Veho Muvi K2NPNG review

The K2NPNG doesn’t ship in a cardboard box; it arrived at our office in a hard carry case that you’re able to keep and use to transport the action camera and its wealth of accessories around with you. There’s a clasp that keeps it locked shut and the inside is generously padded. There’s just enough space to add in additional accessories should you buy other mounts, too.

The hard carry case is just one of many extras you get with the K2NPNG that you really wouldn’t expect given its low price. The other highlight is an LCD screen that attaches to the back of the camera to provide a live view as well as additional navigation controls. This is similar to the optional Touch BacPac available for GoPro cameras, although without touchscreen controls. This means you’re able to frame your shots more easily and change settings without having to use your smartphone.

You get a decent array of mounts in the box, including various sticky and Velcro mounts for flat and curved surfaces, a right-angle mount and a helmet front mount. GoPro mounts will also work, opening up your options. All of the mounts will work with or without the waterproof case, which will help cut down on weight if you’re doing activities that don’t involve water. 

It is worth noting that a Muvi K2, which doesn’t come with the aforementioned accessories, is available for around £30 less, but the K2NPNG version is easily worth the extra. Other action camera manufacturers can charge more simply for a hard carry case alone, making it a more than worthwhile upgrade once you factor in the LCD screen.

You also get an 8GB microSD card, but you might want to reserve it as a backup and buy a larger card for general use. You’ll only get about 1hr 30m of 1080p, 30fps footage on an 8GB card.

The K2NPNG doesn’t deviate from typical action camera design, looking like a cross between the GoPro Hero4 and Rollei’s ActionCam range. Free from the confines of its waterproof case and without the LCD screen attached it’s a fraction larger than a GoPro, and its lens extends out a little further.

Things get considerably chunkier once you put the action camera inside its waterproof case, however. There are two waterproof backs you can attach to the case, dependent on whether or not you’re using the LCD screen. With the screen attached the whole package becomes large, heavy and cumbersome. The waterproof case does at least allow you to go to depths of 100m, which is considerably deeper than most rivals.

You’ll want to make sure you use the anti-mist inserts inside the case, otherwise the lens and housing will mist up under wet conditions and forgetting to do so will result in disappointing video. You might also want to buy a few spares, as you might find yourself going through them quite quickly once they get saturated with moisture. Generic inserts will work fine.

Controls are also slightly fiddly until you get used to them. The front of the camera has two toggle switches, one for power and the other for Wi-Fi. There are two separate shutter buttons, one for video on the front of the camera and the other for photos located on the top. A first press of each will toggle to that setting with a second beginning capture. So if you’re currently in video mode you’ll need to press the photo shutter button twice before it actually captures an image. Strangely, there’s even a separate stop button to conclude video recording.

The waterproof case makes it even more difficult to remember what button does what. There are faint markings but these are difficult to see, especially when you’re in the thick of whatever activity you’re trying to record. Until you get things memorised chances are you’ll press the photo shutter button instead of stop.

While fiddly, once you get used to the controls it’s convenient to have a way to easily capture photos without having to dive into menus. You’re more likely to head home with a good mix of photos and videos, whereas it’s easy to get stuck shooting in one mode on other cameras to avoid having to constantly swap between the two.

The K2NPNG can shoot video at up to 1080p resolution and 60fps, down to 720p at 120fps. You won’t get quite such a high framerate as with other rivals that can shoot at up to 240fps, albeit at low resolution. Still, merely having the option of 1080p 60fps is great given the price of the camera. Still images are captured at up to 16MP and there are photo burst modes and timelapse options as well. A built-in gravity sensor can automatically begin recording when the camera detects any big movements.

^Still image test capture - good but not spectacular

Outdoor video quality was respectable considering the K2NPNG’s budget price. Colours in particular were rich and vibrant. However, video was a little soft around the edges and noisy, even in ample sunlight. Still images, too, were good but not spectacular. High contrast scenes showed occasional chromatic aberration around the edges and sometimes appear washed out. Still, for the money the K2NPNG provide more than adequate results.

^Best viewed full screen at 1080p

Battery life is one of the K2NPNG’s strongest points. The user-replaceable battery got us 2 hours and 30 minutes of 1080p video at 30fps, which puts most other action cameras to shame save for the 4GEE Action Cam to shame. The companion app on iOS and Android is a little barebones but works well enough, although there is a fraction delay if you’re using it as a viewfinder.

Overall, there’s a lot to like about the Veho Muvi K2NPNG. It’s a more than capable action camera for those not wanting to spend a lot of money. The generous accessories make it fantastic value and the excellent battery life is the icing on the cake. The camera has a bit of a learning curve and it’s a bit heavy in its waterproof case, but aside from these niggles the K2NPNG comes heavily recommended as a budget choice.