New King of 8K 360 Cameras? Qoocam 3 Ultra vs. Insta360 X4 | 30-Minute In-Depth Review

[@hughhou]

🔥 UPDATED Q3 Ultra review is here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nnOvk6KDptN3pZY 👉Here is a real-world 360 photo shot on Qoocam 3 Ultra: facebook.com/photo?fbid=909272584342477 - more samples are coming. 🐕RAW fisheye sample on the side-by-side comparison is here: www.patreon.com/posts/qoocam-3-ultra-109683061 (it is FREE!) It is the Dynamic Range boost mode, so the color is funky, but you can grade it easily. The highlights recovery is super sweet if you hate that blow-out Sky 360 camera look. 👉We have 1 sample now for 8K video of Qoocam 3 Ultra here on KZbin. Using its special 180 mode to match Canon R5 II: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aITaq2iDr7uahKM

[@listentotheanimalscreamsha1511]

Does it do esquire rectangular effects.

[@hughhou]

Wait what do you mean? It capture in full 360 equirectangular.

[@listentotheanimalscreamsha1511]

@@hughhou Thank you. I asked the people who made the camera if it does it they couldn't answer it. It was one of the things I really wanted from a 360 camera.

[@listentotheanimalscreamsha1511]

@@hughhou I used to see vids on KZbin were there was an effect but those vids play normal now there's no more effect on it's just blurry.

[@henkgroenen]

At 17:12 if you look at the white building, the x4 shows much more details on the wall. It seems like the qoocam smoothens the wall surface like the X3 did.

[@hughhou]

Interesting. Now I notice it too. Mmmm let me do more investigating

[@lessirardeoleproduction5138]

@@hughhou I think it could come from the contrast, but what is striking with this camera is the unrealistic aspect of the depth of the shots, everything is flat in a quest3, yes there is resolution, but no that there is a complete lack of realism in a headset... I am very disappointed by this aspect...

[@hughhou]

@@lessirardeoleproduction5138 Wait how can you see it on the headset already? I have not posted our 360 video on Meta and Vision Pro yet.

[@captteemo9133]

There are demo videos b Kandao​@@hughhou

[@yuidfbse]

Thanks for the video Hugh! I'm extremely happy about the developments on 360 cameras and the release of this new camera. However the reality still stands that reframed, cropped and edited, even with 8K captured the images barely looked like good 1080p. Till 360 cameras can shoot 16K, we will not have IQ that after edited and reframed actually looks like 4K, this is just the harsh reality.. and that means we are years away from such reality. And no, 12K that is the natural next step will still not be enough either.. will be better, but not enough. Also, I find the output of the X4 much more natural looking, smooth and with less artifacts. It might not be as sharp as the new QooCam, but the images are far more pleasing and less artificially processed. There is a long way to go before 360 cameras have actual IQ comparable to 4K resolution on a finished edit.

[@hughhou]

Yes, as I explained in the video - reframe video is prob still 1080p. It’s getting there tho.

[@Unnaymed]

It's 5,7k looking like a 1080p go pro. 8k of that qoocam is near to an old 4k gopro.

[@AndreGranjo]

Thanks

[@hughhou]

Wow glad you like it!

[@adrianwilliams63]

I’ll still choose the x4 mainly because of form factor and those difference aren’t too big for someone who only films as a hobby. Love to see where this is going tho! I’ll upgrade maybe in about two years when the differences are night and day.

[@hughhou]

Yes! If you have the X4 already prob should wait.

[@Splexon763]

​@@hughhoujust comparing x4 and 3 ultra which one would you recommend now that you experienced both?

[@hughhou]

Hey I will have a follow up review coming up very soon. Will answer that in the video instead.

[@adrianwilliams63]

@@hughhou looking forward to it!

[@yuidfbse]

I will take with a grain of salt any enthusiasm for QooCam products till there are long term reviews and user feedback because all of their previous cameras proved to be overall very mediocre.. just the facts. Plus, from the start I know that the editing and software features of the X4 will be faaaaaaaaaaar superior to the QooCam's. For me 50% of the user experience of using Insta360 products is how awesome and easy it is to edit on their software. Curio8, will it be possible somehow to import the QooCam's files into the Insta360 desktop studio app and edit/reframe there?

[@hughhou]

You can probably lol. I can import all kind of 360 videos into Insta360 Studio. I will run more test and report back. I am at Siggraph now with Nvidia to present in person.

[@yuidfbse]

@@hughhou Thanks a lot Hugh! Have fun there :)

[@ChristiaanRoest79]

Hey Hugh, if i may ask have you tried stabilizing the drone footage with the ultra in resolve with the vr stabilizer? If you, did it make the footage stable?

[@hughhou]

Actually it might be a firmware issue as the camera does not work well in upside down mode!! Let me do more test when I have the production unit!

[@ChristiaanRoest79]

@@hughhou thanks, let me know buddy

[@captteemo9133]

Edit: Not latest firmware, will post updates as soon as I tried out the latest firmware. ---- Got my Qoocam 3 Ultra finally... footage unusable for VR when walking (normally, not "gimbal sneaking") while filming, especially when camera is not in direct sunlight. All larger, non vibration like movements are stabilized but all bumps and minor shakes (e.g. walking down a stair outdoory walking a bit faster, and so on) cause the video to disturb/blur for the bump durstion. No camera from Insta360 I had before (1-RS 1 Inch, Pro 2) had this issue. So for me this feels like a joke... why is my Insta360 Pro 2 that is not made for beeing walked around in a backpack so much better in stabilizing shocks from walking than a camera advertised for action sport. I am so sad...I was so hyped for this cam, the support promised to fix this before arrival, they released Stitching Software V2.8 but still the same issue it seems. PS: Your app doesn't work too... I am connected as described with the cam but no live feed even though I can watch the thumbnails of saved videos (but I can't play them) - Galaxy S21 Ultra. What a pity. ---- Besides that I can confirm that the fan is running for 13-16min without audible fan noise (fan always on but inaudible at lowest setting if more then 50cm away). After that it kicks in quite loud so all ambisonic recordings ruines but lavalier with noise cancelling should still work. Hope the recording time with silent fan can be increased some day (not by changing the temp limit, this us already crazy hot). But yeah...the thing I was scared most was no real issue. But not beeing able to record handheld while moving the camera converts it to a photo camera or stationary video camera only. And for that the quality is not good enough (even with your 0,5gb large dng files or AEB).

