While GoPro started the trend for action cameras, that doesn’t mean they are the only ones around. There are plenty of cheaper, affordable and functionally-similar action cameras on the market. AKASO Brave 7 LE action camera is one of them. If you are looking for an action camera and have a smaller budget, check out this review of AKASO Brave 7 LE action camera and see if it is the one for you.
AKASO Brave 7 LE is an upgrade over its previous Brave 6 Plus. Functionally, they are similar. The biggest difference between the two models is the addition of a front screen for you to take selfies easily.
AKASO Brave 7 LE
Measuring at 64mm x 43mm x 26mm, it is about the same size as a GoPro action camera. Coupled with a waterproof casing and plenty of accessories, it is easy to bring (or mount) it everywhere you go.
There are only three buttons on the camera. The one at the side is the Power button for turning the camera on/off. When the camera is on, a short press of the power button toggles the onboard Wi-Fi function for your phone to connect to it.
At the top is the Shoot and Mode button. The Shoot button is used to simply start video recording or take photos. A long press of the Shoot button allows you to change the different capturing modes, like Loop Record, Time Lapse, Slow Motion, Fast Motion, Burst, Self-Time, or Long Exposure. The Mode button allows you to switch between video/photo mode. A long press of the Mode button will switch from the back screen to the front screen.
At the back of the camera is a 2-inch touch screen. The front screen is 1.6 inches wide but is not touch-enabled.
Also included is a remote control that you can wear on your wrist. This is useful for situations when your camera is not easily accessible, like on your helmet. There is a dedicated button for both photo shoot and video record, and there is no syncing required.
When the camera is on, a quick press of the button will start the photo shooting/video record. Another press (on the video button) will stop the recording. You can press the photo shoot button while video recording is in progress. This will stop the video recording and take an image immediately. It doesn’t resume video recording after that though.
The action camera makes use of a removable battery, and there are two batteries in the box, so you can change them out when one is empty. The battery charger can charge both batteries at the same time, so it saves you time and effort.
There are all kind of clamps provided. You can mix and match different adapters for attaching the camera on various devices/platforms.
Specifications
As with the AKASO Brave 6 Plus, the Brave7 LE can shoot video in 4K 30fps/2.7K, 60fps/1080p, 120fps/1080p, 60fps/1080p, 30fps/720p, 240fps/720p, 120fps/720p, and 60fps. For images, it supports resolutions up to 20MP.
Brave 7 LE is also IPX7 water-resistant. With the waterproof case, you can bring it to go diving at depths of up to 40M deep.
With its internal Wi-Fi, you can connect your phone to it and remote control it via the AKASO Go app. The built-in HDMI Port also allows you to directly connect it to your television.
Usage and Evaluation
First of all, the build quality of Brave 7 LE is solid. It is small and portable yet doesn’t feel too light like a toy.
As mentioned in the Brave 6 Plus review, the lens is very wide. The field of sight can also be adjusted down from the superwide mode (170°) to “Wide” (110°), “Medium” (90°), and “Narrow” (70°).
For photo-shooting, you can choose between single, burst, time lapse, self-time or long exposure.
When outdoors and in bright daylight, the image is generally sharp and clear, though the quality suffers when you start zooming in.
At maximum zoom, the image become pixelated and grainy.
When indoors or in low light conditions, the image quality starts to drop as well.
For video shooting, you can choose between normal, loop record, time lapse, slow motion and fast motion. Taking video at 4K 30fps produces a quite sharp and smooth video. The image stabilization does play a big part here. However, when switching to slow motion mode, it automatically switches to 720p 120fps. On a small screen it looks fine, but on a bigger screen, you can start to see the poor video quality.
The front screen, when used for selfiea., is a good addition, though the screen can be a bit small for a big group selfie.
Mobile App
AKASO Go, its companion mobile app (iOS, Android), allows you to connect your phone to the camera and remote control it. You can also view the photos/videos on your mobile phone.
To get it to work, you have to press the power button to toggle on the Wi-Fi network on the camera. Next, on your phone, switch or connect to the Brave 7 Wi-Fi network, then run the AKASO Go app and connect to the camera.
Once connected, you can use your mobile phone as a viewfinder and remote control for the camera. You can also adjust the camera settings from the mobile phone.
Pricing
The AKASO Brave 7 LE is priced at $139.99 which is $20 more than the Brave 6 Plus. The additional $20 gives you a front screen for selfies and a 6-axis gyroscope that can stabilize images and correct vibrations. For less than half the price of a GoPro, you get a 4K action camera with almost the same features and accessories. I am not sure if you can find a better deal than this.
Conclusion
To round up this review, I find the AKASO Brave 7 LE to be a decently-good point-and-shoot action camera that you can easily afford.
The front screen is one added feature that makes this camera better than the others in the market and one thing that makes t this camera more useful than its predecessors.
If you are looking for an action camera and GoPro is out of your budget, this is one action camera you definitely want to consider.
This is a sponsored article and was made possible by AKASO. The actual contents and opinions are the sole views of the author who maintains editorial independence even when a post is sponsored.
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