The market of cheap action cameras is pretty crowded but we just came across an affordable camera made by TEC.BEAN. It costs just $59 but it has quite a few features like 16MP Sony CMOS sensor and 4k video recording. Learn more in our full review.

UNBOXING

As usual to most of the cheap action cameras, it comes with a ton of accessories that include all sorts of mounts, cradles and so on. A few notable accessories are a waterproof case, a spare battery, and the bike cradle.

DESIGN and FEATURES

The TEC.BEAN 900 sports a classic action camera design, it’s made of plastic, the build quality is pretty good and it is very light.

The buttons are nice and tactile and we have a few ports that include the micro USB, micro HDMI, and the microSD card slot.

As for the camera, we have a beefy 16MP SONY IMX 179 sensor with 170° wide angle lens.

A 2” display does not have the highest resolution but it gets the job done for an action camera and I had no issues seeing it indoors or outdoors.

FUNCTIONALITY

You can navigate through the menus using the buttons and the user interface is pretty straightforward.

You can adjust the resolution, play with the image settings and adjust quite a few different settings if you wish so but I guess that most of us just use the auto mode. You can also view the pictures you took or the videos you shot straight on the camera display. The camera also has a built-in Wifi and that means that you can connect it to your phone using the app. The app allows you to use the phone as a viewfinder. There is a slight delay like on most of the action cameras.  You can also watch the videos you shot or adjust some settings and so on.

IMAGE QUALITY

In order to test the quality of the 4k and 1080p video, I used the Zhiyun Rider-M gimbal for action cameras. It stabilizes the footage of action cameras very well.

This camera can shoot videos at the max. resolution of 4k at 30fps. I have to say that the video quality is pretty good for such a cheap camera. Sure, there could be more detail but you simply can’t ask more for the price. The 2.5k video at 30fps looks a bit smoother due to a higher count of frames per second but naturally, there is a bit less detail.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_n9mrhSjgw[/embedyt]

1080p video at 30fps looks pretty good for a cheap camera. 1080p video at 60fps is probably my favorite format for action cameras if you shoot a lot of moving objects or you move quickly yourself. The sound recording quality is terrible, like on most of the cheap action cameras. Slow-motion video at 720p is usable but there could be a lot more detail.

As for still image quality, it is really good for a cheap action camera. There is a good amount of detail, pictures look quite sharp and even color reproduction is decent.

BATTERY LIFE

The 900mAh battery performs great knowing the fact that the camera has a 2” display. I could get 1:20 h of 4k video recording and around 3 hours of total usage per charge.

CONCLUSIONS

All in all, the TEC.BEAN 900 4k Action Camera is a great choice for those who don’t want to spend hundreds for a GoPro but still want to have a small device that can shoot videos or take pictures.

For the price of $59, video and still image quality are really good. Finally, if you are looking for a cheap action camera, the TEC.BEAN 900 is a good offering for the price. More deals about TEC.BEAN, please visit here.

The post TEC.BEAN 900 4K Action Camera Review – Great Value for $59! appeared first on Gizmochina.

There is a huge market of affordable action cameras and it may not be easy to choose one. TEC.BEAN EX5000 is one of the better offerings as it costs just under $76 on Amazon. Learn more in a full review.

TEC.BEAN EX5000 Sports Action Camera Review: VIDEO

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BixNDaTFMC8[/embedyt]

TEC.BEAN EX5000 Sports Action Camera Review: UNBOXING

The camera comes in a simple box with a lot of accessories. There are all sorts of mounts, cradles, adhesive pads, zip ties, velcro straps and so on. Basically, you can mount the camera wherever you want.

A few notable accessories would be a waterproof case, which has tactile buttons and it allows you to use the camera up to 30m under water. The case does its job well as I left the camera under water for 20 mins during my test.

The other accessory that I love using is a cradle that I mounted on my bike and it keeps the camera in place. 

Also, there are two batteries included, which is really great.

TEC.BEAN EX5000 Sports Action Camera Review: DESIGN

Let’s be honest, the TEC.BEAN camera looks like a GoPro. Anyway, most of the cheap action cameras does.

Most importantly, it is very well built and it uses mainly rubberised plastic in the construction.

As for optics, we have a 14MP Panasonic CMOS sensor, which can shoot videos up to 1080p and it has 170 degrees wide angle lens. Right next to it there is a power/mode button.

The display has 2 inches and while it is not even HD, it’s  really convenient for a viewfinder.

There is a shutter or “OK” button on the top along with the LED light. 

On one side you can find a microSD card slot, micro USB and HDMI ports and a mic. On the right, you can find your up/down buttons to help you navigate in the UI of the camera.

Next to the buttons there is little speaker grill. 

Finally, the battery door, as well as the battery itself, are very easy to remove.

TEC.BEAN EX5000 Sports Action Camera Review: UI

When it comes to the UI, it is pretty much straightforward. You can select from a picture taking, video recording and gallery modes.

Also, there are quite a few settings to play with but I simply used auto-mode for all the pictures I took and the videos I shot.

The camera has a built-in Wifi, which is supposed to let you easily share images with your smartphone but unfortunately, I could not make it work.

The proprietary app simply could not find the camera. Anyway, I don’t really need this feature since the camera has a display. 

TEC.BEAN EX5000 Sports Action Camera Review: IMAGE AND VIDEO QUALITY

As for still image quality, it is pretty good for a cheap action camera. However, I would love to see a bit more details in some images and some of the shots came out slightly underexposed. 

See a video review for video quality.

As for 1080p video, it is good but not great. I shot the video side by side with the Xiaomi YI camera, which is one of the best budget action cameras around. The quality is similar but the footage has slightly less detail and the video stabilisation could be better. On the other hand, the colour reproduction is more accurate but the colours look too cold.

Still, the quality of footage is great for cheap action camera and you simply can’t expect anything better at this price range. 

TEC.BEAN EX5000 Sports Action Camera Review: BATTERY LIFE

The 900mAh battery performs great knowing the fact that the camera has a 2” display. I could get 1:20 h of 1080p video and around 3 hours of total usage per charge. 

TEC.BEAN EX5000 Sports Action Camera Review: CONCLUSIONS

All in all, the TEC.BEAN action camera is a great choice for those who don’t want to spend hundreds for a GoPro but still want to have a small device that can shoot videos or take pictures.

Also, it has 2” screen, lots of settings, the battery life is good  and this cheap camera comes with lots of accessories. For a price of just below $76, it is a great bang for your buck.

The post TEC.BEAN – My New Favourite Cheap Action Camera appeared first on Gizmochina.