a fish-eye correction function on the market. Here the choice will depend on your tastes and preferences. Here are just a few examples of such cameras in different price ranges.

• Cameras under $100: Xiaomi Mijia.
• Cameras under $200: Yi 4K, Firefly 8s 170, .
• Over $200: Yi 4K+, Sony FDR-X1000, GoPro 4/5/6.

Last year the company released the highly successful Yi action camera Action Camera. The device, of course, did not supplant the giant GoPro, but it found its consumer - that’s a fact. This spring, the continuation of the line was released - Yi 4K Action Camera. This time it was developed by Yi Technology and this is what came out of it.

Yi 4K Action Camera Review Let's start with an important clarification. Xiaomi, a Chinese manufacturer of smartphones and everything else in the world, is in no way connected with the new product. 4K Action Camera is an independent development product and is in no way associated with Xiaomi. More precisely, it is only a distributor in China. That's all. However, in many Chinese stores The device is referred to with the prefix “Xiaomi”. Know that this is wrong. Perhaps this was done to make it easier for the consumer to navigate, from old memory, so to speak, and no one has canceled the search keywords.

Before we begin reviewing the camera's capabilities, it will be useful to familiarize yourself with the full list of functions. So here are all available on this moment action camera features:

• photographing
• taking photos using a timer
• Burst mode (many, many frames per second)
• video recording
• Time Lapses video
• Slow Motion
• Time Lapses photo
• Loop or DVR mode
• Photo and video

Of course there are a whole bunch different settings, settings and other options to make using Action Camera as convenient as possible. However, first things first.

Equipment

Bluetooth 4.0 with reduced power consumption is also built into the camera. It is needed to connect to the control panel. The device did not want to connect to my Bluetooth monopod. Give him a branded remote control, apparently. But I don’t have one, so I didn’t check the operation of the “blue tooth”.

Read about:
— Video filming
— Photography
— Branded application
— Battery life
- Accessories
— Bottom line

Interferes with the accurate perception of what is recorded.
It's true that such cameras distort the image because their coverage rarely exceeds 90 degrees, and the camera needs to cover as much space as possible. But what prevents you from using any program to remove this effect?

In fact, one of the advantages of the fisheye is the following shooting parameter: it is not at all necessary to point the camera lens precisely at the object, it is enough that it simply falls into the frame. In any case, he will be in the video series. This is useful when you don't have time to focus on the subject, for example, when you are shooting schools of fish underwater that instantly elude the camera's eye.

The new action camera GitUp Git2P differs little from the previous camera without the prefix “P” after the “two”. Practically, the digital shooting indicators and the location of the control buttons on the body have not changed. But there are still changes, so the camera is worthy of a new, separate review without comparison with its predecessor. The camera can shoot in 2160P resolution at 24 fps - this is 2K quality. Although for most users 1080 at 60fps will be enough. The fact is that not all devices on which viewing will subsequently be carried out will be able to show video in 2K quality (except for expensive, modern laptops/computers/smart TVs). Although a regular TV box for $40 will show the recording in 4K quality.

For still images, GitUp Git2P has a 16MP camera resolution. It is difficult to judge the “honesty” of the camera, whether these 16 megapixels are achieved by interpolation, or by the quality of the sensor. In any case, even if there is 8-12 megapixels, this is quite enough for high-quality photos.

The camera can be controlled from a special bracelet-remote control (not included). True, it has only 4 functions, but the most important ones are:

• turn on/off the camera;
• on/off video recording;
• camera on/off;
• transferring footage via fi-wi to third-party equipment.

Yes, for the convenience of saving files, the user can immediately send them to their smartphone or to cloud storage. The GitUp Git2P camera supports micro sd memory cards up to 64Gb. I suspect that a 128Gb camera will handle it, the only thing is that it will require a top-class card. But for now real tests was not carried out, I will not say. The camera can be mounted on a quadcopter and can connect to a microphone for better sound recording. Of course, he can take a selfie from a stick. If the user wants to use the GitUp Git2P camera as a video recorder, then the G-sensor will be able to save the necessary file in the event of an accident.

