Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starsA phenomenal alternative for vloggers to the name-brand one!
Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2020
*Please see the edit at the bottom for the reason for my lower-starred review*
I film DIY car repair videos and needed a camera that could survive a fall or two and, if not, be cost-effective enough to be replaceable. So far, I’ve been very impressed.
[Features] – You have a slew of resolution options depending on what you’re filming. Positives on that are you can make a great looking video, or film a very long time on the same card.
Akaso gives you the option to use h.264 or h.265 codecs to work with your favorite video editors/system capabilities.
Time-lapse and loop recording are also there, but I have no use for them so I can’t comment on how well they perform.
[Image Quality] – So far, the V50 Elite has gone above my expectations for video quality. I’m normally filming in a moderately well-lit garage where the V50 Elite has been able to film in those conditions. I only have to add extra lighting when I’m under the car or in a low corner of the engine bay. I film in 1080 @ 30 FPS as I don’t need any higher as I’ve found that higher resolutions make the video size insane. Also, filming at 1080 and higher resolutions only allow you to film in 8- 40 minute “Blocks” of video at a time, which makes editing the end product more time-intensive. For me, this is the only major downfall of this camera.
[Image Stabilization] – What can I say, it works as advertised. I’m able to hand-hold the camera for close-ups of components with fantastic results. Still not as good as a gimbal, but there are many places on a car where a gimbal just won't fit. The drawback to Akaso’s stabilization is that it will only work in the wide-angle setting and won’t work in 4K / 60FPS, 2.7K / 60FPS, 1080P / 120FPS and all 720P quality settings. Definitely something to keep in mind. I really wish stabilization was there for the 720p modes for those who don’t need a crazy resolution for their videos.
[Ease of use] – Since it is a touchscreen camera, accessing menus and changing settings is very intuitive. The front button is your power button and the top is start/stop. Pretty easy. There is also a Bluetooth remote for start/stop and photos that I use to start my videos with success so far. There is WIFI as well for media transfer, which is great for on the go, but too slow for large videos. I use it more to frame shots than media review anyway.
[Microphone] – This seems to be good or terrible, depending on the review. I thought this was going to be a weak point for me as well but I’ve been pleasantly surprised at the clarity. I use the camera without a case and I’m usually 3 – 10 feet away from the camera and have yet to have any issues with my voice being too low, dropout, or noise when it’s solid mounted. If the camera is on a motorized gimbal it will pick up the noise of the motors, unless you are able to tune motor force on whichever gimbal you’re using.
[Accessories] – Akaso gives you so many mount options and a water-resistant case for the V50 Elite that you’ll be able to mount it to almost anything short of a wild animal. You also have the Bluetooth remote with voice commands.
[The bad] –
1. Image stabilization not available in all modes and resolutions.
2. Higher resolution videos are split into “blocks” instead of being continuously captured. I have no idea why this is the standard. It makes editing a chore.
3. Battery life is not great for longer videos. For 1080p @ 30FPS I only get 1.5 to 1.75 hours of record time before the battery dies. On the flip side, you do get two batteries and a charger that can charge both batteries at the same time.
[Value] – A camera like this for under $150 is amazing in my opinion. You get great options on a touchscreen camera with 4K resolution and enough options to adapt to most film needs.
***EDIT***
After leaving my honest, 4-star review I was contacted by Akaso via email with an obvious cut & paste template stating they had a meeting to address my concerns and will make future products better. There was nothing specific about my concerns or how they thought they could improve. Their email was a literal bribe in an attempt to coerce me into dis-honestly raising my review to a 5-star rating. This tells me a lot about this company and makes me believe a lot of these 5-star reviews are false and has destroyed my trust in this company. I hope potential customers find this useful feedback before they support this company.
