12 Great budget action cameras
What better way to capture a thrilling exciting moment or a sport than to get an action camera. The problem with that might be that they can be expensive if you’re looking at high-end brands for example GoPro.
In this blog, I have collected information and chose 12 great GoPro alternatives for under $100, which will give you amazing results.
Before you buy an action camera, it’s necessary to consider some things. There are some very obvious factors that you probably already know, such as that the resolution is not everything and the accessories are very important. That’s why I recommend checking out our best accessories for action cameras.
Here are my 12 recommendations for cheap action cameras.
SJCAM SJ8 PRO
The SJCAM SJv8 PRO is another successful sports cam by SJCAM after the SJCAM SJ8. SJCAM is one of the top producers in the action camera market and now they have released another high-end action. It offers 4k quality and 12MP pictures. The definition, focus, and detail is high quality. It comes with a multitude of accessories so you can use it to get better footage.
The SJCAM SJ8 PRO is a GoPro alternative from the brand of SJCAM with an affordable price and great video quality. The SJCAM SJ8 PRO lets you take photos up to 12MP with 4K and up to 60fps recording, and allows you to use other cool features as well as record underwater with the case.
The SJ8 is waterproof and comes with a battery. The protective case is waterproof and impact-resistant, which makes it possible to shoot videos underwater up to 30m. It also comes with a rechargeable 1200mAh battery to never let you miss a wonderful time and an external charger.
The SJCAM SJ8 can record videos at 4K/ 60fps, 2.7K/ 60fps, and 1080P/ 120fps / 60fps and some more video resolutions, it records with real native 4K. It has great image quality with good colors and sharpness, it uses a 170° wide-angle. The videos of the SJ8 4K are captured in .mp4 format and with the h.264 codec
The configuration by default is well balanced, the images are sharp enough, the sky does not have the tendency classic towards a little the too blue and has overall pretty nice colors.
SJCAM SJ7 STAR
The SJCAM SJ7 STAR lets you take photos up to 12MP with 4K and up to 30fps recording, and allows you to use other cool features as well as record underwater with the case.
The SJ7 is waterproof and comes with 2 batteries. The protective case is waterproof and impact-resistant, which makes it possible to shoot videos underwater up to 30m. It also comes with 2 rechargeable 1050mAh. batteries to never let you miss a wonderful time and an external charger.
The SJCAM SJ7 STAR Sports Camera 4K uses an Ambarella A12S75 chipset with a Sony IMX117 sensor and uses an F / 2.5 aperture that is able to shoot in 4K/ 30fps, 2.7K/ 60fps and 1080P/ 120/ 60fps video resolution and 12MP photos.
It has a wide-angle lens up to 170° which gives you the classic GoPro look. The SJCAM SJ7 has (EIS) Electronic Image Stabilization for anti-shaking and image stabilization to make your video much more smooth.
It also comes with the ability to connect through WiFi to your phone, android, and IOS. This action camera supports Class 10 micro SD of up to a maximum of 128GB, you must format the SD card in settings before the first use of the camera if you are using an old SD card.
Campark X20
The Campark X20 is an updated model of the Campark ACT74 and ACT76, the Campark is a known good quality action camera brand. Campark is very popular in many platforms selling action cameras, in this review, we discover the Campark X20 one of the best GoPro alternatives and Campark sports cams. It offers 4k quality and 20MP pictures. The definition, focus, and detail is high quality. It comes with a multitude of accessories so you can use it to get better footage.
The X20 is waterproof and comes with 2 batteries. The protective case is waterproof and impact-resistant, which makes it possible to shoot videos underwater up to 30m. It also comes with 2 rechargeable 1050mAh. batteries to never let you miss a wonderful time and an external charger.
The Campark X20 Sports Camera 4K uses a Sony Exmor chipset with a Sony IMX179 sensor that is able to shoot in 4K/24fps, 2K/30fps and 1080P/ 60fps video resolution and 20MP photos.
It has a wide-angle lens up to 170°, and you are able to adjust it to a medium and narrow lens which allows you to shoot with a different perspective. The Campark has (EIS) Electronic Image Stabilization for anti-shaking and image stabilization to make your video much more smooth.
It also comes with the ability to connect through WiFi to your phone, android, and IOS. This action camera supports Class 10 micro SD of up to a maximum of 32GB, you must format the SD card in settings before the first use of the camera if you are using an old SD card.
The protective case is waterproof and impact-resistant, makes it possible to shoot underwater videos 30m underwater and is suitable for all types of winter sports, such as skiing.
AKASO EK7000
The AKASO EK7000 4K is another GoPro alternative from the brand of AKASO with an affordable price and decent video quality. The AKASO EK 7000 lets you take photos up to 12MP with up to 4K interpolated recording, which is understandable for its price since it’s a really low-budget camera but great quality-price.
It comes with a remote control that is used on the wrist, with which you can record and take photos without having to touch the camera, up to a distance of 10 meters.
