Action cameras have changed a lot over the years. What once felt like niche cameras built purely for mountain bikers, surfers and people throwing themselves out of perfectly good airplanes have slowly become everyday content tools for creators, travellers and vloggers.
I’ve used quite a few action cameras over the years for everything from behind-the-scenes workshop footage and travel videos to YouTube clips and social media content. Some have been brilliant, some overly complicated, and others ended up forgotten in a drawer after the novelty wore off.
I’ve actually been a pretty big fan of the SJCAM range for a while now, particularly the older C300 and more recently the C400, which I still use regularly for BTS footage during workshops and travel content. They’ve been compact, reliable little cameras that are easy to throw into a bag without overthinking it. So when SJCAM asked if I’d like to check out and review the new SJ30, I was more than happy to put it through its paces.
And honestly, the SJ30 feels like SJCAM has been paying attention to how people actually use these cameras now.
Rather than focusing purely on extreme sports, the SJ30 feels designed for everyday creators. Travel shooters, vloggers, photographers filming BTS content, family adventures, road trips, social media creators, basically anyone who wants a compact camera ready to go at a moment’s notice.
First Impressions
The first thing I noticed was the size. The SJ30 is definitely a little larger and bulkier than the older C400, but not in a bad way. It still slips into a jacket pocket or camera bag easily enough and comes with a handy grip that immediately makes it feel more comfortable to use handheld.
It feels more substantial without becoming cumbersome.
The flip screen is also a genuinely useful addition. The 2.51-inch touchscreen rotates up to 180 degrees, making it much easier to frame yourself while filming pieces to camera or vlogging on location.
As someone who occasionally has to stand in front of a camera pretending to be natural while talking about photography gear in public, I appreciate this feature more than I’d like to admit.
Dual Lens Setup and Low Light Performance
One of the biggest selling points of the SJ30 is the new dual-lens system. SJCAM has paired a standard daylight sensor with a larger starlight sensor designed specifically to improve low-light shooting.
And this is important because action cameras traditionally struggle once the light starts disappearing.
Tiny sensors and darkness are not usually best friends.
Now, this is not suddenly going to replace a full-frame mirrorless camera for cinematic night shooting, definitely not. Let’s stay realistic. But compared to many cheaper action cameras I’ve used over the years, the SJ30 definitely feels more capable after sunset. The camera will automatically detect low light and switch between lenses (note – it does stop recording in between, but I think you can set to manually switch between lenses).
Night street scenes, evening travel footage, moody city lights, twilight walks and low-light BTS clips could all look far more usable without immediately descending into muddy noise and smeared detail. I took mine into a dark, moody forest and it worked quite well. I have not tried it at night in the city for instance, as its winter and cold!
8K Video, But Also… Why?
The SJ30 supports video recording up to 8K at 20fps and 4K at 60fps.
Now realistically, most creators are probably still delivering final videos in 4K or even 1080p. But having the extra resolution available does give you more flexibility for cropping, reframing and future-proofing footage.
Personally, I still think 4K 60 is probably the sweet spot here for most users. Smooth motion, manageable file sizes and excellent quality.
Still, it’s impressive seeing this level of specification arriving at a much more affordable price point.
Vertical Video Finally Makes Sense
Social media creators will probably appreciate that the SJ30 supports native vertical shooting up to 5K.
This means you’re not simply cropping a horizontal frame later and throwing away resolution. The camera is actually designed to create vertical content properly for Instagram Reels, TikTok and YouTube Shorts.
And whether we personally love vertical video or not, social platforms certainly do.
Stabilisation and Real World Shooting
The SJ30 features SJCAM’s SteadyMotion 2.0 stabilisation system powered by a six-axis gyroscope, along with a built-in 45-degree horizon lock. Translation? Less shaky footage while walking around filming. I was hand holding the SJ30 in the car while moving and it was OK. Likewise, while walking and holding the camera the stabilisation seemed to be quite good as well. See video below.
For travel content and behind-the-scenes shooting especially, stabilisation matters more than people often realise. Nobody wants footage that looks like it was filmed during a minor earthquake.
Walking shots, driving clips and handheld BTS footage all feel much smoother and easier to watch.
Audio Improvements
One thing SJCAM appears to be taking more seriously with the SJ30 is audio.
