INTRODUCTION

   Whether you just like travelling a lot or if you're into extreme sports a good action camera can come very handy and that's why that specific segment of the market has grown exponentially over the past few years. As expected the very first name that comes to mind when talking about action cameras is GoPro and although their products are of the highest possible quality the truth of the matter is that there are many alternatives in the market that are equally good and at the same time cost many times less. Granted you're not getting the same level of support and bundle contents GoPro is well known for but these just aren't as crucial/important. SJCAM has launched numerous action cameras in the market during the past 2-3 years and is perhaps the strongest GoPro competitor currently in the market so today on our test bench we have one of their highest models and more specifically the SJ6 Legend.

   SJCAM is a leader in the Action Camera market because SJCAM constantly evolves to satisfy market demands. Assembling a camera is simple. The best quality components and attention to detail are essential to make a quality action camera. Priding ourselves not only on creating awesome action cams, but also for fully supporting them. SJCAM stays full committed to after-sales support. SJCAM also releases new firmware frequently upgrading SJCAM features.

   The SJ6 Legend was released in late 2016 and is based on the Novatek 96660 chipset which allows for up to 4k interpolated recording (2880x2160p@30fps - 2k@30fps/ 1080p@60fps/ 1080p@50fps/ 1080p@30fps/ 1080p@25fps/ 1080p@30fps 4:3/ 1080p@30fps SuperView/ 720p@120fps/ 720p@60fps/ 720p@30fps/ VGA@240fps resolutions are also supported) and the Panasonic MN34120PA 16MP (4608x3456p - 4320x3240p/ 4032x3024p/ 3648x2736p/ 3264x2448p/ 2592x1944p/ 2048x1536p/ 2MHD/ 1280x960p are also supported) image sensor. The SJ6 Legend also features 166 degrees wide angle lens, 2 inch rear touch screen, front status screen, micro HDMI output, WiFi connectivity, gyro sensor ("anti-shake") and an 3.8V 1000mAh lithium-ion rechargeable battery and fully supports various technologies like distortion correction, low-light recording and WDR (Wide Dynamic Range). 4k interpolated resolution may not be as good as true 4k resolution but both the image sensor and firmware used do play a very important role so let's check and see what you can expect from the SJ6 Legend.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

We received the SJ6 Legend inside a box that has a small opening at the front from where you can see the product (the main features are also listed at the front).

On the left side we find two 2D barcodes which can be used to download the SJCAM Zone app both for Android and iOS compatible devices.

The contents of the box are listed on the right side.

Turning the box around we find the product specifications printed in 3 languages.

Inside the box you will find the SJ6 Legend action camera, waterproof housing (waterproof up to 3 meters), extra thick rear door for the waterproof case (can withstand water pressure of up to 10 meters), flexible plastic frame, quick release buckle, handlebar seat post mount, curved adhesive mount, flat adhesive mount, 3-Way pivot arm mount two 3M adhesive tape, quick release clip for The Frame, vertical quick release J-Hook buckle, universal 1/4' camera tripod mount, tripod mount adapter, cleaning cloth, mini USB Cable, 1000mAh Li-ion Battery, multi-language manual and two SJCAM stickers.

THE SJ6 LEGEND

Just like most action cameras the SJ6 Legend is shipped inside its waterproof housing.

Since the V8S by EKEN is among its competition we placed both right next to each other in their waterproof housings.

As you can see from the above picture the SJCAM housing is slightly better compared to that by EKEN since it has a secondary lock/release mechanism.

Without its waterproof housing the 82g heavy rubber coated enclosure of the SJ6 Legend measures 59mm in length, 41.1mm in height and 21.1mm in depth/width.

Although in terms of size the SJ6 Legend is almost identical to the V8S by EKEN its build quality is slightly better.

A total of 4 activity LEDs are placed at the front and top of the SJ6 Legend.

At the top we also have the start/stop recording and take stills button.

The 166 degrees wide angle lens is mostly used when using the SuperView feature (1080p resolution).

The power on/off button and its LED are placed on the right side right over the settings/WiFi enable/disable button.

Moving on the left side of the enclosure we find the micro HDMI video output, mini USB charging port (can also be used to mount an external microphone) and the SD card slot (supports cards up to 128GB in capacity).

