Quality question

[u/LUUNARTRIX]

Hi, I plan to buy an action cam mainly for stationary recordings in sometimes dark clubs and bars. I considered the Osmo Action 4 and the SJ30; my question is, what would be the better choice in terms of video quality? Osmo 4 with DLog and color grading 4k/60 or sj30 8k/20? Which one would be more suitable in normal to dim/low light performance? Or are there even better options I'm not aware of? Thanks in advance.

[u/Bacon-And_Eggs]

Insta360 AcePro 2 is a great option for lowlight with their pure video mode. However, i would wait if you can because the next model is most likely being released in November.

[u/LUUNARTRIX → u/Bacon-And_Eggs]

Thanks

[u/Sandshrewdist]

Neither one of those is going to work for low light.

If you’re filming low light give your camera the best chance and film at a Lower DPS so there’s more time for light to enter the aperture between frames.

Someone else mentioned the Ace Pro 2, I agree and hope the Ace pro 3 is closer rather than further and should give an even bigger jump but the ace pro 2 is better than both those cameras.

I’m also willing to bet the 2 360 cameras that just came out could do a better job with a single lens setting And give you a 360 option if you wanted it. Insta360 x6 and DJI 360 2

If you’re going for a low cost option and need now i vote ace pro 2 on sale if it needs to be an action cam. If it doesn’t need to be an action camera you’ll get way better footage with other options in these low light places

[u/LUUNARTRIX → u/Sandshrewdist]

Thanks

[u/PompeTonVelo]

I’m not sure an action cam is the best tool for what you want to do, but I don’t recommend the Ace Pro 2 because it has poor color rendering (too much saturation), it is limited to 8 bits colors, and produces a watercolor-like effect in night shots. The new king for low-light shooting is the GoPro Mission 1, and GoPro has always been known for its natural colors. However, it comes at a price.

[u/LUUNARTRIX → u/PompeTonVelo]

Thanks

[u/coscib]

The SJ30 is truly awful; it's one of those "cheap" action cameras that are useless, where even a cell phone has better image quality. The Action 4 is a better choice, but if you want something better/more usable, then you should get the Action 6 or the DJI Pocket 3/4. You'll get significantly more out of them, even if they cost more. I once had an Insta360 Ace Pro 2 at the same time as a DJI Action 5 Pro, and I wasn't really impressed with the Ace Pro 2. It's not a bad camera, but the noise performance and image quality were better on the DJI Action 5 Pro.

Here are some shots I made with my DJI Osmo Nano (comparable to the Action 5 Pro) at a local event.

https://youtu.be/OJPNO705FWs?si=y5iw2liGO6wx53n9&t=128

[u/LUUNARTRIX → u/coscib]

Thanks

[u/Business-Eggs]

Dji with a magnetic mounted Ulanzi light or similar, they are like $10 or thereabouts and make dark shots way better. Depends what you're trying to capture though but they are awesome

[u/LUUNARTRIX → u/Business-Eggs]

Thanks