One of the primary reasons that I wanted to upgrade to the iP8 Plus this year (aside from being on a yearly upgrade plan) was to use the 4k 60fps video shooting mode. Of course, like many of you, I excitedly tried to find the 4k/60 setting in the camera settings and couldn't find it... only to discover that you need to use the "high efficiency" setting first. But I digress.
Once I got the setting right, I just shot some random footage and noticed the difference right away! Buttery smooth video (like when previously shooting at 1080p/60) but at full 4K resolution. Previously, it was a tradeoff between resolution and frame rate. For the past year, I've been shooting almost exclusively in 4K because I have an 5K iMac and the video is beautiful. However, I always notice the not-so-smooth video, especially when either shooting subjects in motion and especially when panning.
Here are a few take-aways I discovered:
1) Make sure you turn "high efficiency" mode on in the settings, otherwise you won't even see 4k/60 or 1080p/240 modes.
2) The file sizes for 4k/60 are going to be HUGE, which is why I opted for the 256gb storage option.
3) There doesn't seem to be a recording time limit for shooting 4k/60fps, which is pretty remarkable because most Android phones even have a 4k/30fps time limit (10 minutes or so usually). I have not tried shooting infinitely, but some reviewers noted shooting for well over 10 minutes without it stopping. This is a remarkable feat given the amount of heat dissipation that is necessary for shooting in 4k/60. Most standalone cameras can't even do it. The highly acclaimed Sony RX100 series, for example, has an approximate time limit of around 5 minutes in 4k mode (and it's only 30fps). Some larger cameras can shoot longer, but for a smartphone as compact as the iPhone and with double the frame rate as most, this is a BIG deal.
4) OIS continues to work very well when shooting 4k/60fps
5) Since I don't have High Sierra yet, when I tried to Airdrop the 4k/60fps video to my 5k iMac, it had to convert the video first. This took quite a bit of time, but I assume won't be necessary once the OSX update is available?
I have yet to shoot anything worthy of showing off, but I am very pleased so far. Of course, you need some kind of 4k viewing environment to really take advantage of it. But at least Youtube allows you to upload in 4k/60 now, so that's one way to share them.
EDIT: I forgot to add, they definitely fixed that bad video exposure problem when going from dark to light (where it wasn't a smooth transition). That was very annoying on the iP7.
Once I got the setting right, I just shot some random footage and noticed the difference right away! Buttery smooth video (like when previously shooting at 1080p/60) but at full 4K resolution. Previously, it was a tradeoff between resolution and frame rate. For the past year, I've been shooting almost exclusively in 4K because I have an 5K iMac and the video is beautiful. However, I always notice the not-so-smooth video, especially when either shooting subjects in motion and especially when panning.
Here are a few take-aways I discovered:
1) Make sure you turn "high efficiency" mode on in the settings, otherwise you won't even see 4k/60 or 1080p/240 modes.
2) The file sizes for 4k/60 are going to be HUGE, which is why I opted for the 256gb storage option.
3) There doesn't seem to be a recording time limit for shooting 4k/60fps, which is pretty remarkable because most Android phones even have a 4k/30fps time limit (10 minutes or so usually). I have not tried shooting infinitely, but some reviewers noted shooting for well over 10 minutes without it stopping. This is a remarkable feat given the amount of heat dissipation that is necessary for shooting in 4k/60. Most standalone cameras can't even do it. The highly acclaimed Sony RX100 series, for example, has an approximate time limit of around 5 minutes in 4k mode (and it's only 30fps). Some larger cameras can shoot longer, but for a smartphone as compact as the iPhone and with double the frame rate as most, this is a BIG deal.
4) OIS continues to work very well when shooting 4k/60fps
5) Since I don't have High Sierra yet, when I tried to Airdrop the 4k/60fps video to my 5k iMac, it had to convert the video first. This took quite a bit of time, but I assume won't be necessary once the OSX update is available?
I have yet to shoot anything worthy of showing off, but I am very pleased so far. Of course, you need some kind of 4k viewing environment to really take advantage of it. But at least Youtube allows you to upload in 4k/60 now, so that's one way to share them.
EDIT: I forgot to add, they definitely fixed that bad video exposure problem when going from dark to light (where it wasn't a smooth transition). That was very annoying on the iP7.
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