Here's a video you may find interesting, the Action versus the Yi 4K.
While the Action beats that crap out of the Yi 4K in functionality and build, can you guess which camera is which before the end of the video?
Action owners will tell straight away but can the untrained eye?
The YouTube description gives more info about the test and its restricted setup to even things out, the bulk of the YouTube description is below the video.
I'll be posting a video shortly comparing the gamma modes of the Action, normal vs D-Cinelike vs HDR.
Cheers,
Dave.
This video is a direct comparison between the Yi 4K action camera and the DJI Osmo Action action camera for picture quality and resolution.
Because the electronic image stabiliser on the Yi 4K is no match for the Rocksteady EIS on the DJI Osmo Action and the results would have been very one sided and obvious. So I locked off both cameras on a tripod so there was no movement of the cameras and so that the pictures from both cameras were easier to gauge.
Both cameras were set to as close as 'out of the box' as possible. This meant setting both cameras to fully automatic for exposure and white balance. Both cameras used their basic gamma colour settings, standard on the DJI Osmo Action and Yi Colour on the Yi 4K. This is basically each manufacturers version of standard rec.709
Both cameras were set to 4K UHD 25 FPS. Neither camera had lens distortion correction or dewarp to correct image geometry. The reason for this was to give both cameras the best opportunity at resolving the centre 3840x2160 of the image sensor correctly. Plus, Dewarp etc. blurs pixels, which would have effected overall resolved and perceived resolution.
Given that the Yi 4K is around $130 and the DJI Osmo Action is around $330, is there enough difference between the two for pure picture quality to justify the price difference?
Also, the Yi 4K has the Sony IMX377 image sensor and supposedly the DJI Osmo Action does too. Are the extra functions of the Osmo Action worth the extra cost and is the Yi 4K still a relevant action camera almost three years down the line?
Granted, the Osmo Action is way more versatile than the Yi 4K, waterproof and stabilisation etc. But for locked off shots or a locked off synced b-cam for establishing wide shots etc., again, is the difference enough to justify the price?
Indeed, you may even have preferred camera the Yi 4K anyway before finding out the results at the end of the video and on that point, did you guess correctly which camera was which?
Please leave a comment with your thoughts on the test, the image quality and which you preferred.
That was easy, having assumed OA would be better. More accurate white balance, better geometry, better exposure, better details (though one could argue this is just oversharpening). With postprocess the results could be different, but OA produces a better image straight out of camera. But I can see how Yi 4K may be a better value for some.
DJI Stephen Posted at 6-11 08:27
Hello and good day Dave. This video that you have captured is amazing. Thank you for sharing this video and thank you for your valued support.
Great Video.
I have the YI4K Plus and actually prefer the rich colours of the YI 4kPlus to the washed out Osmo Action colours.
I liked the Osmo Action but the major issue of the lag and lack of accessories and early bugs i sent it back. I await to see if and how DJI improves the Osmo Action and may reconsider purchasing it again.
For now the YI is my preferred option.
lvl.4
Captain
DJI team
lvl.2
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