EZVIZ is a relatively young brand in the Philippines but they’re entering the market with an aggressive approach. They’re bringing in action cameras, CCTV, home cameras, webcams and camera accessories. The device we’re taking a look at today is the EZVIZ S2 2-in-1 Action Camera. It’s not just an action cam, it’s a dash cam too. So, is this fusion something to look forward to? Let’s find out!
First up, let’s check out the contents of the box. We’re actually getting quite a generous amount of accessories. We have the camera itself, a waterproof case, lens cover, various mounts, a user manual, and a micro USB cable. We got the black model with us but there are three more color choices — blue, orange, and yellow.
The camera itself is your standard box type action cam. The whole body is smooth to the touch and feels relatively sturdy. The front panel though is a little prone to oil smudges but is pretty resistant to fingerprints.
Up top, we have the loudspeaker and shutter button. The speaker is sufficient for quick audio checks for videos taken with the cam but just like any action cam speaker, it’s pretty underpowered.
Over at the right side is the power button that doubles as a mode selector and the settings button. The buttons, including the shutter, are all relatively clicky and easy to reach.
At the left, we have the micro USB and the mini HDMI port.
Down at the bottom is the battery and microSD card slot area.
The included waterproof case is also your standard affair for action cameras. I feel like it can take a few bumps and drops but nothing too intense. The case buttons are also hard to press and requires a deep push to hit the camera controls. It’s still a welcome addition out of the box and is relatively easy to remove and attach.
The unique feature of the EZVIZ S2 is that it also doubles as a dash cam. It’s pretty easy to swap back and forth the two modes, with just a swipe down from the screen the option to go action or dash, along with the wifi, lock, and settings, appears.
The Dash cam mode is pretty straightforward, just connect the camera to your car via the USB cable and record away. The camera will continuously record footages in loop mode when you’re driving and automatically stops recording once you park or stop the car. Holding the shutter button during recording will activate emergency recording, which prevents new footages from replacing old ones.
Action cam mode is a little more feature-packed, as it should be. It has video and photo mode, which you can easily swap to and from using the power button. There are three shooting options in photo mode — Single shot, Burst, and Timelapse. There’s also the option to shoot in 2MP, 4MP, or 8MP.
What piqued my interest the most is that there is a professional mode, where I was able to customize the white balance, ISO limit, sharpness, EV compensation, and apply filters. Image quality is a mixed bag, mainly because there are times that the auto white balance messes with the shots.
As you can notice in some of my sample shots below, the image came out a lot more pinkish than normal, so there could be an issue about how the sensor handles color in certain scenarios. Overall though, the shots have relatively good sharpness and quality. There is noticeable noise but it’s acceptable considering the maximum resolution.
As for video performance, it caps at 1080p in 50-fps. It also has three different shooting modes — Video, Video+Photo, and Timelapse Video. There’s an option for 720p recording that caps off at 120fps, for those slo-mo recording. Just like in Photo mode, there’s also a pro mode for video recording, with the same setting adjustments.
What I really appreciate is that there’s built-in Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS). It helped a lot in stabilization as seen in our sample video below. Quality is just average with enough color reproduction and accuracy and a few noticeable grains.
The EZVIZ S2 Action camera is certainly an enticing and unique combo in a world full of budget action and dash cameras. It fits a kind of niche market being a 2-in-1 but I think it’s a market that’s ripe for the taking. This kind of setup does eat up a lot more space than usual, especially if you’re using it more as a dash cam than an action cam.
I do see the appeal to travel freaks who have their own car as they could easily pop-out their dash cam and take them out during hikes or swims. At Php 5,499, it fits the bill for a 2-in-1 action and dash cam and with decent features to boot. If there’s one thing it lacks its 4k recording, which a few of its competitors do have. Although, it does cut the cost of getting a decent action and dash cam separately. Check out EZVIZ’ items, including the S2, here.
EZVIZ S2 Action Camera Specifications:
- 320×240 (2-inch) IPS LCD touch panel
- NC96160 Custom HIKVISION chip
- Photo Mode: 2MP, 4MP, 8MP
- Video Recording: 1080p, 720p
- Professional Mode
- WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
- Bluetooth 4.0
- mini HDMI
- microUSB
- up to 128GB microSD
What we liked:
- Professional Mode
- EIS
- 2-in-1 setup
- Good accessory selection out of the box
What we didn’t like:
- Aggressive auto white balance
- No 4k recording
