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[music] Low-light shooting is a game of precision. Here in video mode, you want to take a look. [music] It takes speed, accuracy, and a little bit of instinct.
Comparison of Insta360 Luna Ultra vs Osmo Pocket 4P in low light video shooting, focusing on exposure, color, stabilization, and performance.
Key Takeaways
- Insta360 Luna Ultra offers smoother exposure transitions and richer saturation in low light.
- Osmo Pocket 4P provides a more restrained, cinematic color profile and slightly better tonal range.
- Both cameras handle stabilization and autofocus differently, affecting image clarity at zoom.
- Dedicated low-light modes improve usability for beginners but limit manual control and grading flexibility.
- User preference on color science and flare effects will influence the choice between these two cameras.
What the video covers
- The video compares low-light video performance between the Insta360 Luna Ultra and Osmo Pocket 4P.
- Both cameras have similar focal lengths but differ in sensor performance, exposure, noise reduction, stabilization, color, and highlight control.
- The Luna Ultra features a dual-lens setup with 20mm and 60mm equivalents, while the 4P offers similar focal lengths.
- Exposure transitions in program auto mode are smoother and more gradual on the Luna Ultra compared to the 4P.
- At high zoom levels, the Luna Ultra retains more detail and contrast, while the 4P shows more prominent rain and autofocus pumping.
- Color science differs: Luna Ultra produces more saturated and contrast-rich images, whereas 4P offers a more muted, cinematic look.
- Both cameras perform similarly in color accuracy under natural low light, but differences become more apparent indoors under artificial lighting.
- Low-light dedicated modes add noise reduction and contrast but reduce manual control; beginners may benefit from these modes.
- Lens flare and ghosting effects differ, with Luna Ultra showing stronger streaks and 4P showing circular flares and artifacts.
- Overall, both cameras perform well in low light with distinct strengths, and user preference will guide the choice.
Chapters
- 00:00Introduction to Low-Light Shooting
- 00:50Introducing the Insta360 Luna Ultra and Osmo Pocket 4P
- 01:31Initial Results and Camera Identification
- 02:09Lens Specifications and Zoom Capabilities
- 02:56Exposure Performance in Program Auto Mode
- 03:47Zoom and Autofocus Performance
- 04:29Color Science and Stabilization Comparison
- 05:23Indoor Artificial Lighting and Color Saturation
- 06:09Low-Light Modes and Manual Exposure Preferences
- 06:54Lens Flare and Ghosting Effects
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
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It's one of the most challenging areas in video, but it's also one of the most rewarding.
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[music] Get one setting wrong, and the entire video could be just a waste of time.
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[music] But when you get it right, it makes it all worth it. But if security catches you, it's game over.
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[music] This is the Insta360 Luna Ultra, and this is the Osmo Pocket 4P. And today, we're going to compare both of them in low light. Are you ready?
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Let's go. Nothing in this video was created using AI. I'm a real human being, and this video is not sponsored. I bought the 4P on eBay, and I borrowed the Luna Ultra from a buddy who works at B&H Photo.
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Now, before we get into this video, if you'd like to test out the low-light shots that I got with both of these cameras, I left free project files in the description that you can download.
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Also, I created an entire how-to shoot video in low light course, and it's going to show you exactly how to get low-light shots like the ones you're about to see.
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All right, here are your results. Camera A was the Insta360 Luna Ultra, and camera B was the Osmo Pocket 4P. If you could tell which camera was which, please let me know how you knew in the comments. Now, I'm going to show you
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those shots one more time while I tell you about both of these cameras. The Luna Ultra starts at $769 US. The 4P sells for around $575 in mainland China, but you're not going to be able to find it in the US unless you
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you get it on eBay, and you'd be lucky if you got it for under a thousand dollars.
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But for this comparison, price is only part of the story. What we're really going to compare is how they perform in low light. Now, let's get into the nitty-gritty. With the Insta360 Luna Ultra, it features a dual lens setup.