The screen resolution is 920x240 pixels and its diagonal is 1.5 inches. So to speak, a widescreen screen, which is enough to view the footage in good quality.

The 1000 mAh battery will allow continuous shooting for an hour and a half - very good indicator for action cameras. Battery charging time is approximately 2.5 hours. Based on my experience using similar cameras, I dare to recommend purchasing an additional pair of batteries more power– then you will have enough energy to shoot all day long, and during the night, all batteries will be fully charged.

Unfortunately, the package is very sparse: a camera, a battery and a USB cable. Everything else (remote control, mounts, aqua box, etc.) will have to be purchased separately. Perhaps this is the only negative that is worth noting in this camera, the cost of which is 6,452 rubles (as of February 2017). Now, you can pre-order “

Action cameras have long ceased to be only the domain of athletes and extreme sports enthusiasts. Due to its compact dimensions, High Quality shooting, a large fleet of accessories and lower cost in the background professional cameras, they have become truly massive. YouTube video, family videos, travel reports, work moments and even full-length films. Everything is good except for the fisheye effect, which has become an integral part of any action camera. Some models combat such distortions by software reducing the viewing angle, sacrificing part of the image. The same can be done in popular video editors. All this requires time, a sufficiently fast PC for processing and often leads to loss of quality.

Unlike DSLR and mirrorless cameras, there is no standard lens change in action cameras. However, the presence of unspoken standardization of the screw fastening of the tripod and its dimensions makes it possible to dismantle it and replace it with third-party solutions. There is a a large number of instructions for such manipulations, even a choice of lenses with different characteristics is available. But you should immediately understand for yourself that such an upgrade is not provided for and is not approved by the manufacturers; any manipulations lead to loss of warranty and can lead to fatal consequences.

You can minimize risks using a solution from Russian company PixAero. They offer not only a well-designed lens, but also tools for accurate installation, as well as detailed instructions. Before starting the review, we want to announce a competition among readers and viewers in which we will draw one PixAero lens, three coupons for a 15% discount and for everyone a 5% coupon. And also three action camera monopods with a retractable handle. To participate you need:

• 1. Fill out the participant’s form (the data will be used to contact the winner).
• 2. Write down in the comments below your opinion on the pixAero lens or shooting with action cameras, indicating the serial number before the text (1, 2, 3, 4... relative to the previous comment).

The selection will take place live on June 19, 2017 (20:00 Moscow time). Prizes are sent throughout Russia and abroad. PixAero official website - http://pixaero.pro

PixAero lens for action cameras review

Equipment

The pixAero lens is supplied in a compact tube made of black thick cardboard. Inside are two separate compartments filled with sponge.

The lens is hidden in one, and the key for disassembling the camera is in the second. The kit also includes a set of lens stickers; they will be useful for installation and later for changing the shooting mode.

Appearance

At the time of publication of our review, lenses for GoPRO, YI, SJCAM are available. We have all of them in our arsenal; we will test them using the YI 4K+ Action Camera as an example. The same will be true for the YI 4K Action Camera, it will solve the issue of the lack of fisheye correction when shooting in 4K.

For GoPro, replacement is possible for Hero 4 and Hero 3+. IN GoPro Hero 5 replacement is not supported due to the design of the case.

PixAero appearance

Unlike lenses from Aliexpress, the solution from pixAero is clearly sized seat for the stated list of action cameras.

The moment of thread length is taken into account, you don’t have to worry, it won’t damage the matrix during installation. And no less important: the lens does not deteriorate after replacement appearance cameras.

The lens body is made of metal. Focal length 3.77 mm, aperture F/2.8. External lens slightly recessed relative to the side, this eliminates the appearance of scratches during transportation and additionally protects the lens.

The outer perimeter has small notches and notches. In the future, this will simplify changing the shooting mode and the editing process itself.

The complete key deserves no less attention. Most of the instructions on the Internet are carried out using improvised means, as a result, nicks and chips remain.

The pixAero comes with a convenient key that removes the lens with just a little effort and without leaving any marks on the external unit.