The AKASO EK7000 can record up to 4K/24fps, 2K/30fps, and 1080P/60FPS video resolution and 16MP photos. It also comes with several types of shooting modes and features
It has a wide-angle lens up to 170°, 120°, and 90°. Another unusual feature on the EK7000 is the ability to zoom since most action cameras don’t have any zoom ability, it has a small zoom of 5 magnifications so that this small sports video camera is a little more comfortable in taking pictures.
With the waterproof case, you can go as deep as 30m (100ft) underwater. And after you are done recording it has a 2” IPS screen which allows you to preview the video in the action camera.
AKASO BRAVE 4 4K
Akaso is one of the leaders in the market for economic action cameras. The AKASO Brave 4K is a suitable action camera to cover most outdoor adventures. If you have used brands that have let you down over time, expect good results from this one. It offers interpolated 4k quality. The definition, focus, and detail is high quality. It comes with a multitude of accessories so you can place it anywhere.
The AKASO Brave has a Sony CMOS with an Allwinner V3 chipset. The Allwinner V3 chipset 4K/24fps, 2K/30fps and 1080P/60FPS video resolution and 20MP photos.
It has a 7-element wide-angle lens up to 170°, 140°, 110°, and 70° and has an aperture of f/2.8. The Brave has a built-in smart gyroscope for anti-shaking and image stabilization to make your video much more smooth.
It also comes with the ability to connect through wifi to your phone and can go as far as 10 meters and HDMI Port to connect it to your pc or tv.
With the waterproof case, you can go as deep as 30m (100ft) underwater. And after you are done recording it has a 2” IPS screen which allows you to preview the video in the action camera.
This underwater camera also comes with 2 rechargeable 1050 mAh batteries, included in the box, a remote control wristband, and a 19 accessory kit, the kits are available for most action cameras even Gopro. Each battery can record up to 90 minutes. The remote wristband is not waterproof.
Apeman 80
Apeman is a Chinese brand that may not sound too much to you if you are about to acquire your first action camera, but Apeman is one of the most sold actions camera brands in stores like Amazon, mainly due to its excellent quality/price ratio, with authentic sales success models and hundreds of opinions.
The Apeman A80 can record at 4K in 25fps, with its 20 MPx sensor. It comes with an LCD 2″ TPS screen with 170º view.
The Apeman A80 incorporates the Sony sensor for higher video and image resolutions. chip so we can enjoy a better video recording. But in reality the Novatek 96660 processor is not compatible with 4k recording, so you actually get 2K recordings that are interpolated to 4K recordings.
The Apeman comes with Wi-Fi which is integrated with the camera, with the Wi-Fi you are able to share videos and pictures. This action camera covers most possible functions. For example, you can use car mode, program loop recording B, slow-motion recording, motion detection recording or it even has an immersion mode and more.
You can connect a remote control and a microphone which is great depending on what you want to do and how you want to record, for example, if you want to record a vlog. And it’s compatible with most accessories like all of the GoPro accessories.
Victure AC900
The Victure AC900 is the updated model of the Victure AC800, the Victure is another good quality GoPro alternative. Victure is not a very known brand to most people but its one of the most sold action cameras, in this review we discover why it’s so popular. It offers 4k quality and 20MP pictures. The definition, focus, and detail is high quality. It comes with a multitude of accessories so you can use it to get better footage.
The Victure AC900 is a GoPro alternative from the brand of Victure with an affordable price and decent video quality. The Victure AC900 lets you take photos up to 20MP with 4K recording, and allows you to use other cool features as well as record underwater with the case and use the many accessories it comes with.
The AC900 is waterproof and comes with 2 batteries. The protective case is waterproof and impact-resistant, which makes it possible to shoot videos underwater up to 40m. It also comes with 2 rechargeable 1350mAh batteries to never let you miss a wonderful time and an external charger.
It has a wide-angle lens up to 70°,110°,140° and 170° wide-angle lens that allows you to shoot larger scenes with a maximum aperture of f / 2.8. The Victure has (EIS) Electronic Image Stabilization for anti-shaking and image stabilization to make your video much more smooth.
It also comes with the ability to connect through WiFi to your phone, android, and IOS. This action camera supports Class 10 micro SD of up to a maximum of 128GB, the microSD card is NOT included and you must format the SD card in settings before the first use of the camera if you are using an old SD card.
ThiEYE E7
The ThiEYE E7 is an astonishing camera with a great price-quality. The quality of the image is very good and can record up to 4K 30fps, it also has electronic image stabilization (EIS) and the built-in anti-vibration function that has effective control on movement shake when using the E7 sports action camera.
This new 4K action camera is the older brother of the famous Thieye T5e which was a fantastic camera that put Thieye into the action camera market, even with the tough competition of sports cameras it did very well. So is this one even better?
It uses a Panasonic MN34112 14MP with the ICatch V50 chipset. It can record 4K 30fps and 20MP photos using a 170° super wide-angle 7G lens with an opening of F2.8. It uses an advanced gyro stabilization function (EIS) that supports 4K gyro anti-shake.
It also comes with a smartphone app and Wifi and enjoy hands-free control of your camera via simple voice commands or conveniently control your action camera 4K remotely.
In the back we can find the IPS LCD 2 ″ screen of 320 x 240px resolution, the screen is pretty good but it’s not a touch screen. Here we can also find two other extra LEDs, which will mark the power of the camera and whether or not it is recording video.
