Love your reviews. Thank you for not making a long drawn out review. Your videos are great. You come to the point quickly thus making your video easy to watch and not waste time.
This review is actually so helpful because we tend to writeoff old tech quickly but it can be the best way to find a balance between quality and price. Is $200 still expensive? Objectively, yes. But it's still waaaay better than $550 for the same product or $100 on tech that doesn't perform.
@@HeHasTheCamera I wonder how the stabilization would look if the camera were mounted on, say, a bike's stem or handlebar, since the human body can also serve as an image stabilizer and therefore could be somewhat misleading regarding the camera's actual stabilizing capabilities.
@ramunasLT Fair enough, for me a chest mount or a helmet mount is preferable, but that’s a good suggestion and perhaps I will do a video specifically, on the difference! That’s a good idea.
Well I have tried a few but haven't found anything in the $100 range that has even been remotely acceptable. The AKASO Brave 7 which is around $169 has been the closest. Thanks for watching!
Yes but an action camera and a smartphone have two different use cases. There are plenty of situations where a smartphone wouldn't be practical. Try attaching a smartphone to a mountain bike for example.
I get the point here, but I have a number of action cameras from GoPro 4 through to 9, they all eventually just died, I have 3 Akaso cameras and whilst they can't match the picture quality they all still work and unlike a GoPro where it will probably need the battery removing / replacing before it will work and that spontaneous shot has gone, they perform immideatly. I have been doing a daily video for 5 yrs nearly 2,000 last count as I retired to Canada (from UK) and send daily info back to family as we continue to build our house. I will never spend that amount of money on a GOPRO again, they need to take stock, and release a budget camera that is truly Action and doesn't stop when its too hot or too cold, at minus 22c I can plow my snow with an Akaso on my 1949 tractor for at least an hour and enjoy editing the footage, the go pro lasts 5-10 mins. Maybe they should merge as companies what a hybrid that would be, great vids love your output, Dave
You have given some very good use cases for the budget cameras. Believe me I have had my ups and downs. I do believe the Brave 7 offers a pretty decent experience. Again it also depends on what you're doing with it. For me I'm doing content creation for UA-cam but for others, something "competent" is more than enough. Thanks so much for watching!
This is super helpful. Thank you. I was using my cell phone but get really tired of running out of room and wanted to start using a separate camera with an SD card.
The Hero 9 is available new at the GoPro site. $249 I always enjoy your videos. Keep them coming. You deserve to have more than 890 subscribers. I feel as if I should be eating avocado toast and a Kombucha when watching your videos. They are quite professional and certainly have that Southern California vibe.
Need to replace my GoPro Hero 7 Silver. [freezing way too much, lost videos etc] So, you say the Hero 8. Does it has the same freezing issues as the 7? I have tried so many times to repair this camera, yes even with the help of GoPro people, it still drops files left right and center. So, I am really and I mean really hesitate about spending $300.00 om another GoPro product. Here's what I use it for, UA-cam content, ATV riding, Mountian bike riding, Videoing Repairs and a few water type dives. And lost of other stuff. So, send me some advice on a sport type camera. Cheers! Stumpr1
Sorry, I didn’t see this comment until now. I have not had any freezing issues with the GoPro Hero 8. It’s also very compact and I think it works great for mounting on a mountain bike or vehicle. I see them on Amazon under $200.
I came to that conclusion at the beginning of 2023. The gopro 8 black has the same internal hardware (sensor & processor) as the more recent models, stabilization is just as good, a front display is a gimmick I absolutely do not need, and 4K @ 60fps is pretty neat. Really, all the boxes are already ticked. So, even thou it still has it's fair share of problems, like overheating, occasionally freezing, etc., the gopro 8 black at it's production end discount was definitely the best bang for the money.
