Hmm. Well, I was right to be wary about Yi changing the 2.5K mode 2560x1520 to 2.7K 2704x1520. The new mode covers less sensor width than the old (at least in Medium, stabilized,lens corrected). The B-roll shoot I did last week, which came out adequately well, would have been pretty poor with the reduced width of the new mode from firmware 1.2.3, so I downgraded to v1.1.0. The good news is that you seem to be able to freely upgrade and downgrade the firmware without having to jump through hoops. FWIW, here are the changes to the 1.2.3 version,as taken from the Beta testing group posts:
( http://forum.xiaoyi.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=37937&extra=page=1 )
Chinese and Korean firms are mad with all this VR stuff.
Making lots of cheap plastic things to mount lots of cameras, the more - the better.
I think idea here is to keep very high resolution.
Fascinating structure from Photokina, Vitaliy. I wouldn't have thought they needed 12 cameras, but maybe this setup was using some custom 2.5K-like mode...
I used my Yi4K at an event in Moscow last week, and it worked perfectly (with v1.1 firmware in the 2.5M stabilized, linearized, mode). I am nervous about upgrading to the v1.2.3 firmware, with its changes to give the 2.7M mode, so I ordered a second Yi 4K to use as the "testing-mule". Will be interested to test the new 4K extra-ultra 24fps mode, too. Not sure why they are now claiming better auto-low-light, will look into that.
Pretty positive.
Yi 4K Action Cam vs GoPro Hero4 Black
v1.10 firmware upgrade is nice. FOV option is interesting in 2.5K, the mode I am using most. Narrower view seems to give better image stabilization (probably because of extra sensor pixels not in use). HHL, Have you seen any documentation explaining exactly what the sharpness and FOV actually do? A map of the sensor-pixels vs video pixels is the least one could expect, I think. It would be nice to have a description of the "flat color" mode too. As far as I can see, Xiaomi's documentation is non-existent. Luckily, the camera "just works."
For an f2.8 lens, the camera's ability to work in the dark is excellent! The automatic noise reduction does lose some pixels of resolution, but not many.
Samples
v1.10 firmware released
So, flat mode is not much useful?
OK, a few more test clips helped me to see there is insignificant dynamic range improvement with "FLAT," primarily just changes in gamma and saturation. It is no Protune competitor.
Errors and omissions excepted, of course :)
I have been asleep since GoPro3, so playing with the new Yi 4K today was fun. No compression on the audio, I prefer to do that in post anyway. I especially like the hardware lens geometry correction. At 2560 x 1920 the stabilization works, and the geometry correction. I am still playing with the FLAT recording mode. My first thought was "It is not as good as Protune" but then I realized that the "YiColor" normal mode, with which I was comparing it, actually already does a pretty good job with greys without needing the flat mode. Will need to shoot a few jobs to figure out how much is possible in post, 8 bits is certainly limiting. Otherwise it seems great. Works as advertised.
One big issue with progress is to get proper main LSI. Ambarella already announced proper good thing with support of 4K 60fps HEVC, but as in previous times it can be good delay before actual product. Sony is almost exclusive supplier of 4K high speed sensors and issues with factory are still present.
could someone please mirror the firmware link? I don't use facebook and I think you have to be a facebook member for access...
New beta firmware for Yi 4K have flat color profile, can be obtained at
Yes, big thanks.
It is very good system. Best stabilizer amount all camcorders.
Only gimbal can compete.
Well, here is the Google translation of what Sony says:
"Even moving the camera body, float in space the optical unit of the lens and the sensor as an integral, are mounted on the Handycam of Sony "space optical camera shake correction". It was equipped with newly developed ultra-small size of this unique technology for the action cam. In addition, we realized the blur no stable recording than conventional by tuning the correction capability for the action cam. Such as a bicycle or drive, you can also stable image is to reduce camera shake and blurring the scene blur occurs. This overwhelming shake correction function, users can be working in 4K shooting and high-speed recording." [emphasis mine]
And here is the link to that page, with a diagram of what is going on.
http://www.sony.jp/actioncam/products/FDR-X3000/feature_2.html
Seems like free-floating sensor/lens to me, just like BOSS. And that it works in 4K (which for sure it says it does)suggests that it is purely optical/mechanical - no digital at all.
Are you sure? As BOSS is gimbal like stabilization in their video line.
Most probably it is juts optical and electronic stabilization.
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