[@captteemo9133]

Okey there are 2 new firmware updates I did not see, I updated a few days ago did not expect so fast new updates. Will keep you guys up to date about any news of these have fixed the issues. --- Changelog: Current Version V1.0.1.21 Update OV1.0.1.23Available New Version: V1.0.1.23 1.Modified the fan modes into ""Silent Recording", "Silent Priority", and "Cooling Priority" , Optimized fan strategies. 2.0ptimized the brightness of 24MP DNG shoot with Dynamic Range Boost. 3.Enhanced system stability. → Updated now, tests will follow soon. (always take some time since capture, copy to pc & wait, stitch & wait, move to Quest/stream,...)

[@captteemo9133]

Btw: It heats up quickly but you can extend recording time without fan by 8min if you clamp a cooling pack on the outside :D (waterproof so no issue). But it will be visible in the recording. Better tip is to change batteries after a long shot so the new room temp battery can cool the cam down from Inside.

[@captteemo9133]

Btw time to capture for images is great. AEB still not fast enough if moving subject around but everything else really cool! :) Export Prores to see real quality of videos btw...sadly the 200mbits seem bot to be enough.

[@captteemo9133]

Just a mini update: I set iso also to manual, so it was unusable since shutter and iso were both locked. Did some further tests again but with fixed shutter I don't get usable results lighting wise since I move with the camera. Turning HDR on or off seemed not to change much outdoor as far as I remember, indoor turning it off and also setting shutter manual helped in terms of washed lights bit also made the video unusable in VR due to crazy high ISO, even after denoising. Anyway I seem to get white skies all the time and can't find anything to do about. Another thing that hurts badly in VR is that it just saves in 150mbit/s...even when exporting Prores there is a crazy amount of artifacts due to compressed source files. I would wish Kandao would bump up this limit, e.g. by writing one lens to internal, the other to sd card (or only internal and copy it later to sd with a setting). I have not yet edited the 10bit footage so some details of the white sky might be recoverable. Images are the only acceptible media currently but only if there are no trees nearby (I have missed the HDR image setting, will test it tomorrow - hope that fixes the WAYYY to blown out skies...AEB is not fast enough for handheld and moving objects around so this is sadly no option. The lens not facing the sun is always great but the one that is facing it washes its whole heaven in white. So to sum it up: Due to high conpression and blown out skies it is still unusable for VR for me, but maybe I can fix st least the last one. Please Kandao give us a higher recording bitrate! 🥲 App is working now! 🥳 They added the Qoocam 3 as new connection and now it works as it should :) Thanks!

[@captteemo9133]

@hughhou Why do you recommend upscaling over upframing? Isn't it more accurate to interpolate the movement of a pixel (mostly, if not covered before) instead of crafting information that is just not there befote? Furthermore with 8k30 → 8k60 I already have half of the frames perfectly correct since they are original, instead of all frames being edited by Topaz... A detailed explanation here would help a lot. Also for 3D? Furthermore: What if you need 12k90fps. Would you still record in 5.7k60 rather than 8k30?

[@relaxvideo3d]

Hmm, at 11:20 what image sharpness setting was used on the X4? Seems like low, which need sharpening in post. My favourite is medium setting.

[@Ozpeter]

Agreed!

[@FlyerThanDrones]

As far as google street view ease, shall i continue to use my labpano pilot one EE for features like direct 360 photo upload with native gps data on platform?

[@hughhou]

I believe the Labpano might has better GPS pinpoint but Qoocam 3 Ultra quality is insane good compare the old Labpano.

[@line1307]

Nice review! I have a question, where I can find this double support for the cameras like the yours?

[@hughhou]

Oh just photography rail - there are ton of amazon :)

[@line1307]

@ tksss :)

[@gorri012]

I got my Qoocam 3 Ultra and so far I am very happy in well lit situations. Finally the videos in my Quest 3 looks kinda sharp. Very nice! What I am interested: Can you please compare the QC3Ultra with the insta pro 2? The only benefit I can see so far is that with the insta pro 2 you create not only 8k 360 Videos, but spacial 3D Videos as well. I am wondering if this benefit is relevant, cause file handling with SD Cards, many stitch lines might outweigh the spacial 3D capability. What is your take on this topic? Would love to see a comparison with the QC3Ultra vs. Insta pro 2 - and maybe if you have it laying around the titan :) Thanks for your great tutorials and reviews.

[@ChristiaanRoest79]

Great video again brother! Good to know that the stabilization of the X4 is better. I mostly use 360-cams on a drone.

[@hughhou]

You are very welcome. Some viewers said my drone is just not strong enough b/c the heavy weight. I will need a bigger carrier for this one.

[@ChristiaanRoest79]

​You are right. Maybe the footage looks better and more stable when the camera is mounted under an inspire or phantom drone ​@@hughhou

[@hughhou]

I have update coming up in my 1-month later review soon.

[@salvoproietto]

Hi Hugh, as usual great reviews. I have a question, what do you recommend or suggest to create GSV... PANOX V2 or Qoocam 3 Ultra? Which of the 2 is more efficient and better to create blueline?

[@hughhou]

I have not compared them yet but I will lean towards Q3 Ultra as the quality is by far the best in this price range. They both support GSV

[@salvoproietto]

ok, so for GSV Q3 is better?

[@juppeek]

Hi, at 1:13, what is the color of the pattern? Is it blue or black? 🤔 Thank you.

[@herrlehmann6855]

Great review again, thank you! One Question: which mode did you use on the insta360 x4? dewarp, ultra or mega? looks like you used dewarp?

[@hughhou]

I don't use any of them. I shoot 360 video. Also, changing FOV render the video and it affect X4 quality - that will be unfair to X4 on the comparison.

[@mochouinard]

What I don't understand, is why was your insta360 x4 review had really nice looking image, and not here the x4 look like a x2...