Bought new 9 few days ago for 300$. I dont consider that budget buy at all, actually its a lot of money, but it think its good value option. It doesn't lose too much to newest cams but is almost half it price, but u still got that gopro quality, instead of complete compromise of chinese copies which sux in more than one way. Gopro is still far from flawless but like u said it has good, tuff build quality, have best audio and video quality
In the market for an action camera, so arrived at your channel. Been using a Canon GR7II for my first 200 YT videos. So looking for equipment to add. Thanks for the GoPro8 heads up. You make great content Eric. When you hit 1k subscribers, make sure your content is 8 mins long to get Adsense. I'm rooting 4 ya. Good luck! Philip
Thank you very much! That means a lot. Most of my videos come in about 8 to 10 minutes. I very much appreciate the advice and hopefully I'll hit that 1,000 soon!!
The 3rd time I took a GoPro snorkeling in Oahu I’m at Sharks Cove filming some incredible underwater scenes. All was going fine, but then my GoPro was dead and the little hatch cover was open. I don’t know how the heck it popped open but I was pissed, and I had a $400 paper weight. If it was a cheap $80 budget camera I wouldn’t have cared.
I have seen a few reviews of the Brave 8 and most suggest that it isn't much of an improvement over the 7 which is significantly cheaper. At this time on Amazon in the UK the Hero 9 is cheaper than the Hero 8 at £220. The Brave 7 is £140 (with a current discount voucher). So with those prices in mind, would you still go for the Hero 8/9 at £220 or the Brave 7 at £140? I personally would be looking to use it to film my adventures on a motorcycle, would that affect your decision?
How do the mini varietys work out? Looks like I can buy an 11 mini for $500 AUD. I see it's a video only. I'm fine with that. I want this thing for snorkelling and getting footage when driving mostly.
My problem with the mini is the lack of screen. I simply can't leave it up to chance that I am getting what I want, especially if it is something that is a special moment. The performance is going to be the same however. If you are really concerned about size then the Hero 8 is much smaller than newer iterations. The DJI action 3 is a bit smaller as well. But the 11 mini is good, it's just harder to use.
@@HeHasTheCamera thanks for the breakdown. Looks like I'm buying the budget camera that's not a budget camera ;) I guess you are right.... I want to check it's actually working when it should be. That would be a crappy thing to find out later! Are you moving into drones next? I can't cope with all the technical bs when I start watching reviews on them. But I love your sense of humour i would watch you all day.
Awe thanks! I would love to move into drones but I'm not sure a UA-cam channel of me stupidly crashing expensive things is going to be very cost effective for me. So probably not 🤣. Thanks so much for your comments and for watching.
It's only 50 bucks cheaper than the Hero 12 here, same on the used market (idk why they ask the same as stores ask for new). Might as well get the 12 then...
I didn't really compare Hero 7 at all. I think the hero 8 is a good upgrade from the Hero 7 and I didn't think it was going to be widely available online.
I tried an Akaso (V50X) and SJCAM (SJ9 Pro) and both had horrible audio and developed problems communicating via usb with my PC. I got my money back and bought another second hand gopro 7. But they are getting worn out now eg doors jamming so I'm looking at getting a DJI Osmo Action 3 as a replacement.
Shame the Go Pro Hero 8 costs €270 over here while the Akaso brave 7 is €190 and the Brave 4 Pro is €120, would you still go for the Go Pro Hero 8 at those price points? Great content by the way.
I would probably go for the Brave 7 at those price points As long as I was using the video for personal use or social media. If you are using it for UA-cam or content creation I don't know that's a tough decision.
Def get gorppo 8 or 9, there are also used ones, 30% cheaper but knowing gopro reputation i choose new 9 version, at least one year of no stress. Theres no escaping spending 300-400€ on action cam, trust me i researched and tried. Get working, worthy product or just save money until u can afford it
I'm looking for an action camera to take to the mediterranean in a couple of weeks. I'd decided on the DJI Osmo 3, but they're mostly on backorder (to fix the soft focus issue, perhaps) and I wouldn't receive it in time. Back to square one. I'd decided against GoPro due to the many issues with the newer models (overheating, loss of footage etc, etc). Do you happen to know if the Hero8 is also plagued with these issues? Your footage is beautiful, the quality of which is just what I'm looking for but I need something reliable with great video quality.
