| Fotoqualität | |
| Videoqualität | |
| Material | |
| Zubehör | |
| Preis-Leistung | |
| Average 0/5 |
The Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi has released a new model, which is a real milestone in their company history.
Because with the Xiaomi Mi action camera, the brand can better hold its own against the competition. The cam is not only affordable, but also full of high-tech. Find out what to expect and what picture & video quality it has in this report.
Technical properties
The Xiaomi Mi is a real treat because it delivers a 4K resolution despite its low price, has a 1450 mAh battery and can therefore produce long videos in the highest resolution format.
Design
The camera is quite compact and fits in any pocket. Its dimensions are only 71.62 mm x 42.80 mm x 29.75 mm and its weight is only 98.60 g.
On the back is a rather large touchscreen. It has about 960 x 480 pixels. This size is not common for action cameras and in our opinion a real plus point.
Above the cam is the microphone and even a speaker. Whereby the quality of these elements corresponds completely to the price. Usually, you can’t expect too much from a microphone of an action camera in this price range, but the sound recordings of the Xiaomi Mi action camera are not that great.
It is also possible to connect a second microphone, for which there is a corresponding socket on the left side of the camera. Next to it there is the Micro-USB slot.
Image sensor, resolution and memory
It is based on a rather modern chipset “Ambarella A12S75” which produces a video bitrate up to 60 Mbit/s and up to 30 frames per second at a resolution of 4K.
In video format the following resolution values are available:
- 4K (3840 x 2160) at 30 fps
- 1440p (2560 x 1440) at 30 fps (requires less memory)
- Full HD (1920 x 1080) at 100 or 60 fps
- HD (1280 x 720) at 200 fps
Unfortunately, the resolution of the image sensor is only 8 megapixels, so photos do not have a better quality. However, 8 MP is completely sufficient to produce good 4K videos. A Sony sensor is used here, the Sony IMX 317.
The lens has a wide angle lens with 145 degrees. Whereby the pictures are pulled “wide” by a distortion correction and look quite normal.
A microSD card with a size up to 64 Gbyte can be used as memory.
We recommend to format a memory card before use and not to use larger cards as this can lead to various problems!
The recordings can also be saved in RAW format.
Menu navigation and shooting modes
The manufacturer has made the menu navigation much easier. The menu has a clear structure, doesn’t seem too cluttered and you can find your way around quickly.
Among other things, you can select different recording modes, such as slow motion recording.
Compared to the competition, however, the slow motion frame rate is a maximum of 200 frames per second and not 240 fps as with other cameras.
However, even this frame rate is sufficient to create beautiful videos in this mode without the “fluidity” of the image sequence suffering.
Really cool is also the timelapse function, which can be used reasonably thanks to the long battery life. Here the camera takes photos in time intervals defined by you and composes them directly into a video.
Battery and runtime
This is where the Xianomi Mi Action Camera 4K clearly scores. Even at the highest resolution and 30 fps, the camera has a running time of up to 120 minutes. That’s a hell of a lot compared to other cameras in this price category.
Models from other manufacturers often have a smaller battery, the Xiamo Mi uses a 1450 mAh battery.
The battery of the cam needs about the same time to charge as it runs in one go, so about 2h.
There is one disadvantage in terms of the camera battery, though, and that’s the fact that there are currently no replacement batteries for this model, but maybe the manufacturer will change their mind and put additional batteries on the market.
How good is the image quality?
For the price the pictures are already quite good, although only 8 megapixels are used here, but for the use as an ActionCam they are completely sufficient.
3D noise reduction is also integrated, which provides better image quality especially when shooting at dusk or in an environment with weak light sources.
Since the digital recordings are available in RAW format, they can be post-processed with a good image editing program.
In order to be able to provide an even better image quality compared to the competition, the manufacturer has integrated a distortion correction and a digital image stabilisation. These features only work for videos up to 30 fps and Full HD.
App Control
The Xiaomi Mi camera can be connected to a smartphone via Wifi. The manufacturer has developed a really good application for this.
The Mi Home app is compatible with both Android and iOS devices. For this you must have at least these versions installed on your device: Android 4.0 or higher, iOS 8.0 or higher.
The live image of the camera is transmitted directly to your smartphone, and you can also control and adjust the cam directly via the app.
A WLAN signal with a frequency of 2.4 GHz is used as a connection.
Scope of delivery
The scope of delivery is really meager, unfortunately there are no accessories like a tripod or similar, you would have to buy this separately. In some online shops, one can order complete accessory bundles for this model.
Therefore, the standard package contains only the following parts:
- Xiaomi Mi Action Camera with 4K
- 1450 mAh battery
- Charging cable
- Instruction manual (unfortunately only in Chinese)
Assets and drawbacks
For this price you get a pretty good action camera, but we can’t report about long term experiences, because the cam is not yet on the market for a long time.
Advantages:
- High-quality image and video material thanks to a sophisticated chipset and modern image sensor
- Memory cards up to 64 Gbyte usable
- Large touch display with high resolution and simple menu structure
- Digital image stabilization
- Distortion correction
- Noise reduction (3D)
- Images are available in RAW format for post-processing
- Wifi function (can also be controlled via app with smartphone)
- Has a self-timer
- Cool & modern design
- Long battery life – even up to 2 hours at 4k and 30 fps
Disadvantages:
- No spare batteries available
- Small accessories in the standard package
- Sound quality is moderate
Conclusion
A real advantage is the low price of the Xiaomi Mi action camera, but it is quickly put into perspective by the fact that there is no large accessory set included in the standard package.
If you still want to buy the model at a bargain price, you can take a look at Amazon here!
