The GoPro has been the leading force in the sport camera industry for the past decade. This has made other companies enter the market. BlackVue is a well known manufacturer of dashboard and vehicle cameras. Now they have expanded to the sports camera market with the BlackVue SC500 Sport Camera.
Specifications
- SONY Exmor 12MP
- Full HD CMOS Lens
- Auto Exposure and White Balance
- Up to 32GB MicroSD Storage
- USB 2.0 & HDMI Video Out
- 2.0″ LCD
- 3.7V 1050mAh Li-Po Battery
- 1080p 60/30fps, 720p 120/60/30fps, WVGA 240/60/30fps
- Built-in Wi-Fi & Microphone
In The Box
Inside the box you can find the SC500 Camera, LCD, USB Cable, Battery, Adhesive Pads for Mount, Pouch, Instructions, Waterproof Housing, Square Mount, Round Mount and Mounting Screw. The huge advantage is definitely the LCD which is included, unlike the GoPro for which it’s an extra.
The BlackVue SC500 Sport Camera costs around $500 on the UK Amazon.
SC500 Sport Camera
The total weight of the camera is 112 grams. This includes the camera, battery and rubber shock holder. The LCD screen is an extra 22 grams but that’s not necessary to use on a drone.
The size of the camera is 55x43x25mm. Or with the LCD 55x43x35mm.
As you can see it’s no bigger than the GoPro and the weight is definitely under any drones payload.
Wireless
SC500 Sport Camera can be connected to an android or iOS device via an app. You can change all the specs via the app and it even features a “live view” option. This will let you see everything the camera sees in real time.
There have, however, been reports of the Cameras Wi-Fi interrupting with the drones GPS and radio control systems. That is due to the similar frequencies.
Video
The camera has 2 video modes which include more specific modes:
- Standard mode: 1080 60fps and 30fps, 720 60fps and 30fps, 480 60fps and 30fps
- High Speed mode: 720 120fps and 480 240fps
As far as the battery goes, the company claims up to 2 hours of battery life when shooting at the highest quality. The reality is that this is only possible without LCD and wireless. Once you start messing around with those the battery life drops to around 1 hour.
For a better idea of the quality watch the videos below.
Accessories
The mounts available are pretty much the same as the mounts on GoPro. They even look similar. The only mounts currently available are the ones that come with the camera.
BlackVue SC500 vs GoPro Hero3+ Black Edition
The specs of the both cameras are quite similar. The GoPro Hero3+ Black Edition does offer also higher resolutions but the quality of them isn’t good enough to consider them a threat. When looking at videos they are quite similar as well but I’d give the advantage to GoPro. They just seem a bit sharper.
When shooting in the dark it’s a whole different story. The SC500 is by MILES better when shooting in a place with less light sources.
Price wise they are quite similar as well if you add the LCD to the GoPro. The same can be said about the weight.
As far as accessories for drones go, they are both the same. There’s hardly any difference and the adhesive mounts even look the same. When it comes to other mounts such as wrist wraps, helmet straps etc, there is no competition with the GoPro. Sadly the BlackVue just doesn’t have any.
BlackVue’s battery life is basically the same as the GoPro’s. So really there isn’t THAT much of a difference between the 2 cameras.
Conclusion
In conclusion BlackVue has come out with an excellent camera. For those who don’t like the GoPro it can be a good choice. Personally I’d rather go with the GoPro Hero3+ Silver Edition. It’s cheaper and better bang for the buck.
If you shoot a lot of night time in the city videos then go with the BlackVue SC500.
