4K Action Cameras

Winner in the value for money stakes

The Curve Xtreme 200 comes bundled with lots of accessories

In spite of its affordable price tag, the Curve Xtreme 200 can still offer slow-motion recording, time-lapse and loop recording, as well as adjustable exposure and white-balance settings.
In spite of its affordable price tag, the Curve Xtreme 200 can still offer slow-motion recording, time-lapse and loop recording, as well as adjustable exposure and white-balance settings. PHOTO: CURVE

From afar, the Curve Xtreme 200, with its front Power/ Mode button, might look like a carbon copy of the famed GoPro Hero4.

But, close up, the differences are quite obvious. For a start, the Xtreme 200 does not have a monochrome display in front, unlike the Hero4.

However, the Xtreme 200 has a built-in 2-inch display at its rear. As it is not touchscreen, you need to use the two side buttons on the camera's right and the top OKbutton to navigate the menu.

On the Xtreme 200's left, you find a micro-HDMI port, a micro-USB port and micro-SD slot. All of them are left exposed.

Thankfully, Curve has bundled plenty of accessories, including a bike roll-bar mount, quick-release buckle, and even a waterproof casing that provides 30m of water resistance.

Navigating the menu to change the modes using the buttons is easy, even when the camera is inside the waterproof casing. A wristband wireless remote (using 2.4GHz radio frequency) is included. But it is rather basic, allowing you only to snap a photo or start video recording.

  • TECH SPECS

  • PRICE: $189

    IMAGE SENSOR: 16 megapixels

    LENS' FIELD OF VIEW: 170 degrees

    DISPLAY: Built-in 2.0-inch

    WATER RESISTANCE: 30m (with waterproof casing)

    CONNECTIVITY: 2.4GHz RF, Wi-Fi

    WEIGHT: 130g (with waterproof casing)


    RATING

    FEATURES: 4/5

    DESIGN: 3/5

    PERFORMANCE: 2/5

    VALUE FOR MONEY: 5/5

    OVERALL: 3/5

The Xtreme 200 is the cheapest in this roundup. Thus, in terms of value for money, this is undoubtedly the winner.

And despite its affordable price tag, it can still offer slow-motion recording, time-lapse and loop recording, as well as adjustable exposure and white-balance settings.

In terms of operation, the Xtreme 200 is the slowest camera here. Powering it up takes around 11sec, while shutdown takes about 5sec.

Video quality can be better. Although it is 4K, the footage is not as sharp and crisp as the other action cameras in this roundup. The videos lack the sharpness exhibited by others, even in bright sunlight. But colours rendered are vivid and contrasty.

However, there are clear noise artefacts present in footage shot at night.

The same goes for the still images. They look pixelated for both day and night shots, when compared with the shots taken by the other action cameras in this shootout.

• Verdict: The Curve Xtreme 200 provides superb value for money, if all you want is to record footage in case of accidents or you can put up with its less-than-stellar video quality.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on November 02, 2016, with the headline Winner in the value for money stakes. Subscribe