Akaso V50 Elite... Reviewed featuring Akaso Brave 7 LE!

Before I jump into this review... shout out to the ladies from the Akaso team for providing us these products for review. My opinions are my own.

This review of the Akaso V50 Elite aims to provide you with an understanding of this action camera's capabilities, and to provide you with visual comparisons alongside the Akaso Brave 7 LE. These products often stand as budget-friendly alternatives to the renowned GoPro series, but are they any good? Our key objective is to evaluate whether the Akaso V50 Elite delivers value for its price... especially for the average person (because everyone isn't strapping cameras onto dirt bikes, skateboards, snowboards, etc). So... without further ado, let's dive into the details.

 Build Quality: The Akaso V50 Elite doesn't skimp on build quality at this price, with a sturdy feel courtesy of rubberized body, thicker plastics, but when compared to the feel of the Akaso Brave 7 LE... it feels like the lower tier option. The V50 Elite has a quality build, but the premium quality feel goes to the Brave 7 LE... in my opinion. Opinions may vary on that, but i'm talking about things like the button quality and the compartment covers.

I will say this though, you will greatly appreciate how easy it is to turn on the V50 Elite and operate it with the lighter clicky buttons, especially those of you who don't really have the finger strength to add a tad bit of oomph to your presses to turn on the Brave 7 LE.

V50 Elite is a lighter camera, which doesn't mean it provides lower quality results in terms of video. There are benefits to having a lighter option, which includes the ease of holding it (which is increased by the grip). Also, it's easier to mount and theres a decreased chance of it tilting or tipping when you make a jerking movement or anything of the sort. It's always good to have a solid mount regardless, but... you know what happens when something is top heavy.

A minus could be the lack of a protective cover for the ports + SD card slot on the V50 Elite, which could otherwise increase the overall aesthetics and offer protection from dust and debris. This would have been a suitable inclusion, but I don't mind when I can simply swap out SD cards... so this camera would be the one I would see being used by a family for a day out at one of the amusement parks in the area. 

A door still wouldn't hurt, but quickly swapping out the SD cards would keep the captures flowing. You have to open the battery slot to get the SD card out of the Brave 7 LE.

 Camera + Extras: As you see in the image above, the camera's package comes packed with plenty of accessories on deck without the need to run out and buy some of the same types (this applies to both cameras). Included with the Akaso V50 Elite package are the following items:

- AKASO V50 Elite Action Camera

- Remote Control

- Two 1050mAh Batteries

- Waterproof Housing

- Battery Charger

- Bicycle Stand

- Six Mount Adapters

- Two Double-Sided Adhesive Tapes

- Two Helmet Mounts

- Set of Bandages

- Five Tether Cords

- Protective Backdoor

- (Micro) USB Cable

- Lens Cleaning Cloth

- Quick Start Guide

A great addition is the camera mount - attached to the packaging. Though it may require some effort to detach, this little mount can serve well on any flat surface, such as your desk, and doubling as a webcam stand. This is not only convenient but also a clever way to reuse packaging materials if removing the base from the box wasn't the intent (beyond removing the waterproof case).

Technically these didn't come in the Akaso V50 Elite's package, but... the Akaso tripods and selfie sticks were sent by the team along with a SanDisk microSD card. I don't need to do a full review on these, but what I will say is that the tripods are a nice quality build + the SD card is meant for use with 4K UHD.

Camera Specs:

No external mic capabilities are currently available for this camera, it's only internal... allegedly (i'm going to figure this out for you before this review is up, because I have an Akaso external mic). The camera does have bluetooth, so it should totally be incapable of having bluetooth mic capability. I believe a firmware update could change this. Another downside (if an external mic test doesn't check out) is that there is no 60FPS image stabilization, but which action cameras provide this option? Use a gimbal and call it a day or turn on the EIC in 4K 30FPS. You also don't have a waterproof housing on this one (unlike the Brave 7 LE), so you have to rely on the case for water protection.

I don't advise recording video in low light conditions because the results are grainy. Get a light attachment and learn how to light up your scenes properly.

You can capture 20MP images, in addition to video in 4K 60FPS, 4K 30FPS, 2.7K 60FPS, 2.7K 30FPS, 1080P 120FPS, 720P 240FPS

Your photos and video will be stored on Micro SD. I use the SanDisk 128GB Extreme microSDXC UHS-I Memory Card that works well with 4K cameras... in the Akaso Brave 7 LE.

I didn't get a chance to test how deep this waterproof camera can go in the case, but it did well in a bowl of water. The camera was nice and dry on the inside with no leaks or dew to report. As far as how deep you can go when diving with this camera, Akaso says the limit is 131 feet with the waterproof case.

Other stats include an 8X zoom, Slow motion, Time lapse, Touchscreen, CMOS photo sensor technology, and Wi-Fi, USB, HDMI + Bluetooth connectivity. While I don't like the fact that the SD card slot and other ports are open... it's really convenient to quickly access the SD card. No need to remove this camera from the tripod unless you need to... change the 1050 mAh battery.

V50 Elite voice control feature: This is useful because at times you don't want to use the cameras control and possibly shift the camera from a desired shot. And if you're positioned a certain way, you may not want to move from that pose or hold/show the remote in your shot, so you can use your voice to call out commands to either start the video ("Akaso Start Video") or take a photo ("Akaso Take Photo").

• To stop video, just say, "Akaso Stop Video".
• To order pizza, just say... nothing, i'm just kidding.

