just got my 8 plus and was curious, is there a difference in video quality between 4K at 30fps vs 1080p at 30fps? Other than resolutions obviously.
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Video recording
- Thread starter Jakesky123
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that's not true. the only difference between 4k 30fps and 1080p 30fps is that 4k will look a tiny bit sharper (not very noticeable). smartphone 4k video looks no where near as good as actual 4k videos as there's too much loss of detail/smudginess to make the 4k stand out.
i'd say it's not worth filming in 4k unless you really appreciate the small increase in detail (i tested it on my 4k monitor, it's not that big of a difference at all.)
i'd say it's not worth filming in 4k unless you really appreciate the small increase in detail (i tested it on my 4k monitor, it's not that big of a difference at all.)
This may be your experience, but certainly not mine. I see a very noticeable difference between 1080p and 4k on my 27" 4k iMac. And the addition of 4k/60fps means this is the way I'll be shooting the vast majority of the time. You can always reduce the quality, but you can never increase it. And with 256gb of storage and Apple's new HEVC codec, there's plenty of space to shoot in 4k/60.
You're obviously not going to see a difference between 1080p and 4k on your phone's screen. But if you have a large screen 4k TV or a 4k+ computer monitor, there is a very noticeable difference. Even Youtube supports 4k/60 and I can tell a big difference on there as well (as long as I am using the Chrome browser because Safari won't play in 4k).
However, this is a personal choice and there is no right or wrong answer. If you feel like you never need 4k, then don't shoot in in and you'll save yourself storage space and editing time. However, if you want to future-proof your videography or want to enjoy the extra resolution right now on the viewing devices you have available, then I'd say give it a try and see for yourself. I started shooting most of my videos in 4k last year with the iPhone 7 Plus, but I didn't like the tradeoff between 1080p/60 and 4k/30. Now that tradeoff is gone and I am very pleased.
I notice a difference in the 4K vs 1080 p even on my phone, my question was more about like stabilization, focusing, etc. does the 4K require trade offs for other aspects of recording?
as i said i have a 4k monitor, and the difference is very small even when i compare identical videos taken at 1080p and 4k.
Nope.
If you plan on editing the video its preferable to use 4k. You can get better stabilization with minimal cropping, better zoom, stills, etc etc and export 1080p with better detail and color depth.
Even if you plan on uploading straight to youtube or some other streaming service 4k is preferable if its going to be downscaled by the service.
However if you are just going to keep the video on your phone 1080p is a lot more compatible and easier to deal with.
The 4k video is still stabilized very well, so no worries there. If you shoot in 4k/60, there is one tradeoff: you can't switch between the wide and zoom lenses during recording. If you start recording in wide and you zoom in, it's just digital zoom. Pretty minor tradeoff, imo, but something to be aware of.
I think most of you are missing Pelea's point. Pelea is referring to the image sensor found on most smart phones. typically they are very small and although capable of 4k it won't be comparable to micro four thirds cameras.
Is it worth it to record in 4k on a smart phone? You get a little more image data out of it but it won't really be noticeable. It will look more like upsampled 1080p footage. Don't expect 4k footage on an iPhone to look the same as 4k footage taken with a Black Magic or DJI Zenmuse X5.
That’s exactly what I’m saying. In 5 years it may be worth using, at the moment not so much.
Disagree completely. I'm either seeing things that aren't really there, or you're not seeing things that really are there. No one is arguing that 4k on the iPhone is going to match more more expensive dedicated equipment. But then, even 1080p on that equipment is going to look better than 1080p on an iPhone, so we might as well not shoot in 1080p either, right? Ultimately, you might as well not use an iPhone at all to shoot video, right?
You guys are trying to say that 4k is not worth shooting on an iPhone, but "worth" is not something you can decide for other people. I see much more than a marginal improvement from 1080p to 4k on my iPhone footage when viewed on 4k+ equipment, and it's definitely "worth" it to me to shoot in 4k. The addition of 4k in 60fps makes it even MORE "worth" it to me because I can see even MORE of a difference than I did before. In fact, shooting in 4k in 60fps is in my opinion a very large upgrade, and the addition of HEVC makes the storage requirements more bearable (there's plenty of room on a 256gb iPhone to shoot in 4k/60). The iPhone shooting in 4k at 60fps in H.265 HEVC at a bit rate of around 55mbps (note that H.265 requires a lower bit rate) is stunning for a smartphone, in my opinion. And I plan on using it almost exclusively (there are times when I'll want to shoot in 1080p 240fps).
I'm not going to convince someone who doesn't think it's "worth" it, and that's okay because it's not for everyone. There's a reason Apple puts the new 40k 60fps option buried in settings, and that's because the normal iPhone user is not going to use it. The HEVC codec requires equipment that can handle it for both viewing and editing. That said, my 5k iMac just got the High Sierra upgrade that supports it, and the results are STUNNING in 4k/60fps.
Disagree. It has to do with the sensor size. 1080p will certainly better look when captured with a micro four thirds sensor. However the noise, color bleeding and sharpness will not be as drastically different between the mobile phone and a micro four thirds sensor as it would when capturing 4k video.
The "worth it" factor comes down to file size vs. quality gain. It's (In my opinion) too minimal to be worth it. @Op is asking for opinions. Two of us have given our opinion with the facts to back it up. I sure hope @OP takes all opinions into consideration and perhaps does some experimentation on their own to decide whats best.
It seems like you are here to be "right" and not to "help"
Not at all. Actually you are right: We’ve both given an opinion and defended it respectfully. That’s the way it should be, and others can take them or leave them. Thanks, and take care.
Some people don’t have an eye for detail so they won’t see much of a difference. Those with an eye for detail will see a big difference. In my case I can definitely tell that 4K video is much better on my 4K tv so I will continue to shoot at 4k60