Some questions I got via email: -Is this also possible to set manual shutter while doing a time-lapse? (would be useful for a night-lapse): Not at launch but Xiaomi said they were trying to bring it to a future firmware update. -Can the ISO be adjusted manually for a time-lapse?: Yes -What can be done with the Bluetooth remote, can you change settings, or just start/stop filming?: Can be used to start and stop recording or swap between photo/video. Nothing can be adjusted.
Really good review! Thank you for your time making it and giving enough details so that it's worth the time watching. I purchased the camera and can't wait to arrive to start playing around with it! I think it's really a strong tool for just casual recording, summer holidays etc! Cheers.
This is the best Yi 2 4k Action Cam preview on UA-cam so far. Excellent job! You also get around to some beautiful places in this country of ours. Congratulations. I bought a couple of these caneras, and they are so much easier to use than my Gopros. The touchscreen is the frosting on the cake. That alone is enough to make this the best action cam out there for the moment. I keep hearing rumors about a Gopro 5 for this fall, but I wonder if that won't be delayed. Gopro stock has fallen and others have picked the technology up and run with it to good effect. In any case, it's nice to see that this little camera niche is as competitive as it is.
Thanks for the feedback. I was surprised to see GoPro launching the new Hero Omni before the Hero5 announcement. Has me a bit worried but hoping to see some news trickle out this Sept. If not Sony and other camera manufacturers seem to have some interesting stuff on the horizon.
Got some more questions answered from Yi themselves (note Xiaomi actually has no part in this camera). I'll post replies to those that asked but here is some additional details. 1: What is the MAX size Micro SD card supported in the Yi2? 1A: 1 We suggest 64GB which is the best to be compatible with action cam but the max size 256G would be no problem 2: Is there any external microphone support? 2A: We'll have a bluetooth mic for it 3: The Front indicator light turning off when the camera starts recording, is this a bug? 3A: The old firmware we set to turn off the front indicator light as it may interfere with video quality when recording but as many users suggesting turn on, so in the new firmware the front light won't turn off. 4: Have you noticed any issues with sound when recording inside the case with WiFi turned on? Some users questioned wifi interfering with the microphone similar to cells phones near speaks back in the day. 4A: The YI 4K beta machine might have had problems with the audio as its still in old build but all final version of YI 4K won't have such issues. 5: (this one is me again) what accessories are coming to the Yi2? 5A: Waterproof case, 3D gimbal 😊 , UV filter, and other cool accessories. (Assume 3D gimbal is probably a 3-Axis gimbal) 6: (me again) What is the expected US price for the Dive case and battery. 6A: We'll get back to you when final pricing emerges for the US marketplace.
Nice review, Mark. I posted it in my review of the cam on my italian website. Just a question: what's the relationship between Yi, Xiaomi, and this camera?
+MarkHawkCam I thought Xiaomi had financial stake in YI technology at company level, not the product level. They've put their investment arrangements to an end? Xiaomi official store in China doesn't carry Yi 4k, and the claim of being a Xiaomi ecosystem company disappeared from Yi's website (which they tend to emphasize at every occasion not long ago). Wonder if there's any happened.
Thank you again for a in depth review. Can't wait for you to do more video on this action cam. I actually place an order for one a month ago. Can't wait for it to arrive.
The best review of YI AC 2! I was waiting your review about this camera. Can you tell about the new remote control, is it the same as remote control of first YI action camera? They are looks the same. I mean, will the first version of remote control correctly work with the YI action camera 2?
Looks like a legit review. Just saw some misleading reviews comparing this to GP H4B and the videos looks really great except not from the unit itself or only one unit on two screen with different editing.
Sold on your review! Ordered mine at Amazon already! Thanks for a good review! Good 4K vid and great features for $200 cheaper than GoPro. Built in touchscreen ftw!
Glad to hear. Wouldn't mind hearing what viewers thought after you've had sometime with it. Helps others looking to buy in the future. Also if you ever want to support the channel, referral links in the more information section below this video help me keep buying these cameras. Thanks for the feedback :D
Got mine in the mail today! I've tested a few shots at the beach sundown and so far good. Very crisp even in low-light! Though... I just realized, been watching a few videos in the last few days and most of the reviews/unboxing I watched have the phone holder. I got mine from Amazon - the selfie stick kit but only came with the stick and blutooth button. No phone holder.