[@captteemo9133]

Maybe he zoomed in more? This is why I always review it in VR

[@hughhou]

If it is my 360 video, I went tho LOTS OF post production to make the quality look as good as it could as I am serving a public audiences on Meta Quest and recently Vision Pro. They don't care about camera tech - they need good quality. They also do not watch my camera review video on this channel lol. So what X4 lack I use my post skill to match it. But for camera test like this one or the X4 official review - it is unprocessed. Also, you don't really see quality different if it is without comparions side by side. X4 8K is not bad at all - it is just when compared to a bigger sensor camera, you see the different.

[@mattm381]

Does it autostitch in camera or have a plugin to work with Premiere natively?

[@hughhou]

It is a different software (free) you download onto your computer - it also do CA correction, leveling, and all kinda of stuffs. Really much like a simple version of Insta360 Studio.

[@mattm381]

@@hughhoucan it go into Premeire natively or it has to process first in the free software?

[@captteemo9133]

@hughhou is there a minimum shutter speed needed to avoid motion blur with the Qoocam 3 when filming in the evening or with just indoor lighting?

[@hughhou]

Oh yes! Ues manually as the camera do not have sport mode

[@captteemo9133]

@@hughhou Thanks but what is the minimum shutter speed?

[@dixter1652]

Hugh... were can we find the LUT for the Ultra... thanks

[@hughhou]

Yes when they final lock down their color science - the new firmware mess up all my grade. It is a lot more saturated now on DR Boost in HLG. Let's wait till they make up their mind on color science then I will develop a lut for it

[@_Oregon_Sunday_Drives_360]

Fingers crossed. I have and love the QooCam 8K, all Kandao needs to do is make some small enhancements via the Ultra. Looking forward to a better sensor with and more "manual" control PLEASE.

[@hughhou]

Oh this one won't disappoint you! Watch this review you will know :)

[@ChristiaanRoest79]

Hey man, do you know if Rezup is good at enhancing the 8k 360 footage of the Q3 Ultra and the X4? Or is it only good at upscaling to 8k?

[@hughhou]

Yes. As Rezup understand 360 video.

[@ChristiaanRoest79]

@@hughhou thanks 👌 I bought it

[@bulotrex]

Great review, my friend! Does it work connect to a battery?

[@hughhou]

Yes. You can film with charging on. PD power tho so does draw pretty heavy load.

[@TartaGeule]

Hello, question please. Does qoocam 3 ultra give access to the two circular raw photos before assembly ?

[@hughhou]

Yes absolutely. You can use PTGui to stitch which will give you even better result as it is DNG so you can run DNG denoise in Lightroom instead of using the Qoocam Studio - which yell professional quality! This is actually my workflow. PTGui and even mask and restitch to get pixel prefect result.

[@TartaGeule]

@@hughhou yes ! Tanks for your answer Boss ;)

[@davidpacheco5501]

Almost August and still no updates on VR180...

[@hughhou]

Wait I just release the R5 II which is a VR180 camera really from Canon as Flagship. But yes, new VR180 is coming but I am still under NDA:(

[@0LoneTech]

@@hughhou What do they really think they gain from refusing to say if the thing will be released in less than two years?

[@Sai-ll7rv]

@@hughhou can you blink twice if this new VR180 is 3d? 🙂

[@alexeytrusovru]

Kandao has turned out to be an excellent semi-professional camera without unnecessary entertainment functions. Just a good practical tool for creating content. I've been waiting for such a camera from Kandao for a long time! Insta360 has taken the path of creating quick content for social networks with compromised quality. Thank you very much for the wonderful review!

[@hughhou]

Glad you enjoy the review

[@Kumarswamy_Hosmath]

Can it do bracketed shots with different exposure control?

[@hughhou]

Oh yes! It is called AED mode, 7 bracketed instead of 9 like Insta360 but the result is one of the best HDR bracketed 360 camera under $1000 - it is better than Theta Z1 I would say. More follow up tutorial to come btw so many update since I have the production unit now.

[@Kumarswamy_Hosmath]

@@hughhou I would highly appreciate if you can share sample clips - both individual panos at different exposure and merged hdri or exr

[@Kumarswamy_Hosmath]

@@hughhou I am currently using z1 - 9 shots with 1 exp step. Does qoocam has controls to define the step?

[@hughhou]

Not, it is kinda like Insta360 you set step and EV distance. I will provide photo samples soon - working on a new review of this camera coming out next week

[@水玉-s6f]

The review is very professional, and even though I don't have a QooCam 3 Ultra, I have learned a lot about 360 photography.

[@hughhou]

Glad you think so!

[@guttergrabber]

How does the footage look in the AVP vs the Quest 3? How does clarity compare to the Qoocam 8K? Thanks for the review!

[@hughhou]

In AVP and Q3 is mostly same but AVP look better as it has HDR. Both headset can play 8K. AVP can play 16K!!! But this is still an 8K camera. The color science is what make this camera unique and most people ignore color but all Netflix or Disney shows are in 10-bit HDR. Most people don't know their TV can play HDR and get used to that really rich color.

[@THERENZKYSQUAD1987]

0 00PM⁰0

[@bobbyDig]

@@hughhou Sorry, there is no comparison between the Quest 3 and AVP. AVP blows the Quest away.

[@hughhou]

Haha agree 100%

[@hisbox]

While using QOOCAM 8K, it was replaced more than twice due to the issue of battery expansion, but it expanded again and gave up. In South Korea, I had to send it to KANDAO, so I couldn't use it for months. The quality of the QOOCAM 3 Ultra looks really good. Qoocam 8K's experience is... Your video made me worry about QOOCAM 3 Ultra. I wish a hybrid VR camera would be released in Canon this year. Thank you for always great videos.

[@hughhou]

Glad you like it. This is not built in battery so that issue should be solved.

[@hisbox]

@@hughhou Among the all-in-one battery VR cameras I experienced, the QOOCAM8K was painful because it had a lot of battery problems. The solution to this part is so good with battery replacement. I hope we continue to come out with easy replacement methods in the future. Your videos always keep me waiting. Next video too :)

[@hughhou]

Thank you thank you! Working on the next one now - 1 month later review - a lot have changed since then!

