SJCAM Original SJ4000 WiFi Action Camera with SOLO 3DR

Tommie Thomas · Dec 27, 2016

First, i got my first drone on Christmas day and it is the Solo 3DR. It is definitely intimidating for a newbe like me. That being said, I couldnt see spending $300-400 on a GoPro to attach to it when i could buy basically the same camera for $85. I know the form factor is the same so it should fit my SOLO, what I am curious about is if the SJ 4000 will integrate with my 3DR drone app on my smartphone.
Thanks,

Jim Drees · Dec 27, 2016

The SJ 4000 will not work with the Solo gimbal.
Reason:
On the gimbal there is a connector that fits into the back of the GoPro hero in which the SJ 4000 does not have.. (Basically it won't sit flush in the gimbal)
Also
It looks like the mini HDMI plug is facing the wrong direction and is in the wrong spot..

So unless you feel like modding the gimbal (Which they are only $40 right now so you might try) it won't fit.

Now if you don't have the gimbal and you are going to just attach with a mini hdmi cable and a mount then yes it will work but be prepared for some flakiness with the video feed.

I did this same thing when I first got mine and I lost video every flight.

evangelionhd · Dec 27, 2016

Tommie Thomas said:
First, i got my first drone on Christmas day and it is the Solo 3DR. It is definitely intimidating for a newbe like me. That being said, I couldnt see spending $300-400 on a GoPro to attach to it when i could buy basically the same camera for $85. I know the form factor is the same so it should fit my SOLO, what I am curious about is if the SJ 4000 will integrate with my 3DR drone app on my smartphone.
Thanks,

You can get life feed using the hdmi connector and press record before take off you can't control the camera from the solo app but you can control the camera using the sjcam wifi app.

Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk

Tommie Thomas · Dec 27, 2016

Jim Drees said:
The SJ 4000 will not work with the Solo gimbal.
Reason:
On the gimbal there is a connector that fits into the back of the GoPro hero in which the SJ 4000 does not have.. (Basically it won't sit flush in the gimbal)
Also
It looks like the mini HDMI plug is facing the wrong direction and is in the wrong spot..

So unless you feel like modding the gimbal (Which they are only $40 right now so you might try) it won't fit.

Now if you don't have the gimbal and you are going to just attach with a mini hdmi cable and a mount then yes it will work but be prepared for some flakiness with the video feed.

I did this same thing when I first got mine and I lost video every flight.

View attachment 4829

Thanks for the quick response. I do not have a gimbal, so if direct mounting it is a disappointment, i will probably send this thing back and buy a Hero 3 on Letgo. I have seen then there for $120 AFTER i bought this GoPro clone.

evangelionhd · Dec 27, 2016

Tommie Thomas said:
Thanks for the quick response. I do not have a gimbal, so if direct mounting it is a disappointment, i will probably send this thing back and buy a Hero 3 on Letgo. I have seen then there for $120 AFTER i bought this GoPro clone.

Hero 3 won't work either, unlest is 3+ black

Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk

Tommie Thomas · Dec 27, 2016

evangelionhd said:
Hero 3 won't work either, unlest is 3+ black

Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk

Jeez, seriously... I just cancelled my order and was in the process of buying a 3+ silver

evangelionhd · Dec 27, 2016

It will work for certain things but basically same than the sjcam try to get an used gopro 4 may be the most secure and economic way

Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk

CheapoHeli · Dec 28, 2016

My advice from someone who used the camera you're thinking about using for a month.

Buy a used Hero 4 on ebay. I got my Hero 4 Black for 199 and its very useful/incredible and I use it regularly without the drone(did with the SJcam but the quality is much higher with the gopro)

The solo is made to use this camera and IMO you're missing too much by not having one(I was).

Maxheadspace · Dec 28, 2016

Tommie Thomas said:
First, i got my first drone on Christmas day and it is the Solo 3DR. It is definitely intimidating for a newbe like me. That being said, I couldnt see spending $300-400 on a GoPro to attach to it when i could buy basically the same camera for $85. I know the form factor is the same so it should fit my SOLO, what I am curious about is if the SJ 4000 will integrate with my 3DR drone app on my smartphone.
Thanks,

