SJCAM C300 Action Camera review: Budget with a bang

If you’re looking for a premium action camera in 2024, you’re spoilt for choice. GoPro still sits firmly at the top of most folks' tier lists, but manufacturers like Insta360 and even DJi are starting to encroach on the favourite monopoly of budding daredevils.

However, if you’re not participating in the most extreme sports out there, there are far fewer quality options when it comes to budget action cameras. While you can pick up super duper cheap ones from online marketplaces, few offer quality feature sets or videos that are even useable.

The C300 from SJCAM fits into a fantastic niche, offering perfectly serviceable video and an impressive array of utilities for a fraction of what the big leagues will charge you. However, you’ll need to sacrifice one crucial feature in return.

Versatility at its finest

At first glance, the C300 resembles a security body camera, with an oblong shape housing a single camera lens, a 1.3-inch touch screen, a removable battery, and a button that turns the device on as well as starts recording.

What’s immediately striking is how light the device is, weighing in at just 54g without any attachments. This is due to a largely plastic construction, which does feel a little flimsy in the hand. You definitely wouldn’t trust it to survive a nasty fall in extreme sports, but that does speak to what this camera is designed for - the more casual user.

The big trick up the C300’s sleeve is the removable 1,000maH battery, which can be swapped out for a much larger 2,800maH version. This increases the already fantastic three-hour battery life to around seven hours of continuous recording - claims that I was able to verify in my testing.

That larger battery has a second screen built in, too, and can act as a mini selfie stick to get those perfect selfie shots. I can see this being an excellent camera for a beginner vlogger who doesn’t want to walk around with their phone out all the time.

I wouldn’t recommend using the larger battery size with some of the mounting options included in the box though, as the added length makes the camera extremely cumbersome. If there’s any chance of the camera being knocked while set up in this position, I wouldn’t trust the plastic construction to prevent a break.

Goodies galore

What’s impressive about the C300 is the sheer amount of accessories you get in the box. Not only is a 32GB microSD card included, but there are at least three different mounting options with a couple of different cases too.

My favourite of the bunch was a magnetic pendant that hangs around your neck, which the C300 then sticks to through your shirt for a PoV perspective. I tested this method out on a couple of bike rides and runs to find the magnets to be incredibly strong. It also meant I could easily detach the camera at any time to change settings or reposition the angle.

If that option doesn’t work for you, there’s also a basic clip that can attach to your clothing elsewhere or a shoe mounting system for a more permanent solution. Two shoes with 3M sticky tape are included in the box so you can easily attach the C300 to a helmet or bike frame.

What’s more, if you already have camera accessories like tripods, the extended battery module features a standard thread, meaning you can easily mount it on tripods you already own, or cheap ones you can find online.

Given that most premium brands charge a surplus if you want just a couple of accessories, it’s fantastic that SJCAM includes the full range of kit in the base price.

Useable results

Of course, all of these features are useless if the quality of the video isn’t any good in the first place. Thankfully, the C300 mostly delivers on that front too. Given the correct lighting conditions, you can get some incredible footage that’s certainly useable in home projects or amateur YouTube videos.

When recording in 4K and 30fps, I was impressed by how clear the images were, even when shuffling around on my bike while bombing it down the Cambridge busways. 6-axis stabilisation does a lot to keep things steady - more so than I was expecting for a camera of this price.

Things start to get murky when you punch into the frame a little. Although this camera is marketed as 4k, the image sensor is only 5 megapixels, which is not enough to capture the full resolution needed for a true 4k image. That’s evident from a slight fuzziness around the edges of objects, but it’s not noticeable when playing videos back at full size and speed.

The small image sensor also contributes to a lacklustre performance in low light, which looks especially grainy once the sun begins to set. If you’re looking for a camera that can perform at all times of the day, you might be better off looking elsewhere.

If you enjoy playing with settings, there are plenty to choose from. There’s a 1080p 60fps mode if you want to dabble with a bit of slow motion, or you can set it up to capture a time-lapse. The options menu is a little finicky to navigate on the small touch screen, which can occasionally be a tad unresponsive. However, once these options are set, there’s no need to fiddle with them again, and the big central button starts and stops video recording with ease.

The C300 most certainly doesn’t stand up to the heavy hitters like GoPro and Insta360, but those are almost triple the price. If you keep your expectations in check, you’ll be very pleased with the image quality that this little camera has to offer.

What’s the catch?

There’s one big catch with the C300 action camera that may turn some buyers away entirely - by default, it isn’t waterproof. SJCAM does include a case which is reported to make the camera waterproof up to 30 meters. However, this then means that you can’t use a bunch of the other useful accessories included in the box.

For one, you can’t use the extended battery with the waterproof case, limiting your recording time to three hours. You also can’t use the handy magnetic pendant mounting method, which I find the most useful when cycling, running, and hiking. This became an issue for me during my testing, during which a rainstorm rolled through while out on my bike. Since I was using the magnetic pendant, I had to cut my recording short and put the camera away in a pocket to keep it safe.

My only other criticism is that I found the app that’s supposed to pair with the C300 to be mostly useless. Using it to transfer files between the camera and my phone turned out to be more of a hassle than it was worth, and I ultimately resorted to doing things the old-fashioned way - transferring them to my laptop via a USB dongle.

The Verdict

The C300 action camera from SJCAM falls into an underrepresented market - one that’s tailored to those who want to record moments from their casual sporting activities without breaking the bank. For the price, you’d be hard-pressed to find a camera that offers just as much versatility and overall video quality as this one.

The lack of waterproofing by default will be a deal breaker for some, but this depends on your use case. If you’re looking for an action camera for casual use that won’t break the bank, the C300 is a solid choice.

4/5

Review unit provided by the manufacturer. GGRecon uses affiliate links, if you purchase any products from our links we may earn a commission.