Sunscien 1080P Vlogging Camcorder

Is the Sunscien 1080P Vlogging Camcorder worth buying?

The Sunscien 1080P Vlogging Camcorder is worth buying at £70.37 if a long, settled record matters more to you than resolution: 777 owners have rated it 4.3, and a sample that size rarely swings. It suits beginners, students and parents filming school plays, holidays and family clips who would rather follow a large crowd of buyers than chase a bigger number on the box.

It is the wrong camera if you want 4K, clean sound from an external microphone or something light in the hand. Video stays at 1080P, there is no microphone socket, and the body weighs 570 g, so a phone on a small gimbal will beat it for casual clips. Buy it for the reliability of the track record, not for the sensor.

How good is the Sunscien 1080P Vlogging Camcorder's picture quality?

Stills cost £2.93 a megapixel here: £70.37 divided by the 24MP photo resolution works out at £2.93, so you are paying for the owner record rather than for pixels. Each photo is a 6000 x 4500 JPEG, which is enough for a 10 x 8 inch print and more than any phone screen can show.

Video runs at 1080P and tops out at 15 frames per second, half the smoothness of a 30FPS clip, so running children, traffic and panning shots smear. The lens opens to f/2, which helps indoors, and the 16X digital zoom enlarges the frame instead of pulling in more detail, so keep it under half way for the sharpest results.

What comes in the box with the Sunscien 1080P Vlogging Camcorder?

The box holds two rechargeable lithium ion batteries and a USB cable, and nothing else. No memory card is supplied, so buy one with the camera: it takes SD cards from 4GB to 32GB. An LED light and a standard tripod can both be fitted, but neither comes with it.

Each battery gives 60 to 90 minutes of filming, and the camera records while charging from a power bank or a USB socket, so a long day out only needs a cable. The 3.0 inch screen rotates through 270 degrees for self-recording, and at 570 g the camcorder lives in a bag rather than a coat pocket. Face detection, smile capture, a self-timer and TV output are all built in.

What are the downsides of the Sunscien 1080P Vlogging Camcorder?

There is no microphone socket, so you are stuck with the built-in microphone and its single speaker, which is the biggest problem for talking-head vlogging outdoors. Video also stops at 1080P and 15 frames per second, so it will not hold up when you crop a clip or slow it down in editing.

At 570 g it is heavy to hold at arm's length for a full session, and the anti-shaking is digital, so walking shots still wobble. Webcam mode needs the AMCAP software installed on the computer before it works, an extra step on the day you want to stream.

How does the Sunscien 1080P Vlogging Camcorder compare with the ORDRO B320?

The ORDRO B320 1080P Camcorder costs £69.99, which is 38p less, records the same 1080P and adds infrared night vision, digital stabilisation and a 16GB card in the box. It also weighs 300 g, a full 270 g lighter than the Sunscien. Take the ORDRO for night filming and easy carrying, and the Sunscien for a 4.3 average from 777 buyers against the ORDRO's 4.0 from 113.

The FIREFOTO 4K 64MP costs £59.99, £10.38 less, and hands you 4K video and 64MP photos instead of 1080P and 24MP, plus a 32GB card, a remote control and a camera bag. Choose the FIREFOTO if resolution and kit for less money matter most, and the Sunscien if you would rather buy on the strength of hundreds of owner ratings.