I'm sorry to hear about the DJI as that would have been my choice as well. I have used my Hero 8 in just about every scenario. It will overheat yes. But honestly almost everything does and I've almost never run into a problem. I'm shooting in the California desert and Long days at the beach in the heat. It comes down to length of recording and direct sunlight really. If you leave it on a tripod sitting in the sun recording on 60 frames per second maybe yeah. Otherwise I think you'll be fine.
I bought 9 and its not terrible. (And 9 from what i read is considered tje worst, hence its relatively cheap to buy) No lost data or freezes.. That said voice commands work pretty bad, and connecting to phone takes way more time than it should and is pita because enabling connection in gopro drains a lot of battery which last pretty short time anyway. As for build video and audio quality im reasonably happy with it. I guess its currently worth the money is my conclusion but just barely. 300$ was my absolute max i could justify on action cam and it costed exactly that. But thats the times we live in. Nothing is of super value. At best u get what u pay for :( The greed have taken over the world
Haha well I appreciate you watching and remember we should have a Hero 12 sometime in maybe September? Which means you're going to have discounts on the rest of the available inventory of previous units. Happy hunting.
You said the GoPro 8 is the best build quality of all GoPro? What do you mean by this like most durable reliable obviously the new ones have better specs but really the 8 is fine.
TBH this is just the way it is. There is no real "budget" action camera. The only camera I have seen that was even remotely usable compared to GoPro and DJI was the Hawkeye Firefly and it is now massively expensive when you can just get a GoPro. I would tell anyone to not throw money away on the over-saturated market of cheap action cameras that you are not going to be happy with like I did and go for a older model of a good action camera otherwise you are gonna spend more money buying bad camera after bad camera.
Hello sir , tank u for the info . I recently buyed a Salora ACP 1250 actioncam it’s fantastic man ,4K 60 fps eis waterproof till 10 meters overall an fantastic camera. Maybe you like to check it out, there are no reviews on UA-cam about them which is very strange! Maybe 1 will be the first one.
Thank you for watching! I appreciate the feedback. At the time I did the video the AKASO Brave 7 was selling for $169 on Amazon and the Hero 8 was selling for $200.
Yes i came to same conclusion after.researching budged action cams. You can have them for cheap but their qualities virtually kills whole point of having action cam. No wide field of view, no good image stabilization, useless audio. The conclusion is simple, buy osmo action or newest gopro u can afford. If you cant afford at least gopro7 dont buy action camera at all. Other imortant point for budget buyers like me- camera itself js just beginning of expenses! Its not cheap game! Ull need accesories, more batteries, chargers all that crap
Love your reviews. Thank you for not making a long drawn out review. Your videos are great. You come to the point quickly thus making your video easy to watch and not waste time.
This review is actually so helpful because we tend to writeoff old tech quickly but it can be the best way to find a balance between quality and price. Is $200 still expensive? Objectively, yes. But it's still waaaay better than $550 for the same product or $100 on tech that doesn't perform.
3:27 was this particular shot made with a chest mount?
Yes. The official GoPro “chesty.” Actually all mountain biking footage in any of my videos uses that same mount. Thanks for watching.
@@HeHasTheCamera I wonder how the stabilization would look if the camera were mounted on, say, a bike's stem or handlebar, since the human body can also serve as an image stabilizer and therefore could be somewhat misleading regarding the camera's actual stabilizing capabilities.
@ramunasLT Fair enough, for me a chest mount or a helmet mount is preferable, but that’s a good suggestion and perhaps I will do a video specifically, on the difference! That’s a good idea.
for me a budget camera is a Product under $100.00 but today the Dollar is like 25 cent
Well I have tried a few but haven't found anything in the $100 range that has even been remotely acceptable. The AKASO Brave 7 which is around $169 has been the closest. Thanks for watching!
