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Hiicam Speed 20 Review
For a while, the Akaso Brave 7 LE is a unique action cam with its dual-screen design. It aims to cater not only to adrenaline junkies, but also to vloggers and content creators. Today, there are many on the market that has copied the dual-screen design. Hiicam Speed 20 is one such action video camera that not only provided dual-screen, but also 4k 60FPS video resolution. Let's dive into the details and find out if this budget-friendly camera lives up to the hype.
In the Box
The Hiicam Speed 20 comes in a elongated cardboard package shown in the photo above. Opening the package, we find the Quick Starting Guide and the User Manual covering the action cam and the two batteries that it comes with. The action cam is enclosed in its waterproof case.
Taking the package apart reveals all the parts that comes with it:
- Assorted GoPro-Like Mount
- Dual Battery Charger
- Remote Control
- Two PG 1350 Rechargeable Li-ion Battery Packs
- USB Charging Cable
- Underwater Case
The accessory package is generous, featuring mounts for handlebars, helmets, and more. The accessory package content is not shown in the photograph above, because I wrote this article a year after getting the action cam. The inclusion of two 1,350mAh batteries means you'll get twice the amount of recording time before running out of juice on your adventures.
Design and Build
The Speed 20 immediately stands out with its compact form factor and thoughtful features. It weighs only g, making it easy to use one-handed and carry in your pocket or bag.
The large circular lens protrudes from the front top right of the action cam. It doesn't come with a lens cover as it's obvious Hiicam intend for you to store the action cam in the underwater case when not in use. But in the field, I've found that I do not carry the underwater case when the adventure doesn't involve water. And I'd rather keep the action cam mounted to my gear--DSLR, tripod, bike, etc.--so a lens cap is more handy than the case. Luckily, EveryThang3D (a 3D printing consumer product brand) makes such a thing.
The Hiicam Speed 20 comes with a rubber sealed waterproof housing that lets your underwater adventure go down to 131FT/40M. We'll get into more details regarding the underwater casing in a later section below.
Tripod Mount
The bottom of the Hiicam Speed 20 has a standard tripod screw mount (see photo below). It's aligned to the lens axis, so that you can rotate the tripod along the axis.
Battery and Storage Bay
Next to the tripod mount is a sliding panel. When you open it, it reveals the battery bay (see photo below).
The photo below shows the battery and the storage card installed. The battery can be removed by tugging the soft cloth puller.
The Hiicam Speed 20 uses PG 1350 battery pack. It is a lithium ion battery pack that provides 3.7 volts of DC power and has a capacity of 1350 mAh; hence the model number. It is equivalent to 4.995 watt/hour.
Cross-Reference
The Akaso Brave 7 LE action cam's battery pack also has the PG 1350 model number. But the battery size are different. However, the electrical interface are the same, because we were able to use the Hiicam Speed 20 battery pack in the Akaso Brave 7 LE. See "" page.
During practical use, I let the Hiicam Speed 20 record continuously until the action cam shut down. Reviewing the recorded videos, the action cam lasted hours and minutes. Not bad, but you'll want to set a timer to switch batteries if you want to record longer than that.
Battery Charger
The Hiicam Speed 20 comes with the dual port battery charger. It's really handy, because it can charge two battery packs at the same time. The photo below shows the top of the charger.
There is a LED indicator for each of the battery slots. When it is blue, it means that the battery are charged or no battery is in the slot. When a depleted battery pack is plugged in, the indicator turns yellow to indicate charging.
The battery charger has a standard USB Type-C port. That means you can use any standard USB Type-C cable to power the charger either with your computer's USB port or your USB AC adapter.
Controls
The power button is the same as the shutter button on top of the action cam (see photo below). Hold the button down for 2 seconds to turn the action cam on and off. Single click to start and stop recording.
The side has two buttons: 1) the 'M' button on top; and 2) the down button below. There are five modes to this action cam: 1) Video; 2) Photo; 3) Playback; 4) Video Setup; and 5) Photo Setup.
