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Hands on with the Akaso Brave 7 LE action camera: Perfect for vloggers and time-lapse videos
Akaso Brave 7 LE Action Camera
pros and cons
- Remotely controlled
- Simple interface
- Good quality images
- Battery and HDMI lid hard to remove
I have enjoyed using the Akaso Brave 7 LE action camera. It has all of the features I need in an action camera, and it has app control and a wristband for remote control.
Like many action cameras, the box is full of extras. In addition to the camera and waterproof case, there is a wristband with remote control buttons, two batteries and a battery charger, a USB cable and a bag full of GoPro-compatible mounts for helmet, bikes, and a variety of other mounts to site almost anywhere.
The camera itself -- even without the battery fitted -- is well built and heavy at 192g in its waterproof housing or 108g on its own. On the top there are two buttons: one to take images, and a mode button. The user manual is simplistic, with a QR code for the user to download the user manual.
The battery door was hard to open (push the button in the bottom and slide the door) giving me several minutes of annoyance before I worked it out.
Once the camera is switched on, the controls are easy to configure. The batteries last for over two hours if recording at low resolution, and about one hour per battery at 4k/2.7k.
You do need to insert your own micro SD card up to 64GB in size -- this is not supplied with the camera.
The Brave 7 LE has a nice touch screen which is about 50mm. The display is simple, with a mode icon in the top left hand corner, an audio recording icon and battery level.
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At the bottom of the screen there is a playback icon, the image resolution and settings. Swipe across any of these icons and scroll through the options to change settings such as image resolution, set loops, timelapse and burst mode features as well as adjust exposure settings
Modes can be set to photo, video, playback, and photo or video set up to change settings. You can configure various levels of timelapse, or record in slow -- or fast motion.
Image stabilisation can be switched on, you can enable wind noise reduction and set the camera to adjust settings in low light.
The camera itself is waterproof up to 1.5 metres, but, with the waterproof housing fitted, you can dive with the camera down to 40 metres.
There is a diving mode setting to compensate for the lack of red light underwater in tropical and blue water. Due to COVID-19 my diving trips have been delayed for a year, so I did not test this feature.
You can also use the action camera as a dash cam. If you plug the camera into your cigarette lighter socket the camera will turn on automatically when you start the engine and stop when the engine is switched off.
You can download the Akaso GO app in the app store to play back content on your mobile device. You do need to connect the Brave 7LE to your mobile device. You can also delete and transfer files from your camera to your Android phone.
You might need to adjust the privacy settings on your iOS device to enable this to happen. Akaso also says that you cannot download 4k or 2.7k videos to Apples devices by the app. You need to use a card reader and transfer them from your SD card.
There is a mini HDMI port, also hidden behind a very secure button press sliding door, which is hard to remove, so you can connect the camera directly to your TV for playback.
The images taken by the camera are really good and switching the camera to the front screen is a nice touch when recording selfies, or vlogs. It is simple to use and has an intuitive UI.
All in all, the Akaso Brave 7LE action camera is is a superb little camera that can be controlled remotely, and has all the extras you could need for your active life.