The average consumer is getting closer to extreme sports. Just a few years ago, in order to get a more or less high-quality image, for example, a parachute jump, it was necessary to acquire a solid and very expensive set of equipment. Today's realities have significantly lowered the price threshold of such devices. Thanks for this you need technological progress and tangible competition in the gadget market.
The comparatively young Xiaomi company went even further and made extreme shooting more accessible by launching a device called Yi on the market. So, the hero of today's review is the Xiaomi Yi Action Camera. Let's try to identify all the advantages of the model along with the disadvantages, taking into account the opinions of experts and reviews of ordinary owners of the gadget.
Equipment
The company has long made it a rule to pack its products in boxes of very thick cardboard without any frills like color advertising or vivid instructions. Packaging is simple and tasteful. The only thing that can be seen on the cover is the company logo and sticker with a code on the back.
The Xiaomi Camera Yi Action comes in two versions: regular and travel (advanced). The second option will be considered: it does not cost much more, but is equipped with an entertaining monopod, which will probably come in handy in extreme hiking. Another reason to overpay for the extended version is the presence of additional mounts for the camera (only two, the rest will have to be purchased), which is also very helpful.
extended version
Inside, you can see the Xiaomi Yi Action Camera device itself, mounts, a telescopic monopod and a USB cable for recharging the gadget. The bag contains a rechargeable battery of very poor capacity (1010 mAh), and there is no power supply. The manufacturer does not provide all kinds of holders and underwater cases, so all this can be bought separately if desired.
Design
The choice of colors is small: a completely white gadget or bright green. The case is made of fairly durable plastic, where the front and back have a matte finish that is pleasant to the touch, and along the perimeter there is a ribbed edging - an original and eye-catching design solution.
On the front there is a strongly protruding 24 mm black lens without any protective case or safety protrusions. For this ill-conceived moment, they often recall the unkind word of the designers of Xiaomi Yi Action Camera. Reviews are full of indignation of the owners: why was one of the main parts of the gadget without protection? Of course, you can look for a protective case for sale, but what if it interferes with the normal operation of the device or is it impossible to buy at the moment? As a result, it turns out that an unprotected lens is easily scratched, and the Chinese manufacturer did not bother to put in the kit, even if it’s poor, but at least some kind of case.
Management and backlight
Near the lens is a relatively large button to turn on the device. A single press switches the photo mode from the video and vice versa, and a long hold turns the device off. A diametric LED is mounted in the button, which changes color depending on the charge level of the battery: at the moment it is connected to the network, the button is highlighted with a red halo.
In addition to the attractive backlight of the power button, on the Xiaomi Camera Yi Action you can see four more LEDs. The rear, upper and lower sensors show the current shooting mode, and the side diode is responsible for wireless protocols. Many reviews of the gadget are noted as a positive moment the ability to turn off the backlight and the presence of adjusting its activity.
On the top of the Xiaomi Camera Yi Action is a single-section shutter button. One section says that the camera is deprived of autofocus, but maybe it’s for the better (it’s not worth adjusting autofocus during ski jumping).
The lower part is equipped with a screw mount for a monopod, tripod or now fashionable selfie stick. The hole has the standard dimensions for photo devices, so you can fix almost anything in it. On the right you can see the wireless activation button such as “Wi-Fi” and “Bluetooth”, and there is no protocol separation.
Many owners of Xiaomi Camera Yi Action complain in their reviews of the “thoughtfulness” of the gadget. After connecting to an external device such as a smartphone or laptop, the camera needs about 10-15 seconds to just be detected, and further synchronization is not fast and responsive. Also, users noticed a certain retardation at the time of photographing: after releasing the shutter, the gadget continues to “think” for one or two seconds.
Shooting
The camera is equipped with a 16-megapixel sensor from the Sony Exmore R series. The lens has aspherical lenses and aperture at F2.8. Moreover, the latter in no way affects the bokeh effect (blur), because the focus, starting from 20 cm, is automatically set to infinity. Therefore, to get something similar to a macro photo, alas, will not work.
Xiaomi Yi Action Camera review has a very impressive (about 160 degrees) due to specific lenses and a wide-angle lens, but someone may not like the visible effect of the “fish eye” due to the aspherical design.
Photo quality
The maximum photo resolution is 4608 by 3456 pixels. If you wish, you can set the indicators to 13.8x5 MP, but this will significantly increase the “thoughtfulness” of the device. The quality of the photos seems to be good, but not impressive. Pictures in their saturation noticeably lag behind flagship smartphones and even sometimes from digital soap dishes. In addition, many users in their reviews note problems with the clarity of the picture in the corners of the photo, this is especially noticeable after activating the suppression of distortion (barrel).
You can also note the poor performance of the exposure mode during the shooting of the device Xiaomi Yi Action Camera. The instruction indicates that this option is enabled by default and automatically adjusts to the environment. But in most cases, the automatic operation deprives the photographs of rich and vibrant colors, replacing them with some kind of yellow-green likeness.
Video recording
It is immediately worth noting that the gadget can only shoot in a horizontal position. Even though the developer has declared support for the accelerometer, it is clearly not suitable for changing the orientation. Optionally, optical stabilization protects against image shaking, but in this kind of apparatus there is nowhere without it. The maximum resolution at which the friezes and subsidence are not visible to the eye is 1920 by 1080 pixels at 25 frames per second and with a 16: 9 aspect ratio.
List of working permissions for the 16 to 9 format:
- 1920 x 1080px / 25 FPS.
- 1920 x 1080px / 48 FPS.
- 1920 x 1080px / 24 FPS.
- 1280 x 960px / 50 FPS (4: 3).
- 1280 x 960px / 48 FPS (4: 3).
- 1280 x 720px / 50 FPS.
- 1280 x 720px / 48 FPS.
- 1280 x 720px / 100 FPS.
- 848 x 480px / 200 FPS.
The maximum duration of one clip is 5 minutes. You cannot change this parameter, but as an alternative, you can set the mode of continuous filling of memory until there is no more space on the CD-card. That is, you can fill the media with five-minute segments, which can then be easily connected on a smartphone, laptop or personal computer.
Summarizing
When thinking about purchasing a Xiaomi camera, you need to keep its price tag in mind. This is the most advantageous advantage of the gadget. You can buy a device for 5 thousand rubles, which is quite realistic for the average extremal. Therefore, looking at the price, you can forgive the camera most of the shortcomings and shortcomings, and coupled with the advantages of the model, you can say that the purchase fully justifies itself.