ThiEye T5E Action Camera Review: True 4K at Bargain Price Point

 ThiEye T5E

For budget action cameras, 4K video resolution has traditionally been out of reach. For the < $150 range, most cameras really only do 1080p, and occasionally offer subpar 4K (often either unusably low FPS rates, and/or “fake” 4K resolution with interpolation tricks). The closest bet so far for a “affordable” action camera is the Yi 4K, which I absolutely love, priced around $200. After that, you are looking at $400 for the GoPro Hero 5 Black, which is certainly not a bargain.

Enter the ThiEye T5E (https://tinyurl.com/thieyecam). Not only does this camera feature true 4K resolution at 30fps, it also comes in at a stunningly low price, a little over $100. When I first heard about the camera, I was fairly skeptical, given the poor track record of bargain cameras offering high-quality 4K footage. Thanks to Gearbest, I was hooked up with a review sample of the ThiEye T5E and put it through its paces. Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised with its performance and I think you will be too!

Features

Not only can the ThiEye T5E shoot 4k at 30FPS, it also offers 1080p at 60 fps AND 120 FPS, in addition to several other resolutions. It offers a viewing LCD on the back, WiFi connectivity with a dedicated app for remote control, and 12MP photos. The image sensor is the IMX117, a powerful sensor that is the same as the latest SJCam (7) model and is capable of true 4K. Here is a complete list of the specification for ThiEye T5E:

Specification

General	Brand: ThiEYE Model: T5e Type: Sports Camera Type of Camera: 4K Chipset Name: Ambarella Chipset: Ambarella A12LS75 Sensor: CMOS Sensor size (inch): 1/2.3 Function: WiFi,Time Lapse,Waterproof Application: Extreme Sports,Underwater,Ski
Storage	Max External Card Supported: SDHC 64G (not included)
Display	Screen: With Screen Screen size: 2.0inch Screen type: TFT Screen resolution: 320x240
Power	Battery Type: External Battery Capacity (mAh): 1100mAh Charge way: USB charge by PC Working Time: 80min at 4K / 30fps, 100min at 1080P Standby time: 4h Charging Time: 2h
Primary Info.	Wide Angle: 170 degree wide angle Camera Pixel : 12MP Lens Diameter: 2.8mm
Video/Image/Audio	Video format: MP4 Video Resolution: 1080P (100fps),1080P(30fps), 1080P(60fps),1440P (30fps),1440P (60fps),4K (30fps),720P(200fps) Video Frame Rate: 100fps,200fps,30FPS,60FPS Image Format : JPEG Audio System: Monophony Exposure Compensation: +2EV,-2EV White Balance Mode: Auto,Cloudy,Daylight,Incandescent Microphone: Built-in
Functions	WIFI: Yes WiFi Function: Image Transmission,Remote Control,Sync and Sharing Albums WiFi Distance : 10m Waterproof: Yes Waterproof Rating : IP68 ( 60m, with waterproof case ) Loop-cycle Recording : Yes Loop-cycle Recording Time: 1min,2min,3min,5min Night vision : No Remote Control: Yes Camera Timer: Yes Time lapse: Yes Auto Focusing: Yes Anti-shake: Yes Aerial Photography: Yes Interface Type: HDMI,USB 2.0 Language: Arabic,Dutch,French,German, Indonesian,Italian,Japanese,Korean,Polski,Portuguese, Russian,Simplified Chinese,Spanish,Swedish,Traditional Chinese
Dimension/Weight	Product weight: 0.0580 kg Package weight: 0.4210 kg Product size (L x W x H): 6.00 x 4.00 x 3.00 cm / 2.36 x 1.57 x 1.18 inches Package size (L x W x H): 17.00 x 11.00 x 6.00 cm / 6.69 x 4.33 x 2.36 inches
Package Contents	Package Contents: 1 x T5e Action Camera, 1 x Multi-language User Manual, 1 x Wiper, 2 x 1100mAh Battery, 1 x USB Cable, 1 x Pack of Accessories, 1 x Waterproof Case

Accessories

ThiEye T5E comes with considerably less accoessires than many other action cameras. Just the basics, including a few adhesive pads, charging cable, microfiber cloth, mount bracket, and instruction manuel. Fortunately, it also comes with two nice goodies: a solid waterproof case, and not just one but two action camera batteries! This is the first action camera I’ve reviewed that offers a backup battery. It’s worth noting the batteries are not cross compatible with other action cameras such as the GitUp2 or SJCam (ThiEye T5E’s batteries are a little too large). Of note, the Yi 4K action camera DOES NOT come with its own waterproof case (strangely).

