The SJ1000 is supposedly the best GoPro competitor under $80. There's plenty of footage on YouTube produced from this action camera. It can also double up as a 1080p in car dash cam.
A review can be found at:
http://www.techmoan.com/blog/2013/6/9/sj1000-at-lasta-good-c…
Main Features:
- A water-proof shell that allows you to film fascinating aquatic sports; water-proof up to 30M
- Video capture feature up to underwater 30M.
- A 1.5-inch high definition screen that displays and replays the fascinating videos recorded.
- Detachable battery easy to exchange, able to prolong its service life.
- Video recording while charging.
- Plug-in video recording.
- 12-megapixel HD, wide-angle lens.
- HDMI HD output feature.
- Web camera function.
Specification:
- LCD screen: 1.5 inch (4:3)
- Language Options: English / German / French / Spanish / Italian / Portuguese /
- Chinese Traditional / Chinese Simplified / Japanese / Russian
- Resolution of Video Recorded: 1920x1080 / 1080x720 / 848x480 / 640x480
- Video Format: AVI
- Compressed Format of Video: H.264
- Resolution of Photos: 12M / 8M / 5M
- Shooting Mode: Single Shot / Self-timer (2s/5s/10s) / Continuous Shooting
- Frequency of Optical Source: 50Hz / 60Hz
- USB Port: USB2.0
- Power Port: 5V 1000MA
- Battery Capacity: 1100MAH
- Support Micro SD card up to 32GB(we recommend Sandisk, Class 6 or Class 10 speed)
Searched and the cheapest I could find it for was $69USD delivered from FoxOffer. It worked out to be just over $72AUD on my credit card statement. That was using the PayPal Express service instead of my own bank to do the foreign exchange rate.
It took 12 days (~10 working days) for the package to be delivered to my Canberra address. I ordered on 30/6/2014 and found it in the mailbox on 11/7/2014.
The SJ1000 that I received has Firmware version = 140423V02 and the 140 degree wide angle which creates a strong fisheye effect.
From what I read off the Techmoan website there are versions out there with a 90 degree and 120 degree lens.
I've also listed a $20 720p/30fps waterproof camera I found at Target:
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/153173
I'm kinda keen but this isn't really reassuring:
FoxOffer: While the manufacturer says it can work under water 30 meters, in fact I think they did not test each case in 30 meters water. We not sure if they tested it in lab for the waterproof level, so we can not guarantee the waterproof quality.
The new 3 buttons case is better than the previous 5 buttons case, that's no doubt, if you wish to use it in water that we suggest you check the case in water without camera in it firstly.