Emanuel

On 6/16/2026 at 11:37 AM, BTM_Pix said:

I’d have urged caution in buying the Luna before DJI released the Pro version of the Pocket 4 anyway but now the P4P has been officially released in China then I would definitely hold out for some comparisons.

(...)

Here's another from same 1st round of comparative tests:

And about the Insta360 detachable screen vs DJI FrameTap remote:

The sound in slowmo sounds just different enough too... 

Unlike the Osmo Pocket 4 / 4P (Pro), the Luna Ultra appears not only to provide 48 kHz AAC audio listed at a higher 32-bit depth — with true 32-bit float reserved for the external Mic Pro/transmitter — rather than standard 16-bit audio; it also appears to make 4K100/120fps available as a standard video mode, effectively usable as HFR when and where needed, captured as straight acquisition rather than pre-baked slow motion.

That is a different proposition from restricting those frame rates to a dedicated slow-motion mode with more limited audio handling. 

So yes, both may offer “slow motion” (4K200/240fps with DJI) but audio-wise, this is more apples to oranges than apples to apples. And in slowmo, DJI does not appear to include built-in Mic Audio Backup either.

That matters because, once high-frame-rate capture is baked into a dedicated slow-motion mode, the audio can no longer behave like normal sync sound unless the footage is brought back to real time. By contrast, 4K100/120fps as standard video mode is straight HFR acquisition: usable in real time with normal audio, or slowed down later in post.

Well stated @eatstoomuchjam @kye :- )

On 6/16/2026 at 11:37 AM, BTM_Pix said:

I’d have urged caution in buying the Luna before DJI released the Pro version of the Pocket 4 anyway but now the P4P has been officially released in China then I would definitely hold out for some comparisons.

One of the major USPs of the Luna is the excellent removeable remote screen but it seems DJI have an interesting solution with a small external remote for the P4P.

(...)

Oh and the 17 stops of dynamic range of the P4P is interesting too.

 

Indeed : ) 

https://freewellgear.com/blogs/news/dji-osmo-pocket-4p-vs-insta360-luna-ultra

But:

On 6/12/2026 at 12:39 AM, Emanuel said:

(...)

And here’s another feature that is, undeniably, not only pure fun:

...but just useful enough to say the least : X

I wonder whether will Insta360 POV Head Tracker, or something similar, come to the Osmo Pocket ecosystem too?

Will DJI eventually offer something like this?

If they do, it might sound a little like DJI quietly admitting that Insta360 has come up with something genuinely unique this time or once again? LOL* ; )

At least for now...

*disclaimer: happy DJI user here and just as happy an Insta360 camper...

The FrameTap remote is interesting, but it is not really the same thing.

The Luna’s head-controlled POV accessory makes it** feel like a more distinctive product:

**AND Insta360 products, in general, BTW... : X

Fascinating to say the least : ) His text and voice included ;- )

https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/cameras/gimbals/hohem-isteady-mt3-pro-review

https://store.hohem.com/blogs/news/the-ultimate-all-in-one-stabilizer-hohem-isteady-mt3-pro-review-is-the-ai-tracking-worth-it

Any takers / user experience over here?

Fair point. Agreed : ) A proper apples-to-apples test should also include each mirrorless camera in its best baked-in Rec.709 / HDR / tone-mapped profile, not only Log.

Log is obviously not meant to be judged as a finished image straight out of camera.

But that was not really the point.

The point is not that the Luna has “better” image quality than an FX3, R6-style camera or any serious mirrorless body in a controlled professional workflow. It clearly does not.

The interesting part is that this tiny dedicated video camera is giving a highly usable, stabilised, low-light image immediately, with very little operator burden, in a form factor where people would normally expect a large compromise.

That is where the disruption is: not pure sensor performance, but the whole capture pipeline: lens, stabilisation, exposure strategy, temporal processing, denoising, subject visibility and ready-to-use output.

So yes, a mirrorless camera can absolutely be configured to produce a good baked-in image. But the Luna is attacking a different use case: fast handheld available-light shooting where the question is not “which camera has the most flexible file in post?”, but “which camera gets me a usable shot right now, from my pocket, without rigging, lighting or grading?”

That does not make it a cinema camera replacement. It makes it a much more serious pocket production tool than this category used to be.

This is where computational photography becomes impossible to ignore and where it starts to look more like computational cinematography.

These Luna Ultra low-light comparisons are not simply about sensor size, ISO or aperture. They are about the entire imaging pipeline. The Luna is not just “seeing better” in the traditional optical sense; it is processing harder. It is lifting shadows, stabilising exposure, reducing noise, rebuilding colour, brightening faces and subjects, and delivering an immediately usable image in situations where more traditional camera pipelines can look extremely dark straight out of camera.

The Sony FX3 comparison is especially revealing. The FX3 is a serious full-frame low-light video/cinema camera, here shown in 4K S-Log 3 at ISO 12,800, f/2.8 and a 180° shutter. That is not a weak setup. The Canon R6 V comparison is also striking, with the camera shown in 4K C-Log 2 at ISO 25,600, f/2.8 and 1/50. Yet, in these posted frames, both traditional camera images look dramatically darker than the Luna Ultra low-light mode.

Of course, this does not mean the Luna is “better” than an FX3 or a Canon cinema-style camera in any broad professional sense. It is not. Log footage is not supposed to be judged as a finished image before grading, and larger-sensor cameras still have major advantages in colour depth, dynamic range control, lens choice, codec robustness, monitoring, rigging and production workflow. Properly exposed, lit and graded, they remain much more flexible tools.

