The ordinary consumer is getting closer to extreme sports. Just a few years ago, in order to get a more or less high-quality picture, for example, of a parachute jump, it was necessary to acquire a solid and very expensive set of equipment. Today's realities have significantly lowered the price threshold of such devices. Thanks for this you need technical progress and tangible competition in the gadget market.
Comparatively young Xiaomi company went even further and made extreme shooting more accessible by launching a device called Yi on the market. So, the hero of today's review is the Xiaomi Yi Action Camera. Let's try to identify all the advantages of the model along with the disadvantages, taking into account the opinions of experts and reviews of ordinary gadget owners.
Package
The company has long made it a rule to pack its products in very thick cardboard boxes without any frills like colored advertising or bright instructions. The packaging is simple and tasteful. The only thing you can see on the lid is the company logo and a code sticker on the back.
Comes Xiaomi Camera Yi Action in two versions: regular and travel (advanced). The second option will be considered: it costs not much more, but it is equipped with an entertaining monopod, which will certainly come in handy on extreme hikes. Another reason to overpay for the extended version is the presence of additional camera mounts (only two, the rest will have to be bought in addition), which is also very useful.
Extended version
Inside you can see the Xiaomi Yi Action Camera device itself, mounts, a telescopic monopod and a USB cable for recharging the gadget. The bag contains a battery of very meager capacity (1010 mAh), and there is no power supply. The manufacturer does not provide all kinds of holders and underwater cases, so all this can be bought separately if desired.
Design
The choice of colors is small: a completely white gadget or bright green. The case is made of fairly durable plastic, with a matte finish that is pleasant to the touch on the front and back, and a ribbed border around the perimeter - an original and eye-pleasing design solution.
On the front is a heavily protruding 24mm black lens without any protective case or protrusions. For this ill-conceived moment, the Xiaomi Yi Action Camera designers are often remembered with an unkind word. Reviews are full of indignation of the owners: why did one of the main parts of the gadget turn out to be without protection? Of course,you can look for a protective case on sale, but what if it interferes with the normal operation of the device or it is generally impossible to buy it at the moment? As a result, it turns out that an unprotected lens is easily scratched, and the Chinese manufacturer did not bother to put in the kit, even if it was poor, but at least some kind of cover.
Control and lighting
Next to the lens is a relatively large power button. A single press switches between photo and video modes, and a long press turns off the device. The button has a diametrical LED that changes color depending on the level of battery charge: when plugged in for recharging, the button is illuminated with a red halo.
In addition to the attractive illumination of the off button, there are four more LEDs on the Xiaomi Camera Yi Action. The rear, top and bottom sensors show the current shooting mode, and the side diode is responsible for wireless protocols. Many reviews of the gadget note as a positive thing the ability to turn off the backlight and the presence of adjustment of its activity.
At the top of the Xiaomi Camera Yi Action is a single-section shutter button. One section says the camera doesn't have autofocus, but maybe that's for the best (it's not a good idea to adjust autofocus while ski jumping).
The lower part is equipped with a screw mount for a monopod, tripod or the now fashionable selfie stick. The hole has standard dimensions for photographic devices,Therefore, you can fix almost anything in it. On the right you can see the activation button for wireless communication such as "wifi" and "bluetooth", and there is no separation of protocols.
Many owners of Xiaomi Camera Yi Action complain in their reviews about the “thoughtfulness” of the gadget. After connecting to an external device like a smartphone or laptop, the camera needs about 10-15 seconds to just be detected, and further synchronization is not fast and responsive. Also, users noticed a certain lethargy at the time of taking pictures: after releasing the shutter, the gadget continues to “think” for one or two seconds.
Shooting
The camera is equipped with a 16-megapixel Sony Exmore R series sensor. The lens has aspherical lenses and f2.8 aperture. Moreover, the latter in no way affects the bokeh effect (blur), because the focus, starting from 20 cm, is automatically set to infinity. Therefore, alas, it will not work to get something similar to a macro photo.
Xiaomi Yi Action Camera has a very impressive view (about 160 degrees) due to specific lenses and a wide-angle lens, but some may not like the visible fisheye effect due to the aspherical design.
Photo quality
Maximum photo resolution is 4608 by 3456 pixels. If you wish, you can set the indicators to 13.8x5 megapixels, but this will greatly increase the “thoughtfulness” of the device. The quality of the photos seems to be good, but not impressive. Pictures in their saturation lag noticeably behind flagship smartphones and even sometimes from digital point-and-shoot cameras. In addition, many users in their reviews note problems with image clarity in the corners of the photo, this is especially noticeable after activating distortion suppression (barrel).
You can also note the poor performance of the exposure mode during filming with the Xiaomi Yi Action Camera. The instruction indicates that this option is enabled by default and automatically adjusts to the environment. But in most cases, automatic work deprives photos of juicy and bright colors, replacing them with some kind of yellow-green semblance.
Video recording
It should be noted right away that the gadget can only shoot in a horizontal position. Even despite the fact that the developer claims support for the accelerometer, it is clearly not suitable for changing orientation. Optical stabilization significantly protects against image shaking, but in this kind of devices you can’t do without it. The maximum resolution at which friezes and subsidence are not visible to the eye is 1920 by 1080 pixels at 25 frames per second and with a 16:9 format.
List of working permissions for 16 to 9 format:
- 1920 x 1080px / 25 FPS.
- 1920 x 1080px / 48 FPS.
- 1920 x 1080px / 24 FPS.
- 1280 x 960px / 50 FPS (4:3).
- 1280 x 960px / 48 FPS (4:3).
- 1280 x 720px / 50 FPS.
- 1280 x 720px / 48 FPS.
- 1280 x 720px / 100 FPS.
- 848 x 480px / 200 FPS.
The maximum duration of one video is 5 minutes. You cannot change this setting, but as an alternative, you can set the memory to fill up continuously until the space on the CD card runs out. That is, you can fill the media with five-minute segments, which will then be easy to connect on a smartphone, laptop or personal computer.
Summing up
When thinking about purchasing a Xiaomi camera, you must definitely keep in mind its price tag. This is the most advantageous advantage of the gadget. You can buy a device for 5 thousand rubles, which is quite realistic for the average extreme. Therefore, looking at the price, you can forgive the camera most of the shortcomings and shortcomings, and coupled with the advantages of the model, we can say that the purchase is fully justified.
