AKASO V50X Native 4K30fps WiFi Action Camera with EIS Touch Screen 4X Zoom 131 feet Waterproof Camera Support External Mic Remote Control with Helmet Accessories (Without 64GB MicroSD Card)

After a lot of comparing action cameras online, I found this one by Akaso to be the best quality and value for the money with all of the extras that came with it. I purchased it for my German Shepherd to wear during our travels and adventures then paired it with a dog harness made for action cameras. This compact camera is very lightweight and the waterproof case is durable to handle our wild adventures in the mountains. The picture quality is excellent and image stability is really good on this model. The very simple camera functionality makes it easy to adjust settings for a dog that wants to hold still for only a moment before getting back to the adventures 😂 Very happy with this purchase and highly recommend.

I was skeptical at first that this would carry the same features / quality of the bigger brand action cameras - side by side comparisons show very few differences. I must say so far I am blown away (though still in the early testing phases). Photos are magnificent, with just a few in the "blur" category that could be quickly discarded. Video appears to be stable - I've yet to do any post editing, but looks good as is. I don't use audio internal/external (or haven't yet) but I do know in case all audio functions are off - which is not surprising but worth point out.The quality of the case and just amazing amounts of attachments right out of the box was the real surprise. I do think that's probably where smaller brands have issues competing with the big boys. I do think if you're using something every day for action footage / underwater use, and trying to post frequently to a media site you may end up with quicker wear / tear - but it does what it says for my purposes. Kept the water out / a couple of drops with no terrible scuffing and dents - and again, mount it to your bike, helmet, tripod - with multiple attachments and ways to attach for each (in / out of case; front mount helmet; top mount; bike low / bike bar).I plan to really TEST it this week - putting it through the rigors and testing battery life, but first impressions are often most important - will update with battery life and any glaring concerns. I must admit at a quarter of the cost of mid-tier (offering less specs no less) / a tenth of the cost of the pro-tier (same specs)...so far, its really incredible value!If others want to stay relevant - they might want to pick up some design / cost pointers from Akaso.

I was looking for an "action camera" to video backpacking and vacation adventures, but didn't want to spend GoPro money. After reading and watching a lot of reviews, I decided on the V50X especially since they had just supposedly "fixed the audio" in June. I assumed this meant the low audio volume many reviewers had complained about, but that wasn't fixed so I'm not sure what actually was. The latest firmware was still from Nov 2019. I did contact Akaso support about this, and they did reply most times within a day or two (they are in China) but considered my test videos showing the audio level issue "normal" and offered a full refund.To summarize, if you have either the internal or the special external mic within about 6" of your mouth there is no real problem with volume level. However the gain drops off very quickly after that and is at least 12 dB below "normal" if you have either mic at 18", which is typical distance for selfie videos. The V50X video volume was much lower than videos taken at 18" with either my Canon Powershot S120 camera or Moto G5 Plus smartphone.So far I've only gotten to use it for my big backpacking trip (European trip was canceled) and it did very well. My audio solution was to use the external mic clipped to my shoulder strap and talk louder or I held it near my mouth if I didn't have my backpack on. The provided windscreen is OK for light breezes, but I knew it wouldn't work for the windy conditions I would face so I made a much thicker one from an old sponge, which worked great even in 40+ MPH winds.The only other complaint I have is it wasn't clear that Distortion Calibration and Image Stabilization are mutually exclusive so turning one on turns the other off so I didn't notice IS was off for a little bit. The IS does work pretty well though not quite as good as my old Canon S120 camera. It sort of "jumps" slightly as the scene is moving. One other annoyance is it is easy to get smudges or prints on the unprotected lens, but I assume all action cameras are the same in that regard.1080 video looks good. I only did one slow motion clip but used the video time lapse several times. Battery life was as advertised. I didn't use the V50X for pictures since I used my Canon S120 for that so I can't comment on that aspect. I also didn't use it in the underwater housing yet. That will occur while snorkeling this coming summer (hopefully). The touchscreen and settings were easy to use.Overall, the V50X is a very capable and feature-packed camera for the price. I'm impressed with what I got for the money. I just wish the audio gain was better though one benefit of this issue is there is less background noise.