Campark X40 Review
The Campark X40 is an updated model of the Campark X30, a new action camera capable of 4K resolution with 30fps, more battery time, and a lot of new better specs! Campark is one of the biggest producers in the action camera market with some of the most successful models especially on sites such as Amazon, in this blog, we review the Campark X40 a great budget-quality sports cam.
The new Campark X40 offers 4K video quality and 20MP pictures. The image quality, focus, and detail are of high quality. It comes with a multitude of accessories so you can use it to get better footage. Unlike newer action cameras such as GoPro Hero 9, the Campark X40 can’t go underwater without a case.
But before we talk about its features, what comes in the box of the Campark X40? Inside the box, we can find the Campark X40 sports cam, 2 batteries, the waterproof housing, a USB cable, a mounting kit for accessories, and a manual.
In this blog post, your gonna find out everything you need to know about this new action camera from Campark and its new features and some comparisons from previous models, such as the Campark X30. Has it improved? Is the video quality better, what are the specs, better audio?
Pros
≫ 4K Resolution up to 30fps
≫ Underwater case up to 40m
≫ Comes with a touchscreen
≫ Wi-Fi connection
≫ Comes with 2 batteries
Cons
≫ Stabilization not the best
≫ Needs case for underwater
≫ Bad quality in low-light
Design
The Campark X40 has an elegant modern design, it is well built with good quality plastics and it has a black color. Its design is similar to its predecessors such as the Campark X30, the X40 comes with a new small screen on the front to give you useful information.
The dimensions of the Campark X40 are 5 x 1.8 x 3 cm ( 1.97 x 0.71 x 1.18 in) and a weight of 540 grams. The Campark X40 can go underwater with its waterproof case, it can go underwater up to 40m (130 feet).
On the front, we can see the lens of the sports cam, as for its buttons, there are only 3, one on top, to start and stop recording or to take a picture, and two on the side to control some settings and turn on and off the camera, the rest of the menus and settings we can change with the 2″ rear touch screen, which really gives this camera a great simple design.
Technical Specifications
It uses a Sony sensor that allows it to record 4K 30fps and 20MP photos, the X40 uses a 170° FOV super wide-angle lens with an opening of F2.0. For stabilization, the Campark X40 uses an advanced EIS 6-axis stabilization up to 4K 30fps.
The Campark X40 also comes with a Wi-Fi connection with the DV KING 4K smartphone app to control the camera through your phone or via the remote control which comes included with the camera.
In the back we can find the IPS LCD 2″ screen of 320 x 240px resolution, the Campark X40 uses a touchscreen so you can easily change your settings and playback your videos.
The Campark X40 comes with an SD card, if you prefer to use another or a better MicroSD card so you will need to format it. Micro SD card must be U3 or higher with 8-64GB capacity. If “SD card error” appears, format your SD card as FAT32 on your computer.
≫ Video resolution: 4K (3840 x 2160)
≫ Image quality: 20MP
≫ Battery: 1350 mAh
≫ Frame rate: 30FPS/ 60FPS/ 120FPS/ 240FPS
≫ 6-axis advanced EIS stabilization
≫ SD Card up to 64GB
≫ Codec h.264
≫ Can shoot in .RAW format
≫ Underwater up to 40m
≫ Records in .mp4
≫ FOV: 170º wide angle
≫ 7-layer lens
≫ Sensor: SONY
Battery
The Campark X40 uses a 1350mAh battery which is quite good. The battery can last up to 120 minutes recording 1080p Full HD video, with the WiFi and screen turned off. In the case of capturing 4K 60fps video, battery life will drop.
The battery is situated on the bottom of the Campark, where there is a cover that gives access to the battery. The Campark X40 Strike comes with 2 batteries so you can change them quickly and keep recording whenever the first one runs out.
Stabilization
The Campark X40 uses advanced Electronic Image Stabilization, built-in 6-axis Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS) which will keep the footage stable and smooth while shooting sports and action scenes.
The (EIS) stabilization can go up to resolutions from 720p HD to 4K video, a great feature that most cheaper action cameras don’t have.
Even though the stabilization does a decent job at keeping your footage stable I recommend checking out a gimbal which will massively improve the stabilization, another great option is GoPro’s new action camera the Hero 9 (Click here for review), the best action camera yet and amazing stabilization.