Installation process

The installation process is described in detail and clearly in the official video. The replacement took us about 5-10 leisurely minutes. The first step is to remove the protective cover on the lens, after which you can install the complete removal key and unscrew the lens.

Installing PixAero

We screw the pixAero lens in its place. Sharpness adjustments will need to be made. First, it is adjusted approximately, evaluating the picture on the display; then the supplied sticker with marks will help. 9 marks are useful for selecting a picture with maximum sharpness. Subsequently, this position will become the starting position and will correspond to sharpness at infinity. The sticker is removed and a graduated scale is installed in its place.

After all the manipulations, YI 4K+ Action Camera gets the opportunity to change focal length and receives macro photography support among other things.

Tests

In this video we will compare work in several modes. For the most informative comparison, we use the YI 4K+ Action Camera with a pixAero lens installed and the YI 4K Action Camera with its native lens.
4K handheld shooting

4K selfie shooting

The picture with the lens looks richer, geometric distortions have disappeared both at the edges and in the center of the frame.
4K visual focus change

Full HD

In this example, correction is enabled for the YI 4K Action Camera, it can also be noted that the software processing is inferior to the image originally obtained from the pixAero lens.
Macro

From a distance where the standard lens produces a blurry image, the YI 4K+ Action Camera provides a clear image.

YI 4K+ Action Camera Summary

Tuning the YI 4K+ Action Camera by replacing the lens with pixAero optics really makes practical sense. The camera is changing in terms of shooting capabilities. This includes shooting with the correct geometry of objects, changing the focusing range, and macro support. On the side of the solution from pixAero: neat installation and a complete key, verified dimensions, additional funds for fine tuning and installation.
YI 4K+ Action Camera receives the well-deserved "Gold" award... Order the lens and find out technical details You can visit the official website - http://pixaero.pro.

To answer this question: devices based on a high-quality processor and sensor (the two most important components of the camera) cost 8-12 thousand rubles. But what if you want something cheaper? Agree, few people want to spend that kind of money when buying their first action camera, not being sure whether such a device is needed at all. But I don’t want to buy outright junk like the SJ4000. What should I do?

Hawkeye Firefly 7S is just that compromise option. This camera is able to please those who are just beginners, and not upset those who are already pros. On top of that, I got a version of the camera without geometric frame distortion. But there were some frankly strange actions on the part of the manufacturer. However, let's talk about everything in order.

Packaging and accessories

An aquarium package with a cardboard bottom and a transparent top that exposes the camera to everyone has long been typical for this type of device. The device under review is no exception. The yellow cardboard base shows the main advantages of the camera and its specifications(somewhat embellished, but more on that later). The camera itself in the aquabox is mounted on a pedestal under a plastic cap, and on top of the package is topped with a triangular handle, by which it can be carried or hung. The inner box is black, cardboard, the pedestal is plastic. While the camera was traveling to me from China, the packaging was somewhat wrinkled.

Inside there is a whole bunch of accessories: various fasteners, adapters, clamps, Velcro and a metal cable (the purpose remains unclear), wires, as well as a cloth, branded stickers with hieroglyphs and instructions. The manufacturer’s extremely careless approach to packaging is noteworthy: all accessories are in bags different types, and the USB-AV cable, itself carelessly made and looking like a lost spare part, is lying around without a package. It immediately becomes obvious that this camera is “Made in China”. Yes, that’s exactly what it says on the packaging - it seems that the assemblers at the plant don’t really like either their job or their country.

Appearance

However, the camera itself is well made. Standard brick form factor, standard corrugated plastic around the perimeter, 4 control buttons, a couple of screens - in general, nothing unusual. Pleasant to the touch, assembled with high quality. On one of the sides of the device there are MIcroUSB, MicroHDMI connectors and a MicroSD slot. A battery with a capacity of 1050 mAh is removed from below - standard for many Chinese cameras of the S009 size. When the power is connected, the device works without it, which can be useful when using it as a surveillance camera or DVR. The power button (front) and shooting button (top) are surrounded by a blue ring with indicators, but these same indicators are made in Chinese: one bright LED in one place. If there seems to be a ring indicator, it looks somewhat untidy.