@@HeHasTheCamera these budgt cameras must get with today's times why the yare budget cameras
Seriously, you can buy a smartphone for 100$ and get better video than from a 100$ action camera
Yes but an action camera and a smartphone have two different use cases. There are plenty of situations where a smartphone wouldn't be practical. Try attaching a smartphone to a mountain bike for example.
@@HeHasTheCamera Except that camera, the Asco Brave 7, doesn't support an external mic. Which is ridiculous.
I get the point here, but I have a number of action cameras from GoPro 4 through to 9, they all eventually just died, I have 3 Akaso cameras and whilst they can't match the picture quality they all still work and unlike a GoPro where it will probably need the battery removing / replacing before it will work and that spontaneous shot has gone, they perform immideatly. I have been doing a daily video for 5 yrs nearly 2,000 last count as I retired to Canada (from UK) and send daily info back to family as we continue to build our house. I will never spend that amount of money on a GOPRO again, they need to take stock, and release a budget camera that is truly Action and doesn't stop when its too hot or too cold, at minus 22c I can plow my snow with an Akaso on my 1949 tractor for at least an hour and enjoy editing the footage, the go pro lasts 5-10 mins. Maybe they should merge as companies what a hybrid that would be, great vids love your output, Dave
You have given some very good use cases for the budget cameras. Believe me I have had my ups and downs. I do believe the Brave 7 offers a pretty decent experience. Again it also depends on what you're doing with it. For me I'm doing content creation for UA-cam but for others, something "competent" is more than enough. Thanks so much for watching!
What microphone do you recommend using this camera?
This is super helpful. Thank you. I was using my cell phone but get really tired of running out of room and wanted to start using a separate camera with an SD card.
Thanks for watching! Get a couple extra batteries on Amazon. They go through batteries pretty fast.
Old Carlsbad, Calif. Only down side I see with GoPro is the battery, overheating and the freezing issues.
The Hero 9 is available new at the GoPro site. $249
I always enjoy your videos. Keep them coming. You deserve to have more than 890 subscribers. I feel as if I should be eating avocado toast and a Kombucha when watching your videos. They are quite professional and certainly have that Southern California vibe.
Ha! Love that comment. Thanks so much and as always thanks for watching. That means a lot! 🙏
Need to replace my GoPro Hero 7 Silver. [freezing way too much, lost videos etc] So, you say the Hero 8. Does it has the same freezing issues as the 7? I have tried so many times to repair this camera, yes even with the help of GoPro people, it still drops files left right and center. So, I am really and I mean really hesitate about spending $300.00 om another GoPro product. Here's what I use it for, UA-cam content, ATV riding, Mountian bike riding, Videoing Repairs and a few water type dives. And lost of other stuff. So, send me some advice on a sport type camera. Cheers! Stumpr1
Sorry, I didn’t see this comment until now. I have not had any freezing issues with the GoPro Hero 8. It’s also very compact and I think it works great for mounting on a mountain bike or vehicle. I see them on Amazon under $200.
Thanks for the message back, I have not bought anyting as of yet. But wil get something this month. Thanks, Stumpr1@@HeHasTheCamera
I came to that conclusion at the beginning of 2023. The gopro 8 black has the same internal hardware (sensor & processor) as the more recent models, stabilization is just as good, a front display is a gimmick I absolutely do not need, and 4K @ 60fps is pretty neat. Really, all the boxes are already ticked.
So, even thou it still has it's fair share of problems, like overheating, occasionally freezing, etc., the gopro 8 black at it's production end discount was definitely the best bang for the money.
Bought new 9 few days ago for 300$.
I dont consider that budget buy at all, actually its a lot of money, but it think its good value option. It doesn't lose too much to newest cams but is almost half it price, but u still got that gopro quality, instead of complete compromise of chinese copies which sux in more than one way.
Gopro is still far from flawless but like u said it has good, tuff build quality, have best audio and video quality
Thanks for watching
In the market for an action camera, so arrived at your channel.
Been using a Canon GR7II for my first 200 YT videos. So looking for equipment to add.
Thanks for the GoPro8 heads up.
You make great content Eric.