[@shanepinner2637]

At the 21.47 time mark you mention a tutorial for and point at the top of the screen but no link, GPS-enabled Google Street View mapping. Where do I find it?

[@hughhou]

It is not out yet. The camera is so new - I just setup the template so in the future I can fill the links. Sorry! Thank you for being patient. We work as fast as we can here :)

[@philippe9194]

vraiment extra! Merci beaucoup Hugh! really great! Thank you so much Hugh! 🙂

[@hughhou]

My pleasure!

[@TheGadgetGuru]

Hi Hugh. Hopefully or someone can give me a quick reply to this question so that I can make a decision whether or not to buy it. Is there a Mac Desktop Studio App for this camera? I searched the Apple store and didn't find one. I'm hoping there's a desktop app where I can reframe my footage with keyframes and then export the files for post production in FCPX. Please advise.

[@hughhou]

Yes. It has a Mac desktop app just like Insta360 Studio and it has now has some AI features for reframing. I have not tested them yet as I use DaVinci Resolve or Premiere to reframe - but I heard it is pretty good even still in beta. It is a application you download and install locally on your mac just like Insta360 - not on App store like GoPro just FYI - explain why you donot see it.

[@TheGadgetGuru]

@@hughhou Thanks Hugh!

[@captteemo9133]

Wohop thanks for that absolutely great video! :)

[@hughhou]

My pleasure!

[@relaxvideo3d]

what about overheating or focus change after longer usage?

[@hughhou]

focus does not change at all as I used it pretty intensive in the past month. Overheating issue I talk about it in this video - close to the end.

[@geekinthegarden3927]

Where do you get the updated firmware for the Qoocam 8k? Mide doesn't offet 5.7k and the app does not show any updated firmware My current firmware is UOU263

[@hughhou]

You actually download the firmware update in camera. Here is how: Connect your camera to your wifi (a new feature that is super handy for firmware update and very fast) by tapping the wifi icon - put in your local wifi passcode to connect to your network. Then settings, scroll all the way down to About Camera - Update - Check for Updates. If you have update, it will has a red dot to ask you to update. Follow on screen instruction then you are golden. New firmware has lot of new feature was not even in this video. Highly recommand to do so asap.

[@armesPaopao]

As usual an excellent review! But will the Qoocam 3 Ultra really be able to stream high quality 8K video? It only has Wi-Fi and no RJ45 port... And no word of Live Streaming for the Qoocam 3 Ultra on the Kandao website. Or will there be a "Qoocam 3 Enterprise" and one has to pay extra for this feature?

[@hughhou]

It probably have some RJ45 to USB-C converter like the one use in Labpano. Official accessory from Kandao maybe. For the price, I do expect they have a extra hardware to fully enable livestream feature and also maybe software licensing cost. As people live stream in 360 probably making money can need realiablity above everything!

[@armesPaopao]

@@hughhou We will see... Yesterday I've got my QooCam 3 Ultra and today I'll try if an USB network adapter is recognized by the camera. If not, I have to take more care of my QooCam 8K Enterprise, as it is the only 8K camera with affordable 8K360 streaming capabilities. (I toy around with live streaming and don't earn money with it.)

[@vlastimiljesina4342]

Hi, do you think two Qoocam 3 ultra cameras next to each other would be better for 180° + 3d videos than Canon Eos E5C+dualfishEye? Or would you recommend another camera for this type of video?

[@hughhou]

Oh yes! You read my mind! This is what I am going to try next!

[@PP3D]

Very interesting camera. Thanks Hugh.

[@hughhou]

Thanks for watching

[@SteveandLizDonaldson]

The sharpness looks much better in the Ultra at 15:30. See the rock cliffs behind you. So for me, right now, Ultra for tripod and walking, X4 for my quadcopter and airplane, since vibration reduction is not nearly as good. I own the X4 already. Thank you, Hugh, for a very useful review.

[@hughhou]

Glad you think so.

[@jialulin3471]

Great review! Thank you!!❤

[@hughhou]

Thanks for watching!

[@stéphane_bab]

Ok thank you! Do you think it will be possible to do long blu lines (several km and hours of hiking) using a low rate of video or a timelapse shooting and an external powerbank ?

[@hughhou]

I have not tested extensively on GSV blue line but yes it’s a feature. Let me test more when the production unit is here which has better GPS and waterproof!

[@stéphane_bab]

@@hughhou Ok thank you.

[@dukeblueview]

Thank you so much Hugh for your content! I am new to 360, so your videos are truly a lifesaver. I recently purchased and have been using the X4. I am wondering now if I should replace it with this, especially since the reframed footage quality seems so much more detailed. My return window closes in a week though so I should decide soon. I guess my main questions are: - are lens protectors offered and do they diminish the quality of footage? - will reframing and stitching be as easy in Premiere as it is with the Insta360 plugin? - I see QooCam 3 batteries for sale but not for the 3 Ultra. Do they use the same battery? - finally, how is QooCam as a brand overall, do you feel they are as reliable as Insta360? No worries if you cannot answer some of these, your videos have helped me so much already!

[@hughhou]

As I stated in the video, if reframe is what you mostly do than your X4 is enough. There is no lens protector on Qoocam 3 Ultra. I use Resolve to reframe as it is faster than Premiere but more technical. BTW, you can also reframe just using Premiere and GoPro FX Reframe (free) - and that is what the pro do. No serious reframe artist use Insta360 software - they all use After Effects.

[@superalexDF69]

If you make profesional virtual tours and you always work with bracketed DSLR photos. Witch camera between this TWO you should buy. My interést is virtual tours. But i have almost TWO months reviewing the x4 and I’m in love, do I need to ley it go ?

[@hughhou]

I will lean towards Q3 Ultra for now.

[@captteemo9133]

@hugh Regarding your answer: Are you sure with running without vibration issues? Watch the videos of some other reviewers. It depends on how you are holding it (hold it straight forward without a selfie stick or mounted on a backpack)

[@hughhou]

I have a update coming soon now I have my production unit.

[@Apuat]

👏🏿Beautifully comprehensive & VERY useful episode. Thanks! 😊

[@hughhou]

Glad it was helpful!