Performance

ThiEye T5E adventured with me on a variety of recent hiking, drone flying, and outdoor trips. Overall, it performed excellently, and helped me get superb footage under different conditions. The audio quality (something I don’t typically worry about as I almost always replace it with music) is also quite good., when recording outside of the case. I recorded at several different resolutions and found them all to look great, especially the 4K. In fact, in head to head comparisons between the ThiEye T5E and the Yi 4K camera, I seriously couldn’t see a major difference, certainly not one to justify the significant price difference. In some tests, the ThiEye T5E images looked a little bit sharper than the Yi 4k.This really impressed me, and speaks volumes of how nice this budget 4K camera is. I notice much image quality loss, even with uploading to YouTube. You’ll notice in my video review that it’s set to 1080p; I took all the 4K footage and rendered it down to 1080p for editing purposes, but you can certainly keep it at 4k if you wish.

A couple of critques I did note: On my very first trip with ThiEye T5E, I encountered a SD card formatting error, requiring me to reformat when I returned home. That was frustrating, but after reformatting the microSD, I haven’t had any issues.

The gyro stabilization is definitely less intense than the SJCam S6 Legend or GitUp2. I wouldn’t rely on ThiEye T5E as your primary drone camera if you are flying with a non-gimbal drone like the Hubsan H501s. On land, it does a decent job though. Just like the Yi 4k camera, the EIS gyro feature is only available at 1080p, 60 fps; not at 4K.

The menu on the ThiEye T5E is a weak point-it’s usable but otherwise uninspired and clunky. While several action cameras have recently offered innovative menu designs (Yi 4K, SJCam M20+, etc), the ThiEye T5E menu is a throwback to older, less easy to navigate menus. It’s simply listed under settings, with multiple “frames” to scroll through, requiring a lot of clicking to edit settings. It gets the job done, but isn’t fun to navigate through it.

Photos looked very sharp and crisp, capturing both dark and light environments well. Additionally, the WiFi dedicated app worked great. I didn’t have crashes or problems operating it on my Android smartphone. I was able to remotely operate the camera with ease and review playback videos without an issue.

Video Review

Audio for on/off recording is nicely audible even through the case. The camera boots up fairly fast, and I didn’t have issues with lost footage (thinking I was recording when I really wasn’t due to audio errors). The camera itself features a solid build, with a nice locking switch for the battery. The waterproof case and other accessories have nice design and feel high-quality. Overall, the accessories are solid, and the video quality is excellent.

Conclusion

ThiEye T5E action camera is a relatively unknown camera on the action camera scene, but I think you are going to see a LOT about it soon. Once word gets out about how nice it is, for such an affordable price, you can bet you’ll see it in YouTube videos frequently. It reminds me of the excitement around the GitUp2, still a solid camera, from a newcomer on the camera scene, that absolutely took off once everyone found it. ThiEye T5E’s high quality true 4K footage, plus perfect price point, almost guarantees it will be a success. This isn’t the only ThiEye model, expect to see more innovative cameras from these folks soon! Let me know if you have any questions about the ThiEye T5E camera, either through my YouTube review, or below. You can buy ThiEye T5E through Gearbest here: https://tinyurl.com/thieyecam

Hubsan H501S Drone Review: Advanced Version

Hubsan has established itself as a reputed name in the drone industry, with a myriad of interesting drones available. One of my first quads was a Hubsan X4, and I had an absolute blast learning to fly it. Fast forward several years and Hubsan has released an affordable GPS drone with Follow Me, Return to Home, Altitude Hold, onboard 1080p camera, and a FPV screen on the transmitter, all in the H501S (https://tinyurl.com/ju39hre). 

Courtesy of Gearbest, I tried out the Advanced version of the H501S. It's a stellar drone, with a ton of potential, in terms of range and power. Check out my full video review here:

I spent a lot of time trying out different action cameras mounted onto the H501s. For this, a simple credit card mount with velcro was sufficient, although a GoPro-style bracket mount also worked well. You can see just sample footage from the H501S using GitUp2 and Firefly 7S, along with the stock camera, here:

Likes:

- Drone design is fluid, awesome lines and sleek appearance. Fairly compact too, easy to fit in a hiking backpack.

- Controller is powerful, yet not overwhelming. Instruction manual is pretty good at walking you through the first flight, and the switches are labeled fairly logically. FPV screen on the controller is awesome!

- Stable flight under GPS control, and return home seems to work quite well, very accurate

- Onboard camera, while not as good as action camera, is actually pretty decent!

- Very reasonable price for a powerful, GPS quadcopter with advanced options like Follow Me

Dislikes:

- Intermittent range issues. Horizontal range at times limited compared to vertical range. From my discussion with other users online, this is a known issue in a few of the models, fixed with an antenna correction. Refer to this thread on RCGroups. 

- Lack of image stabilization. This isn't too hard to correct using post-processing (YouTube stabilization, or Sony Vegas Pro stabilization)

Links: 

Purchase Hubsan H501S online: https://tinyurl.com/ju39hre

XK x251 Drone Review: Affordable Brushless Drone!

