Runcam 5 Initial Impressions

Check out the raw footage at: https://1drv.ms/f/s!Al4b3QGPtgasncopYYXWfKnxqQnjpA  

This footage is still uploading as of right now, and will probably not be completely finished uploading for several hours. Come back tomorrow and check the link above. 

Image is VERY sharp and contrasty by default. I find turning Sharpening down to 1 and Contrast down to 1 or 2 is much better than defaults. This is NOT the ultra-WDR hyper-saturated image of the Runcam 3.

Auto white balance results in very blue image during daylight (common for Runcam cameras). 

QR code configuration is surprisingly effective. No messing about with WiFi or Bluetooth on your phone. One annoyance is that you can't easily look up what settings are currently on the camera. All you can do is re-set the camera before you go to use it. Also, changing just one setting is difficult. Let's say you want "whatever is currently on the camera, but turn Sharpening down to 1". Can't do it. You have to generate a new QR code for the entire set of configuration.

There is a QR code to "format SD card". There is no confirmation at all when this QR code is scanned. This seems like an oversight. However the camera does need to be set into "read QR code" mode before it will scan codes, so it's not as if somebody could just run up and flash this in front of your camera.

Front glass is not replaceable. Once it breaks, the camera is toast. To me, this alone might be worth the price difference for a Box 2.

Fits Session mounts no problem.

There is a "distortion correction" feature that, to my eye, looks like proper non-linear stretch SuperView masquerading as lens distortion correction, to fake out the lawyers. When you are using one of the "SuperVew" resolutions, this has no effect. But if you use 1440 resolution (4:3 aspect ratio) and "distortion correction", you end up with something that looks a lot like SuperView. The only catch is, it's in 4:3 aspect ratio so you would need to stretch it in your editing program.

Long story short, this is a capable camera, but I think the Box 2 at $140 is a better buy than the RunCam 5 at $99. The main disadvantage of the Box 2 is the bug that RCSchim found in its 2.7k output resolution. Foxeer may fix this in a firmware update, but in the mean time, the Box 2 is still quite capable at 4k and 1080p. And if you break the front glass, you can replace it.