Following from HK Pet Show 2016 Funky Kits! (Part 1), this second part I’ll be concentrating more on gadgets for your pets that benefits more for the pet owner rather than the pet itself. In this part we will be looking at some of the action cameras that were on show at the HK Pet Show 2016.
When anyone mentions ‘action cams’ one of the first names anyone thinks of is GoPro. The GoPro brand, pushed along by its marketing strategy, is synonymous with adrenaline sports; rock climbing, free diving, mountain biking, base jumping, etc. but in recent years GoPro has started to branch out more to the consumer market as well. And it was GoPro that really integrated an action cam for a pet’s use when they released this video:
When I first saw this video shot from a dog’s POV, I thought of all the wonderful things I can shoot with an action cam attached to my dog. With this, GoPro released straps for dogs that you could mount a GoPro either on the dog’s back, on under its chest (if their legs were long enough so the camera didn’t scrape the floor).
Once regular consumers started to realize that an action cam like GoPro could shoot great videos (even mounted on a drone), there was a clamour to buy one, but one of GoPro’s stumbling points was it price. Regular consumers considered the price tags of around HK$2500 too much for toy that could capture videos which were sometimes inferior in quality to a video cam you can buy for much less, or the quality of sound or photos compared to other cameras. This is when the clone market and competitors stepped in.
Sony AZ1VR Action Cam
Making the biggest presence at the Pet Show in terms of action cams were Sony and their AZ1VR Action Cam mini with wifi. Their marketing team wanted to show the cam in action, so they had several dogs of various sizes trundling around the exhibition hall with one of their action cams mounted onto their backs. What they did not into consideration was how crowded it got, and when the mounts were not secured enough, the cams would slide down the sides of the dogs.
Boasting built-in wifi and GPS, the AZ1VR allows the user to get a live feed to their smartphones (dogs-eye view), and auto record its location. Hands-on playing with feels that the AZ1VR is sturdy and well built, but my main gripe with it is its shape; its rather like a miniaturized Handycam, I don’t like how thin it is. Sony being Sony, the image captured via the ZEISS® Tessar lens are crystal clear, but what less would you expect from action cams nowadays? Being splashproof, the AZ1VR does not need an external casing much like the GoPro or its clones, but then again there’s nothing to protect the lens if your dog decides to run through some bushes. I fintd the image stabilizers would normally work well if the AZ1VR was held by a person, but on the back of dog, there’s just too much movement for the stabilizers to compensate.
At the HK Pet Show, Sony were selling these in different packages, all of which was bundled in the dog harness. The cheapest one did not include the remote view finder, so you’d basically have to guess if your shooting at the right angle, and not at the hairs on the back of your dog or at the sky.
ThiEYE i60
Having the same form factor as a GoPro, I’m going to boldly consider the ThiEYE i60 as a clone. Having the waterproof casing looking exactly like that of a GoPro, even down to the catch at the top, ThiEYE doesn’t really hide the fact of what it is trying to do; being a cheaper version of a GoPro.
Much like other clones on the market with the same form factor as a GoPro, the ThiEYE is very lightweight (just 65g) and once outside the waterproof casing it does feel very brittle. Using standardized mounts, clips and screws, one can pick up new accessories for the ThiEYE dirt cheap at places like Sham Shui Po or online via Taobao. The water proof housing is rated at IP68 so it can be submerged up to 40m of water, and claims to be shockproof and dustproof.
At the Pet Show I had a play with a ThiEYE i60 and the 1.5″ viewfinder on the back was helpful in framing shots. It does have a companion smartphone app, but it does not give you remote control of the cam, just viewing the contents you’ve shot and the ability to upload to social media platforms. A brief look at the captured test footage shot at 720p wasn’t too bad, I didn’t have the resources to do a side by side comparison with captured content from a GoPro, and it was just way too busy there at the stall. For the fashion-concious users out there, the ThiEYE i60 comes in black, silver or gold.
SJ4000
The SJ400 was not present at the Pet Show, but really does deserve a mention here. Having the same form factor as a GoPro, the SJ4000 was so successful a few years ago to the point it too had fake copies made by other companies. One of the reasons why the SJ4000 is so successful is its price, I bought mine for just under HK$800, affording me the ease of mind in experimenting with shots, putting the cam in situations I might lose it and/or damage it. Many people have mounted a SJ4000 on a drone. The are YouTube videos out there that help you figure out what to look for if you want a genuine SJ4000, and not buy a fake one. Visit any shop in SSP in HK and you’ll either find the SJ4000 or a clone of this clone. When Winston and I visited Huaqing North in Shenzhen, we were offered the fake ones for as low as RMB150 each.
When I purchased my SJ4000 about 2 years ago, it did not have a wifi function, but now the model has been updated with wifi capabilities but the model number has confusing remained the same. When you open the box containing your SJ4000 you’d be pleasantly surprised at the contents as the box is chockful of different mounts, straps, adapters and casings, unlike a GoPro which you only get a few accessories with it. With a mini-DVI output port, and the low price point previously mentioned, drone enthusiasts have managed to do some simple DIY and been able to Fly-by-View by connecting a wireless transmitter to the port.
For a third of the price for a GoPro, one would be forgiven to expect really poor picture quality, but trust me, shooting in daylight you wouldn’t notice much difference to a Go Pro, and the SJ4000 actually performs better in low light, say night time, than a GoPro! I once took both my SJ4000 and GoPro Hero 4 out to shoot some Christmas lighting videos. The GoPro video had muted colours and dark images was just acceptable, but with the SJ4000 I recorded the virant colours of the Christmas lighting, and dark areas had more detail. There’s several comparison videos on YouTube, and I really do recommned you to view them to see how good an image you can get with this action cam thats so relatively cheap.
Thats all for now from me, and I know I could have mentioned so many more action cams out there (Polaroid Cube, Mi Yi camera, Mobius, TomTom Bandit, etc) but its still relatively new here in HK to mount it on your pet.
I hope you enjoyed reading my first articles in 15 years, and found them informative. If you have any feedback, please feel free to use the comments section below.