[@vladkovladko477]

Hello, how is it with editing photos directly in the iPhone application? I use the camera mainly for family 360 photos and I'm thinking of replacing the one rs with something new. are the photos that I edit on the iPhone usable with good results? Thank you

[@hughhou]

I don't think there is a 360 photo editing app on iPhone. But you can use the Kandao Qoocam iPhone app to do simple edit :)

[@vladkovladko477]

@@hughhou hi, thanks for the reply. that's what my question was about. is it possible to edit a 360 hdr (or aeb) photo in the Kandao app? if so, does it also combine into one photo? what is the quality of the output then? thank you for your patience . The HW of the camera looks great, but there is not much information about the app

[@Dvm2003]

How do the photos compare to the Xphase Scan?

[@hughhou]

I don’t have Xphase scan - it’s different type of camera as scan can not take regular 360 photo on 1 shot and DNG8 take 360 photo without ghosting and no tripod needed. You can hand held.

[@Dvm2003]

@@hughhou I completely understand what you’re saying! I’m looking at the overall finished product and would prefer the ease of use of the ultra three if it’s comparable

[@trancemuter]

this is great! thanks for this info! you are the best! pretty excited about this camera.

[@hughhou]

Thanks for watching and glad you like it.

[@stéphane_bab]

Hi and thank you very very much ! Do you know what is the approximate delivery date for Europe ?

[@hughhou]

That I don’t know :(

[@360_SA]

Thank you for this great informative video. can you provide us with the camera Luts

[@hughhou]

Yes I will recalibrate it when I have the Production Unit.

[@Beauty.and.FashionPhotographer]

Waterproof for windsurfing or waterskiing or similar, which one is safer ?

[@hughhou]

No waterproof on my pre-production unit. I will need to do a follow up review when I have the production unit which is waterproof. X4 is always safter as it is lighter

[@ViciousXUSMC]

I almost got the 1" before, and I almost got the x4 but both were missing something I needed/wanted. Up to 16:00 I was ready to go click BUY but the main use case for me right now would be motorcycle videos, and that stabilization issue is so strange, because in your walking/running test it did better. So I dont know, get it now at a discount, or sit on this and wait and see if some firmware updates make it better without taking a risk. The other thing that is really good about the X4 for action is the new removable lens guards, does this unit have any compatibility with something similar? The live streaming sounds amazing as a way to promote a band since I do concert photography, but they are always very dark so not sure how great it will do especially with the hot gain on the audio. Should be simple for them to add manual gain control and hopefully with lower gain the audio is actually pretty good. At any rate, hope to hear from you and this was a great review.

[@nickywan413]

there's also removable lens protector for Qoocam 3 Ultra.

[@hughhou]

In the latest studio app I also see removable lens protector for Q3 Ultra but I don't have them. There are 2 type of stabilizaiton - motorcycle will be machine vibration. They know the problem is actively making update. I will test again with new firmware to see if it can be fix. I don't see this problem in Qoocam 3 so I think it is a fixable problem on stabilization. The audio probably better to use external audio - on camera audio for livestream is never good - plus the fan noise.

[@MtnXfreeride]

More competetion and a great price! I don't need this one, but happy it exists.

[@hughhou]

Agreed!

[@haydenmartin5866]

Can it shoot in LOG?

[@hughhou]

No. That is an Insta360 feature.

[@hmhhou6464]

讲解很好！我喜欢！加油！

[@ToddSaintPierre]

I just got Qoocam 3 Ultra and would love to know what you would say are the best settings. I'm a Realtor, so I will be using it mostly for virtual tours of properties. But, I also want to use it when I travel to capture our trip in 360 video.

[@hughhou]

All are coming! You are fast received your camera already. Most ppl are till waiting :)

[@captteemo9133]

Does it make a difference for the cameras temperature if you film in 5.7k60fps (downsampled) instead? Since I need to either upframe or upscale to 8k60/90fps for VR in any case this might be a intermediate solution for me...

[@hughhou]

I need to test to answer that

[@captteemo9133]

@@hughhou Would be great thx :)

[@mahmoudelkomy2012]

hello Hughou is it support 360 live treaming

[@hughhou]

Not yet but it is coming!

[@mahmoudelkomy2012]

@@hughhou Thanks for your kind

[@_Oregon_Sunday_Drives_360]

FYI: my shipping cost to Oregon USA was free. But you do not find out until final page of check out. I hope it arrives fast enough (before Aug 10) (from China?) so that I can test and decide to buy more before the Early Bird discount expires on Aug 10! I have keeping an eye on the B&H used Insta360 Titan, so Hugh, how does this new QooCam Ultra compare to the Insta360 Titan?

[@hughhou]

No way to compared to Titan. That is a 15K cinema quality camera. No 360 camera can match or come close to Titan. Titan also it is 10-bit. If you see Titan quality, only Titan can match that.

[@hughhou]

Also Obsidian Pro - but Obsidian Pro is even more expensive - close to $40K US I believe

[@RikkyTang]

Fantastic video Hugh thank you! The weight and the lack of high frequency vibration compensation is not good for me as a moto-vlogger! It's a shame because I have the X4 and I'm not impressed with the image quality of this camera so far. I'm hoping that GoPro will finally come back and show them how it's done!

[@hughhou]

I think GoPro might keep teasing us until Oct lol.

[@salehbaker9221]

The only 360 camera review channel i need in my life, i can't wait to use Qoocam 3 ultra for 3d gaussian splatting 👏👏👏

[@hughhou]

Oh 3D G-Splat - I can't wait to try that as well with my production unit! It is coming soon :)

[@discgolfvr360]

Another excellent in-depth review Hugh. Thank you! You mentioned that you have LUT's for the Ultra3 that you would send if we said something nice about Kimchi. I love his always happy face.

[@hughhou]

I make a new review. You do not need the LUT anymore as their new software now including ton of LUTs - better than the one I hack together: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nnOvk6KDptN3pZY

[@discgolfvr360]

@@hughhou I just checked Studio v2.8.0.17 and can't find any color correction or LUT's. How do you access them?

[@captteemo9133]

Could you please provide some colorgraded 360 videos for download?

[@hughhou]

Yes I should. Will do after I am back from Siggraph.