I have always used an SJ4000 whenever possible with my quadcopters in the past, mostly because they're cheap and I have lost a few through various flying "incidents." I can buy six or more SJ4000s for the price of a GoPro Black. And the video quality of the SJ4000 is pretty close to that of a GoPro. Having said that, I really do appreciate the full functionality of the GoPro Black I bought for my Solo when used with the Gimbal. You said you don't have a gimbal, so if you have no intention of using a gimbal, then an SJ4000 wifi version will serve you well. Gimbals are so cheap now that I recommend making that your first purchase.

evangelionhd · Dec 28, 2016

I love my sj4000 you can check the video quality on the video I posted above, i would get a sjcam 6 just because its more advanced but still economical

Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk

Lisa · Dec 29, 2016

The SJ4000 wasn't designed as a dedicated dash cam, this camera's main purpose is an action cam that the designer added dash cam features to. The question, are those features good enough? I say yes. I've been using this camera the past few weeks as my daily dash cam and it works great and hasn't disappointed. Everything you need in a dash cam is there. Things like auto start/stop, loop recording, the ability to set different clip lengths, the ability to lock files and even Motion Detection, all wrapped up in an easy to use interface. Of course, missing are dash cam specific things like G Sensors and GPS that not all users want or need. The SJ has very sharp video and the 170 degree lens gives very wide side to side coverage. I was surprised how wide this lens was.

Tommie Thomas · Dec 30, 2016

CheapoHeli said:
My advice from someone who used the camera you're thinking about using for a month.

Buy a used Hero 4 on ebay. I got my Hero 4 Black for 199 and its very useful/incredible and I use it regularly without the drone(did with the SJcam but the quality is much higher with the gopro)

The solo is made to use this camera and IMO you're missing too much by not having one(I was).

Will the HERO 4 work, or do i have to buy the HERO 4 black?

FVidrine · Dec 30, 2016

Tommie Thomas said:
Will the HERO 4 work, or do i have to buy the HERO 4 black?

I use the Hero 4 Silver and it works great. I also downgraded the firmware to Version 3 but thats not required, still operated fine with firmware version 5 but had to manually turn the GoPro on.

yt lee · Dec 31, 2016

If you don't use gimbal, sjcam or any camera with miniHDMI out can be used for live video feed. However, if you need camera control thru the app or radio, you need the gimbal and Gopro (minimum is H3+ black). The camera requirements may change when Solo gimbal control source is released by 3dr. 3dr released almost everything except the gimbal control code. The gimbal was the reason sunk the Solo. Sad story.

Travelfox · Dec 31, 2016

Tommie Thomas said:
Will the HERO 4 work, or do i have to buy the HERO 4 black?

Hey Tommie, welcome to the forum and congrats on owning your first Solo. I, too was concerned about losing or destroying my GoPro Hero4 Black when I first started. But the reason why I went with team Solo is so that I have a GoPro (as a detachable camera) I could use for other activities aside from flying. So having said that, I hope you realize that benefit too when you're using the powerful camera for something else- it's durable, just try not to lose it. (Like you I've also tried making non GoPro cameras work with my Solo but the frustration and going back and forth returning to the store, rewiring my gear etc was too much bother).

My advise would be to practice flying as much as you can and maybe stay away from water for a while. I know if I drop the Solo on land it's easier to get to vs. the ocean or river, etc. Good luck and keep practicing!

monchoramos · Dec 31, 2016

I had a sjcam 400 non wifi that I had bought for my solo but I never got video feed on my solo app but my sony cameras worked ok though the hdmi. I am assuming it has to do with the sony sensor. I ended up buying a used hero 3 + silver some say it works others say it does not I only got it for fpv..

yt lee · Jan 1, 2017

monchoramos said:
I had a sjcam 400 non wifi that I had bought for my solo but I never got video feed on my solo app but my sony cameras worked ok though the hdmi. I am assuming it has to do with the sony sensor. I ended up buying a used hero 3 + silver some say it works others say it does not I only got it for fpv..

I believe only the prototype used the h3 but the production only take hero3+ black.

monchoramos · Jan 22, 2017

I just want the live view as long as I can see on my screen what it's seeing I am ok

yt lee · Jan 22, 2017

monchoramos said:
I just want the live view as long as I can see on my screen what it's seeing I am ok

If you only need video live feed and don't care the camera control or use no gimbal, you can h3 or any action camera with HDMI out.

monchoramos · Jan 22, 2017

I do have the gimbal my only thing was that the sjcam 4000 would not send video though the hdmi port I got the silver hero3+ to use as kinda of a fpv.