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It's got a 20 mm equivalent wide lens and a tighter 60 mm equivalent telephoto lens. The one times lens is created for everyday shooting and wider shots. The three times lens is to get those closer-up shots. The one times camera is what I
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found myself using the most for both of these cameras, but I did use the three times, the six times zoom, and the 12 times zoom just so we could get an idea of what that looks like. The 4P gives
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you that same focal length, give or take maybe three or four millimeters. So, on paper, both cameras offer almost the exact same shooting flexibility. But matching focal lengths doesn't always produce matching results, especially in low light. The things that we have to
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consider are sensor performance, exposure, noise reduction, stabilization, color, and highlight control. Those are the things that are really going to control that final image, especially when we get into low light. So, the first thing that I wanted to do is see how both cameras adjusted
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exposure while shooting in program auto and aiming them at changing lighting environments. The Insta360 Luna Ultra transitions much more gradually, which looks a lot smoother and more natural to my eye. That would make me want to use the Luna Ultra if I was shooting in
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program auto. The Pocket 4P makes a more noticeable, almost linear jump from top to bottom as the exposure changes. So, in this case, I don't know if I would want to be shooting program auto exposure changing lighting environments
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with the Pocket 4P. I also tested both cameras at their different zoom ranges. And in the 12 times comparison, it was pretty telling. The Insta360 Luna Ultra did better here with more detail in the people that were on the balcony, and in
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a clearer view through that rain. The 4P made the rain look much more prominent, even though both shots were captured at the exact same moment. Not sure why that would be. And initially, you might think that's not that big of a deal until it
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affects your autofocus, because I was getting some autofocus pumping with the Osmo Pocket 4P. Now, at six times zoom, the difference really came down to how each camera handles the color and the contrast. The Luna Ultra gives the image
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more detail and contrast and saturation, just an overall pop, which is also something that I noticed in my original comparison between these two cameras.
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The Pocket 4P kind of pulls those colors back for a more restrained look. So, this one really comes down to personal preference. Please let me know which one you like better. The 3x camera test with both cameras, I put this on an inverted
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tripod and I walked forward. So, really this could almost work as a stabilization comparison. But, either way, the 360 Luna Ultra has more contrast, it keeps the foreground looking a little bit more in focus, but the footage does appear a little bit
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more bouncy. Whereas, the Pocket 4P does have some bounce to it as well. The color science between both cameras matches up surprisingly well here. For this color science test, it tells a very similar story with both cameras producing a surprisingly close look in
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this low-light environment. The Luna Ultra crushes the shadows a little more, even though I exposed both cameras the exact same, and the Osmo Pocket 4P shows slightly more tonal range, but overall these shots are extremely close. Now, that was outside under natural light,
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but once we move indoors to artificial lighting, it's really going to reveal much bigger differences between these two cameras. The Luna Ultra renders that neon sign a little bit deeper and richer orange, whereas the Pocket 4P gives a
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lighter orange, but really neither camera matched what the sign actually looked like to my eyes in real life. To really show how much more saturation the Luna Ultra has, I got this red-lit brick wall so that you could see the
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difference a little bit more clearly. The Luna Ultra pushes a red a little harder, making it stand out more in the image, whereas the Pocket 4P gives you a little bit more of a redder muted neutral look, which I personally prefer.
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I think it looks a little bit more cinematic. And you can see the same color science carry over here when I switch both cameras into their dedicated low-light modes. The Luna Ultra's pure video mode does a really good job
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cleaning up scenes like this, making it look a little bit brighter and more usable. And the Pocket 4P's low light mode also performs well, but I personally prefer exposing everything manually and just using the regular video mode. And the reason I prefer
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exposing manually is because the low light modes that come with these cameras are going to add things that you can't control. It's almost like adding a preset, which is going to be harder to grade than just the regular Rec. 709
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footage because it adds noise reduction and also more contrast and it also bumps up some of those midtones. Now, with that being said, if you're a beginner or someone who's in a run and gun situation, I would say absolutely you
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could use either one of these modes. But even in their dedicated low light modes, I'm still seeing the same overall color differences we saw when we were shooting in the standard color profiles. The Luna Ultra has more saturation, especially in
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that yellow light and the windows behind the building as you can see here. The Pocket 4P looks less saturated in those same areas, but it gives the sky a smoother and more natural gradient. And while we're here, let's also look at how
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both cameras handle the lens flare and the ghosting around those bright lights. The Luna Ultra creates a stronger purple and green streak across the image, almost like a light is smearing across the glass, whereas the Pocket 4P still
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produces a streak, but it does add a little bit of a circular flare and some artifacts around that light. So, that comes down to a matter of preference on which one you like better. Now, for this real estate shot, I actually had to
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raise the ISO on both cameras. I prefer the overall look out of the Luna Ultra over the Pocket 4P. The Luna Ultra gives those greens a deeper.