Photography
As for the photography, the Campark X40 can take pictures up to 20MP with a 16:9 aspect ratio and 4:3. The pictures are of good quality with natural colors, not as good as GoPro’s pictures but overall pretty good.
Like most action cameras the Campark X40 lets us change multiple settings such as the possibility to change the ISO, shutter speed, the exposure time, white balance, and a lot more, with patience we can work interesting images.
The Campark X40 has different modes to take pictures: Time-lapse, timer, long exposition, Wide, Linear, and Narrow Lenses, and more. The X40 shoots with JPG by default but you have the option of shooting in RAW format to get a lot more detail in post-production.
For more action shots the X40 has the ability to take Burst pictures capable of shooting: 10/3, 10/1, 5/1, 3/1 Intervals, thanks to this mode you can capture the perfect moment.
Video
The Campark X40 is capable of recording up to 4K resolution with 30 frames per second, and it’s able to record as long as 120 minutes. The videos captured with this action camera are stored in .mp4 format under the H.264 (common codec for most cameras)
We also have settings for video recording and we can switch between the different resolution and framerate options, we also have shutter speed control, ISO, sharpness, exposure compensation, color profile, and other adjustments that affect the sound or stabilization.
The video quality is pretty good and similar to the X30, the quality is inferior to a GoPro but it gets decent results, the colors sometimes may flicker a bit and greens don’t look very naturals in some situations, the contrast pretty balanced, and the details pretty clear, if there is a big brightness difference your whites or blacks might be blown out.
Audio:
The audio of the Campark X40 is similar to other Campark sports cams. The mic on the Campark X40 is inside the battery cover which can obstruct the sound input. The audio is not the best and will not sound great with the wind but it’s pretty decent for its price.
The video resolutions of the Campark X40 are the following:
- 4K at 30fps/ 24fps
- 2.7K at 30fps/ 24fps
- 1080P HD at 120fps/ 60fps/30fps/ 24fps
- 720P HD at 240fps/ 120fps/60fps/30fps/ 24fps
Features
Like its predecessor, the Campark X40 has multiple features to improve your videos and stand out. This model does have a few new features and improved some from the last Campark.
Loop mode, this mode allows continuous recording and allows the action camera to be used as a dash camera while driving.
Like most action cameras the X40 has the option of Time Lapse with Photos or Videos. A time-lapse allows us to be able to represent a situation in a much shorter period of time than real-time, The Campark X40 also has the ability to record in slow-motion up to 10%.
You can control the Campark cam in other ways such as connecting to the WiFi and using the remote control. You can connect the Campark X40 camera to your phone through WiFi with the DV KING 4K APP, this will allow you to watch real-time videos and download videos to your phone directly, and share them on social media. The 2.4G wireless remote controller can easily control the camera to start and stop recordings.
With RAW format you are able to edit your pictures in Post-Production, you are also able to use Presets to improve your pictures fast, you can learn more about Presets and Lightroom presets by clicking here!
Should you buy it?
The Campark X40 action camera is a great GoPro alternative for an affordable price, even being a medium-budget action camera it has pretty good video quality on its pictures and videos. It can record up to real 4K and 30fps with decent stabilization up to 4K resolution.
The Campark X40 also comes with a new front display which makes the Campark X40 stand out from other action cameras, with the front screen you can take selfie pictures and videos and see what the camera is seeing in real-time right on the screen.
Campark sports cams are with most GoPro accessories except for a few due to its bigger size such as an external microphone. The batteries on the Campark X40 are also pretty decent, it uses a 1350mAh which can last up to 120min.
The camera can also go underwater pretty deep up to 40m (130ft) although it needs a waterproof case since it’s not waterproof without it such as GoPro sports cams.
The Campark X40 doesn’t produce the best quality of image or the best stabilization out there but it does produce great results for its value and it’s a great GoPro alternative to get if the is what you are looking for. If you are looking for the best sports cameras in 2021 click here.
Review Breakdown
Video support up to 4K up to 30fps with 6-axis EIS stabilization and pictures up to 20MP. 1350 mah battery which can last about 120 minutes.
