4K Night Vision Camcorder

After trying out several different cameras on Amazon cause unfortunately you cannot try these products before you buy them I tried a couple others and sent back cause either the quality was not what it said it was to it was made so cheaply it felt like a camcorder I would give my 8year old to play with!! However when this one came yesterday it was exactly what I wanted!! Great weight distributed throughout the camcorder, easy to use, great all in one package only thing missing is a good microphone, amazing it night vision, and very sturdy and did I mention easy to use cause all the buttons u need are right there rather then going to menu and toggling thru every option just to turn on night vision!!! That can become very annoying especially when ur in complete darkness and wasting minutes to find the option??? It also has 30X zoom feature where all the others are only 16 or 18 zoom??? Overall this is a great camera for under $200 especially if ur like me and a avid ghost hunter/ spiritual medium who uses this for validation to apparitions that I see I wanted to have a good quality inexpensive camera cause yes you can buy named brand ikon, minolta, Sony camcorders but did you know the same parts and processors are the same ones that are in these Chinese models?? Only difference is your buying a overpriced over rated camcorder cause just the name?? If your about a name brand person go spend that extra money your saving with this one and get itself a 3D printer and print those fancy names put it on ur camera so ur egotistical friends who ur trying to impress see you spent thousands on this so called top of the line camcorder!!! Cause with the money you could of saved you could of bought a dozen cameras with all the bells and whistles with all the accessories for the same price was one!! So overal if ur gonna want a quality camera and digital recording for night time ghost hunting or daytime looking for Bigfoot this by far is your best option and Amazon needs to readjust some of their ratings cause I know for a fact competitors love to bash their competition with bad reviews and then have their friends or family write good reviews for these crappy camcorders they sell!!! Cause I had to buy two bad camcorder’s under $100 that were terrible that I couldn’t wait any longer for my refund for the two cause Amazon loves to take their time on returning any digital equipment for as they say 30 days, more like 3 months to ever get your money back but hey what can I do?? This camera was selling for almost $200 or $192 to be exact where the day before the big sale it was finally priced at $152!! I saved $40 but had to buy it before the sale ended!! So buy one or two of these if your a ghost hunter you won’t regret it!!!

Granted it's a cheap camera. I bought it for the night vision aspect, and it works really well. No battery for the IR flashlight, but a 18650 will work. That works good too. The zoom really isn't the best, but it's cheap. Cannot do close ups, remains blurry. Again, I picked it up for paranormal reasons and for that, it's perfect. I'd buy it again if I needed it for what I plan on using it for. It even has a light for the normal camera, as well as an IR illuminator. Great camera for what I need it for.

