Eken H9 – 4K action camera – Review & Manual

There are a lot of action cameras out there, but only a few can shoot 4K videos. Is the EKEN H9 a long expected GoPro Hero 4 black competitor shooting 4K? I got this camera because it is cheaper than the Xiaomi Yi but in contrast comes with lots of accessories and is cheaper than the SJ400o wifi, but offers 1080p in 60fps.

In this review I’ll take a look at:

1. EKEN H9 specs
2. Body, Buttons & Ports
3. Included Accessories
4. Functions & Settings
5. Remote Control (App)
6. Demo Footage
7. Issues / Problems
8. Conclusion (my 2-cents of the EKEN H9)

Eken H9 specs

Image Sensor: 

The OmniVision OV4689 is a native 4MP sensor. (picture is upscaled to 12MP)

That’s the same sensor used in the SJ4000+ by SJCAM.

The 4 MP sensor is smaller than the ones used in other new cameras like the 12,4 MP Sony sensor in Firefly 6S and SJ5000X Elite or the 16 MP Sony sensor used in Git2 and Xiaomi Yi.

Chipset:

The camera uses a Sunplus 6330M chipset, that’s a rather unique one. Most action cams rely either on Novatek 96660 or Ambarella A7.

Frame Rates:

• 4K – 10fps – 25 fps (depending on firmware)
• 2,7K – 15fps
• 1080p – 60/30 fps
• 720p – 120/60fps

Be aware that the labelled “4K” is not native 4K, it is interpolated. Easy to tell for this camera as 4K is more than 8 MP and the camera just has a 4 MP sensor. Other cameras such as SJ5000X elite, Firefly 6S, SJCAM M20 or Elephone Explorer Pro also offer interpolated 4K.

Here’s my comparison of native 4K action cameras including the new Xiaomi Yi 2: 4K Camera Comparison

Video recording:

.mov files; .h264 codec

data rate 35-44 MB/s tested while 1080p 60fps recording.

Lens:

The camera has a 170° lens, like most action cameras.

Connectivity & Ports:

Wifi is built in to connect with the app (Android & iOS)

It also offers a HDMI as well as an USB port.

Mic in via USB & A/V out via USB are not available!

Recently the EKEN H9R was released which features a remote control

Battery:

The Eken H9 features a 1050 mAh battery.

The battery is a little larger than Xiaomi’s (1010 mAh) but the largest capacity still has the GoPro Hero 4 (1160 mAh). The SJCAM lacks behind with only 900 mAh. There are some issues with the battery as it doesn’t last very long despite the printed 1050 mAh!

Extra batteries are available: 3.32 USD

Storage:

microSD of 16 or 32 GB are recommended; 64GB are supported, but not guaranteed; class 10 recommended.

Display:

2” Screen (320×240 resolution)

So that one is larger than the SJ5000+ 1,5″ screen.

Body, Buttons and Ports

The body of the EKEN H9 is the same size as the SJ4000, so you can use their accessories as well. On the frontside of the camera there is the power and mode switch button as well as a LED for status and charging.

The camera’s upper side holds the shutter button, which also acts as select button in the camera’s menu, and a large recording LED.

On one side you’ll find 2 buttons to navigate the menu as well as for play back and wifi.

You can remote control the cam with an iOS or Android app. The remote control was introduced later sold in a bundle as EKEN H9R. A little towards the front there are some holes where the speaker is located. When playing back a video, you will also hear the recorded audio.

On the other side, there’s a microUSB and micro HDMI port as well as the micro SD card slot. Cards up to 64 GB are supported, class 10 is recommended. Above there are holes for the microphone.

Almost the whole backside of the camera is covered by the large 2″ LCD display, which is larger than most competitors offering 1,5″.

On the bottom there’s the battery door. The EKEN comes with a 1050 mAh battery, that’s larger in capacity than Xiaomi and SJCAM for example. The size and shape of the battery is the same as the batteries for SJCAM or GitUp.

Additional batteries can be purchased: 4.22 USD

As stated the battery is not the best, alternatively you can get a SJCAM battery.

Included Accessories

The Eken H9 comes with a huge pack of accessories:

As mentioned above the camera has the same size as SJCAM action cameras, so you can use SJCAM accessories.

