SJCAM SJ5000X review

The camera makes the most of the standard GoPro mount design and attaching the camera to almost anything is easy enough, although the slight additional bulk and weight of the SJ5000X does mean that you need to take extra care to make sure that all bolts are fully secured on your mount to avoid wobble.

Unlike the GoPro Hero range or the iSAW Edge, there's no direct power on and record button, so the camera first needs to be switched on using the Mode button and then the shutter button to record. Changing resolutions and modes is quick and easy, though, using the buttons on the camera and the large clear screen.

As with the majority of new action cameras, Wi-Fi comes as standard and is activated with a quick push of the dedicated button on the side. Once on the SJCam Zone app is downloaded (iOS or Android) it can quickly be paired to the device using Wi-Fi. Connection quality between the camera and mobile device is good, but there is a noticeable delay of a good 1-2 seconds, depending on your location and the distance between devices. Along with live view, the app enables you to adjust all of the camera's settings and modes as well as review what you've shot. Reviewing footage is costly on storage for your mobile device, though, as there is no way to stream between camera and mobile. Instead, a selected file needs to be downloaded to the mobile device before it can be previewed. As the SJ5000X has a decent screen, though, locating the footage you want prior to downloading it isn't too much of an issue.

This camera has three features that are really worth a mention; Cycle recording, Slow Movie and Motion detection.

Cycle recording enables clip recording in time intervals of either three, five or ten minutes – or you can switch it off for a continual recording session. This means that after filming you end up with a series of short videos that you can quickly skip through and select from, and this makes downloading the clips you want quick and easy.

Slow Movie has three different options: -2x, -4x and -8x. This slow movie footage isn't slow motion in the normal sense, rather a time lapse style sequence that extends the time. Shooting at -8X demonstrates the slightly jerky slowed down results.

Finally, there's motion detection, which starts and stops recording only when the camera detects movement. This feature works incredibly well and again is a great time saver when it comes to editing down footage.

Unlike some of the more established brands, SJCAM doesn't feature its own social community or editing software, so if you do want to share your footage on the move, clips need to be downloaded and edited in the app of your choice before they are uploaded to your preferred social network.