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SJCAM C110 Plus 4K action camera review

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REVIEW – Most of us use our phones as our primary camera, but there are times when using a phone isn’t convenient due to its size. The SJCAM C110+ is a small thumb-sized 4K action camera that you can mount or wear to capture images and video without taking out your phone. Let’s take it for a spin.

⬇︎ Jump to summary (pros/cons)

Price: $149.00

Where to buy: SJCAM (save 10% with code Gadgeteer123 expires 5/1/25) and Amazon

What is it?

The SJCAM C110 Plus is a 4K action camera.

What’s in the box?

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SJCAM C110 Plus 4K action camera

Waterproof case

Other mounting hardware including a wearable magnetic lanyard

USB-C charging cable

Polishing cloth

User guide

Tech specs

Standard Recording –

4K 30fps – 16:9

2K 60/30fps – 16:9

1080P 120/60/30fps – 16:9

720P 120/60/30fps – 16:9

1080P 30fps – 9:16

720P 30fps – 9:16

Photo Resolution – 20MP, 16MP, 14MP, 12MP, 10MP, 8MP, 5MP, 3MP, 2MP

Video Format – MP4

Video Encoding – H.264

Photo Format – JPG

Photo Mode –

Single shooting

Interval shooting

Continuous shooting

Timed photo (App)

Video Modes –

Normal mode

Timelapse

Slow video

Car mode

Loop recording

Vertical screen

Webcam

Stabilization – 6-axis gyro stabilization

Digital Zoom – Not supported

Field of View (FOV) – 170° with distortion correction

Exposure Compensation – +2.0 ~ -2.0

White Balance Modes –

Auto

Daylight

Cloudy

Tungsten

Fluorescent

Underwater Mode

Battery –

Type – Li-ion

Voltage – 3.7V

Capacity – 1100mAh

Battery Life – Up to 130 mins

Remote Control – Not supported

Rear Screen – Not available

Front Screen – Not available

Memory – Micro SD, up to 128GB

Integrated Microphone – Yes

External Microphone – Not supported

Integrated Speaker – Yes

Waterproof – Up to 98ft with waterproof case

App Control – SJCAM Zone

WiFi – 2.4G

Ports – Type-C x1

Dimensions – 64 x 31 x 32.5 mm

Weight – 78g

Design and features

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SJCAM says that the C110+ is thumb-sized. It’s a bit bigger than my thumb, but it is smaller than most traditional action cameras. The C110+ is available in white or black. The lens takes about half of the front surface with a large LED status bar and speaker/microphone holes between them.

On the right side is the power button that doubles as a start/stop video capture button, and a WiFi button below it that doubles as a mode selector.

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The bottom of the SJCAM C110+ has a covered microSD card slot and USB-C charging/data port.

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There’s also a reset switch next to the USB-C port.

SJCAM app

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SJCAM app

To get started with the SJCAM C110+ action camera, you will need to charge it and install the SJCAM Zone app on your phone. Since the camera does not have a built-in display, this app is required to change settings and install firmware. You also use the app to view and download images/video and set the mode.

Let me just get this out of the way… this app sucks. Is that harsh? Maybe. However, during my time testing the SJCAM C110+, I had nothing but problems using it. First of all, you have to connect to the camera’s built-in WiFi SSID, which isn’t too unusual, but you have to do it every time you start the app.

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Settings

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Capture modes

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Resolution settings

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Image and video gallery

Then, when I went into the settings or live view recording screens, it would blip back to that home screen within a few seconds. It would barely give me any time to make changes.

Note: One important feature that you’ll definitely want to change as soon as possible is the loop recording feature. By default, it’s set to create a new video every 3 minutes. I found that the clips don’t line up perfectly; there is a short time gap between each one. Luckily, you can turn that feature off. I believe this is an option to use the C11o+ as a dashcam, but I don’t think it should be the default setting.

Luckily, you can make the settings changes (if you’re fast) and just get out of the app altogether. Then, use the power button on the phone to start and stop video capture. When you want to download the images/video, you can connect the camera to your computer (in my case, a MacBook Pro), and it will show up as an external drive from which you can copy files.

I later found out that SJCAM knows about the app issues, and they recommend turning off your phone’s cellular radio while using the app to fix the problem. Ugh, no thanks. I guess you can designate an old phone as the controller for this camera, or you can just do what I do and use the power button after you’ve made any settings customizations. Luckily, the camera does remember the mode – photo, video, slow motion video, burst, car mode, etc.

Let’s shoot!

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As mentioned, the SJCAM C110+ comes with some mounting options. I did my testing with the magnetic mount, worn both as a necklace (shown above)…

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And with the mount under my jacket and the camera magnetically attached to the front. One thing missing in the kit is a lens cap!

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I also used the included threaded mount to attach the camera to a non-gimbal selfie-stick that I already had lying around.

Video examples

The video above is a compilation of several short clips where I demonstrate wearing the camera on the front of my jacket using the magnetic clip, while walking outdoors, walking indoors, a clip from a dark music concert where I hand held the camera, a clip where I handheld the camera while walking in the dark, and another clip walking outdoors with the camera mounted on a selfie-stick (with no built-in gimbal). This video is 4K straight out of the camera with no editing other than to add a couple of titles.

Final thoughts

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I wanted to love the SJCAM C110+ action camera, but I was disappointed with the built-in image stabilization while walking around my property. You can clearly see each step I take. The dark footage of the concert wasn’t bad, but it didn’t blow my socks off. I really find it a bit difficult to frame a shot properly without a built-in display/viewfinder. Pair the mediocre video quality with the app problems and I don’t feel like I can recommend this camera even when it’s on sale for less than $90 like it is right now on Amazon. SJCAM, please do better; your last two products haven’t impressed me.

What I like about SJCAM C110 Plus action camera

Easy to use

Affordable

Decent image/video quality in well-lit environments

What needs to be improved?

Video stabilization needs to be improved

App stability is poor and constantly crashes unless you turn off your phone’s mobile network

A tiny built-in display for easy image framing and setting customization is much needed

Include a protective lens cap

Price: $149.00

Where to buy: SJCAM (save 10% with code Gadgeteer123 expires 5/1/25) and Amazon

Source: The sample for this review was provided by SJCAM. SJCAM did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.

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