The bottom of the underwater case features the well known GoPro Mount, so you can use any GoPro Mount with this camera.

The included frame (Clip 1) offers a 1/4″ thread, so you can mount the camera with the standard tripod screw.

Functions & Settings

The settings can be changed very comfortably with the large screen.

When you power up the camera with the power button on the front, it will get you to video mode first. A small icon on the left side of the screen will show you that you are in video mode and the current settings. By short-pressing the power button you can cycle through the modes of the camera: photo mode – burst mode, where the camera takes 3 pics within a second – time-lapse mode and settings. To enter the settings you have to press the shutter button which will also act as select button. You can navigate the menu by pressing the up and down buttons on the side of the camera. By pressing the mode/power button you’ll get one step back:

Video Resolution:

You’ve got the following options:

• 4k – 10fps
• 2,7K – 15fps
• 1080p – 60fps
• 1080p – 30fps
• 720p – 120fps
• 720p – 60fps

There are no options to select PAL mode which will give you 25fps (and a multiple of that) and also no option for 24fps.

Looping Video:

The camera will record 10min. clips and overwrite the earliest clip when the microSD card is full.

Time Stamp:

You’ve got the option to show date or date & time in your recordings.

Exposure:

You can select: +-2.0/+-1.7/+-1.3/+-1.0/+-0.7/+-0.3/0 to correct the exposure of your camera manually.

Photo Resolution:

The options are:

• 12 MP
• 8MP
• 5MP
• 2MP

Burst Photo:

The camera will shoot 3 pics within a second and that’s the only option you’ve got. Even when selecting a lower resolution

Time Lapse:

You can set an interval for the camera when it takes pictures:

2s/3s/5s/10s/20s/30s/60s

This is a photo time-lapse mode, so the EKEN will take individual pictures but not generate a video clip out of it, which you have to do manually.

Continuous Lapse:

You have to switch on this option to take time-lapses.

I actually don’t know why you have to select it, as time-lapse is a separate camera mode.

Power Frequency:

You can select 50Hz, 60Hz or Auto.

I guess it controls the shutter to avoid flickering as the frequency in lighting is different in several countries.

Language:

There’s a huge variety of languages you can set your menu:

English, Traditional Chinese, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Dutch, French, Czech, Polish, Turkish, Russian, Japanese, Korean & Thai.

Date & Time:

Be sure to enter when using the time stamp option.

Sound Indicator:

You have several options to choose when your camera should beep and the volume.

Upside Down:

You can flip the image in case you mount your camera upside down. That feature is not possible with many other cameras such as SJ5000X or Git2 – I heard that is due to the Novatek chip used in these cameras.

Screen Saver:

A nice option which shuts off the display to save battery:

off, 1 min, 3 min or 5 min.

Power Saver:

Same for the camera itself. You can select and the cam will turn off automatically when in standby:

off, 1 min, 3 min or 5 min.

Format:

To format your SD card.

Reset:

To get your camera back to factory settings.

Version:

Where your camera’s firmware version is displayed

You’ve got some basic features, but I’m missing white balance or auto-record / auto-powerup to use this cam as a dash cam.

But more about that in my conclusion.

Remote Control:

Recently a EKEN H9R was released which features a remote control with following specs:

• 3m water resistant
• working distance 15m
• wifi connected

Currently I don’t have confirmation if the remote control also works with the camera sold as EKEN H9 package.

The Remote Control is not sold separately!

Remote Control via App:

You can also remote control the camera with your phone, an iOS and an Android App are available and called Ez iCam App.

On top you can select the resolution and frame rate, but 4K and 2,7K are not available within the app. Next to it you’ll find the battery status of the camera.

Now what’s very interesting is that you can select white balance (AWB) within the app, but not in the camera’s menu!

When clicking the settings next to it, you just can select power frequency and format SD card – that’s it – no other options. I hope that this will be added with a future app update.

Below the live image you’ll find the shutter button and the mode switch button which will let you select photo or video mode. You can’t select burst mode or time-lapse with your phone! On the other side you can find the camera roll.

So you don’t get many options within the app. On the other side, you don’t really need an app to control the camera. You can do everything on the screen and the menu and navigation on the camera works very good. Only reason the connect with your phone might be sharing the photos and videos online and the app works good for that purpose.