To capture video, push the shutter button in the video mode. To take a photo, push the shutter button in the photo mode.
At first, it seems like it's very inefficient to use the side buttons to switch into the "Video Setup" and "Photo Setup" modes, considering that it's a lot easier to do on the touch screen. But then I realized it's for changing settings inside the underwater case where you can't access the touch screen. I'll cover the button operations in later sections.
Ports
On the left side of the Hiicam Speed 20 action cam are two port (shown in the photo below): 1) the microSD card slot; 2) the USB Type-C port. The microSD card is retained by a spring lock. So when you click to release it, be ready for it to spring out at you.
It's not real clear what the USB Type-C port is for. Perhaps, it's for powering the action cam indefinitely, recharging the battery within the camera, or connecting external microphone.
Dual Screen
The Speed 20 hosts two screens: one on the back and another on the front. The rear screen is a 2-inch touch display, which makes navigating settings and options intuitive. The touchscreen is responsive and easy to read, even in bright sunlight.
The touch screen is a real joy to use when it comes to setting functions on the action cam. There is a gear button on the bottom right corner of the screen for each mode. When you tap that gear in video mode, you go into the video settings. Same for the photo mode. Then you can scroll up and down the menu intuitively with gestures.
There is also digital zoom function buttons on the right side of the screen. The action cam shows the current resolution and frame rate. Tapping it gives you a menu of special functions. The menu presents: 1) Normal Video; 2) Slow Video; 3) Loop Video; 4) Timelapse Video; 5) Normal Photo; 6) Auto Timer Photo; 7) Burst photos; 8) Timelapse Photo; 9) WIFI.
The front-facing screen is narrower than the rear screen, but is quite useful for vlogging or taking selfies. Although it doesn't display the full scene, it helps you frame your shot and check exposure while recording. The front screen is practically a must for travel vloggers and content creators who need to monitor their shots while in front of the camera.
Underwater Capability
In order to be waterproof for deeper dives and rough adventures, an underwater case is provided with the action cam. Unlike the action cam, it uses GoPro mount rather than tripod mount (see photo below). Luckily a while package of tripod and GoPro adapters are included.
The underwater case comes with three buttons that replicates the three buttons on the action cam (see photo below). Unfortunately, you lose the touch screen functionality while the action cam is in this case. But the good news is that Hiicam allows you to change setting using the three buttons on the case.
To get into the settings, you press the down button. Once you are in the menu, use the 'M' button to move up and use the down button to move down. Use the shutter button to toggle between selections. When you are done, hold 'M' down. Once prompted with "Press ok key to exit", press the shutter button. It's not the most convenient way to change settings, but at least you can change settings under water.
The photo below shows the underwater case when it's open. A rubber seal surrounds the opening to prevent water from getting in.
Performance
The camera records in 4K resolution at 30fps, providing sharp and detailed footage. The 4K 60fps is disabled when electronic image stabilization (EIS) is enabled. You have to disable EIS to enable 4K 60fps and vise-versa.
Additionally, it boasts a 30MP sensor for capturing still images. Photos are limited to being stored in JPG format; not RAW format.
Image Stabilization
Where the Speed 20 truly shines is in its 6-axis stabilization, ensuring smooth footage across all resolutions. I noticed that when the image stabilization function is turned off, the action cam has a wider field-of-view. That makes me think this action cam uses digital image stabilization rather then optical image stabilization. It basically sacrifices edge pixels to stabilize the image.
I do find the image stabilization extremely useful, so I keep it on at all times. It's even useful when the action cam is mounted on a tripod. Because it's a small lightweight action cam, I usually pair it with a selfie stick that has tripod feet. The selfie sticks are not very stable, which the image stabilization easily takes care of.
Field-of-Views
The Hiicam Speed 20 allows you to change the field-of-view (FOV) with three different modes, it calls "Angle". To change it, you tap the gear button on the bottom right of the touch screen, then the gear tab, and select "Angle". The three angles are "Wide", "Middle", and "Narrow".