The camera is equipped with two screens. The front one, which is also additional, is monochrome, it has a diagonal of 0.66 inches and a resolution of 64x48 pixels. It displays basic information, as well as all settings items in the form of icons - once you get the hang of it, you can adjust the camera by looking only at it, this is quite convenient. The rear, also known as the main, screen is non-touch, 2 inches diagonal, and quite bright. The camera specifications say that its resolution is 640x480 - but the manufacturer is lying. The grain is visible to the naked eye, it is obvious that real resolution is 320x240 (resolution 200 ppi). It would seem that the screen resolution is not very good important characteristic, who cares, but why openly deceive buyers? All the same, from a marketing point of view it is useless (no one chooses an action camera based on screen resolution), but the revealed lie is a stain on the reputation and potential lawsuits.

Hardware

February 2011. The recently released flagship smartphones HTC Desire HD, Samsung Nexus S and Nokia N8 have not yet fallen in price, dual-core ARM processors are just visible on the horizon, Xiaomi does not yet exist. Sony releases its new IMX078 sensor. 12 megapixels, dimensions 1/2.3 inches, theoretical bitrate up to 576 MB/s - in general, all the attributes of a top-class sensor of those times.

February 2015. HTC has fallen into an uncontrollable decline, rumors about the closure of the Nexus line are becoming louder, Nokia is in the thrall of Microsoft, Mediatek promises the imminent release of 12-core processors, Xiaomi is the absolute leader in China and ranks 3rd in the world in smartphone sales. Novatek releases its new chip NTK96660. Frequency 320 MHz, one core - in general, even then this processor was not impressive, although it was the flagship of a company that has not released anything else since then.

2017 The IMX078+NTK96660 combination remains the most popular solution in inexpensive Chinese action cameras. Of course, these components are frankly outdated, but do not forget about the price: nothing better has appeared for the same money. This is probably why Novatek publishes successful sales reports every month, despite the complete absence of new developments in more than 2 years. It's important to understand that this processor is not designed for 4K video processing.

Wireless connection

Like most modern action cameras, the Firefly 7S is equipped with a Wi-Fi module, which can be activated through the settings or by holding down the side button. After this, the smartphone connects to it as an access point. The camera has a proprietary Firefly app available on Google Play, and you can also use the AC Robin app. With this function, the device can be used as a surveillance camera, but the direct range of Wi-Fi is small. If you want to control it remotely, you could use a “crutch” (a smartphone connected to the camera lies close to it, and is controlled via the Internet), but here’s the problem: this smartphone, being connected to the camera as an access point, cannot be simultaneously connected to the mobile Internet.

Shooting modes

According to the packaging, the camera is capable of shooting 4K 24fps video, but it will require QuickTime Player. Does the camera really obey the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, according to which the properties of the observed object change during the observation process? Not at all. As you would expect based on the characteristics, the camera records the same 2880x2160, which corresponds in height to the 4K (UltraHD) format. In the settings, by the way, it says so - 2160 rubles. However, when shooting in this way, the video file is marked in such a way that Quicktime programmatically stretches the video in width. The video's proportions are designed to accommodate this kind of stretching, so there's probably a non-square pixel involved. Some other video viewers, including the standard one in Windows 10, also recognize this tag and process the video as the manufacturer intended. If the tag is not recognized, the video will appear compressed in width. I wonder why the manufacturer couldn’t honestly indicate the video resolution? Of course, no one expected normal 4K for the price of this camera, but why is the manufacturer lying again?

As for other video formats (QHD 30fps, FullHD 30-60fps, HD 30-60-120fps), they are recorded in “fair” resolution and displayed correctly without stretching. How is this possible if non-square pixels are applied? Perhaps there are some other algorithms? I don't have answers to these questions.

