Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This is a review for the new AKASO V50 Elite 2018 model. For those looking for a good action camera you can hardly go wrong with this as it has most of the functions you need and want in a budget friendly camera. Let me be clear, GoPro makes a fantastic camera. Compared to the V50 Elite I think the GoPro 6/7 has better video and better audio and it’s waterproof without any external cases. With that being said, is the video and audio from the GoPro three times better than V50 elite? If you can live with a camera that needs an external case to be waterproof and has very good but not mind blowing video quality, then this is probably the camera for you. So for this review, I will not compare it to the GoPro Black 7, because that camera is in a different market for different buyers. Instead I will compare it to the 2017 V50 Pro. Maybe if I were a pro athlete needing the absolute best video and video quality for social media, then I would spend the $400 or so for a GoPro 7 but for a fraction of the price you can get away with the slightly lower quality video and audio and not notice. Set the camera to 4K and 60 fps and you will get very good video quality with smooth recording and playback. Image stabilization was a feature introduced in last year’s V50 Pro 2017 model (which I also own) and it makes a return in this year’s model with good results. It helps stop some of the jittery video if you make a lot of tiny fast or twitchy movements during recording. However the feature is no match for a good gimbal, but pair it with one and you will have super smooth video. For testing, I recorded the same objects/subjects using the 2018 V50 Elite mounted side by side with my 2017 V50 Pro. Both used the same memory cards with the factory camera case, and both set to their max 4k video settings. Camera setup is easy but unfortunately It doesn’t use a touch screen and you have to use the buttons to change settings. It comes with pretty much the same remote as last year, and you get a charger and two batteries that are interchangeable with last year’s. It also comes with an impressive amount of mounting clips and parts to help you mount the camera. The 2018 Elite was set to its max 4k 60 FPS and the 2017 V50 Pro was set to its max 4k 30 FPS setting. They were mounted to the same block when recording so that I could accurately compare video and I couldn’t say that camera angles or different video could cloud my judgement. I watched all videos on the same 4k TV. What I saw was that the video quality of the 2018 Elite is slightly better than that of the 2017 Pro. It is smoother than the Pro, and the colors were much more vibrant and popped on my screen more so than the 2017 Pro. However there were some videos that didn’t seem that different and I was hard pressed to tell a majorly discernible difference between the two. To me, the biggest difference between the two cameras is the color reproduction. Like I mentioned earlier, the colors are simply better on the 2018 Elite, and even watching the same video recording from two different cameras, I could tell which camera shot which footage by the difference in colors. They just seem to be more vibrant. I would never have noticed the difference if I didn’t see the footage from the 2018 Elite. So bottom line, the video recording is better with the 4k and 60 FPS Elite V50, the colors are better. If you have the choice between the Elite and last year’s Pro, its an easy decision. I liked the 2017 Pro, but the slightly better video and the better color reproduction of the 2018 Elite makes it a better choice if you need an action camera and do not yet have one. If you already own the 2017 Pro and are thinking about upgrading to the 2018 model, then I would say hold off on that. While the video and color are better, I don’t know if it’s worth the cost for a slight upgrade. I would wait until the 2019 version to see what upgrades they have in store. I was hoping for a waterproof camera like the GoPro that didn’t need the clear plastic case, but sadly the V50 still requires an external case. Also, the 2018 V50 Elite requires a memory card that can keep up with 4k video. I used a generic class 10 MicroSD card rated for 4k, but the AKASO would shut off after 5-10 seconds of recording. I thought that the camera was defective so when I contacted AKASO, they let me know that they recommended cards like the Samsung that was truly rated for 4k UHD recording. Once I replaced my generic with a genuine class 10 Samsung EVO with 90mb/s write speed the camera stopped shutting off. Unfortunately both cameras have almost completely muted audio when mounted in their cases. Underwater or shooting on dry land the cases protect the cameras from the elements but also effectively mute the mic so you can barely hear any audio of any kind. Maybe AKASO can fix the audio for 2019. In order to hear anything you need to record outside of the case. So to recap: the video and colors are better on the 2018 V50 Elite compared to the 2017 V50 Pro. Its smoother and the colors are noticeably better. Its not quite the same quality as the GoPro 7 Black, but its close. You need a MicroSD card capable of 4k UHD recording at 90mb/s or the camera will shut off. The 2017 V50 didn’t have that problem, but then again the video is slightly less impressive. When used in the waterproof case, both cameras will barely be able to pick up audio. If you can live with these small issues and you don’t already own a 2017 V50 Pro and you don’t want or need to spend $400 on an action camera then you would do yourself a favor and buy this camera. Based on value and bang for the buck its easily a 4 star item. If then can make this camera with a touch screen, and make it waterproof without a case like the GoPro then this becomes an immediate 5 star buy, especially at its price point.