I purchased (2) v4 cameras 6 months ago based upon the features available. I also purchased (2) 256gb micro sd cards. After setting up, I was able to bluetooth pair with my iPhone. The entire setup process kept trying to “market” me to purchase various subscriptions, which I will not do. I do not use the “cloud” for any personal data as a matter of principal. Trust is a thing of the past. No matter what I click on the iPhone, I keep getting herded to purchase various plans- which I will not do under any circumstances. I will simply toss the cameras in the trash if they do not do what their advertising said they would. I want motion detected clips to be saved on the SD card and I want to be able to access the card/camera while away from home. No monthly fees, no cloud storage. No matter what I click on, the V4 will not allow me to set up the camera as needed without added fees. Am I correct in my assessment based on everyone’s experience with the V4?
Not really. You do not need any subscriptions to setup the camera. you need to have a Wyze Account and then add it to your account via the setup process. After it has been added, add the SD Card card set it for continuous recording.
When an event happens you will only get a thumbnail in the event tab for the event. But your SD Card will have continuous recording to go and view what you would like.
In the app, you can turn off some notifications by going to Account > Notifications > In-app Notifications. Then turn off the promotional notifications
I believe the short answer is a qualified “no” (if I understand you), but I won’t even pretend to speak for everyone! 
It’s entirely possible to use these cameras without subscriptions, and that’s what many of us do. Like you, I have a preference for the 256 GB cards (I used to use SanDisk Extreme but now use SanDisk High Endurance), and as long as the camera and your phone both have Internet connections (necessary for authentication) and the cameras are properly set to record to microSD, you can view those recordings in the app without subscribing. The UI can be a little confusing about that, though, I think at least in part because Wyze wants to sell you on their plans. You should be able to access the microSD recordings like this:
- Navigate directly to a camera’s Live Stream screen and use the Recent Events list. After tapping an event, tap the SD Card icon below the view pane to jump to the event you selected.
- On the camera’s Live Stream screen, tap the SD Card icon in the control strip below the view pane to show the microSD card recording timeline and then scroll to select and view events from there.
- If you’re using the Events tab or have arrived at an event screen from a notification, then instead of tapping the normal playback button there, tap the SD Card icon in the pop-up menu to jump to the camera’s plugin and view the local recording. You may need to first tap a blank area of the screen (above or below the view pane) in order to make this menu/icon visible.
Wyze will absolutely try to sell you on subscriptions, and I don’t fault them for that. I’ve tried Cam Unlimited and can absolutely see a benefit to having the additional features available (though that might be overkill if you have only two cameras at this point). These cameras offer a lot of value even without a subscription, though, and hopefully this will help you enjoy that experience.
Welcome to the Forum, @tombudfb! 
The issue is they make it a bit confusing.
Maybe this screen shot will help - this is on android but should be similar on iOS. This is the screen you get after tapping a notification, or tapping an event in the app.
You can also access the SD card by going to the cam live view and tapping the SD card icon there which will let you navigate the video and events also.
