FamBrow 4K Digital Camera Review

FamBrow 4K Digital Camera Review
https://youtu.be/rD616kkytQU

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Budget priced vlogging cameras are widely available but are usually not much use but this one from FamBrow is really rather good provided you do not expect too much from it.

The camera itself is nicely constructed, and although light in weight does not feel cheaply made. Build quality seems fine for the price with nothing looking likely to fail or fall off anytime soon.

It has a large 2.8” inch fixed rear LCD screen and well labelled buttons which are simple and intuitive to use. The camera comes with a good range of accessories including, two batteries, a USB Cable, an HDMI Cable, carry bag and a 32GB micro-SD card. Although there is no manual focusing option this camera does have an autofocus lens, which is a step up from the fixed focus lens of most budget cameras. Again, unlike most rivals, this camera has an optical viewfinder which allows you to put the camera up against your eye to take photos, a surprisingly useful retro feature.

There are multiple operating modes - Camera, Video, Setup, Motion Detection, Slow Motion, Time Lapse Video, Time Lapse Photos, and Muli Snapshot (burst mode), all accessible directly through the rotating multifunction dial on the top of the camera. Next to it are buttons to power the camera on/off and to take photos/videos. Also on the top is a hot shoe t mount with a removable plastic cover. On the camera back next to the screen are buttons for Digital Zoom in and out, and below it for Menu and Playback. There is also a multifunction navigation button on the rear which can also be used to select/disable screen info, file delete, LED light on/off, timer, and OK. On the side is a grommet-protected bay containing a microphone port, USB and HDMI out.

Having selected an operating mode using the rotating dial you select any related option by pressing the menu button on the camera back. This allows you to vary image size, and video resolution and add a range of special effects and filters available from the settings menu along with white balance, backlight and EV compensation. Simple file editing can also be made in the camera by pressing the delete button when photo or video modes. There is also built-in x4/8/16 digital zoom in both stills and video modes.

Videos are AVI wrapped with the following resolutions available
4k@10fps, 2.7K@30fps, 1080p@30fps, 720p@30fps, VGA. So far as I can tell there are no other shutter speeds available. Audio seems to be uniformly recorded as H.264 AAC Mono 16bit. The video quality is good and better than I expected for the budget price, although it falls off somewhat in low light. It gives a good quality video at various modes from 4K to 480p but for me works best at 1080p@30 fps. 4k image resolution is fine but the 10 fps frame rate is too slow for general use. It does claim to offer video stabilisation, but this does not seem to do much and I cannot find how to turn it off.

As a stills camera, it works well too with a range of image sizes from 2MP up to 48MB available. Image quality is better than OK with no noticeable colour shifts or distortions but with reduced quality low light performance. Burst or single-shot options are available and there is a two stage shutter with an on-screen focus confirmation. Flash modes are available and easily selected using the navigation controls on the rear of the camera. Still images are good and sharp, and free from colour casts but at times a little insipid but nothing that is not easily corrected with the computer editing software.

It has an HDMI out port and I was pleased to see that, unlike with some rivals, this works in all modes and so allows the camera to be connected to an external monitor when recording video, a nice touch for vloggers. A USB port is available too for file transfer and video streaming when connected to a computer as well as for charging the camera battery.

The audio quality from the built-in mic is rather better than I expected, with a decent gain level, and was also better than I expected. I was very pleased to see a standard 3.5mm microphone in port which allows the use of lav, wireless or other external mics, important for vlogging use. The only audio resolution seems to be 16-bit mono, which is OK for vlogging but is a bit too thin for more serious use. Remember that the bit rate is determined by the camera and a low bit rate will limit the performance of even a good-quality external mic.

Switching between modes is quick and easy and all the buttons are nicely laid out, well labelled and intuitive to use. This is an easy camera to use and it does not take long to become familiar with the controls.

For the pre-discount £89.99 price, this is an excellent camera and fine for use as a first vlogging camera or for general use.

Music: YouTube Audio Library: Modern Situations - Unicorn Heads