How to connect:

Press the “down” button on the side of the camera to turn on wifi. On the screen you’ll see that wifi is now on.

Look for the camera on your phone’s wifi – the standard wifi name is ICAM-Hg, the standard password is 1234567890

Open up the EZ iCam App and select your camera – then the live view is show.

Demo Footage:

Comparison of EKEN H9 and Xiaomi Yi:

4K Demo Footage:

Even tough the camera is labeled 4K action camera, 10 fps is too few for I smooth video, just wanted to show you in case you want to see:

1080p 60fps Demo Footage:

I’m not really happy with the color style and the dynamic range of the camera, the sharpness is great tough. On purpose I tried to cover half of the picture with the car to get very light and very dark parts in one frame to see how the camera handles it.

Conclusion

Unfortunately the camera is not the expected GoPro Hero 4 competitor which the name suggests. (The first low priced camera called 4K action camera). Technically the EKEN can shoot in 4K, but only at 15 fps and this frame rate is too low for a smooth video playback. Take a look at the Demo Footage above. If you want 4K footage you have to go with GoPro Hero4 or Sony FDR-X1000. Or the lower priced Firefly 6S, SJ5000X Elite or Git2 which can do 24fps at 4K, but the 4K resolution is interpolated.

• A big plus for the EKEN H9 is definitely its price, so it got my attention. It is cheaper than the Xiaomi Yi, but additionally offers a 2″ screen and comes with lots of accessories. It still can do 1080p and that’s what most cameras offer and most commonly used, except you got a 4K screen at home.

• The 2″ display is great, nice addition to frame your picture and easy to change settings without taking out your phone out all the time.

• The recordings in 1080p with 60fps are ultra sharp. Many comments on my YouTube channel say that my Xiaomi Yi is out of focus, but I think it is just due to the fact the the EKEN offers such a sharp picture and a very high contrast. I was also surprised that the 1080p 60fps recordings show a data rate of 25-45 MB/s which is very high compared to Xiaomi Yi’s 25 MB/s. I got the feeling that the colors are a bit blue-ish; I personally prefer the color style of the Xiaomi Yi. That was in auto mode, you can change white balance, but only in the app as stated above.

Which get’s me to some issues with the cam.

• The menu offers basic functions, but not as many as a Git2 for example. It would be great to check white balance in the menu and some more features would be great such as video time-lapse and auto power-up and auto record to use the cam as a dash cam. The app basically works very well, but you are limited to only a few options.

• The battery has a capacity of 1050 mAh which sounds great, but I got the impression that it runs out very fast, even if the screen is turned off. I guess that’s due to the high data rate. The EKEN also gets very hot pretty fast and therefore some anti fog strips in the underwater case are highly recommended.

• Customer support. There is no download section on the EKEN website to get the latest firmware. The App is updated from time to time, but there are not really great improvements and the App definitely lacks functions!

• The sensor of the camera is small (Omnivision 4 MP) compared to SJ5000X and Firefly 6S (Sony 12 MP) or  Xiaomi Yi and Git2 (Sony 16 MP). I think the small sensor results in a very sharp image, but lacks dynamic range. In the following picture I tried frame an image where there are very dark (car) and very bright (sky) areas. The sky is completely overexposed.

Frame grab of a video taken with EKEN H9 in 1080p with 60fps.

Here are 2 frame grabs from the comparison video with the Xiaomi Yi (video above). You can see that the EKEN H9 image is very sharp and the contrast is high, but the sky on the right is overexposed whereas the Xiaomi Yi still shows the texture of the clouds.

Frame grab of a video taken with EKEN H9 in 1080p with 60fps

Frame grab of a video taken with Xiaomi Yi in 1080p with 60fps

But back to the price. It is lower than the one for the Xiaomi and you get an underwater case and several mounts included, so there have to be some deductions quality wise. The EKEN is a very affordable camera and comes with basically all you need to get started. So it’s a good deal, if you want more, you’ve got to pay more.

Here is some demo footage I did, I’ll upload more on my Youtube channel and update this article if I get any more info or insight.

I hope you like this article and check back on my blog from time to time.

If you want to leave any feedback or disagree with my thoughts on the camera, please do so in the comment section.

If you liked the product you can discover it in Gearbest.

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