I
‘m no tech reviewer. I’m someone who spends a lot of time outdoors and wants to a reliable camera to help capture those experiences, rain or shine. If you’re looking for someone to comment in depth on the fine tech-specs of the device, you’re in the wrong place. But if you’re trying to work out: is the Akaso Brave 7 Action camera any good and if so who is it best for? Then I’m here to help.
What you get
The Akason Brave 7 is a nifty little action camera that comes with the following features:
- 4k 30fps
- IPX8 waterproof
- 8x Slow Mo
- One click quick shots
- Front and back screen
You can read all about the tech specs and fine details on the Akaso Brave 7 official page.
How it works
Like I said before, I’m no techy. The best kind of camera for me is one that just works, without much thought. Reliability is also pretty important to me, as I’m often taking pictures or video for work, so don’t want to be left without a camera. I took it on several walks and a trip to a festival I was working on. That spanned a wide range of weather conditions, so I can confirm that it is at least as waterproof as it claims to be!
The camera turns on by press and holding the shutter button and you can take a picture that way once it’s on – or swap to video mode and do the same. Very intuitive. You zoom by adjusting the slider on the screen, using the touch screen. The widest view is very fish-eye curved, as demonstrated in the picture below. The closest zooms do get very grainy.
You can also adjust the settings to decide how the camera white balances etc – I set mine to the most automatic I could and it was often on the darker side. But that may well be user error, or perhaps the screen seeming brighter than the actual photo. It does fairly well in low lighting but is best in clear daylight with wide views. The fish-eye would be great for filming a ridge first person, for example.
How it went
Cheap in a good way
I hesitated to use the word cheap because it’s got so many bad connotations. But I do not mean cheap and nasty. The Akaso Brave 7 is cheap and cheerful – like Karimor rucksacks or the sale section of The Range. And let’s be clear, over £100 isn’t exactly cheap, even if it is at the budget end of action cameras. But it’s the kind of camera that you don’t have to worry about. It isn’t pretentious or temperamental. You don’t have to worry about breaking it and the pictures/videos are pretty decent.
It’s a no-frills camera that does what it says on the tin and is easy to use straight out the box.
What went well
There are plenty of things going for this camera.
Quick and easy to use out the box
For a start it is quick and easy to use out the box. If you want a camera that just does the job without fuss or faff, the Akaso Brave 7 isn’t a decent option. It is durable, bounce-proof, rain-proof and able to withstand general negligence that accompanies long walks and expeditions. You can tuck it in a pocket and not worry.
It takes all of 2 seconds to set up. There is no app to download. You can download the media straight off the camera using a standard cable (port hidden under a clip-locked flap).
Removable batteries
Another wonderful feature for reliability is the fact that you can remove the batteries and it comes with a spare. This should not be groundbreaking, but many action cameras don’t allow you to do this, so you are at the mercy of a single charge for the day.
Being able to have two batteries on the go at one time is very helpful for longer trips or heavy use. There is no downtime, just swap the batteries.
Potential Pitfalls
This is a budget action camera, so it’s not perfect. Here are a couple of the main drawbacks for me.
Screen sensitivity
A lot is done via the touch screen at the back of the camera – most notably the zooming or perhaps picking a spot to meter off for white balance. I found the screen to be not particularly sensitive at all – especially when I had cold hands. Similarly, it can get a bit confused if the screen is damp – and by that I mean just less sensitive again, ignoring your taps.
There are a pair of up/down buttons on the right hand side of the camera, which you can use to zoom instead of touching the screen, but that doesn’t solve everything.
Low light limitations
The Akaso Brave 7 does reasonably well at low light levels for a budget action camera. You can get decent sunset photos that can be edited into something better than straight out the camera. (All examples on this page are straight out the camera.)
You can use it at night but it really struggles and gives you atmospheric photos but very grainy ones at that. Video drops off dramatically in the dark and you can’t pick up nearly as much colour or light as in the photo below.
Overall verdict
The Akaso Brave 7 is a decent choice for a no-frills, no-faff budget action camera. Removable batteries are a big plus and it performs basic functions well. But there are limitations in cold/wet weather and at higher zooms or low light. Still, this is a competent little camera that can withstand rugged adventure activities.
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