Gitup Git2P
Gitup Git2P is definitely a camera worth buying if you’re looking for a low budget action cam, it can record up to 2K at 24 fps, and 1080p at 60fps, and its renewed the Panasonic sensor with a new lens with 90º viewing angle and the other version with the typical GoPro classic look at 170º.
As I said, this camera uses a Panasonic 16 MP sensor and the Novatek 96660 chip that together make impeccable recordings and photos come out up to a real 2K resolution and with a 170-degree fisheye effect and a 90-degree depends on what version you buy.
The Git2P mounts a 5G2P lens with f / 2.5, compared to the Git2 f / 2.8. It can record in 2160p recording at 24 fps, 1080p at 60fps. It supports up to 128gb even though we recommend 64gb at least.
A cool feature about the Git2P is that is has a lot of settings, which some people who want to tweak settings are gonna appreciate it. You can find settings such as shutter speed, ISO, white balance, metering and many more.
Like the other cameras from Gitup the Git2P comes with a smartphone app, the new Gitup Git 2P has WiFi connectivity that allows us to connect through the new Gitup App for Action cameras.
This is a great low-budget action camera but also with great quality on its pictures and videos. It can record up to 2K resolution which is great along with many other great features.
DBPOWER D2
The DBPOWER D2 is a budget action camera, a great GoPro alternative. DBPOWER is a tech international brand with a focus on creating consumer gadgets, along with action cameras such as this DBPOWER D2 or it’s latest camera DBPOWER 4K. It claims to offer 4k quality and 12MP pictures. It comes with a multitude of accessories so you can use it to get better footage.
The DBPOWER D2 is waterproof and comes with a pretty long-lasting battery. The protective case is waterproof and impact-resistant, which makes it possible to shoot videos underwater up to 30m. It also comes with a rechargeable 1050mAh battery to never let you miss a wonderful time while going on your adventures!
The DBPOWER D2 Sports Camera 4K uses an Ambarella A7L50 Chipset and an OV4689 Sensor that is able to shoot in 4K/25fps, 2.7K/30fps and 1080P/ 60 fps video resolution and 12MP photos.
It has a 170° wide-angle lens that allows you to shoot larger scenes with a maximum aperture of f / 2.4. Customized with a 2 inch integrated LCD screen, this camera is portable and easy to shoot and preview those adventurous moments.
It also comes with the ability to connect through WiFi to your phone, android, and IOS. This action camera supports Class 10 micro SD of up to a maximum of 32GB, the microSD card is NOT included and you must format the SD card in settings before the first use of the camera if you are using an old SD card.
The protective case is waterproof and impact-resistant, makes it possible to shoot underwater videos 30m underwater and is suitable for all types of winter sports, such as skiing.
Crosstour 4K
Action cameras are becoming more popular day by day, in this blog we take a look at the Crosstour 4K with WiFi sports camera. When we think about action cameras we think about famous brands such as GoPro, Xiaomi and DJI. However, there is an immense variety of brands that, although not very known, make great action cameras with extraordinary performance.
This sports camera is pretty new and we wanted to review it and find out why it’s getting so popular since it’s manufacturers have already been in the sports camera market for years but are not recognized too much. An example of this is this Crosstour.
At the moment, the most popular of the Crosstour brand is the Crosstour 4K model. It can record in 4K quality, which is one of it’s best qualities.
The resolution of the images is 16MP and the recording of videos in 4k – 30fps. It can go underwater up to 30m, it comes with Wi-Fi and remote control, after connecting with your phone. It also comes with 2 rechargeable batteries 1050mah.
COOAU 4K
If you are adventurous and looking for a cheap action camera this might be the one you are looking for. You undoubtedly know that it’s not a good idea to take a normal camera with you while doing sports or other activities which might ruin your camera. A good way to avoid this, but to capture all the adventures and fun moments you have when you go diving, surfing, climbing, cycling, or whatever you enjoy doing in your spare time, is to invest in a sports camera.
The best sports cameras in the market are GoPro’s but their price is pretty high, however, if we need a good camera for extreme sports we can find good action cameras and functional equipment at a much cheaper price.
One of these cameras, the COOAU 4K 20 MP, is becoming a popular low-budget action camera. So we decided to review this sports cam and see why it’s becoming popular, especially in Amazon.
This camera has been equipped with 4K up to 30fps with WiFi connection and being able to go underwater up to 40m, so we can say that it is one of the most modern equipment low-budget action cameras.
The COOAU 4K uses the Sony 0V4689 20MP sensor which produces great results. It can record in 4K 30fps/ 2.7K 30fps/ 1080P 30fps and more with a 170-degree fisheye effect.
The COOAU 4K mounts fisheye lens with f/2. It can record in 4kp recording at 30 fps, 1080p at 60fps. It supports microSD cards up to 32GB. We recommend that you buy a Class 10 minimum.
Hope this blog was helpful and you’ve found the answers you were looking for, we recommend you to check out our other accessory blogs if you are looking for some awesome equipment to add to your setup. Click here to check out our other accessory blogs.