[@captteemo9133]

@@hughhou Thank you! :)

[@amanieux]

How does qoocam3 ultra video quality compares with 8 years old 6 cameras rigs such as gopro omni ( 6 cameras but older sensors and older video chip)

[@kc0isw]

I glad you did the review i look forward to other reviews

[@captteemo9133]

@hughhou What is better in low light (especially when also moving the camera)? Insta360 Pro 2 or Qoocam 3 Ultra?

[@hughhou]

I think Pro 2 might still be better

[@freenetviaggi]

great video as usual! By now seems the Qoocam 3 Ultra is only available for pre-orders in US and Canada. When it will be available in Europe?

[@hughhou]

Yes. Right here: reurl.cc/Or7jGg

[@herrpedro]

enjoying as always "you can check the difference between 8bit and 10bit right here" but the popup with link is missing. The difference between insta and qoocam in 8k is so so so huge! you should come to Portugal to beach.. i guess you'd move here :) in 21:56 - learn more from this video right here" is missing the popup as well... and you can provide the lut :) can it be powered by a powerbank in the usb-c?

[@hughhou]

Thank you for letting me know. KZbin kill all out pop up?! Awwww…. KZbin has lots of problems lately

[@captteemo9133]

​@@hughhouPlease post it always also in the description

[@herrpedro]

@@hughhou where is the lut :D :D

[@FernandoTrindadePT]

As always, super informative. I just bought X4 for real estate and now I am crying because of this... I should have waited 4 days!!! Oh well. A question, please: Youbsay at 19:44 that X4 ALLOWS you to have 9 bracketed exposures... Where? I had that in X3, but in X4, the HDR to me is all automatic! Can you tell me where can I set the exposure steps and number of shots for HDR in Insta360 X4? Thanks

[@hughhou]

Yes you can choose in HDR photo settings. Are you in the latest firmware?

[@FernandoTrindadePT]

@@hughhou wait, no... I just uploaded firmware to 1.2.20. I see some new things on top, but in HDR Photo mode, only street view and histogram seem to be new. I just have manual on the Photo mode, not in HDR Photo... What is your firmware? I can control WB and timer function clicking these 3 sliders on the bottom right, but nothing on the amount of pictures taken for HDR, nor the EV steps between them. I am using android on a Samsung S24 Ultra Camera firmware is now 1.2.20 Where do you change those settings, please?

[@FernandoTrindadePT]

@@hughhou Can you help, please? I'm feeling really stupid now...

[@robtaylor80UK]

Very helpful video, again. Can you produce a 360 video for us to view on our headsets, one on the Qoocam and one on X4?

[@hughhou]

That’s coming!

[@TheGadgetGuru]

Thanks for the video, but it seems that for those of us who use the X4 with the Insta360 desktop Studio app for reframing and exporting for use in FCPX, this version of the Qoocam is a non starter. Also, for my usage, I need to connect an external microphone and, based on the info in your video, it appears that Qoocam does not allow for that type of connection. I think I'll pass on this one and wait for Insta to update the OneRS One Inch or for GoPro to release a new model. Until then, due to the longer battery life and lack of overheating (my videos are typically around 45 minutes), I'll stick with the X4 for now.

[@hughhou]

Thank you for the feedback! I actually believe you can use the Insta360 Studio to edit Qoocam 3 Ultra footage for reframing. And then export to your NLE just FYI. Since my review video, they seem to fix the overheating issue and now can just run forever until the battery ran out of juice. Pretty hot tho.

[@TheGadgetGuru]

@@hughhou Thanks Hugh!

[@ScoobyDo2009]

Great video. I think it reinforces the fact that Insta360 needs a new version of the 1" edition. They clearly need bigger sensors and bigger glass to compete.

[@shelbyt4509]

So if I shot 8K 30fps, in room temp like 25C, how long will the camera turn off before overheat? The fan in it doesn't help much?

[@hughhou]

Help a lot and actually getting louder. Continue filming I get roughly 25 min in room temp. But I will do a more indepth overheating test soon.

[@keepitsimplestupid2151]

Hi Hugh, firstly thanks for the video. It is very informative especially given I’m entirely new to this space. I would like to get some advice please. I am going on a trip in 2.5 weeks and was about to buy the insta360 X4 before I found out about the newly released Kandao and watched this video. The objective of buying a 360 camera is so that I can best capture the moments I spend with my 91 year old grandmother which will be a great way to capture this memory and re-live it with my loved ones in the future via VR. As such, I value quality over most other things and the added weight does not bother me. It seems the stitching is not great but my thought process is I can be more careful to try ensure the main subjects are not in the stitch line and hope that as long as I store the original raw file, I can use software which will improve over time to attain a better stitched video. I am happy to learn how to use the editing software as well. As such I have landed on buying the Kandao ultra 3 as despite some of its drawbacks, the video quality is superior over the X4. Given my context, would you agree with my decision? ps could you share the discount code you mentioned please? As I missed the pre-order and am looking to buy it soon

[@hughhou]

Yes. On top of that, I want to add X4 is for action sports and moving the camera a lot but Qoocam 3 Ultra, you should put it on the ground or table with a solid monople / tripod and NOT TOUCH IT. Let action / moment happen around it. And then edit it following this tutorial (I know it is for X4 but follow the later Premiere part will be pretty much the same): kzbin.info/www/bejne/jJC0Y6SchtOZY68si=mMGZXADN8q6k5Jz8 - We will have more tutorial coming to help with the process and don't worry about the stitching. It is NOT true what the Internet said. The stitching is actually really good as long as you don't point the stitch line to your grandpa. Anything 3 feet away will not be noticeable.

[@somewhereetc]

@@hughhou Really - you recommend X4 more for something like bicycling? Mostly even ground / city exploration stuff.

[@keepitsimplestupid2151]

Thanks Hugh! I bought the QooCam 3 Ultra on 29 Aug - paid USD649 as it’s the international store :/ and it totaled to 752USD with accessories. Safe to say there’s no way I would’ve taken the plunge to pay more for a relatively lesser known brand if it weren’t for your breakdown video between QCU3 vs X4. Very pleased to see your latest video showing that Kandao has addressed most of the issues you raised in this video (props to them!), it feels like my choice was validated. Looking forward to learning post production videos from your channel, davinci resolve looks like the better option cost wise. Ps I hope Kandao gives you all the affiliate links you want as this vidoe led to my purchase!

