The budget action-camera market is a crowded one these days, with even GoPro having a crack at the space with its 4K basic Hero model released last year. But this robust all-rounder from XTU offers serious bang for your buck at just US$159.99.
As of reviewing, the XTU S7Pro is the company’s flagship model, featuring a 1/2-inch Sony IMX586 CMOS sensor, a HiSilicon AI Image Signal Processor, Wi-Fi 6 connectivity and 48-megapixel photo capabilities when you’re not in video mode. It also includes dual screens – the front one designed for vlogging. While this isn’t my comfort zone – I much prefer to be behind the lens – it is large enough for you to frame yourself. The microphone is adequate, but not one of the strong points, so if you need to record serious face-to-camera footage, you’ll still need an external microphone in most settings.
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Out of the box, the camera is easy to set up. You will, however, need to grab a micro-SD card as it requires one for storage and this isn’t included. Once charged and ready, the S7Pro gives you a suite of options, controlled via touch on the large rear screen.
When shooting in 4K at 50 frames per second, the camera delivers surprisingly vibrant daytime footage with a wide 152° field of view. I had the chance to shoot some short daytime beach shots and was impressed with the bright colors and low glare. Because of this, the camera is an excellent daytime companion for hiking, cycling and – if you buy the waterproof casing – water sports like surfing.
Meanwhile, don’t judge the camera by my shoddy filming in the clip below – I didn’t have the stability modes turned on and it was so incredibly hot and bright at my local beach that I had no idea what I was shooting. So all things considered, the S7Pro handled the setting much better than I did.
XTU S7Pro
I was also impressed with its stabilization system, which can be adjusted depending on activity, going from “super” to “super enhance” for additional smoothing. Of course it’s no high-end action camera in this regard, but again it performed better than I was expecting. It also has a Horizon Correction mode, which locks your footage in at the one level.
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There are some interesting additions that are worth highlighting here, too. When recording, the camera offers a 10-second pre-recording buffer – essentially capturing moments you might miss when you hit record. You can also control the modes and shooting using voice control, particularly good when you need your hands elsewhere – though it took me a bit of time to get the hang of this.
The voice control is particularly helpful, however, because sweaty hands can make the corner buttons on the touchscreen a little less responsive. I definitely found this to be an issue at the beach.
Another really handy feature that XTU has included is a magnetic instant snap-in magnetic mount, which locks in securely to the bottom of the camera allowing for it to be mounted in various ways – selfie stick, tripod, dashcam or on a helmet. It’s a strong magnet too, but is well secured once it’s attached. Two buttons either side of the mount allow for its quick release, but it won’t accidentally fall off while you’re using it, regardless of how knocked around it might get.
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You can expect about three hours of use out of the battery, but it does have fast charging; it’ll be back to near capacity in under an hour.
As for the downsides, the S7Pro does struggle in dim light and at night, so it’s not the best for filming indoors or after the sun sets. There is built-in AI low-light assistance, but it can only do so much. So night scenes become “noisy” and lose detail. Photos aren’t too bad, compared to video, but this camera’s strengths sit firmly from sunrise to sunset.
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I feel like I only scratched the surface with playing around with this camera’s settings and what it can offer in post-production, and its size (71 x 50 x 33 mm) and weight (145 g) make it easy to slip in your pocket when out and about, even if you’re not using it for anything particularly sporty. I’d love to see how it does in the water, however, and it has a specific underwater video setting.
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While it obviously doesn’t compare to your high-end products from DJI or Insta360, it’s also a tiny fraction of the cost of those gadgets. And its ability to go from car camera to helmet-mounted gadget – and more – shows that XTU has designed it as a reliable daytime all-rounder. For just over $150, you’re most likely to be as pleasantly surprised as I was.
Source: XTU
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