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Pocket 4P may be slightly overexposed like I mentioned, especially around that illuminated branding sign. I wanted to see how well both cameras retain shadow detail in this backlit shot. The Luna Ultra adds more contrast and gives those lights a slightly richer color, whereas
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the Pocket 4P looks a little bit more muted and the lights appear to be more realistic. So, this one really comes down to personal preference. I like the way the 4P looks in this shot. Here's another backlit shot and you can see a
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much bigger difference on how both cameras balance the scene. The Luna Ultra exposed for the sky better, but it is crushing those shadows in the building, which is making that lamp that we see hanging over the street a little
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bit harder to see. The Pocket 4P exposes the scene more evenly. It keeps a lot more of those details in the shadows, and it makes it so that you can see that hanging light a lot better in the
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foreground. Sky color has always been a big deal to me, and I find it very interesting how the Luna Ultra, when I'm shooting straight up at the sky, has more of a purplish look to it. And some people may like the way that looks
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straight at the camera because it gives you more of a moody feel. Whereas the Pocket 4P, the colors feel a little bit more muted in the sky. And if I wanted to get that purplish look, I would have
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to add it in post-production. But kind of interesting, when I frame up the shot the same exact way and I have the foreground covering at least, let's say, a quarter of the frame, the sky color became much closer to each other. Now, I
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didn't have an issue with either camera's stabilization. That's one huge benefit of having these cameras with built-in gimbals when it comes to low-light shooting. For the skin tone test, I used artificial lighting coming from a large television screen. The Luna
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Ultra gives my skin slightly more natural and flattering look here, which I personally like better. The Pocket 4P also came very close. I think both cameras performed very well in this lighting environment. Now, in this walking vlog type of shot, I was pretty
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surprised on how both cameras did. I can't imagine how bad my phone would be if I used it for this type of shot. All right, up until now, I've been shooting in the standard color profile. Now, let's shoot in some log. In my first
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test here, I was under exposing both cameras by approximately -1.0. I shot with D-Log 2 on the Pocket 4P and I-Log with the Luna Ultra. And you can see here, even after I graded it a little bit, you still have a little bit
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of a magenta look with the I-Log. After that, I jumped it to 0.0 on the exposure compensation meter, thereabouts, and they both did a lot better. I think D-Log performs the best here, but I also wanted to see what would happen if I
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increased both cameras by one more stop to +1. And lo and behold, the Insta360 Luna Ultra's I-Log did so much better here. This tells me that if you're shooting in low light and you're shooting with log with the Luna Ultra,
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make sure to overexpose by at least one stop. Now, I still hold to my original belief that the Poga 4 should be exposed at about 0.0 when you're shooting in D-Log 2, but I'm still experimenting with that. If you have any tips or
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tricks on shooting in low light with D-Log 2, please let us all know. All right, so overall, both of these cameras did a fantastic job when I was shooting in low light. And a lot of the shots, the colors looked way more similar than
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I originally expected. The biggest difference I kept on seeing was the Insta360 Luna Ultra has more contrast, more saturation, a little bit more pop straight out of camera, while as the Poga 4P gives you a more natural and
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controlled image that you can do whatever you want with in post-production. Now, I personally like that muted look that you get with the 4P over that pop you get with the Luna Ultra. But, this is one of those videos
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where it really comes down to personal preference. But, don't leave yet because I'd love to tell you about my talking head course where I teach you how to elevate your talking head videos and make them look way more professional.
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Topics:Insta360 Luna UltraOsmo Pocket 4Plow light videocamera comparisonvideo exposurecolor sciencestabilizationlens flarenoise reductionvideo gear review
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