The 2 inch rear LCD screen is nothing new in terms of size but it's not every day that we see touch ones used with action cameras.

At the base of the SJ6 Legend we find a 1/4 tripod mount and the battery compartment.

Unlike the EKEN V8S the compartment cover is connected to the enclosure of the SJ6 Legend.

SJCAM has used a 1000mAh lithium-ion rechargeable battery which according to them gives the SJ6 Legend a total of 130 minutes of life.

USING THE SJ6 LEGEND

The touch screen of the SJ6 Legend allows you to scroll via all available settings like you would with your smartphone.

From the main menu you can choose a large number of different video recordings such as plain video, video lapse (time lapse), slow recording, stills, photo lapse, photo burst mode, both video and photo, car mode and underwater mode.

You can access the settings menu either from the lower button found on the right side or via the settings selection from the touch screen.

Aside 4k video recording the SJ6 Legend also allows you to record video in the following resolutions: 2k@30fps/ 1080p@60fps/ 1080p@50fps/ 1080p@30fps/ 1080p@25fps/ 1080p@30fps 4:3/ 1080p@30fps SuperView/ 720p@120fps/ 720p@60fps/ 720p@30fps/ VGA@240fps.

You can also choose between wide normal and narrow recording angle among many other settings for video recording.

The stills menu is separate and from here you can choose the desired resolution between the following ones: 4608x3456p - 4320x3240p/ 4032x3024p/ 3648x2736p/ 3264x2448p/ 2592x1944p/ 2048x1536p/ 2MHD/ 1280x960p.

You can also set the desired quality, sharpness, field of view and many other things.

Via the general settings tab you can change the language, adjust the date/time, format the mounted micro SD card, enable/disable FPV (first person view - ideal for drones), set the TV mode and much more.

SJCAM ZONE APP

The SJCAM Zone App gives you live feed (with a delay of a second or two) over what your camera sees.

Unfortunately although you can change most settings of the camera via this app the maximum recording resolution is capped at 2k@30fps.

AUDIO / VIDEO QUALITY

Just like with our car dash camera tests we use each action camera for roughly two months prior to posting our review and our test clips (both day and night) are stored as they are on our server. This is done to preserve their exact same quality (YouTube compresses clips) but at the same time that also means we need to cut down their length considerably in order to reduce server load (to download the clips directly just click on the above images or click and save as). As you can all see although image quality is very good and sharp the video bitrate of the SJ6 Legend is set quite low and more specifically between 20000kbps and 25000kbps.

CONCLUSION

     When the SJ6 Legend was launched back in late 2016 interpolated 4k recording (2880x2160p) was quite common so by those standards it was a good action camera. One plus year later however things have changed and so we now have many native 4k action cameras like the V8S and the H5S/H6S by EKEN or the SJ7 Star again by SJCAM so the SJ6 Legend feels somewhat outdated. That should be the case that is but surprisingly enough the results we got from the SJ6 Legend are better (sharper video with more vibrant colors) compared to those of the EKEN V8S. Battery life is also better (we were able to hit 123 minutes of use vs the roughly 40 we got- from the V8S), the rear 2 inch touch LCD works like a charm and when it comes to temperature levels during all our tests the SJ6 Legend remained relatively cool. Leaving out the low bitrate (really hope SJCAM ups it in future firmware updates) my only other issue is with the bundle of the SJ6 Legend since SJCAM is yet another manufacturer who thinks a suction cup mount for people who would also like to use this as a car dash camera is not needed.

   With a current price tag set at USD144.78 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and at 135Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk) the SJ6 Legend is not the most affordable model in the market. On top of that it’s even more expensive compared to some 4k models like the V8S but that being said you are getting better image and audio quality (among other things) so don’t forget that. Long story short the SJ6 Legend is a very good action camera and although it’s probably outshined by its new brother the SJ7 Star there’s still a spot for it in the market and that’s why we give it our Golden Award.

PROS

- Size & Design
- Very Good Image Quality (Interpolated 4k)
- Built In 802.11 b/g/n WiFi
- Bundle (Waterproof Housing / Mounts)
- Available Settings
- 2 Inch Touch Screen
- Android/iOS App

CONS

- No Remote Control Included (Extra)
- Interpolated 4k Recording (For Some)
- 4k Recording Not Available Via App
- Low Bitrate