SJCam SJ11 Active Review: Solid Affordable Action Camera That Comes with Many Accessories

SJCam is a Chinese company that has been making affordable cameras for more than a decade. Their product range includes action cameras, body cameras, trail cameras, and smart home cameras. A few months ago, I reviewed their SJCam C300, an action camera with an especially small footprint. This review is for the recently added SJCam SJ11 Action, a dual-screen WiFi action camera.

Any action camera entering this marketplace will undoubtedly be compared to the GoPro Hero and DJI Osmo Action cameras. The current versions of these cameras sell for more than twice the price of the SJCam SJ11 Active, so how does it compare?

First impressions are very good. The camera comes packed in its waterproof housing and is accompanied by a large selection of accessories. A particularly nice surprise is the inclusion of a two-slot battery charger and a second battery.

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The camera’s metal housing feels solid, and the fit and finish are excellent.

The SJCam SJ11 Active has two screens: a 2.33″ touch screen on the back and a 1.3″ LCD on the front. All of the camera’s functions are controlled by a single button on the top of the body and through the touchscreen menus.

The left side of the SJ11 has the speaker on top with an access door below that hides the USB-C port and the SD card slot.

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The bottom of the SJCam SJ11 Active has a standard ¼” threaded tripod mount and the access door for the rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery. The mechanisms for these access doors feel solid and help the camera to be waterproof up to 16.4′ (5M) without its waterproof case. With the case, the camera is waterproof up to 98′ (30M).

The camera is slightly smaller than similar action cameras and measures 2.46″ wide by 1.6″ high and 1.13″ deep. Fully loaded with battery and SD card, the camera weighs 3.84oz (108.8g).

Included in the SJCam SJ11 Active’s Box

• SJCAM SJ11 Active
• Waterproof Case
• (2×) 1300mAh Batteries
• Dual Battery Charger
• 32GB Micro SD Card
• Helmet Mounting Accessories Kits
• Handlebar Mounting Accessories
• (2x) 3M Adhesive Sticker
• USB Type-C Cable
• Lens Protective Cover
• Lens Cleaning Cloth
• Limited 1-Year Manufacturer Warranty
• SJCam User Manual
• (2x) SJCam Stickers

The SJCam SJ11 Active employs a Novatek NTK96580 chip with a 20MP Sony IMX 415 CMOS Sensor. The camera’s standard video recording modes include 4K 30FPS, 2K 30/60FPS, 720P 30/60/120FPS, and 1080P 30/60/120FPS. There are, however, no video shooting modes for 24 or 25 FPS.

The camera offers many shooting modes beyond standard video, including time-lapse, slow-motion, video & photo, car mode, loop video, and motion detection.

When used as a still camera, the SJCam SJ11 Active offers continuous shooting mode, timed shooting, and interval shooting with resolutions up to 20MP.

The SJ11 connects to 5GHz and 2.4GHz WiFi networks and can also be used as a webcam; using the live streaming feature, you can connect the camera to other devices or social media, enabling instant live streaming and turning the camera into a personal broadcasting platform.

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The SJCam SJ11 Active’s lens has a 154° field of view with optional distortion correction. The glass lens cover is removable to facilitate the use of screw-on neutral density and other filters, sold separately and by third-party manufacturers.

The SJ11 ships with a rubber lens cap, which, for some reason, is white despite the camera and all of its accessories being black.

The camera features six-axis gyro stabilization, which does a solid job of reducing the effects of everything from walking to driving or riding on rough roads. The SJ11 supports WiFi remote control through the SJCam app or remote-control bracelet.

Using the SJCam SJ11 Active’s camera is intuitive. Switching the camera on is accomplished by holding down the button on the top of the housing for a few seconds until the blue LED work light illuminates and the camera chimes and switches on. The back panel’s on-screen display is easy to read, and the various functions are quickly accessed using the touchscreen.

The top of the screen displays information about the shooting mode, and depending on what mode is current, either timecode or the number of photos taken and available disk space. Other icons include the battery meter and other icons depending on the selected options.

The bottom of the SJCam SJ11 Active’s screen from left to right includes an icon for the photo and video player, followed by the currently selected shooting format and mode, followed by two icons for submenus for the mode-specific and general settings.

The mode-specific menu offers control of such settings as video codecs, pre and delay recording, WDR, HDR and engaging the gyro-sensor when in video mode and exposure time, selfie timer, (lens) distortion correction, WDR, HDR, and many image settings in still photo mode.

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The SJCam SJ11 Active’s menus are bright and clear and offer the types of control expected of a modern action camera.

Switching between the back and front screens is accomplished by swiping down on the back screen and selecting the front screen from the menu, which also provides access to the WiFi settings, the remote control, and the ability to turn off the screens.

The front screen, although small, provides the standard information, including shooting mode, timecode or number of stills taken and disk space available, the battery meter, shooting settings, and date and time.

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Switching back to the rear screen is done by either double-clicking on the rear screen or double-pressing the top button. I am grateful that the option of tapping on the screen was added, as I have found using the top button to be a bit frustrating.

While I completely understand the desire to keep the SJCam SJ11 Active camera’s controls as simple as possible, the reliance on the same button as the shutter for other functions has resulted in many unwanted photos and videos.

Furthermore, the button’s sensitivity is such that I often found myself pressing it many times to take a photo or start a video, especially with the waterproof case or camera frame in place.

Shooting video and photos with the SJCam SJ11 Active is easy and, under the proper conditions, achieves good results. The 4K video looks sharp and is definitely improved using the gyro stabilization. This is especially true when the camera is mounted to moving vehicles.

The use of stabilization, however, limits the framerates and ISO, and it degrades low-light performance. It is my guess that those interested in buying an affordable action camera may be doing so primarily for shooting videos rather than standard still photographs, especially at night. But this performance is on par with budget-conscious cameras.

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Using the camera for stills also benefits from support from the SJCam app. The smartphone’s screen, especially in landscape orientation, offers a much larger viewing area and is easier for ensuring composition and focus. The slow motion looks fine, but the framerate is not better than on most current smartphones.

I found some of the camera’s other shooting modes quite good and fun to use. I am a big fan of shooting time-lapse (composed of stills and edited separately) and videolapse (created in camera) segments. This camera excels at both.

Unfortunately, there is no way to shoot 4K with image stabilization and lens correction at the same time.

As with some other action cameras, the SJCam SJ11 Active’s fisheye field of view is ever-present. I find that, at times, I wish it were not.

I found the audio recording to be perfectly acceptable, whether for situations where the camera is in a quiet and calm environment or when mounted to an e-bike on rough roads.

I found the SJCam SJ11 Active’s battery life to be very good, and the inclusion of a second battery and dual-slot charger is a very welcome addition.

Specifications

The SJCam SJ11 Active is a solidly built and well-designed action camera aimed at the part of the market that is willing to give up some of the latest and greatest in terms of image quality to save over $200 over some of the competitors’ models. The camera is easy to use, offers multiple shooting modes, and does many things well.

I like the 4k video quality, especially when using the image stabilization. The videolapse function is fantastic and easily achieves great results. The camera can also take a decent photo if you don’t mind the wide field of view.

The SJCam SJ11 Active sells for $189.00; it is available directly from the manufacturer and other retailers, including B&H Photo and Amazon.

Source: Manufacturer supplied review sample

What I Like: Price; Build quality; Good image quality; Many accessories, including a second battery and charger, come in the box; Multiple shooting modes; Effective stabilization

What Needs Improvement: Low light capability; Image stabilization cannot be used simultaneously with lens correction; Flipping between screens is laggy