I bought this camera to use for paranormal investigations, pretty much exclusively using it in total darkness. I also own the previous version of this camera that records at 1080p max and doesn't have the hotshoe mount on it. I just wanted a decent, fairly inexpensive full spectrum camcorder that had a zoom function. The main difference between full spectrum and standard infrared night vision, is the former also sees into part of the ultraviolet light spectrum. A lot of researchers believe that some paranormal phenomena can be seen in that specific light range. You can find modified cameras from brands like Sony, Panasonic, etc. but again, they have to be professionally modified and don't come will the full spectrum capabilities. Onto the actual review. Build quality: As a whole, the build quality isn't that bad. It feels like a budget camera, but it's nothing too alarming until you start recording. There definitely is some shake/rattle to the camera if you're moving it around or panning. I'm not sure what is loose that is causing it, but it can definitely be noticeable. The worst part is the constant rumbling/tinny sound if you're filming while moving around or walking. I'm assuming there's something very close to the camera's microphone that makes that happen. If you're using the camera from a tripod or have it stationary, this isn't going to be an issue. If you're going to be walking around, I definitely have some suggestions on ways to fix the noisy audio. See the audio quality part of the review, below. Video quality: Firstly, the resolutions that this claims to record at is not accurate. It doesn't not record at a full 4k resolution of 3840x2160, but instead the max resolution is 2880x2160. It probably should've just been labeled as a 2160p camcorder. Anyway, it records at the following resolutions: 2880x2160 24fps (UHD) 2560x1440 30fps (QHD) 1920x1080 60fps (FHD) 1280x720 120fps (HD) 640x480 30fps (VGA) I haven't used the VGA option, but between the HD to UHD options, the video quality really isn't going to change a whole lot, neither is the video's bitrate. It's not going to be very noticeable. It definitely doesn't appear to have a very high quality sensor or processor. But then again, it's not a very expensive camera. If you want higher frame rates, the HD and FHD options will probably be the best bet for you. If you don't care for a smoother video or want more of that classic cinematic effect, then you can might prefer the QHD and UHD options. I can also say that overall, there will be a slightly more fuzzy image when you're using the full spectrum mode (vivid color scheme) as opposed to the regular infrared night vision mode (monochrome scheme). I haven't really done much experimenting with the sepia color mode, but I assume it would be a lot like the full spectrum mode. I do recommend using the included infrared flashlight. It is a very good little illuminator if you plan on doing some ghost hunting inside of a regular sized house or something with semi-long hallways. The built in infrared light doesn't have much of a range at all. It's pretty worthless unless you're filming in a very small room. It's also worth mentioning that both lights will have some incompatibility issues if you are using the included wide angle lens. Part of the lens covers some of the built in IR light and will lead to some shadowing in the top right of the frame. If you use the flashlight with the wide angle lens, there will be some shadowing/ghosting around the entire border of the picture. I recommend either using the IR flashlight with the standard lens or buying a very high quality IR illuminator to pair with the wide angle lens. Any of the pro series Ghost Lights from Colorado Paratech are top notch for that application and are what I use. Regardless of what you use, the image quality is going to be decent, but certainly not perfect. Audio quality: This area is certainly the cameras downfall. The audio is really low quality. No matter what resolution or settings you're recording with, the audio's bitrate is always around 90kbps. That's like INSANELY low and archaic. I'm not entirely sure why the decided to make it this low. No matter what kind of microphone you use, it's always going to sound a little subpar and not very clear. I mentioned earlier how the onboard mic rumbles with movement. If you plan on using the device stationary, the audio is certainly passable. I do, however, recommend using an external microphone. I've tried a few pretty high quality external mics, and they definitely makes the audio very quiet if the mic doesn't have a built in gain setting or Db booster to boost the volume. I found that using a very good digital voice recorder with gain adjustment or using a shotgun mic with gain adjustment works the best. My current preferred one is a Boya BY-BM3031. It had a +20Db setting that boosts the audio volume and makes it more sensitive. I think this is the best way to maximize the cameras limited audio quality without breaking the bank. It also eliminates the noisy rumbling noise you get from the standard mic when in motion. Accessories, etc.: I've already covered how I really like the included IR flashlight and wide angle lens, just not together. Keep in mind the flashlight is powered by a 18650 battery. This isn't something you can just go to any store and buy. I've purchased several UltraFire 18650s in my time and if you get genuine ones from their website, and not eBay, they're probably the of the best you can get. The camera itself comes with two batteries and chargers for those and the flashlight batteries. The batter life on the camera batteries is okay, but I've found some higher capacity batteries online that fit this camera system that can be a little more beneficial. What settings you use will determine how long the camera and flashlight last, but the runtime isn't that bad and won't be too much of a hindrance. The included camera bag and lens covers are nice bonuses, too. Anything to keep the camera protected. I set up the WiFi one time, but it can be a little finicky to connect and stay connected. I can't speak too much on that, nor have I used the included remote, but I wouldn't buy it if the main selling point is the WiFi function. Final thoughts: I can't speak too much on the quality as a still camera, but a lot of the picture deviation between full spectrum and infrared apply to that as well. Slightly more blurry in full spec mode, but usable. Overall, if you want a budget full spectrum camera that functions like a traditional camcorder, this isn't a terrible option. If something like a zoom feature isn't your thing or don't plan on using the full spectrum mode, just standard night vision, there are many better options. I'd look into a GhostStop POV camera or Phasm camera (that actually records in 4K). They're an action camera, GoPro clone. They don't zoom, but have far better picture quality and audio quality and are much more compact. If you do want a traditional camcorder that only does night vision, I'd recommend looking into a Sony handycam or Panasonic night vision camera. They're going to usually not have hotshoe mounts, which can limit attaching accessories, but they're a lot higher quality. You can also use accessory rails if need be. If you're dead-set on a true full spec camera that doesn't have to be modified, this is fine with the proper microphone to fix the audio and an illuminator that will match the wide angle lens. That's the only way I'd recommend it. Just keep in mind, that it is a budget camera and the quality isn't anything that's going to blow you away, but it is certainly something that can be well utilized.