REVIEW - Akaso Brave 7: Affordable Excellence at an Unbeatable Price

Elevate Your Adventures with Crisp 4K Video Clarity and Advanced Image Stabilization

REVIEWS  Photography  July 11, 2024  Reading time: 14 Minute(s)

Max (RS editor)

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The AKASO Brave 7 Action Camera is a versatile and robust device designed to accompany adventurers on their journeys, capturing every moment with remarkable clarity and detail. Packed with advanced features, intuitive controls and a generous amount of accessories, this action camera is an intriguing device with an affordable price, ready to challenge higher-end products.

PACKAGE CONTENT. The AKASO Brave 7 arrives in a well-finished and compact package with the device and accessories for its use inside. The range of accessories supplied is truly generous and surprising: a camera frame to house the device, a remote controller, 2 batteries, a dual battery charger with USB cable, several mount elements (handlebar, helmet, etc.), 4 bandages, 1 tether, 2 double-sided adhesive tapes, a spanner. 

For our review AKASO also sent us the optional 7 in 1 Accessories Kit (which includes a floating mount for shooting in water, a head strap, a chest strap with its camera mount, a suction cup mount to use inside the car, a soft bag, and an additional strap) and a 64GB Akaso branded U3 SD card.

 THE OPTIONAL 7 IN 1 ACCESSORIES KIT 

As for manuals or other paper documentation, the instructions provided in the quick start manual are very concise. It's clear that Akaso has aimed towards an ecologically sustainable and sensible choice: it is in fact possible to find all the necessary and in-depth information for correct functioning online, on the manufacturer's website. This choice makes research and consultation of manuals easier.

TESTING. At the time of writing this review we have had the opportunity to thoroughly test the action camera for over a sufficiently long period of time. Let's see below our impressions and opinions resulting from the use of the product:

1. VIDEO QUALITY. With its 4K video recording capabilities (with 30fps rate in NTSC or 25fps in PAL mode) the Brave 7 ensures that every moment is documented with stunning precision. The image quality while shooting video of sporting events proved to be surprisingly excellent, with an ability to represent colors in a faithful and balanced way.

One aspect that surprised us the most about this action camera is the exposure. Anyone who has ever tried their hand at photography or video shooting knows well that it is not easy to achieve homogeneous lighting quality: moving from a bright to a more shaded area during the same shot, often results in a noticeable change in brightness which can compromise the overall quality of the video. The Brave 7 proved to be excellent in this regard: underexposure problems were not observed on any occasion. 

The device proved to be able to maintain an absolutely perfect lighting balance, even without resorting in activating the WDR mode (which is present and can be turned on in the video settings menu).

 VIDEO QUALITY TEST 

Talking of exposure the default 0 EV amount proved to be very sensitive on most occasions, particularly while shooting bright areas or areas exposed to direct sunlight. During all photo/video shooting we always kept the EV set at -0.5, this value (which in our opinion should be the default setting) guaranteed an optimal and perfect exposure level basically on all shooting situations (for both video and photography). 

Shooting moving subjects even at high speed (see for example the racing cars in our test video above) proved to be stable and consistent. No rolling shutting issues were observed in this regard, which is quite surprising for a device in this price range. The overall video quality far exceeded expectations, guaranteeing a truly high level of image quality and performance.

2. IMAGE STABILIZATION - ROAD TEST (CYCLING). The presence of problems relating to the movement of the camera during sports performance while using a device like this, is obviously to be expected. The vertical "roller shutter" effect is a natural consequence resulting from the movement of the camera mounted - in this case - on the handlebars of the bicycle.

 IMAGE STABILIZATION TEST 

The Akaso Brave 7 is equipped with an Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS 4.0) with a 6-axis gyroscope system, which we tested during several cycling sessions, both on asphalt and off-road with different terrain conditions. The image stabilization proved to be very effective not only on asphalt, but also during off-road rides with low, medium and high terrain difficulty (i.e. with greater oscillatory movement ). In particular, image shaking caused by large stones (see the final part of the video test above) is almost completely canceled out when EIS is active, which is quite impressive. During recording we also enabled the distortion calibration option to effectively remove the "fish eye" effect, resulting in a more pleasant overall image. 

Together with the exposure features mentioned above, the EIS 4.0 is certainly one of the strong points of this action camera.

3. TIMELAPSE AND SLOW MOTION VIDEO MODES. The time-lapse and slow-motion video shooting modes proved to be exceptional, to the point of taking the device to the edges of a simple action camera. These modes are well suited to the use of sporting events, but the technical capabilities of the Brave 7 allow for a broader creative use here. The quality of the time-lapse videos proved impeccable, rendering smooth and sharp video images.