But that is not really the point. The disruptive point is that the Luna is delivering a visible, usable image immediately, in situations where a traditional cinema pipeline still expects the operator to expose carefully, light when necessary, grade later and finish the image in post.

The iPhone comparison makes the argument even more interesting, because a phone is already a computational camera. Smartphones built their reputation by using software to overcome small sensors: multi-frame processing, HDR, tone mapping, noise reduction, subject detection and AI-assisted reconstruction. So when the Luna Ultra in 4K low light Mode produces a dramatically more visible image than the iPhone 17 Pro Max 1x lens in this kind of scene, the story is no longer just “computational camera beats traditional camera”. It is “a dedicated computational video camera can beat a flagship smartphone at its own game”.

That distinction matters. Smartphone night photography and smartphone low-light video are not the same thing. Phones can do extraordinary things with stills because they can merge frames, hold exposure, stabilise aggressively and tolerate a more processed photographic look. Video is harder. It has to work continuously, frame after frame, without destroying motion, faces, texture and temporal consistency. In this example, the iPhone image remains very dark, while the Luna Ultra clearly prioritises subject visibility, colour recovery and immediate usability.

So the real lesson is this: low-light performance is no longer just a hardware contest. It is sensor plus lens plus stabilisation plus temporal denoising plus tone mapping plus AI reconstruction plus exposure strategy. The most useful image may come not from the device with the largest sensor, but from the device with the smartest pipeline.

The Luna does not replace cinema cameras. It does not replace phones either. But it attacks the space between them: fast, handheld, available-light video where the most important question is not “which camera has the biggest sensor?”, but “which camera gives me the shot I can actually use?”

And in these comparisons, the answer is surprisingly uncomfortable for devices that are much bigger, much more expensive, and much more established.

source

39 minutes ago, eatstoomuchjam said:

Famously, the greases that Leica used in their old lenses would evaporate and deposit on lens elements over time.  It can be cleaned, but the danger of evaporation/depositing is real!

Not only the Leica :- )

Great posts, sticky this! Your contribution here @kye is priceless and a fine example for everyone, myself included : ) It's always a pleasure to read your thoughts! :- ) Keep going… I’m linking to it elsewhere, BTW ; -) Food for my trainee students. : D

Breaking news. The product is so obvious no-brainer, DJI has decided to declare a legal war against their most serious threat:

https://petapixel.com/2026/06/11/dji-is-suing-insta360-for-violating-multiple-osmo-pocket-patents/

The apocalyptic precedent is Kodak v. Polaroid, where Kodak was effectively pushed out of instant photography, but that was a much deeper, ecosystem-level disaster, not just another Tuesday in consumer electronics litigation. 

DJI has itself been through patent warfare with Autel over drones. And Insta360 recently faced GoPro in a camera-related dispute that did not exactly erase its current lineup from existence. 

Apple and Samsung spent years throwing patent grenades at each other before settling. 

When not the Leica MP or the new Insta360 Luna Ultra, they use one of those Blazar anamorphic AF lenses on the camera operated by the person accompanying him and here's a good sample:

Impressive if nothing else ; )

And here’s another feature that is, undeniably, not only pure fun:

...but just useful enough to say the least : X

Hard to compete with the Chinese, humm? 

Looks like (real) life follows politics.

Yes, indeed, but a few third-party brands offer that simple, inexpensive accessory, and it can easily be added to your setup.

Well, for the price of a good but still affordable zoom lens, I still find it quite a deal! ; )

And AFAIK, it’s the first gimbal camera you can simply lock:

No idea whether the Osmo Pocket 4P will bring that too, but the non-Pro version doesn’t seem to.

EDIT -- I had heard that the Pocket 4 didn’t have it, but as far as I’ve been able to confirm now, they’ve introduced it across both new Pocket 4 models. Looks like the battle between the two brands has brought some benefits for their customers... ;- )

Quote

•  

Originally posted in another thread, but given what it is, I think it deserves a place of its own.

There’s something very real happening here right now. This is not just a minor upgrade.

: )

Insta360 sample for focal length range.

source 

(from Leica HQ BTW)

And that detachable screen is basically an on-set field monitor. WOW What a killer combo : X

In the meantime... today, 8:30am EDT:

EDIT -- 9am (less than 5 minutes to go)

https://www.youtube.com/live/GW05hlCl8sw

Just a small note: anyone who shoots every day, across very different and often demanding shooting scenarios, will understand why this launch (with internal 32-bit float stereo BTW when coupled to Mic Pro) is so exciting.

EDIT 2 -- And here is, just released Melbourne by one of the usual suspects:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ayD92_55eZom1FTxYGxE6KA_fnjkNwHn

One of our favourites ones among us over here... LOL oh boy : D

...has just spoken:

3 hours ago, kye said:

The GoPro one in Seoul is very impressive....  I'm guessing they must be doing super-duper processing of the image.  Still, for the form factor it looks like a great result.

I'd be curious to see how the low-light is compared with previous normal GoPros. 

The previous comparing with this one is pure crap.

:- )

Not only small, two additional no-brainers to my book anyway -- people say this time GoPro has something or two really new:

...

6 hours ago, stephen said:

According to this reviewer VIVO x300 Ultra is the GOAT of smartphones for video (...)

Now question is should I buy the Chinese version from tradingshenzhen.com or wait 10-12 month for global version to appear on second hand market at decent prices.

Half of a grand looks like something to me:

https://wondamobile.com/search?q=vivo+x300+ultra&_pos=1&_psq=viv&_ss=e&_v=1.0&type=product

Take a look this time ; )

 Coupled to a7S III

Can’t wait for their Z-mount version to arrive too and join the ZR fun ;- )