AKASO Brave 8 camera

Product Information

The boldly beautiful Akaso Brave 8 comes with built-in image stabilisation, and offers waterproofing down to depths of 10 metres or 33 feet without even needing an additional case! The 1/2.3-inch sensor is relatively small, but it can still capture reasonable raw stills and 4K footage at up to 30fps. We did find that overexposure is a risk in bright conditions, but colours generally prove rich, with sensor-shift stabilization doing something to combat vibrations. In its high-speed setting, the TG-6 can also shoot 1080p video at 120fps, but only for 20 seconds. Stereo Audio is what we will call “normal” recording mode and is supposed to offer a true, unfiltered rendition of what is being recorded (**digital products don’t really do “true” recording but that’s a whole other post). The Akaso has a claimed maximum field of view of 170°, which sounds good but in practice it’s tighter than the GoPro’s. In fact, I’m not sure how it’s measured, but the 170° field of view is slightly tighter than the GoPro’s 133.6° 16:9 wide setting, let alone its ‘Super View’ setting.

The best action camera for 2023: top cameras for adventures

You record close-ups: A 0.4m minimum focus distance means objects close to the lens won't be sharp.

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The battery and micro-SD / USB-C port covers latch down in a similar style to GoPros, but I have found them increasingly hard to open with use, which appears to be down to surface corrosion. Elsewhere, features remain mostly the same as the Action 3, already one of our favorite action cameras. It retains the same small but rugged build, removable battery and versatile magnetic mounting system that we liked so much the first time. Waterproofing is boosted to an even more impressive 18m without a case, making it a winner for watersports. You need high-res video: Capped at 2.7K, the Go 3 can't compete when it comes to outright resolution. For the price (there’s that phrase again), the video quality from the Akaso Brave 7 is pretty good. You don’t get the same level of control as you do from a GoPro, but few riders want to faff about with ProTune, LUTs and time-consuming post-processing. Slap the Akaso on your bike then hit record and unless you’re used to high-end kit, you’ll not be disappointed. All in all, the AKASO Brave 7LE action camera is is a superb little camera that can be controlled remotely, and has all the extras you could need for your active life.

AKASO Brave 8 4K60fps 48MP SuperSmooth Action Camera | 8K

You want perfect image quality: Cheaper rivals produce crisper 4K video, which can appear soft out of the Brave 7 LE.

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The supplied cage makes it a little hard to press the button with gloves on; it’s more difficult than a GoPro, but easier than the Insta360 One R. Settings are adjusted via the rear touch-screen, while the buttons on the side allow you to control the digital zoom, switch WiFi on for app control (iOS or Android), or swap to the front screen, which can be particularly helpful when setting up a shot or for vlogging (though the screen is square so you only see the centre portion of the 16:9 frame). Many people use action cameras to capture footage of their adventurous pursuits, such as mountain biking, skydiving or snowboarding. The best action cams are also waterproof, so some outdoor enthusiasts employ them to shoot watersports or record underwater video while swimming or diving. Most action cams come with a range of mounts, which make it easy to attach them to your helmet, handlebars or even a strap which wraps around your chest. So you should always be able to find an attachment that suits. Of course, if you are not an adrenaline junkie then you can use it for simply pointing out of the bus window and capturing the landscape rolling by or simply take it up and down the high street to capture the bustle. From bright sunlight to night-time, the Akaso gives good footage that’ll hold up fine in most YouTube videos.

Akaso Brave 8 Action Camera Review – Better Than a GoPro? Akaso Brave 8 Action Camera Review – Better Than a GoPro?