 

 TIMELAPSE MODE 

The slow motion mode, which can be used at a maximum resolution of 1080P, also proved to be excellent. We tested it at 1080P/4X, and even in this case the fluidity of the images and the precision surprised us, especially in the casual shooting of insects such as butterflies and bees, whose rapid movement of the wings was slowed down precisely, guaranteeing a very nice result (the only limit here are the skills of the camera guy).

 SLOW MOTION MODE 

There is also a hyperlapse mode which, however, we were not able to test due to our lack of a motorized slider, but there is no doubt that the results here too would be excellent.

4. PHOTOGRAPHY. The Akaso Brave 7 can take pictures at a maximum resolution of 5120x3840 px (20MP) with a manual shutter speed selection ranging from 5 seconds to 1/2000s. Is it of course possible to set the shutter speed to Auto which, in most scenarios, is more than sufficient to grant an optimal result. 

 SAMPLE PHOTOS TAKEN WITH THE AKASO BRAVE 7 

Among the various parameters we find also Metering (with 5 different exposure options ranging from Center Average Metering to AI Face Metering), ISO, White Balance, Sharpness, Filter (normal, vivid, black & white, etc.), Self-Timer (to take selfie pictures with a delay up to 30 seconds), Image Format (JPG/JPG+RAW), Burst Mode (to take up to 8 shots with a single shutter press), Photo Quality (normale/high), WDR and Distortion Calibration (to reduce the fish-eye effect). 

A note on White Balance: the auto setting is able to guarantee an optimal balance in practically all situations. During our tests it was never necessary to correct the WB value, given that the default setting always guaranteed excellent performance. 

As regards the EV, the same considerations made for the video mode apply: a value of -0.5 EV is sufficient to guarantee correct brightness without overexposure or underexposure problems. In terms of exposure the camera proved to be good overall. Take the photo of the mushrooms above as an example: it is a truly extreme photograph in which the lens points directly at the sun and, at the same time, at a subject in the shade (the mushrooms in the foreground); Despite these extreme lighting conditions, the exposure balance is incredibly good.

Photos taken in low-light situations produced overall good images (without using WDR), considering the poor lighting condition of the scenes:

 PHOTOS TAKEN IN LOW LIGHT CONDITIONS 

The Akaso Brave 7 can also take very pleasant long exposure photos with ease. We really liked the shots we got:

 LONG EXPOSURE PICTURES 

The WDR mode of the Brave 7 (suitable for taking photos in high contrast light conditions) is very aggressive, and in our opinion its use is only suitable in very low light scenarios. It should be noted here that, despite the aggressiveness of WDR, images do not suffer much in terms of background noise.

 PHOTOS TAKEN WITH WDR OPTION ON 

Overall the Brave 7 can take good photographs quickly and easily.

5. AUDIO QUALITY. The Brave 7 features a built-in microphone and can optionally use an external microphone through the USB port. We used just the internal microphone and the audio quality proved to be good overall, as the device is capable of recording even background noises from nature in a good and pleasant way.

It should be noted though that there is a persistent white noise in the background, but this is only noticeable while recording in quiet conditions. 

 AUDIO TEST 

It is possible to activate a Wind Reduction option in the video settings. This proved to be very aggressive though, leading to not very appreciable results. The second clip of the above video was taken near a creek with a light wind sound in the background; with the wind reduction option turned on all audio - both the water and wind sounds - was filtered out. As with the WDR option, in our opinion wind reduction should only be used in extremely noisy scenarios and, in any case, for better audio recording it goes without saying that using an external microphone is always the best choice.

6. WATERPROOF/UNDERWATER USAGE. The Akaso Brave 7 is certified IPX8 waterproofing up to 8 meters, which makes it ideal for use in rain, sea, or snow, opening up a world of possibilities for water sports enthusiasts. On several occasions during our tests the Brave 7 was near water or in the rain, and we never had any problems with humidity or other issues related to direct contact with liquids.

 UNDERWATER/WATERPROOF TEST 

We didn't have the chance to test the device during real water sports activities, but we couldn't help to do a little diving test! To take the Brave 7 underwater the only thing needed is the case frame used for all other sporting activities. I don't know exactly how Akaso managed to build such a solid device in terms of resistance to infiltration, but they did it. Immersion in water is painless, the quality, the colors and the sharpness of the images excellent, which is another feature that surprised us in a positive way.