The XK 251 is one of the fastest and most fun quadcopters I've owned. I recently picked up courtesy of Gearbest, and it's been a blast to fly. It's incredibly just how powerful and yet how affordable this < $100 quadcopter is! Read on for my full review of the XK 251 drone!

Features:

The XK 251 is a brushless quadcopter, meaning it's motors do not need little brushed gears that tend to wear out rather quickly. It's also much quieter, making it much less intrusive during a hike. Range is roughly 300m from some reports I've seen online; I've pushed it far but not that far yet. It has an enormous transmitter/controller, with a host of options. Some reports indicate the latest versions of the controller have disabled the "Acro" mode, thus forcing it fly more conservatively. I think mine is similar to these, unfortunately, but it's incredibly fast and maneuverable. The controller requires 6 AA batteries, and the quad uses a 950mAH battery with a JST connector. The battery rack doesn't fit "normal" Tarantula X6 batteries, but a little modifying could probably work to get them in without a problem. There's also a set of spares props included with the XK 251, a welcome addition in the box.

Performance:

I flew the XK 251 both in the foothills and the mountains, with little wind, and moderate wind. It performed well in both situations, nimble, fast, and exceptionally powerful. There's a slight recovery time in between switching directions while flying, but this isn't unusual with the speeds such a quad travels at. I didn't have any signal losses, even while doing a few rough distance tests-this small quad will be out of your site most likely before you exceed controller range. 

As an avid outdoorsman, I am always on the lookout for a quadcopter that I can carry in my backpack and will carry an action camera to film my adventures. Early reports of the XK 251 indicated it might be able to carry a GoPro. 

I placed a credit card mount onto the bottom of the XK 251, strapped it in place with velcro, and secured a GitUp 2 action camera onto it. It needed a little more throttle to get it going, but otherwise flew like a champ. I was able to get some fantastic footage with it; take a look before:

Now, keep in mind it's not designed to be a camera quad, and putting too much weight on it will likely stress the motors prematurely. However, it still does a good job of carrying my action cameras, and I'll definitely be using this on future trips. It fits into my smaller hiking backpack without a problem, yet it still has enough power to carry the cameras-awesome!

Conclusion

I've flown many different quadcopters and hexacopters; including models from Hubsan, JJRC, Yizhan and more to name a few. This XK 251 is a true winner: it's a very affordable brushless quadcopter, with high quality performance. I don't feel the company scarified design or performance in their quest to keep it an affordable quadcopter. It's a little too powerful for someone brand new to flying drones; however if you have only been flying brushed quads and would like to upgrade to the next step with a brushless quadcopter, take a look at XK 251--it's a winner! Check it out here: http://bit.ly/2olpHQl 

Questions about the XK 251? Post 'em here, on my YouTube channel, or take a look at this excellent RCGroups forum threat: https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2630741

Freeknight Backpack Review

Hasn't been a lot of fishing videos lately as I've been focusing on the recently opened Spiny Lobster season here in California. These critters are a exciting challenge to go after, especially as the water temperatures cool off. I've been using this handy backpack, called the Freeknight Backpack, courtesy of Gearbest to haul my snorkeling gear and it has done a superb job.

In addition, it holds several micro and mini drones, like my Mould King Super S without a problem, and is perfect for taking them along on a short hike. It has an emergency whistle, hip straps, water-resistant (not waterproof) fabric, and a purported 40L carrying capacity with multiple compartments. It's fairly comfortable as well. You can find this backpack online here. 

Bijia Monocular Review

Check out this monocular from Gearbest: It's compact, well-designed, and offers high-quality visuals while out on the trail. I see myself primarily using it for checking out distant creek channels and ridgelines. Very impressed with this sample provided courtesy of Gearbest! http://goo.gl/A5wIby

Who needs a LuminAid: Solar Camping Lantern

I've used the LuminAid camping lanterns quite a bit recently and found them very helpful for the few hours of light I need before going to sleep in my tent. However, they cost a pretty penny-and now I've found an alternative. Check out this affordable solar lantern from Gearbest, who kindly provided me with a review sample. It's easy to use, can be placed just about anywhere in your campsite, and offers 3 modes of light. The first two (strong, dim) are great, don't see a need for the flashing one at the end, unless an emergency occurs. Check it out here: http://goo.gl/GwIdPs

Started doing a lot of camping recently, and was using a somewhat expensive, but compact hammock. Folded down into a built-in pouch on the side of the hammock, and the ropes tucked into ontop. Enjoyed it, but had a hard time recommending it due to the cost. Fortunately, GearBest has release a very affordable hammock alternative and provided me with a sample. The only different is the ropes aren't pre-knotted, which I do somewhat miss. Check out my review of the Gearbest nylon camping hammock in the video above. Buy it online here: http://goo.gl/cpbqTo