Rollei Actioncam 400 review

The Actioncam 400 is rather limited in terms of recording resolutions, with only one other mode: 720p/60fps. There aren’t any options for faster framerates, even by sacrificing the resolution, which is fairly common on other action cameras. This is bad news for anyone looking to create dramatic slow-motion videos, as footage from this camera will be jerky when played at anything other than full speed. The 3-megapixel sensor can of course be used to snap still images as well as shoot video, and there’s also a timelapse setting for taking a sequence of photos at intervals between 5 and 60 seconds.

Unfortunately image quality isn’t particularly impressive, especially if you’re shooting through the waterproof case. It might add a degree of physical protection to the camera as well as keeping it watertight, but the lens struggles to focus through the case optics, leaving our test videos looking overly soft. This was the case both with the Actioncam in situ on our RC car, and when set up in a stationary position.

Shooting without the case definitely improved the picture, but our test footage still lacks a degree of sharpness. The corners of each clip were noticeably soft, and colour saturation was also a little too subdued for our liking. Video also wasn’t as stable as we would have liked, with a considerable amount of wobble as well as shearing evident in our RC car test footage. There wasn’t much in the way of barrel distortion, though, which is surprising for an action camera.

It might come with a commendable amount of accessories, and the wrist-worn remote control is genuinely useful, but the Actioncam 400 doesn’t do enough to excite, even at such a low price. Image quality left us disappointed, as did the insecure mounting pads. If you’re looking for an entry-level action camera, we would much rather stretch to the £150 Drift Stealth 2 for its far superior battery life and image quality – even if it means having to buy accessories separately.