REMOTE CONTROL, VOICE COMMANDS AND COMPANION APP. The Brave 7 is supplied with a remote control (rechargeable via USB) through which is possible to switch between video or photo mode, start/end filming and take photographs. Using the remote control is easy and immediate, the battery life is excellent, and the display allows to view essential information on the status of the action camera.

Through the camera settings is it possible to activate the Voice Commands option (accessible also from the drop-down quick menu) which allows to start/stop video recording, take a photo and power off the camera. The voice commands are recognised flawlessly, both in English and Italian, the languages we used during the tests. 

Is it possible to control the Brave 7 also via the Akaso Go app (available in the Play Store), which allows to mirror the images taken by the camera in real-time on your smartphone, download and view the recorded video and photo files from the camera SD card, share your footage online with the Akaso online community, and much more. The app is pretty solid and well made and updates are pretty frequent. 

Through the app it is also possible to update the device firmware to the latest version available. The update operation is easy, fast and painless for the user. Upon connecting the camera to the app for the first time during our test a new firmware update was already available for installation, further demonstrating Akaso's commitment to providing users with an always up-to-date product.

BUILD QUALITY, BATTERY AND OTHER FEATURES. The build quality of the product is excellent and is immediately evident as soon as you pick it up. As already mentioned, the complete waterproofness (even without having to resort to the use of a completely waterproof case as happens with other action cameras) already demonstrates the quality level of the Brave 7.

The lens, protected by a special protective ring, works excellently and after immersion in water no liquid residue remains on it, allowing you to continue filming without interruption. The quality of the provided mounts is also very good. 

Battery life is really good and the two 1350mAh batteries supplied are more than enough for very long continuous shooting sessions. On only one occasion we used both batteries for filming, which proves that their lifespan is excellent.

The front display, which can be activated by long pressing the down-button on the right side of the camera, is a nice addition, especially for video bloggers but also for video and photo selfies. 

INTERFACE.The user interface is very complete and intuitive. The drop-down menu gives you access to the main functions so you can always have them at hand. The small font size, however, could be a problem for some users, particularly those with vision problems. Furthermore, it is sometimes difficult to interact with the small size of the interface while operating the camera. An additional "big font" option would be helpful to prevent these little annoyances.

PRICE AND AVAILABILITY. The Brave 7 is available for purchase on the Akaso's website and on Amazon, at the attractive price of €189.99 (around $200). Furthermore, our readers can take advantage of a 15% discount by using the esclusive coupon Review15 during check-out on the official website, and get the Brave 7 at the unmissable price of €161.49.

CONCLUSION. The AKASO Brave 7 Action Camera impresses with its combination of advanced features, robust build quality, and extensive accessory package. Its 4K video recording, superior image stabilization, and photo capabilities make it a strong contender against higher-end models. The device’s waterproofing and durable design ensure it can withstand the rigors of adventurous activities, while the intuitive controls and responsive app enhance user experience. Despite minor software drawbacks (that could be easily fixed by the manufacturer with a firmware update), the Brave 7 offers remarkable value for its price, making it an excellent choice for both amateur and seasoned adventurers looking to capture their experiences with clarity and detail.

  

REVIEW SPACE VERDICT ON
AKASO BRAVE 7:

SCORE: 4.7 out of 5

✅ PROS

4K Video Recording: Delivers high-resolution video with clear and detailed imagery. Excellent Image Stabilization: EIS 4.0 ensures smooth footage, even during high-motion activities. Versatile Accessory Package: Comes with a generous set of accessories. Waterproof and Durable: Certified IPX8 waterproofing up to 8 meters makes it suitable for water sports and rugged environments without needing an extra case. Advanced Video and Photography Features: It can record Time-lapse, slow-motion, hyper lapse videos, 20MP photos, various metering modes, manual shutter speed. RAW Pictures: can save photos in RAW format. User-Friendly Companion App: The Akaso Go app allows for real-time mirroring, easy file transfers, firmware updates, and remote control functionality. Affordable Price: Offers advanced features and high performance at a competitive price, providing great value for money.

❌ CONS

Exposure Sensitivity: Default EV setting can lead to overexposure in bright conditions; manual adjustment is required.  Interface Font Size: Small font size on the interface may be difficult to read and interact with, particularly for users with vision issues. Background Noise in Audio: Built-in microphone introduces noticeable background noise in quiet environments, and the wind reduction feature can be overly aggressive.

 

 MEDIA CREDITS: REVIEW SPACE | AKASO