Comparison Eken H9R vs GoXtreme Enduro

The degree of dust and water protection of the protective case supplied with the camera.

Protected case will save your camera from dust, water, temperature changes, shocks, etc. The specific degree of protection is indicated according to the international IP (Ingress Protection Rating) system, according to which each device is assigned a code of the form IPXX, where X is replaced by specific numbers. The first of them characterizes the protection against the penetration of foreign objects (from 0 to 6, where 0 is no protection). Usually, in boxes for action cameras, this indicator does not go below 5, because otherwise the container would have too large gaps, and its use simply would not make sense. Level 5 provides dust resistance — dust can get inside the case, but in small quantities that do not affect the device inside. Level 6 corresponds to complete imperviousness to dust.

The second digit is protection against liquid ingress (from 0 to 8, where 0 is no protection). Usually, the minimum level of protection against water is 6.

6 — protection against short-term immersion (for example, falling into a sea wave);
7 — protection against temporary immersion under water (up to 30 minutes) to a shallow depth (up to 1 metre), without continuous operation in immersed mode;
8 — protection against immersion to a depth of more than 1 metre for a time of more than 30 m, with the possibility of continuous...operation underwater. The specific level of protection of level 8 can be quite impressive — up to the possibility of diving to several tens of metres.

Note that protective cases for action cameras can be sold separately. Therefore, if the capabilities of the complete container do not suit you, there may be a more secure case on the market. On the other hand, in general, it is still more convenient to buy such an accessory immediately with a camera — so as not to waste time and effort on choosing the right protective case.

The ability of the camera to record HD video (720p).

The official HD specification provides a resolution of 1280x720. However, in action cameras, there may be resolutions slightly different from this parameter, for example, 1080x720 or 1440x960. Anyway, HD is the most modest of today's high-definition standards, which, nevertheless, provides a fairly clear and detailed image.

Another important parameter given in this paragraph is the frame rate. The higher it is, the smoother the movement in the frame will be, and the details in dynamic scenes will be visible clearly. Technically, 30 fps or even less is enough for video, but 60 fps is considered the perfect value — at this frame rate, motion blur becomes almost imperceptible and at the same time the size of the captured files remains within reasonable limits. However, there are cameras on the market with higher frame rates at HD resolutions — 100 fps, 120 fps, 200 fps and even 240 fps. This speed is usually used for recording slow-motion video, but such a possibility needs to be specified separately.

The ability of the camera to shoot Ultra HD 4K video.

This format covers several resolutions in which the horizontal frame size is approximately 4K pixels. The most popular in action cameras is 3840x2160 (twice the FullHD frame on each side), but there are other options — for example, 3840x1920, corresponding to an aspect ratio of 2:1. In general, 4K is a kind of successor to Full HD: among HD standards that surpass Full HD, UltraHD is the most popular, in particular, many advanced TVs are produced with 3840x2160 screens. On the other hand, this format is quite demanding in terms of processing power and memory, so it is relatively rare in action cameras, mainly among premium models.

Another important parameter given in this paragraph is the frame rate. The higher it is, the smoother the movement in the frame will be, and the details in dynamic scenes will be visible clearly. However, in UltraHD mode, most modern action cameras produce a very low frame rate — most often 30 fps, and in some models 24 fps or even 15 fps. This video is quite viewable, but fast movement in the frame may look blurry. There are cameras capable of shooting UltraHD at a solid speed of 60 fps — the blurring effect during such shooting is almost imperceptible. However, such a model cost is high.

Frame rate supported by the camera when shooting in slow motion.

In general, such shooting is called “high-speed” because it is carried out at an increased frame rate (more than 60 fps). As a result, when played back at normal speed (60 fps and below), the video looks slow hence the name. This kind of slow-motion can be used just for fun, as an artistic technique, and even for scientific purposes — to capture movement that is too fast for the human eye. In any case, the higher the slow-mo frame rate, the more you can slow down the video and the more advanced the camera is in this regard. On the other hand, the higher the frame rate, the more performant the graphics part should be; and this, in turn, affects the price of the device, sometimes quite noticeably.

We also note that slow-mo shooting may be available only at certain resolutions, not always at maximum. These points can be directly specified in the specs of the action camera.

The number of megapixels in the action camera sensor, in other words, the resolution of this sensor(1 megapixel is 1 million photosensitive points).

