Packed full of functions and features that will allow you to capture your favorite action shots, the ThiEYE T5 WiFi Camera has been my equivalent to the GoPro at a more affordable price which makes it even easier to love.
Currently available on Amazon for $99.99, the ThiEYE T5 Edge Action is a first for me not just reviewing but using. The first time I saw an action camera in use was when my family and I went skiing in Vail several years ago. There was a young guy with a GoPro flying down a Blue Diamond with a camera attached to his helmet, capturing every single mogul, every single twist and turn of the slopes he was going down. Meanwhile here I was, stopping at certain points to capture cell phone footage on my iPhone. Now that I know better, I wish the ThiEYE T5 would’ve been there for me on that snowy mountain. However, things have changed over the past month that I’ve used their Action Sports video camera.
Managing to come complete with native 4k ultra HD, the ThiEYE T5 camera comes complete with image stabilization (thanks to advanced gyro stabilization features) that give used anti-shake, anti-blur images and videos regardless of the weather. Imagine if you’re out and about with family and friends, with your ThiEYE camera at the beach, or on an excursion.
Distortion is all but nonexistent when this is in use be it land or water. ThiEYE was nice enough to include virtually everything you could need for action camera including a bike mount, a helmet mount, a wrist strap with controller for auto pause/play, the waterproof casing, 3M mounts for applying and reapplying to surfaces, a very thin casing that is not very protective, and the appropriate charging cameras and spare battery.
The ThiEYE T5 Edge 4k Action camera comes with a non-touch screen ultra-HD IPS screen that can be navigated by up and down controls to the right of the ThiEYE T5. While I wish the screen had touch features enabled, I’m glad ThiEye had the foresight to add physical buttons for users who may be in the water and not able to get the screen to recognize your finger. Since the T5 is waterproof up to 197 feet, it may be pretty hard attempting to tap a screen to change settings in the middle of the motion. By impulse, I tried this and my actions went unrecognized.
There is a shutter button at the top of the device that works as it should but combined with the waterproof case, it’s really hard to actually press. This is where the wrist remote control shines. As someone who already wears a watch what I did was just take the Velcro of the band and attach it to my swim trunk loop, and when I need to take photos, I would press the corresponding buttons. There are only three which makes choosing your setting super simple: Power On, Take a photo or take a video. While I wouldn’t trust this IN the water, on land it’s fantastic.
Here’s a life-hack I wish I would’ve known: Action cameras like the ThiEYE work very well with chest straps. So say if you are on an excursion that does not allow you to take photos, only to charge you an arm and leg at the end of your excursion, the ThiEYE is there for you. You can have the ThiEYE attached to your hat, or your chest, capturing everything. Once your excursion ends, instead of going to the booth to pay $50-60 for those overpriced photos, You can connect the ThiEYE to your smartphone via included WiFi, and sent images from your phone. While the ThiEYE has no internal storage, you will have to purchase your own memory card (up to 128GB).
Immediately when plugging the camera up to charge a bit, I found out that the battery may charge fast, but that’s not a good thing.ThiEYE claims to have a longer battery life than the rest of the competition with a 1100mAh battery, but if you can manage, please purchase two or three extra batteries. When in use, the camera lasts 45 minutes to an hour, which may be great for swimming with dolphins for 45 minutes, but if you’re a surfer, or plan on doing something a bit more extensive like horseback riding, or snorkeling, your battery will take a hit quickly. In practice, my wife and I used the ThiEYE T5 for a family beach trip up north and combined with a chest strap it worked for roughly 39 minutes before alerting me that the battery was low.
There’s not much wind reduction with the ThiEYE which is a bit of a bummer, but with a price of $99.99, you certainly get what you pay for. There is an included wind/noise reduction button, the issue however is when turned on, the audio becomes significantly worse. But at the size of the T5, you may just have to accept the fact you are going to get crappy sound.
I still have a lot of testing to do with the ThiEYE T5 camera, especially with what looks to be a snowy winter of skiing but at least for the warm summer months, it’s held up pretty well. With a great quality built, expandable memory, and an even better price, this is a GREAT start for an action camera that comes with virtually every accessory you can think of. You can’t beat the price, you can’t beat the viewfinder quality, even with its lack of touchscreen. More importantly, it just works… straight out of the box.
If you are interested, you should head over to Amazon and check out the ThiEYE T5 Action camera today.
Source: Manufacturer supplied review unit
What I Like: Compact, durable and affordable; Expandable memory
What Needs Improvement: Battery Life