The presence of more expensive action cameras like the GoPro in the market... is also great for Akaso camera owners because it guarantees high-quality accessories. Akaso doesn't create a lot of first party accessories beyond the mic, tripod, and selfie stick. Yes, you do get the hard plastic accessories included, but... i'm talking about the accessories like a gimbal. I love the Akaso selfie stick and tripod, these are great quality, and the mic is no slouch either, but the other options have opened the door to sweet compatible options... and all in one action camera kits, etc.

By the way, one of the noticeable differences between the V50 Elite and the Brave 7 LE is the V50 has one screen. You can't see yourself on a front facing camera to ensure that a selfie is on point (unless you use the app), but... speaking of visual quality, let's move on to video + photo quality.

 Video + Photo Quality: Talking about this would be pointless, so... press play! 

So after seeing the video, you hear that the external mic works on the Akaso V50 Elite! By the way, content creators will enjoy the Akaso app that gives you access to control the camera (via it's wifi feature), as well as the ability to edit your photos and video. You can add covers, waters, and all that good stuff... plus the ability to share content with fellow Akaso camera owners in the app (and beyond).

You don't just get access to the cameras photos/video for editing, you also get access to the settings!

 Price: The Akaso V50 Elite is priced at $139.99 with a promotional discount of $25 available (add $10 to get a 64GB SD card included). The Akaso Brave 7 LE is normally $169.99 but it's $139.99 (at 18%) + a promotional discount of $25 is also available for this camera. We have unpacked the essentials; now you have a clearer picture to determine if the Akaso V50 Elite aligns with your action camera needs and budget. If you provide them with the proper lighting... the results get the job done. 

Quality 5

Camera + Extras 5

Video + Photo Quality 4

Price 5

4.75 out of 5 Cool Points

 + Sophima 

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Amazon Luna Controller... Reviewed!

 

The Luna controller arrived in time for Amazon Prime Day, but I wanted to follow up with an actual review of this controller that totally gives off... Saints Row vibes. Is it good... or does Amazon need to stick to being a great place to shop online? Let's jump in and find out... after an unboxing!

Quality + Comfort: The quality in this controller is there, it doesn't feel like it's going to fall apart from a bump or a drop. Also, the package is... sturdy enough to secure the controller during delivery.

The digital buttons are clicky, but... not as clicky as an Xbox controller. That's not to say they're better than the LB + RB on the Xbox controller... but they feel good and made me lean in that direction until I thought about those times that I needed to rapidly click LB or RB.

The trigger buttons are comparable, but the LT + RT on the Luna controller are slightly lower and feel like they give a bit more resistance so you can gauge your squeeze.

As far as the analog sticks go, no complaints there... and I actually really like these, definitely quality. One thing I'm not crazy about is the buttons on the Luna Controller. I'm not saying they aren't usable, I'm just thinking about how those will feel after a while of using them without being as easy to press (compared to the Xbox buttons). It's not that the buttons stick or something, they work... but there's a lighter button press to use the Xbox controller.

Design: The Luna Controller is... similar to the quality of standard console controllers you're familiar with and has the same layout as the Xbox controller. There are some things that I noticed are a bit better than the Xbox controller. The underbelly of the hand grips has a texture that you can feel a lot more than the Xbox controller's subtle texture. 

Believe it or not, the Xbox controller has a textured underbelly on the hand grips, but you can't feel it as much. The best way to tell is to drag your nail below the B button down to the bottom in the front, and then flip the controller and do the same to the back. Do you feel a difference?

Take a look at the underbelly of the Luna Controller hand grips, it looks like braille (not sure if it is or not) but that's how much you can see it on the back of the controller. You can even see it in the image below.

Another thing that I was able to see off the bat in terms of difference is the grip around the analog stick. You can feel the grip on these... and they feel good and give a quality touch to the controller.

As far as the LB + RB button & LT + RT triggers, they may look like your standard set... but the design is smooth and rounded where the fingers would go on them. There isn't an edge on the LB + RB and a very minimal edge on the LT + RT triggers, it's set up well and you may not even realize it if you don't look at this sort of stuff. A bad controller build presents obvious problems, but good designs may go unnoticed, that's why this review exists (in part).

The D-pad works, and I notice the little bump around it that allowed me to slide my thumb from the surface of the body to the d-pad whether it was intentional or not (though not as smooth as the Xbox controller). There's also a 3.5mm line in/out for your headset, and a USB-C Port to connect to your PC.

One thing this design is missing is the ability to connect a battery pack, so you will have to get the AA's poppin whether they're the basics (that come with the controller) or the rechargeable ones (which deliver a lot more value).

**Amazon, I would've paid a little more for an option that came with rechargeable batteries and a little battery charger. I'd rather reduce, reuse, and recycle... but maybe they'll consider it in the future (even if it's just swapping standards for rechargeable ones).

Another thing I'm not crazy about when it comes to this controller are the X, Y, A, and B buttons. They work, but for long gameplay sessions... they should be a bit easier to press.

Functionality: I wanted to save this before we jumped into pricing because there are pluses about this controller that make it worth buying (at least for some).
 
The Luna Controller has Alexa, which allows you to jump straight to a game on an Alexa-enabled device. You can connect to a device via Bluetooth (which isn't much of a wow, but... it's a nice option), and the same applies to USB-C, but... there's something else. You can connect this controller to Wifi.

This stood out to me, because... why would you need to connect a controller to Wifi, but... the technology allows the most responsive feedback from the Luna Controller when cloud gaming (according to Amazon). Does it work? I'll let you be the judge of that.

Price: Pricewise, the Amazon Luna Controller lands at the standard price of $69.99. I don't really have any complaints about this, and I know that you can play certain games free (which are rotated out after a period of time), but... I think Amazon should throw in a month free of the full experience.

Quality + Comfort 4

Design 5

Functionality 5

Price 5

4.75 out of 5 Cool Points

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