There is an opinion that the higher the resolution, the better the image quality. It is true from the point of view that manufacturers are trying to install high-resolution sensors in advanced cameras. At the same time, there are no strict dependencies here, and from the technical point of view, the number of megapixels determines only the maximum image resolution that can be captured using this sensor. The quality of this picture will depend both on several features of the sensor itself (size, type, special design solutions), and the specs of the camera. So when choosing, you should focus not so much on the resolution of the image sensor, but on the general class of the camera and reviews with examples of footage.

The maximum resolution at which the action camera can take photos. Specified in pixels horizontally and vertically.

This parameter is directly related to the resolution of the image sensor(see above): the total number of pixels in the photo, usually, corresponds to the number of pixels in the sensor. For example, a photo resolution of 4608x3456 corresponds to a sensor of 15925248 pixels, or approximately 16 megapixels. If the number of pixels in the photo is greater than the claimed resolution of the sensor, then the manufacturer uses software tricks that allow you to improve the photo resolution to a higher one than originally. This reduces the cost of devices but also affects the quality of images.

Theoretically, high-resolution images can provide good detail, but in fact, much depends on the specs of the sensor (primarily physical size) and image processing features.

— Diagonal. The larger the screen, the more convenient it is to watch (and also to control if the display is touch-sensitive). On the other hand, the diagonal of the built-in display directly affects the size of the case, and action cameras should be quite compact. Thus, there are practically no screens larger than 2.5" in modern action cameras.

— Resolution. Theoretically, the higher the resolution, the clearer and better image the screen produces. On the other hand, displays in action cameras are designed mainly for menu operation and footage preview — and for these purposes, especially high resolutions are not needed. For models with two screens, the rear display is considered the main display.

— Touch screen. Display equipped with a sensor and responsive to touch like in smartphones/tablets. Control through such a display is simpler and more intuitive than using buttons, rotary knobs, etc. On the other hand, for more or less convenient control, the touch screen must be quite large, which affects the dimensions of the entire camera.

— Front screen. The presence in the camera of a screen mounted on the front panel, next to the lens. Other displays may not be present at all; in such cases, the diagonal, resolution and other parameters are given for the front screen.

It is worth noting that most often the simplest black-and-whit...e displays are installed on the front panel, suitable only for text and basic graphic information. However, even on such a screen, you can display a wide variety of service data: the current mode of operation (photo, video, standby), the resolution used, the shooting time, the amount of free space on the drive, etc. But more advanced displays are not used as front displays: a full-colour screen is needed only for taking a selfie, and for this you can use a remote display with a remote control(see "Control") or a smartphone connected to the camera.

Speaker or speakers installed directly in the camera body. This function is mainly intended to allow you to view footage with sound without connecting headphones or external speakers. However the built-in speakers do not have decent volume or general sound quality — nevertheless, they allow you to determine what the camera “heard” as a whole, whether sound recording was turned on, whether individual ambient sounds got into the recording, etc.

Action camera control. Specified only if this model is equipped with an optional external control device. So in this case we are talking more about the type of remote control.

The remote control itself is convenient, first of all, because reaching directly to the camera can be inconvenient, and sometimes even dangerous. But the types of devices used for this can be as follows:

— Portable remote control. Traditional external control panels that do not have displays. Theoretically, the functionality of such a remote control can be different, but only the most basic functions are usually available — start/stop recording and taking photos; the rest of the possibilities can be controlled traditionally. Such remotes often have a strap for attaching to a hand or a mount for installing such a strap. The absence of a screen, on the one hand, makes them as simple, reliable and autonomous as possible, on the other hand, it limits the functionality.

— Remote screen with remote control. Remote controls complete with their displays. Like simpler devices, without a display, they are usually designed to be mounted on the hand. Therefore, the built-in screens have a very small diagonal — otherwise, it would be simply inconvenient to wear them. Nevertheless, even such a screen turns out to be quite functional and useful. It usually plays the role of an external viewfinder, allowing you to se...e what exactly the camera is recording at the moment — an important feature, given that the action camera's screen (if any) is most often not visible to the user at the time of shooting. Of course, various service information can also be displayed on the remote display.

It is worth noting that many modern action cameras can use a smartphone connected via Wi-Fi as an external display. However, a specialized remote screen is often more convenient due to its compactness, security and convenient attachment to the arm.