SJ CAM M20: Capture your fishing trips on a budget
As fishermen, we can spend top dollar on fishing gear, buy the best baits and lures or pay thousands of dollars for a boat. But when it comes to recording our catches, most of us probably wouldn’t spend a dime on an action cam that’ll record every minute of our line peeling, drag screaming and rod bending moments.
A popular action cam people use is the Go Pro brand. But at such a hefty price tag, many would rather get a top dollar rod or reel. So, if you don’t want to spend $400 on a Go Pro, here’s an alternative. The SJ CAM M20 Action Cam.
You can find the SJ CAM M20 at Gearbest.com. Use this coupon code for a discount off the camera: GBSJM20
Why the SJ CAM M20
Most of the videos I’ve been posting are from the SJ4000. Great little camera by the way. It’s simple to use and gets the job done. So why get the SJ CAM M20?
The first thing that caught my attention was the ability to record in slow motion. You can slow it down 2x, 4x or 8x. How cool is that! Ever thought about getting that top water action in slow motion.
Since I’ll walk the shoreline sometimes, it will create alot of shakiness. It’s very hard to keep steady while fishing. The SJ CAM M20 has a built in gyro that stabilizes the camera when you turn the feature on. It comes in handy when you’re walking on shore or moving around in the boat.
It can also record in 4k and 2k. I prefer the 1080p in 60fps but it may come in handy for some individuals.
The SJ CAM M20 is a 2nd generation action camera from its predecessor the M10. Since I don’t own an SJ CAM M10 I can’t do a comparison of the two. But I will compare it with the SJ CAM 4000.
In the video, I do a comparison between the two cameras. You can decide which one works best for you.
Underwater Footage
The camera works great under water. The lighting compensation isn’t bad considering most of the fishing takes place out doors.
You can see the water clarity isn’t the best but the camera was able to capture the fish.
Now that you know a little bit about the SJ CAM M20, let’s talk about using it for fishing.
Things you’ll need
Once you have the camera, here are some things I highly recommend you get.
I’d recommend a chest strap or a head strap. Each has it’s pro and cons. Here are a few I’ve discovered over the years.
You can get them both plus a few other accessories that are compatible with the SJ CAM M20 HERE.
Head strap
Using the camera on your head strap can capture more of the overall experience. You can see your rod tip bend more often just as the fish takes the lure or bait. There are less obstructions like your hands or arms blocking the view. Plus it’s pointing directly at what you want to capture.
The down side to having it on your head is..well, you’re head is always moving. How many of you while reeling in a lure will often look left and right to see if there’s surface activity. Or turn because you heard a splash somewhere.
Well, all this gets recorded and the focus is taken away when you turn your head. Imagine a fish exploding on your lure right after you look away. You just missed the money shot.
The footage can be very shaky sometimes especially when you’re chasing after fish from shore or if you turn your head too quick. To counter that, you’ll have to run in an awkward manner trying to keep your head balanced.
Chest strap
The chest strap is a lot more stable than the head strap. Your body naturally acts as a damper which takes away most of the shock from moving.
We don’t think about this but we move our head quite often. If you notice that you’re doing this, a chest strap may be your better option.
Even when you’re turning your head looking for fish, keep your body pointed in the same direction and you’ll capture the footage. If you have a 2nd camera that captures an over all video of yourself, you may look better with a action cam on your chest vs one on your head. So, presentation counts here too.
One of the biggest problems you’ll have with the chest strap is having your hands and fishing rod n reel block the view. Even when you are aware of the problem and plan ahead of time, it’s unavoidable. When that line goes tight and the rod bends, common sense and direction goes out the window. I’ve accidentally hit the camera a few times from the setting the hook.
So there are trade offs between the two. I’m currently using both. More so the chest strap than the head strap.
How I have my SJ CAM M20 setup
I’ve been playing with the resolution features and I think the 1080 60fps option works well for me. With more frames capture in the mix, any quick movements of the rod tip or fish jumping can be captured smoothly.
I also have the gyro sensor enabled and the field of view (FOV) in the narrow mode. A wide mode will distort the footage which may or may not be an issue to some. You’ll capture less with a narrower angle but you’ll also get less distortion.
With most people viewing videos from their phones now, a lesser quality video may not be an issue to the untrained eye.
It’s Go Time
Now that you’ve setup your SJ CAM M20 and you’ve chosen where you want to mount the camera, it’s time to go out and catch some fish. I’d love to see the footage you’ve captured with this camera in the comments below. Post up what you’ve been catching. Not fishing related, no problem. Post up a link to your footage anyways. Let us know what settings you have with your SJ CAM M20. There so many possible combinations.