In addition to resolution and frame rate, in the camera settings you can select the viewing angle (wide/medium/narrow), as well as turn fisheye on or off. This effect is the bane of most action cameras and the price to pay for an ultra-wide viewing angle, but this particular camera is available in two versions: a regular wide-angle (and this is where the fisheye shows itself in all its glory) and a narrow-angle (without distortion). It was the second version that came to me. The widest viewing angle available to it is slightly superior to that of the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 smartphone, and setting the medium or narrow angle turns the action camera almost into a telephoto lens. The fisheye setting simply allows you to programmatically create the appropriate geometric distortion where there was none.

Of course, the camera supports both loop recording and time-lapse photography. The first mode is necessary for using the device as a car recorder, and the second for filming, for example, the movement of the sun across the sky during the day. But you won’t be able to photograph the stars: the small matrix simply doesn’t have enough light to see anything. However, there are no action cameras that can shoot well in the dark, so there are no complaints here.

But we can praise the developers for using the Gyro RSC stabilizer. The fact is that inexpensive action cameras use not optical (OIS), but electronic (EIS), that is, a software stabilizer: the processor, comparing a number of frames, crops them so that the final video becomes more or less smooth. Because of this, the viewing angle narrows and the processor is loaded extra work(that’s why in 4K mode many cameras work only without a stabilizer); Moreover, in conditions of lack of data (read: insufficient lighting), EIS performs mediocre. In our case, the direction of frame shift is carried out based on data coming from the built-in gyroscope ITG-1010A. Thus, the processor is freed from complex image analysis, and the operation of the stabilizer is not limited by the selected resolution or lighting conditions. However, the viewing angle is still narrowed, because general principle stabilization - frame cropping - does not change.

In addition to video, Hawkeye Firefly 7S can also take photographs in 5, 8 or 12 megapixel resolution, in all cases the aspect ratio of the image will be 4:3. There is a self-timer, continuous shooting of 3 or 11 frames, and the ability to add a watermark with the date and time. There are also filters “Colored Pencil”, “Sketch”, “Rock” and “Negative” - however, this function, both in terms of the range of effects and the quality of work, is significantly inferior to any photo editor for a smartphone, which has dozens and hundreds of effects in its arsenal - and therefore useless. More useful is the ability to save pictures in RAW format.

Testing the quality of shooting

For testing, several videos were made under the same conditions: a short bike ride along a trail. The camera was firmly mounted on the steering wheel using the supplied mounts, the stabilizer was turned on and a wide viewing angle was set. For the reader's consideration, I offer 2 most important modes - from the highest resolution to the highest frame rate.

Left: 2160@24. Right: HD@120.

The shaking during testing was very strong, and it is not surprising that the stabilizer could not cope with it. The effect of jelly () is moderate. And thanks to the presence of regular geometric objects in the frame, the defect is clearly visible, in which the buildings seem to stretch and shrink again vertically. Perhaps it is a consequence of the rolling shutter.

Below for comparison are examples of photo and video recording of the same scene. As you can see, the camera does not have the Gaussian blur effect previously seen in some devices of this type.

Left: 2160@24. Right: FullHD@60.

It should be noted that the Firefly 7S does not get very hot when shooting and during testing it never turned off due to overheating, which often happens with cheap action cameras.

conclusions

The camera itself produced a very good impression. A high-quality and pleasant-to-touch body, an abundance of settings, convenient controls on four buttons and two screens, a gyroscopic stabilizer, the absence of geometric frame distortions, a whole bunch of accessories - there is a lot to be happy about! But why did the manufacturer need to deceive customers by reporting 4K support (which is not there) and a 640x480 screen (which is actually 320x240)? It's a small thing, but unpleasant. Unpleasant, but minor.

You can turn a blind eye to such “disadvantages” as the uneven light of the ring indicators, various bags for accessories and minor errors in menu translation, if you remember the price of the camera. And when ordering from China it is less than five thousand rubles! It is worth noting here that this camera has an exact Russian copy: AC Robin Zed2 (). Moreover, the “domestic manufacturer”, without hesitation to indicate the same screen resolution of 640x480, asks for a completely inadequate 8990 rubles. This camera is definitely not worth that kind of money, but the 5,000 rubles for which you can buy it on Gearbest are completely worth it.