I found the ability to switch FOV on the fly is extremely useful when I was recording my son's volleyball games. We started in a large gym with two courts, so I needed the Narrow angle to get closer to the action. When we moved to a small gym with a single court, the Wide angle was necessary to capture the entire scene. I appreciated the ability to switch between the Super Wide angle and the narrow quickly.
Below, we provide greater details of each FOV. Each image in its respective section demonstrates the FOV of that mode. Each image is from a full-resolution video shot with the FOV. The bird bath is 10 feet away from the action cam.
Wide
The Wide mode captures an expansive view, allowing you to fit more into the frame. It's ideal for landscape shots, group photos, and capturing wide vistas. The 170 degrees field of view ensures you don't miss any details.
Middle
The Middle angle mode provides a middle ground than the other two mode. It strikes a balance between capturing a broad scene and maintaining some perspective. Great for general photography and capturing action shots. It's useful for focusing on specific subjects or scenes without distortion. Medium angle works well for portraits, street photography, and close-ups.
Narrow
The narrow angle mode provides the tightest view. It minimizes distortion and emphasizes details. Use it for macro shots, capturing distant subjects, or when you need precision.
Filter Thread
The Hiicam Speed 20 has no filter thread in front of its lens. So if you are thinking of shooting special effect videos and photos with this bullet cam, then you are out of luck. Only special effects you can apply will have to be in post-processing on your computer.
On the other hand, EveryThang3D comes to the rescue once again. EveryThang3D makes assorted filter and lens adapter for the Hiicam Speed 20 and probably many other cameras as well. Using its adapters, you can mount filters and lenses onto the Hiicam Speed 20 for many effects.
I do have the EveryThang3D Digital High Definition 2X Telephoto Lens and Hiicam Speed 20 adapter. But I'll save that for another review article.
Remote Control
The Hiicam Speed 20 comes with a handy remote control that looks like a wrist watch. But that's not the only way you can remote control it. You can also download the app on your Android phone from the Google Play Store to control the action cam.
Wrist Strap Remote Control
The package includes a wrist-watch remote that allows you to control the camera from a distance. Whether you're capturing epic mountain biking trails or kayaking adventures, this wrist strap ensures easy access to essential functions: 1) start/stop video recording; and 2) snap photographs. Pressing either button switch the action camera to the respective mode and starts recording instantaneously. This combined behavior is so much easier than switching modes on the action cam and then pushing the shutter button.
This remote control is so handy, I use it more often than the shutter button on the action cam. I mount the Hiicam Speed 20 action cam toward the front of my Canon EOS T3i DSLR via a Pictinny hot shoe rail and a Picatinny to tripod adapter (both from EveryThang3D). I then strap the remote to my telephoto lens. In this configuration, I use the thumb to trigger then video recording and the photo snapping on the remote. It's much more convenient than to try using the shutter button at the front of the rig.
The following photo shows a close-up of how the remote control is strapped to the Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX APO HSM telephoto zoom lens.
Similarly, when the action cam is mounted to a hand grip, I strap the remote around the top of the hand grip to activate it with my thumb. The remote control is design to fit the size of a wrist, so a thicker handle, like the one shown below, works better.
I only wish the remote control would work with the action cam further away. In my experience, the remote can only activate the action cam when it is less than 5 feet away. There is also no indication, unless you are looking at the rear display, that recording has started nor photograph was shot.
I didn't realize this distance limitation on my Hawaii trip. At one of the destinations, we wanted a group photo. So I sat the camera up about 10 feet away and just pressed the remote control many times. Later, I found out that none of the photos were taken.
App Integration
Alternatively, you can control the Speed 20 remotely using the companion app. The app provides additional features beyond basic remote control, such as adjusting settings, reviewing footage, and managing files.
Related Links
- Speed 20 Action Camera 4K 60FPS Underwater Camera, Waterproof Camera Underwater 131FT, with Stabilization Wireless Remote, 5X Zoom, 170� Wide Angle
- Amazon User Reviews
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