Design and Build Quality

The camera itself is tiny by any standard, measuring only 59mm in width, 41mm in height and 29mm in depth (including the protruding lens), and weighing in at 68 grams with battery. The design is minimalistic, featuring only 4 buttons on the camera body.

The front side features the f2.0 170-degree wide lens and the on/off button.

On the left side you will find the MicroSD slot, micro USB and type-D micro HDMI connectors, as well as three small cutouts for the microphone.

Two buttons on the right side are used to access the menu and change from video to photo shooting mode. The speaker cutouts are also on this side.

The top features a single button which doubles as the recording start/stop button and OK button to confirm selections in the menu, and an orange LED that lights up when the camera is switched on.

The battery compartment is on the bottom of the camera, and it’s covered by a thin plastic flap.

The rear side of the camera is dominated by the 2-inch LCD in 480x240 and two status LEDs on the left edge of the camera. The upper LED lights up in blue when the camera is recording, while the lower LED glows red when you charge the device.

The build quality is good. The camera feels well assembled and sturdy, with no creaking on any part of the housing. We also liked the finish of the black camera frame, as it provides very good grip and does not attract fingerprints and smudges.

There is a small gap visible in the lower front corner, right below the lens, but it doesn’t flex or move around under stress. Our only complaint regarding the build quality goes out to the two menu buttons on the right side of the camera. These buttons feel flimsy and provide very little in the way of feedback, especially when compared to the other two buttons on the camera that feel great. Another concern is the protruding lens that could easily be scratched when carrying the camera without the protective casing, for example in your backpack or bike bag. We think that a cheap silicone lens cap should be included in the package with the rest of the accessories. After all, the bundle is impressive already, so an additional lens cap probably wouldn’t drive the price up at all.

The RF remote is a very nifty feature. It enables full control of the camera from a distance of up to 10 meters, and also transfers the live image from the camera LCD to the 1.5” remote LCD.

The remote can be placed on the wrist and it makes a lot of sense when you mount the camera on your helmet, losing access to the LCD and buttons. The remote has four buttons on the top, two status LEDs and a small LCD, while the right side houses the micro USB charger connector.

The transparent protective camera case features a standard GoPro mount and it is waterproof up to 30 meters. It fells durable and should be able to protect the camera from just about anything it’s likely to experience in everyday use. Using the protective case adds another 93 grams to the weight of the camera. All the other mounts and accessories also have a quality feel to them and they function fine.

While they are good, they are by no means perfect. The protective case can sometimes throw a reflection of the sun to the upper corners of the lens. This is visible in some of our sample shots. Secondly, the clamp that is included can only be fitted to the back of the skeleton case, and the clamp itself is small and it cannot grip anything thicker than 5-6mm. Even if you manage to clamp it on to something, you can’t adjust the angle of the camera. It would be better if a larger clamp, with a standard GoPro mount, was included instead of this one.