The camera includes a detachable wind guard and supports the optional SJCAM M4 wireless microphone for cleaner outdoor audio recording. In the bush, it did not really pick-up low volume ambient bird noise/forest noise etc. But it did pick up the lovely sound of a waterfall. Even if its a bit tinny.
I was also sent the M4 Wireless microphone to pair with the SJ30. I don’t believe this camera works with other wireless systems, so you would need to purchase the M4 (available separately). It is super easy to pair the mic to the camera, so that’s a plus. The possibilities are definitely there for creators wanting cleaner voice recording while travelling or filming outdoors. The audio was OK from the camera itself, but nothing to write home about. The wireless microphone would be a big improvement, but it also has its drawbacks.
And honestly, decent audio can make average footage feel professional, while terrible audio can ruin beautiful footage almost instantly. I did a short video walking around my backyard with and without the M4 mic. I’m not brilliant at talking head videos, but while the audio is much improved with the M4 Mic, when I move my head it makes an awful crackling noise. Perhaps I need to move the mic further away. But I don’t think I can walk and talk while holding the Mic in one hand and the camera in another.
The detachable wind guard is also a smart addition for riders, travellers and outdoor creators where wind noise can quickly become unbearable. I couldn’t really test that out, as I don’t ride a bike or similar.
Battery Life and Travel Use
Battery life looks surprisingly solid too.
The SJ30 includes a 2000mAh internal battery and supports an optional power handle that extends recording time significantly. SJCAM claims up to seven hours of recording at 4K with the power handle attached. I have been using it to record ‘behind the scenes’ at studio shoots and workshops. It can easily handle a 3 hour studio session.
Even if real-world results vary slightly, longer battery life is always appreciated during travel days, workshops and location shoots where constantly swapping batteries becomes annoying very quickly. Not that you can swap out the batter on this camera.
The SJ30 also feels heavily aimed at travel creators.
It features IPX8 waterproofing, works down to -20°C and can shoot underwater up to 5 metres without additional housing, or 30 metres with the optional dive case.
For road trips, hiking, rainy conditions and everyday adventures, that kind of durability matters.
Technical Specifications
SJCAM SJ30 Specs
- Up to 8K video recording at 20fps
- 4K recording at 60fps
- Dual-lens system
- 1/2.0-inch daylight sensor
- 1/1.8-inch starlight sensor
- 2.51-inch 180-degree flip touchscreen
- Native 5K vertical video support
- Steady Motion 2.0 stabilisation
- Six-axis gyroscope
- 45-degree horizon lock
- 2000mAh battery
- Optional extended power handle (tripod feet pictured not included)
- Up to 7 hours recording with power handle
- Detachable wind guard
- Optional SJCAM M4 wireless microphone support
- Magnetic quick-release mounting
- Voice control support
- Waterproof to 5 metres without housing
- Waterproof to 30 metres with dive housing
- Operating temperatures from -20°C to 60°C
What’s in the box
The SJ30 comes with a variety of connections, for light stands and dashcams, USB-C Cable, the cage for Portrait to Landscape modes. Magnetic connections for light stands and the power handle. The Power Handle itself. Micro SD Card and a carry bag.
Issues
I found a few annoying issues at the time of writing this. I have asked for support and still waiting for a resolution. These don’t stop me from using the product, but they are issues I find annoying.
- I could not connect any of my Godox or Hollyland wireless Bluetooth microphones to the camera. But I did get sent the M4 Mic, which connects easily and does make an improvement on the audio.
- Auto-record. I can’t seem to stop the camera automatically recording without switching the whole unit off. I press record to record. It records. I press Stop and it stops…for a few seconds and then automatically starts recording again. It’s very annoying. I have looked in the menus and cannot locate a Start Automatic Record feature to turn off. If I just turn it on and leave it, it starts recording on its own and then constantly the voice repeats, “stop record”, then “Start Record”, over and over. I did find that if I turned the Prompt tone off in the menu, this seems to fix the problem. But the next time I used the camera it was back…minus the annoying audio prompt voice. Very weird.
- There is supposed to be a voice activated setting and while I did turn it on the commands “Stop Video” or “Start Video” were not recognised. My Aussie accent??? Couldn’t figure that one out either.
- It comes with a bag, true, but put the mic and the camera in the bag and that’s it. If the camera is in the cage it fits in the bag, but only just. You cannot put the extension power handle in the bag along with the rest of the kit. A little annoying. Just needed a slightly larger bag.