When you hit 1k subscribers, make sure your content is 8 mins long to get Adsense.
I'm rooting 4 ya.
Good luck!
Philip
Thank you very much! That means a lot. Most of my videos come in about 8 to 10 minutes. I very much appreciate the advice and hopefully I'll hit that 1,000 soon!!
and what is your oppinion on the dji action cam 1 vs the hero 8?
Haven't tried the action 1. I own and use the action 2 often and really like it but it's sort of a different animal. Thanks for watching!
Thanks! This is what i needed
The 3rd time I took a GoPro snorkeling in Oahu I’m at Sharks Cove filming some incredible underwater scenes. All was going fine, but then my GoPro was dead and the little hatch cover was open. I don’t know how the heck it popped open but I was pissed, and I had a $400 paper weight. If it was a cheap $80 budget camera I wouldn’t have cared.
I have seen a few reviews of the Brave 8 and most suggest that it isn't much of an improvement over the 7 which is significantly cheaper. At this time on Amazon in the UK the Hero 9 is cheaper than the Hero 8 at £220. The Brave 7 is £140 (with a current discount voucher). So with those prices in mind, would you still go for the Hero 8/9 at £220 or the Brave 7 at £140?
I personally would be looking to use it to film my adventures on a motorcycle, would that affect your decision?
Brave 7 le deal now £111
@@dobryden8558 yes but the 7 LE is significantly worse than the 7.
How do the mini varietys work out? Looks like I can buy an 11 mini for $500 AUD. I see it's a video only. I'm fine with that. I want this thing for snorkelling and getting footage when driving mostly.
My problem with the mini is the lack of screen. I simply can't leave it up to chance that I am getting what I want, especially if it is something that is a special moment. The performance is going to be the same however. If you are really concerned about size then the Hero 8 is much smaller than newer iterations. The DJI action 3 is a bit smaller as well. But the 11 mini is good, it's just harder to use.
@@HeHasTheCamera thanks for the breakdown. Looks like I'm buying the budget camera that's not a budget camera ;) I guess you are right.... I want to check it's actually working when it should be. That would be a crappy thing to find out later! Are you moving into drones next? I can't cope with all the technical bs when I start watching reviews on them. But I love your sense of humour i would watch you all day.
Awe thanks! I would love to move into drones but I'm not sure a UA-cam channel of me stupidly crashing expensive things is going to be very cost effective for me. So probably not 🤣. Thanks so much for your comments and for watching.
It's only 50 bucks cheaper than the Hero 12 here, same on the used market (idk why they ask the same as stores ask for new). Might as well get the 12 then...
Yes agreed
Sir please tell me about akaso brave 7 le..
I didn't review the "LE" but here is the camera that I did spend some time with.
Link to review: ua-cam.com/video/9IG4PPXlNLU/v-deo.html
What about the hero 7?
I didn't really compare Hero 7 at all. I think the hero 8 is a good upgrade from the Hero 7 and I didn't think it was going to be widely available online.
I tried an Akaso (V50X) and SJCAM (SJ9 Pro) and both had horrible audio and developed problems communicating via usb with my PC. I got my money back and bought another second hand gopro 7. But they are getting worn out now eg doors jamming so I'm looking at getting a DJI Osmo Action 3 as a replacement.
I have been very happy with my Action 3. Guessing you can pick one up at a discount now that the Action 4 is available. Thanks for watching.
Shame the Go Pro Hero 8 costs €270 over here while the Akaso brave 7 is €190 and the Brave 4 Pro is €120, would you still go for the Go Pro Hero 8 at those price points? Great content by the way.
I would probably go for the Brave 7 at those price points As long as I was using the video for personal use or social media. If you are using it for UA-cam or content creation I don't know that's a tough decision.
Def get gorppo 8 or 9, there are also used ones, 30% cheaper but knowing gopro reputation i choose new 9 version, at least one year of no stress.
Theres no escaping spending 300-400€ on action cam, trust me i researched and tried.
