Is Akaso v50x the best budget action camera? Specs, Tips and footage

 Akaso v50X has been out there for a while and it is probably the best cheap action camera. It offers nice video quality and good image stabilization at a decent price. It also comes with many useful accessories such as a bike mount, a waterproof case, two 1350 mAh batteries and a 3.7V, a charger, a remote control, and other items that are compatible with GoPro accessories. You can also use an external microphone but you must buy it separately. 

Lets see some of the specs of the Akaso v50 x camera :

 

Akaso V50x with its external microphone and the waterproof case

 

 

 

 Video Specs

 

 

Akaso V50X can record 4K 30 fps, 2.7K 30 fps, 2K 60 fps, 2K30 fps, 1080P 90 fps and 720P 120 fps for slow motion. Unfortunately the camera can not record 1080P 120 fps. You can choose to record slow motion from the menu but the electronic image stabilization does not work at this high frame-rate so you better user a tripod or a gimbal. The video quality is good for the price and the image stabilization is probably the best in its category. In my tests 4K 30 fps is the best choice to record a video. 

Akaso v50x uses the H264 codec and the H265. The H265 codec gives a smaller file size but in my tests the audio was out of sync. Also do not forget that H265 requires more processing power, if you want to edit the files later in your PC. 

 

Photos 

 

You can shoot stills up to 20 MP's. The other options are 12, 8, 5 and 3 MP's. You can shoot pictures using a self timer and there is an option to take burst photos up to ten in 1 second. The camera also has an option for light painting and you can adjust the exposure from -2 up to +2 and the white balance. You can create a time lapse but you must stitch the pictures later. The photos are not stunning but they are usable if there is enough light in the scene. 

 

Other Features and  Settings 

Akaso V50X uses a 170° wide angle lens but when you use the gyroscope and the electronic image stabilization the video is heavily cropped and the field of view is smaller. There are options fro 140°, 110°, and 70°. Wide angle lenses have the fish-eye effect and for this you can choose the Distortion Calibration. But you must remember that if you choose to correct distortion the image stabilization will be disabled automatically!

 The 2 inch touchscreen is responsive and user friendly but you can also use the buttons to navigate something that is really handy when you use the waterproof case. 

The built-in WIFI works with the Roadcam app so that you can control your camera with your smartphone. Akaso needs to improve this app though. 

Akaso has also a Driving Mode and Loop Recording to use your Action Camera as a dash cam. Each time you turn on your car, Akaso will start recording and each time you turn it off the camera will stop recording.

There is an underwater mode and if you use the waterproof case you can use it for diving. According to Akaso, the camera with its housing is waterproof up to 40 meters Keep in mind that the remote control is not waterproof.

• SD CARD: Inserting an SD card can be tricky. Push the card with a pencil or a screwdriver to insert it. Do the same thing when you want to remove it. Do not forget to format the Sd card first...
• WHAT KIND OF SD CARD SHOULD YOU BUY? First of all avoid any card that does not advertise its write speed. It must be a U3 type card whose write speed is 90MB's or even higher. And yes you can use an 128GB SD card with the Akaso V50x
  
• SOUND: Disable all the annoying sounds from the menu cause you will hear them in your videos
  
• LOW LIGHT: For better low light performance, disable EIS (electronic image stabilization). Use a Gimbal if available and the video quality will become much better with less noise
  
• AUDIO: Use the official Akaso v50x external microphone. Third party microphones are not compatible with the Akaso v50x
• VIDEO ENCODERS: Use H.264 and not H.265. In my case H265 gave me a bit smaller files but the audio was out of sync. Some others claim that their audio is out of sync in every video. In such case, change from the menu the Loop Recording Time and set it to 3 minutes.  

Lets see some footage now including cycling, driving, diving and even footage in low light conditions! All the... action is recorded handheld.

 

Akaso v50x in action

 

Lets wrap this up. Who is this camera for? 

• For all those that can not afford to buy a GoPro or a DJI Osmo action etc. 
• For all those that want to buy their first action camera.
• For GoPro or DJI Osmo Action users that want a second action camera or a back up camera.

 

 Overall the Akaso V50X is probably the best action camera in its category. It is not a GoPro killer but its cheap, easy to use with a responsive touchscreen and the image stabilization is really impressive. 4K 30 fps gives good video quality and if you buy the external microphone you can use it even as a vlogging camera. The included mounts, the two batteries, the remote control and the waterproof case make Akaso V50X a great choice. 

 You may also want to check the DJI Osmo action camera.