[@walking_r_b]

Hi there, in video at 13:52 you said, there should be light and that the lights are not there with the X4, but that's wrong, you clearly can see, that the viewpoint of the x3 differs to the Qoocam and the "missing" lights are covered by the trees in the foreground.

[@hughhou]

Yes good eyes. I meant the light on the far left - it is a lot weaker in X4 in the exact same ISO settings that is what I meant. Not the light that is cover by the tree. But thank you for pointing out - that was confusing sorry.

[@walking_r_b]

@@hughhou Ok, I almost thought so, but wasn't sure 😂😂

[@supercurioTube]

I liked the informative review. Lately I'm using an Insta360 X4 in 60fps to record full length running sessions and while this new Qoocam output is much sharper at this framerate, the lower weight and excellent battery life of the X4 made it the better choice for this use case. Starting at at 15:09, the horizon seems to drift significantly on the Qoocam, isn't it?

[@hughhou]

The horizon in running test? If on tripod is prob b/c of me turn off horizon lock leveling. Easier to post reframe without it turns on.

[@supercurioTube]

@@hughhou okay that would be why the horizon doesn't remain horizontal 👍 I was concerned because you reported an issue with horizon in the Qoocam 3 review at 8:09, comparing with the One RS 1" and Insta360 X3.

[@VRainier]

Wow, this camera makes my Insta360 X3 look like a toy in comparison when it comes to virtual tours. Great review Hugh! Mind sharing those lut files? :)

[@hughhou]

Yes. I am actually in Siggraph so I will share those when I get back to LA.

[@Seeitmove]

Fantastic information! Thank you, for the money savings! May I also have the Lut? Thanks, again.

[@hughhou]

Yes I will prep them after Siggraph

[@NZScenery_co_nz]

Anyone know when the Acer 3d camera comes out ? Dying to get it before we go away on holiday 👌

[@hughhou]

It is out I believe but I don't really know them.

[@patrykgrzyb2776]

I can still return my X4 do you think I should do that and get Qoocam 3 Ultra ?

[@hughhou]

I can’t give you that answer. It’s really a different camera for different purposes. Also Qoocam not gonna be available for prob 1 more month as now only pre-order.

[@SuT4G4Racing]

Very good video. Even though it is heavy, I don't think there will be any problems when putting it on a handlebar. The question I have is how could I connect a wireless microphone? Is it difficult to connect it? I ask this more than anything because the idea I have is to make vlogs on a bike or motorcycle with the camera on the handlebars and a wireless Bluetooth microphone on the helmet so that there are no cables in the way. The Lut thing would be very good. The pre-purchase discount does not appear, it appears $599 and in the advertising below $499 for pre-purchase, is the discount made while you buy it? Thank you very much in advance.

[@hughhou]

It is the same as every other bluetooth enable camera like the X4. It showed in this video btw. The discount is $499. Try my code at checkout "HUGH"

[@arnodji4928]

Do you have a step file for that drone mount? 👀😁

[@hughhou]

I believe I do somewhere as I made a tutorial way back then.

[@ShinilPayamal]

Thanks for the in-depth Qoocam 3 Ultra vs. Insta360 X4 review.👍 P.S.: In India, they just launched the 'Qoocam 3'. Not sure when the Ultra will be available.🤞

[@hughhou]

Oh no. Ultra is sold out worldwide not just India just FYI. When it official launch I don't see why not they also launch in India.

[@ShinilPayamal]

@@hughhou Thanks for the reply. I will keep you updated on the India launch. Should be interesting to see how it fares compared to the X4.

[@captteemo9133]

I would love to get the LUT 😍

[@hughhou]

Great. I will post it soon.

[@captteemo9133]

@@hughhou Thank you so much! :) Here on KZbin?

[@Fatman305]

This guy iz da undisputed GOAT

[@hughhou]

Haha thank you 🙏🏼

[@davidknightx]

Still holding for the release of that Canon 180 3D/360 camera unless Mr. Hou says it's not worth it. His is the only opinion I trust when it comes to this tech.

[@enndee9353]

I am also just waiting for a Cam that can record both, 180 VR and 360 flat. If Image quality would be acceptable, I would just buy.

[@theultimateninja]

Almost forgot about that one!

[@hughhou]

It’s coming guys! I think they pull it after seeing X4. I just hope they can get us 6K 60fps as well as 60fps is not on planned feature. That’s needed mostly for VR180. Now R5 II and R1 are out they should back to this camera.

[@Fatman305]

​@@hughhouLol that doesn't sound like it'll be available for actual purchase in next 6 months then...

[@Fatman305]

I'm in same boat, but I suspect I'll soon have to compromise on a two-cam approach. X4 for 360 "immersiveness" while center (most interesting/viewed object 90% of time) is "narrow-angle" vr180, likely the Acer 3D cam.... I suppose I could "get" a "wider angle" VR180 with a really long selfie stick 😂

[@patrykgrzyb2776]

I still can return X4 , do you think will be good idea ? Other you-tubers did some test and it is not going more then 55C so it will not turn off after overheat.

[@hughhou]

My test btw is on set under direct Sun. Again I have a pre-production unit so the mileage might vary. It did not shut down, but it stop recording - which is to me a pretty much shutting down. I never film a 8K 360 video for more than 20 min so it is fine as 20 min of 8K it is A LOT OF footage and it will be pain in the butt in post editing. Same go with X4 tho. I usually do not give direct buying advices. I list the pros and cons and comparison footage so our viewers can decide themselves. I disagree the behavior of some other influencers are all about pushing their affiliated sales. This is not how we work here :) I do hope we cover enough indepth research to help with your decision.

[@cao-thanh]

Theta Z1, insta360 X4 and Qoocam 3 ultra. Which is the camera that I should buy?

[@cao-thanh]

I want to take 360 panorama picture to creating virtual tour and take video 360

[@hughhou]

So far Q3 Ultra and Z1 is better. Z1 might need more editing love. Q3 Ultra with crazy resolution tho so I will personally choose Q3 Ultra. The workflow is the same as Z1 - not as easy as X4 but the extra time spend in Lightroom will make the photo that much better for professional Virtual Tour.

