The Best Budget Action Camera Of 2023!

Hero 8 black has good quality, but the batteries die at low temperatures at like 70% battery. It also freezes from time to time, needing a battery reset.
Hopefully the Dji action 4 will have none of these problems.

I think that the DJI Action 1 is more dependable/reliable then the Gopro Hero 8!

This is super helpful. Thank you. I was using my cell phone but get really tired of running out of room and wanted to start using a separate camera with an SD card.

What a waste if time 😂

It looks good.

In Europe is way more expensive

The 3rd time I took a GoPro snorkeling in Oahu I’m at Sharks Cove filming some incredible underwater scenes. All was going fine, but then my GoPro was dead and the little hatch cover was open. I don’t know how the heck it popped open but I was pissed, and I had a $400 paper weight. If it was a cheap $80 budget camera I wouldn’t have cared.

TBH this is just the way it is. There is no real "budget" action camera. The only camera I have seen that was even remotely usable compared to GoPro and DJI was the Hawkeye Firefly and it is now massively expensive when you can just get a GoPro. I would tell anyone to not throw money away on the over-saturated market of cheap action cameras that you are not going to be happy with like I did and go for a older model of a good action camera otherwise you are gonna spend more money buying bad camera after bad camera.

You said the GoPro 8 is the best build quality of all GoPro? What do you mean by this like most durable reliable obviously the new ones have better specs but really the 8 is fine.

Old Carlsbad, Calif. Only down side I see with GoPro is the battery, overheating and the freezing issues.

This review is actually so helpful because we tend to writeoff old tech quickly but it can be the best way to find a balance between quality and price. Is $200 still expensive? Objectively, yes. But it's still waaaay better than $550 for the same product or $100 on tech that doesn't perform.

I knew it!

I came to that conclusion at the beginning of 2023. The gopro 8 black has the same internal hardware (sensor & processor) as the more recent models, stabilization is just as good, a front display is a gimmick I absolutely do not need, and 4K @ 60fps is pretty neat. Really, all the boxes are already ticked.
So, even thou it still has it's fair share of problems, like overheating, occasionally freezing, etc., the gopro 8 black at it's production end discount was definitely the best bang for the money.

The hero 10 is $250 new and under $200 used.

Look at this video I took a few weeks ago with and Apeman Trawo A100 at 4K walking and judge the results. £100 Action cam.

I have seen a few reviews of the Brave 8 and most suggest that it isn't much of an improvement over the 7 which is significantly cheaper. At this time on Amazon in the UK the Hero 9 is cheaper than the Hero 8 at £220. The Brave 7 is £140 (with a current discount voucher). So with those prices in mind, would you still go for the Hero 8/9 at £220 or the Brave 7 at £140?
I personally would be looking to use it to film my adventures on a motorcycle, would that affect your decision?

Love your reviews. Thank you for not making a long drawn out review. Your videos are great. You come to the point quickly thus making your video easy to watch and not waste time.

What the Bryan Cranston!!

What about the hero 7?

I tried an Akaso (V50X) and SJCAM (SJ9 Pro) and both had horrible audio and developed problems communicating via usb with my PC. I got my money back and bought another second hand gopro 7. But they are getting worn out now eg doors jamming so I'm looking at getting a DJI Osmo Action 3 as a replacement.

How do the mini varietys work out? Looks like I can buy an 11 mini for $500 AUD. I see it's a video only. I'm fine with that. I want this thing for snorkelling and getting footage when driving mostly.

Yes i came to same conclusion after.researching budged action cams.
You can have them for cheap but their qualities virtually kills whole point of having action cam.
No wide field of view, no good image stabilization, useless audio.
The conclusion is simple, buy osmo action or newest gopro u can afford. If you cant afford at least gopro7 dont buy action camera at all.
Other imortant point for budget buyers like me- camera itself js just beginning of expenses! Its not cheap game!
Ull need accesories, more batteries, chargers all that crap

Bought new 9 few days ago for 300$.
I dont consider that budget buy at all, actually its a lot of money, but it think its good value option. It doesn't lose too much to newest cams but is almost half it price, but u still got that gopro quality, instead of complete compromise of chinese copies which sux in more than one way.
Gopro is still far from flawless but like u said it has good, tuff build quality, have best audio and video quality

I get the point here, but I have a number of action cameras from GoPro 4 through to 9, they all eventually just died, I have 3 Akaso cameras and whilst they can't match the picture quality they all still work and unlike a GoPro where it will probably need the battery removing / replacing before it will work and that spontaneous shot has gone, they perform immideatly. I have been doing a daily video for 5 yrs nearly 2,000 last count as I retired to Canada (from UK) and send daily info back to family as we continue to build our house. I will never spend that amount of money on a GOPRO again, they need to take stock, and release a budget camera that is truly Action and doesn't stop when its too hot or too cold, at minus 22c I can plow my snow with an Akaso on my 1949 tractor for at least an hour and enjoy editing the footage, the go pro lasts 5-10 mins. Maybe they should merge as companies what a hybrid that would be, great vids love your output, Dave

Shame the Go Pro Hero 8 costs €270 over here while the Akaso brave 7 is €190 and the Brave 4 Pro is €120, would you still go for the Go Pro Hero 8 at those price points? Great content by the way.

and what is your oppinion on the dji action cam 1 vs the hero 8?

hero 8 black is not budget camera price is twice as much then new sealed akaso brave 7 bad comparison

I'm looking for an action camera to take to the mediterranean in a couple of weeks. I'd decided on the DJI Osmo 3, but they're mostly on backorder (to fix the soft focus issue, perhaps) and I wouldn't receive it in time. Back to square one. I'd decided against GoPro due to the many issues with the newer models (overheating, loss of footage etc, etc). Do you happen to know if the Hero8 is also plagued with these issues? Your footage is beautiful, the quality of which is just what I'm looking for but I need something reliable with great video quality.

oof. I’m looking for a replacement for my hero 8 after finally destroying it in the ocean.

You’re killing me with this vid

Awesome vid 👌🏼

Sir please tell me about akaso brave 7 le..

In the market for an action camera, so arrived at your channel.
Been using a Canon GR7II for my first 200 YT videos. So looking for equipment to add.
Thanks for the GoPro8 heads up.
You make great content Eric.
When you hit 1k subscribers, make sure your content is 8 mins long to get Adsense.
I'm rooting 4 ya.
Good luck!
Philip

for me a budget camera is a Product under $100.00 but today the Dollar is like 25 cent

The Hero 9 is available new at the GoPro site. $249

I always enjoy your videos. Keep them coming. You deserve to have more than 890 subscribers. I feel as if I should be eating avocado toast and a Kombucha when watching your videos. They are quite professional and certainly have that Southern California vibe.