Crosstour CT9000 Action Camera vs CT8500 Review

For over a year I’ve been using a Crosstour CT9000 Action Camera, mostly on my bike when I go out for rides. You can read more about my views on this gadget at the following posts:

Action Camera – MicroSD card-support – Crosstour and others

My Crosstour 4k and TOHLO portable battery review

I recently acquired an upgraded version however, which is for some reason being the lower numbered CT8500 (maybe Crosstour realised they peaked too soon with their numbering system), for the benefit of two additional features:

• External Microphone
• Image Stabilisation

Crosstour CT9000 and CT8500

Beyond these features the two cameras are very similar although the newer one’s Settings menu is more comprehensive; the CT9000’s menu is presented in one long list that you have to scroll through, whereas the CT8500’s more extensive options are divided into various categories.

That the two cameras are physically very similar means I can continue to use the various accessories I have; I would just need to carefully modify the mounting enclosure I have to hold the camera on my bike to include an additional hole for plugging in the external microphone.

The optional extra mount I use on my bike would need to be modified to provide access to the 2.5mm microphone socket.

I got the camera at a slightly discounted price due to it being “open box” which may well explain some issues. For instance, I thought the inclusion of the lapel mic would mean I could use the action camera for vlogging, and reviews on Amazon were good with regards to this. However, whether it is a fault with the camera I received, or a general issue, the microphone just didn’t pick up my quiet voice at all well, making the feature useless. The camera(s) are also best suited to outdoor or well-lit activities.

The built-in microphone works in a similar fashion on both cameras although I notice the small holes indicating the location are on opposite sides on each camera with the CT8500’s being located next to the 2.5mm socket.

The cable on the included lapel microphone measures around 4 feet / 1.2m in length. I tested the microphone and found it to measure around 930 Ohms in resistance, assuming it’s not the fault that’s causing this. This figure should be useful if seeking a replacement or alternative, although while they are widely available on Ebay, listings don’t always state the resistance rating.

The Image Stabilisation feature however (activated via the CIS option in the settings) seems to do its thing, although it should be noted that while the camera is capable of recording video at up to 4K, enabling CIS will drop the resolution to the 2.7K mode. No big deal for me.

I did notice that when viewing the image on the display and panning the camera you can actually see the Image Stabilisation at work.

4K you say?

With regards to the 4K setting, I had noted in my review of the CT9000 that the 4K mode didn’t seem to provide any improved image quality and the lack of notable file size over the 2.7K mode seemed to confirm that the recording was just scaled up, or “interpolated” making the “4K” claim just that, a claim. That was not really an issue for me however as the videos I created would be only 720p to keep file sizes low for a slow upload to Youtube; 1080p was thus adequate for recording in, giving me some wiggle room for zooming in during editing, and also the further option of 60fps instead of 30fps, great for slow motion stuff. With regards to the CT8500 though, the 4K mode actually seems to be that with some testing to confirm:

Recordings are made in 15 minute segments and this resulted in the following file sizes (all at 30fps):

• 1080p = 2.42GB
• 2.7K = 2.62GB
• 4K = 3.53GB

Some other things of note are that the frame rates for the different cameras are different at 4K, with the CT8500 recording at 30fps, but the CT9000 is limited to 25fps at this resolution. Both can record at either 30 or 60fps, the latter being idea for slow motion edits. The CT9000 has more options at the lower resolution of 720P (both capable of 120fps here) but I think most people will opt for the higher resolutions.

These cameras are also capable of taking photographs, and while the listing for the one I ordered is supposed to be able to take photos up to 20MP the version I received could only go up to 16MP, the same as my CT9000. Perhaps I wasn’t shipped the right model. No big deal; I wouldn’t care to take such high resolution photographs on such a camera.

Blinking LED

My CT9000 has a red power LED on top that blinks while recording. This is useful when I’m using the camera on my bike as I can easily glance here to check. However, while the CT8500 appears to have an LED in the same location this doesn’t light when recording; perhaps this is a fault with the camera I received. The open box version I received lacked the simple user manual that was included with the CT9000 so I couldn’t check things like this.

Battery Life and MicroSD Card Support

I had noted with my review of the CT9000 that while on paper the camera’s two included batteries should each last up to 90 minutes, in reality they would each last for less than an hour (which is why I purchased a 10,000mAh portable battery pack). While I have not tested the CT8500 with regards to battery life, I would assume it’s comparable.

One point I have discovered with the CT8500, which may also be so with the CT9000, is that you can’t charge the battery whilst the camera is in use.

One awkward oddity is that the battery cover on the newer CT8500 has a catch that is, well, awkward to operate in order to release the cover; with the CT9000 applying a fingernail in the necessary location works fine.

One thing I did look at in detail with my original CT9000 was its ability to use a 128GB MicroSD Card. This was because the Specifications state support for up to 32GB only. The caveat I discovered was that while the camera would happily record to a larger card, you couldn’t transfer the files off this size of card by connecting the camera to a computer, instead you have to use a card reader. Again, this limitation was no big deal since using a USB 3.0 card reader would be far quicker than the USB 2.0 limitation of the Crosstour, especially since I could leave the camera attached to my bike and simply remove the card. The CT8500 has the same 32GB limitation claim in the Specification, but I can confirm it works with 128GB cards, although I have not tried transferring files directly off this by plugging the camera into my computer.

I must add that both cameras have a WiFi feature and include a simple wireless remote, but I have not used this; had the CT8500’s microphone been any good for vlogging then I may have found the remote useful.

Conclusion

I will did return this camera to Amazon since the external microphone didn’t seem to be working well enough for me. However, a replacement was the same. When plugging in the external microphone it doesn’t disable the internal one.

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