The camera powers off automatically even when the remote control is activated in the menu, so be sure to change the auto power-off setting. You’ll probably use an action cam on the move, so image stabilization is an important feature to look for. This should smooth out camera shake (from hands or handlebars) for more watchable footage. The quality of image stabilization can vary significantly, so it’s worth thinking about how smooth your video needs to be (or whether you can live with a few wobbles). A higher resolution sensor can help: digital image stabilization will often crop the frame to eliminate movement. Footage cropped from 4K will look better than video that’s been reduced down from 1080p. Like a brain in a box, the Brave 8 utilises the latest generation AI software for metering light on a subject’s face and there is also hands-free voice control so you can control the camera remotely quite easily. The Akaso Brave 8 action camera is great for capturing those high octane shots. My friend took it paragliding and caught a superb, 9 minute video of his take-off, descent and comedy crash landing.You want to shoot flat footage: Designed for 360, the Max's 2D shooting modes can't compete with single-lens rivals. The answer comes down to what you plan to use the camera for and what level of quality you’re willing to accept. Overall, I found the Brave 8's software and companion app to be unreliable to the point that it frequently would prevent the camera from being usable at all. The problems began with a tedious initial setup process which involved connecting the camera to the app (which took about five minutes just to connect) followed by updating the software which caused the app to crash twice before it was finally successful. After completing the setup, things started to get worse as the camera itself consistently encountered a few major issues, and there's a good chance that many of these are related to each other. Crashing/Unresponsiveness Well, the Brave 8 can capture high quality video as well as very good photos. In most lights, the videos would pass for a professional standard (professional does not necessarily mean Hollywood) and the stills are at least on a par with my iPhone 8 camera. Clips are smooth, they are clear and the colours look authentic; you may have noticed that the pixel tech used to reproduce colours in some cameras can make certain ones look a bit synthetic – no sign of that here with the Akaso Brave 8 though. Most action cameras can shoot slow-motion footage at upwards of 120fps, while some of the top models also offer more creative shooting modes, such as hyperlapses. Some in-camera effects can be replicated with editing software, but it’s worth considering a camera with creative presets if you’re looking to add variety to your videos with minimal effort.

Akaso Brave 7 review | Budget action camera tested - Bennetts Akaso Brave 7 review | Budget action camera tested - Bennetts

You want the best image quality: A small sensor limits quality, with overexposure and telephoto softness issues too. Already a proven rival to GoPro’s Hero series, the modular Insta360 One R is now available with a sizeable 1-inch sensor. In our review, we found that this gives it low-light abilities which are brighter, cleaner and more detailed than its GoPro rivals, plus a native dynamic range that's better than any other action camera. Its raw stills are impressive, while videos are sharp and punchy, in both 5.23K/25p and 4K/60p modes. For the price, this seems a reasonably well-made bit of kit – there’s a decent heft to it, the plastics seem quite robust and the lens cover has resisted scratches from my pen-knife.The Brave 7 is powered up by holding the button on the top. Once the blue LED comes on, pressing the same button again starts the recording and the blue light flashes. Sadly there’s no one-touch recording option, which is great on a bike as you can leave the camera turned off then just hit the button to power up and start recording, hit it again to stop and power down. On paper, at least, the Akaso Brave 8 looks as though it would compare relatively well with a more premium action camera such as the GoPro Hero 10, but in reality, it comes second in almost every department. Akaso has launched the latest version of its action camera range, the Akaso Brave 8. It is being marketed as a cheaper alternative to the Go Pro 10 and, in this review, we are going to look at the pro and cons of the camera and whether it really is a suitable alternative to more premium brands or whether you are better off saving for a little bit longer to get the market leading product. Akaso Brave 8 Specifications It’s good to see a removable lens cover on the Brave 7 – I’ve replaced it on my GoPro Hero 7 twice due to welding spatter and having it too close to an angle-grinder. The Hero 8 didn’t have a replaceable cover, but 9 nine and 10 do. The problem is that I can’t find replacement lens covers for the Akaso for sale anywhere online. The Brave Akaso 8 comes with a 1550mAh battery which will allow video recording in 4K for up to 90 minutes (the OCLU does 120 minutes). If you are one of those action camera users who wants to film every second of an all day bike road in 4k, then this will disappoint you. What bugs me about this is that even if you turn it off and on and save battery as much as possible, it will run down if you are going on a multi-night adventure without access to a charging point.