Get working, worthy product or just save money until u can afford it
I'm looking for an action camera to take to the mediterranean in a couple of weeks. I'd decided on the DJI Osmo 3, but they're mostly on backorder (to fix the soft focus issue, perhaps) and I wouldn't receive it in time. Back to square one. I'd decided against GoPro due to the many issues with the newer models (overheating, loss of footage etc, etc). Do you happen to know if the Hero8 is also plagued with these issues? Your footage is beautiful, the quality of which is just what I'm looking for but I need something reliable with great video quality.
I'm sorry to hear about the DJI as that would have been my choice as well. I have used my Hero 8 in just about every scenario. It will overheat yes. But honestly almost everything does and I've almost never run into a problem. I'm shooting in the California desert and Long days at the beach in the heat. It comes down to length of recording and direct sunlight really. If you leave it on a tripod sitting in the sun recording on 60 frames per second maybe yeah. Otherwise I think you'll be fine.
I bought 9 and its not terrible. (And 9 from what i read is considered tje worst, hence its relatively cheap to buy)
No lost data or freezes..
That said voice commands work pretty bad, and connecting to phone takes way more time than it should and is pita because enabling connection in gopro drains a lot of battery which last pretty short time anyway.
As for build video and audio quality im reasonably happy with it. I guess its currently worth the money is my conclusion but just barely. 300$ was my absolute max i could justify on action cam and it costed exactly that.
But thats the times we live in. Nothing is of super value. At best u get what u pay for :(
The greed have taken over the world
The hero 10 is $250 new and under $200 used.
Awesome vid 👌🏼
Hey thanks a lot I appreciate that! Thank you for watching!
What the Bryan Cranston!!
I think that the DJI Action 1 is more dependable/reliable then the Gopro Hero 8!
Thanks for watching !
oof. I’m looking for a replacement for my hero 8 after finally destroying it in the ocean.
You’re killing me with this vid
Haha well I appreciate you watching and remember we should have a Hero 12 sometime in maybe September? Which means you're going to have discounts on the rest of the available inventory of previous units. Happy hunting.
You said the GoPro 8 is the best build quality of all GoPro? What do you mean by this like most durable reliable obviously the new ones have better specs but really the 8 is fine.
TBH this is just the way it is. There is no real "budget" action camera. The only camera I have seen that was even remotely usable compared to GoPro and DJI was the Hawkeye Firefly and it is now massively expensive when you can just get a GoPro. I would tell anyone to not throw money away on the over-saturated market of cheap action cameras that you are not going to be happy with like I did and go for a older model of a good action camera otherwise you are gonna spend more money buying bad camera after bad camera.
Hello sir , tank u for the info . I recently buyed a Salora ACP 1250 actioncam it’s fantastic man ,4K 60 fps eis waterproof till 10 meters overall an fantastic camera. Maybe you like to check it out, there are no reviews on UA-cam about them which is very strange! Maybe 1 will be the first one.
Look at this video I took a few weeks ago with and Apeman Trawo A100 at 4K walking and judge the results. £100 Action cam.
It looks good.
Thanks for watching
hero 8 black is not budget camera price is twice as much then new sealed akaso brave 7 bad comparison
Thank you for watching! I appreciate the feedback. At the time I did the video the AKASO Brave 7 was selling for $169 on Amazon and the Hero 8 was selling for $200.
In Europe is way more expensive
Yes i came to same conclusion after.researching budged action cams.
You can have them for cheap but their qualities virtually kills whole point of having action cam.
No wide field of view, no good image stabilization, useless audio.
The conclusion is simple, buy osmo action or newest gopro u can afford. If you cant afford at least gopro7 dont buy action camera at all.
Other imortant point for budget buyers like me- camera itself js just beginning of expenses! Its not cheap game!
Ull need accesories, more batteries, chargers all that crap
Thank you for the comment and I have a new budget camera I'll be testing next week but so far. I agree 💯
So the people who bought the GoPro 1-6 shouldn't have ever bought the camera at all?
I knew it!
What a waste if time 😂
Thanks for watching anyway 🤷🏻♂️