3:27 i like the resolution and the dynamic range but the compression artifacts ofthe Qoocam are really bad sadly i mean you even zoom in on it and the Qoocam is full of box shaped artifacts while the other two look very clean or lookc under the bench, the dynamic range is fantastic but the bokcyness is really annoying and unfixable, is this because of a too low datarate or bad denoising ?

[@hughhou]

The data rate is 150M/s - 50Mb more than X4 in 8K so it is not that. The camera does have some challenge handling shadow side. I believe they know this problem now and actively fixing the compression artifacts in shadow. I will make a follow up soon when I have some update. I also report this problem to them.

@@hughhou Cool thanks! on last idea would be the compression method are both the Qoocam and the x4 h265? I hope they can fix that because from the footage alone it looks amazing!

[@rocky9420]

The Qoocam has a good picture because its focal length is 12mm...x4 has a focal length of 6mm~ x4 is more proficient in wide-angle shooting~ In addition, the focus of a 360 camera is not on the hardware, but on the software...otherwise you will have to spend 10 times the time on image editing.

[@hughhou]

Can you explain why 12mm is better 6mm and why focal length affect image quality? Thank you!

[@grafpez]

10bit HEVC is a game changer, plus internal (slow) GPS. Yet to reveal best way forward to get maximum dynamic range given current +/-2EV limitation. Thought old Theta Z1 had more range? Desktop app needs nVidia support, I understand this is being looked at. This is a great camera getting better by the minute, love the Kandao team they are very responsive

[@hughhou]

Wait the desktop app do not support Nvidia? I only tested on Mac.

[@grafpez]

@@hughhou yeah na, not for AEB conversion etc, it maxxes out the CPU only, I asked for limiting CPU task or move to background so it doesn't lock up the machine during conversion/export

[@grafpez]

@@hughhou just checked, Video conversion has nVidia support, my RTX3060/12GB shows approx. 28% utilization, CPU @75%. But no such luck with stills..

[@Splexon763]

If you could only keep one, would you keep insta360 x4 or Qoocam 3 ultra for 360 videos?

[@hughhou]

Tough question lol. I can’t answer that one as they are good for different reason and different use case really.

[@Splexon763]

@@hughhou from your experience with both cameras and purely on 360 video quality would 3 Ultra beat X4 on video quality?

[@ProgrammistMusic]

i wonder what quality can be achieved if you use two Qoocam 3 Ultra in stereoscopic mode and stitch them together to VR180 in either 8k30 or 5k60. Even 5k60 can look decent if the sensors can deliver the resolution and if upscaled to 7k it will most likely look better than the R7+VR180 or come close to the R5C+VR180. Also it would be interesting to know if you can sync two cameras or at least start them at the same time.

[@0LoneTech]

I am also interested in this. Very few camera brands seem to care; iirc there was sync of Gopro around hero 4 or so, but not recent models. Some Drift Ghost models also had synchronized start. Largely the market abandoned the very idea of synchronized video when digital video introduced horrible buffer bloat.

[@hughhou]

Hehe you read my mind. I will prob do that test soon :) I just got my second X4 so all these tests are coming.

[@Fatman305]

Hopefully there's some AI that can be fed files from both cams and have it autosync into single vr180 file based on loud hand clap or something

[@0LoneTech]

@@Fatman305 That won't solve if a flash shows on the lower half for one eye and upper half for the other eye. Besides, there's no need for "AI" for this. "AI" is so very popular because it gets you a result quickly, never mind how inefficient, inaccurate or misleading.

[@Fatman305]

@@0LoneTech What flash? A hand clap so AI can both see and hear... Of course AI is a general term that can mean both gold and krap, depending on specifics. In this case, an AI that does NOT modify the data files, but only feeds the exact timestamps for some script that'll convert these two independent files into one sbs (or whatever)... and to do so on hundreds of files.... That'd make *me* consider such solution, rather than always needing to edit your vid even slightly just to watch them on a vr headset....

[@captteemo9133]

I am missing a better walking/running test on hard ground. Sand dampens vibrations, it seems as if the camera has real stabilization issues when running on streets too.

[@hughhou]

Running does not really have any problem. It only show in machine vibrations

[@peter360adventures9]

Awesome.

[@hughhou]

Thank you!!

[@bobbyDig]

The Qoocam 3 Ultra looks interesting. Does it come with editing software like Insta360 Studio for starters? Or does it have a plug in for Premiere? Without an editor, it is sort of useless.

[@hughhou]

It has Qoocam Studio for editing and stitching but no way as powerful as Insta360 Studio. It does not have plugin for Premiere but you can use the GoPro FX Reframe plugin which is free and Insta360 also use it before they launch Studio. So you can use their mobile app to edit, their free studio but for professional editing (same as Insta360 X4), you can use Premiere, DaVinci Resolve or Final Cut. In this KZbin channel we teach Premiere and heavy on Davinci Resolve (as it is free and very powerful and all viral reframed videos are done this way - not free Insta360 Studio app only)

[@arnodji4928]

You might want to mention another downside/disadvantage compared to the X4. That is the wide availability of accessories like diving cases and cages. I already sold my X4 to buy the Qoocam 3 Ultra, only to find out I cannot find any of these accessories, even for the older gen 3. The user base is much smaller then Insta360 so I don't expect these accessories to come, but I do hope they will...

[@hughhou]

Dive case is a tough one. But most of the insta360 accessories work on Qoocam 3 Ultra as well as just 1/4 adapter. But you are absolutely right! Qoocam 3 Ultra also too heavy to mount with some of the gears.

[@Bil30321]

But 360 cameras don’t have the 3D effect of 180 cameras, so they are less immersive, right? Unless you are doing CGI, 360 is only 2D

[@hughhou]

Yes you are correct.

[@andrewc2670]

Hugh did a video a while ago on software called Owl3D. The latest version works on 360 photo and video. Check it out.

[@Blazerfan11]

360 degree cameras are immersive in that you can see everywhere - up, down, in front of you and behind you, and the fact that you can control what you look at. You are surrounded by the video.