Great review, I just ordered one yesterday with the selfie stick. I don't know if 2.7K was available when you did the review but looking at their website it seems to be a great res as it is in 16:9 and up to 60fps and works with the EIS! :)
Hey, I have a couple of questions: 1. When starting a UA-cam channel, would this be an efficient camera for vlogs? if so what setting would I use for vlogs? 2. I'm planning on doing a sky dive, what settings would you use for this? So as you can see I'm mainly interested in the quality to choose along side it's fps
Late adoption Yi owners get rewarded pretty well though. They often update their hardware over the life of a product similar to a gaming console. Coming in late just means your Yi1 is better then my launch day ones ;)
Thanks Mark. This is another great review from you. Do you plan to make a review of new Action Cam from Olympus? It looks very interesting. I would love to see your review abut this product.
Been getting a lot of requests for it. It's not for lack of wanting to but mostly a lack of time and budget. It's not off the table just don't have a time-frame for it right now.
Hi. Very good and detailed review, like all the others! I found the "AS50_vsAS200_vs_AZ1_files.rar" Files (thx for uploading by the way) but are there some Files of the Yi 4K? 1920x1080 in 30fps would be perfect to compare! The reason I ask for in this video at 16:56 and 23:49 the 1920x1080 resolution in 30 & 60fps looks very bad, so I'm not sure if the Yi 4K just makes great videos in 4K? Makes the Sony HDR-AS50 for example better videos in in 1920x1080 in 30fps?
Great review. As a Xiaomi Yi user I am glad to see this company stepping up and improving its model. Surely this is going to be a deal in the action camera market. Now I realize that the build quality of Xiaomi Yi wasnt actually all that bad, and maybe a bit more useful (I could change atleast a mode while inside of the case).
If it's anything like the Yi 1 launch, hoping Xiaomi sees the feedback and address it. They put out new hardware version of the Yi 1. My 2 launch models weren't nearly as good as the US based on I ordered 6 weeks ago.
This is was great review, but today i'll see about the color of Yi very different than gopro. Should you give me choice which one of the best of action cam?
Oh my god you helped me so much with the interview/questions you asked YI I want to buy the YI2 and a gimbal, I was kinda looking at the feiyutech but now I see that YI is also going to make one. So I will wait a bit before buying :D Thanks. Are you also going to reviews gimbals such as the feiyutech g4s and the Zhiyun Z1-Evolution and maybe the YI 3d gimbal?
Excellent comprehensive review - thanks for making it and uploading. Camera seems terrific overall - the picture in particular looks very sharp - but it seems over expose a lot of shots? Is there a way of adjusting this in the settings rather than in post production?
You can mess with the ISO a bit but Yi Technologies has stated the final launch will have some more color control and maybe adjusted based on feedback.
Great review! With the latest firmware updates does the auto white balance still shift and over emphasize reds in certain situations? Or do you have to use the cooler color profile to avoid that? If so, is the cooler profile natural looking or too cool (I haven't seen any examples). Thanks!
Why is the 2.5K video at 17:15 so much less sharp than the 4K image? Lower bitrate also? And could you tell me the frame rate that 2.5K can reccord? I didn't see it in your video. Great review though! Thanks for taking the time.
Very detailed review! liked and subbed. Can you briefly explain how well this works as a car dash cam? What settings would be most suitable for a 1 hour commute to work in the city?
You'd have to set up recording manually. I'd suggest Loop mode at 2K 60fps or 1080p 60fps with, lens rec turned on, stabilization off, and play with any zoom/field of view features that were added in the last update. After a unique event, make sure you manually stop and restart your recording to save the primary 20-minute loop otherwise Yi 4K will keep re-recording over the last 20minute loop.
Wow man seriously excellent review! I have a question, did the yi 4K ever freeze on you? I have a hero 3+ black and the dam thing freezes all of the time!! That is why I never bought the hero 4 black. IMO GoPro looks great when it works, However if you scratch the surface of GoPro quality since the hero 2 (absolute beast of a camera) they have a lot and I mean a lot of problems.. Freezing locking up, etc. Some even out of the box brand new. I'm not sure if I will ever buy a GoPro again unless they figure it out with the hero 5. I am extremely interested in the yi 4K if it is stable. Thanks!
Only had the camera freeze up once and it was from intense heat from a video timelapsing hike every .5 seconds for 3.5 hours in 90+ heat. Had the device externally powered. Most people wouldn't run into locking up this way ;)
Thanks for the great reviews Mark, any plans of doing these? 1. Olympus Stylus TG-Tracker 2. Yi 4k vs Sony AS50 (I know it's not 4k but they are same price range and both have stabilization!! For someone having a $200-300 budget, these two are really great options and it would be helpful to see how their stabilization, sharpness and color reproduction compares)
1: Not at this time. Might be something I do later in the year as a general budget camera face off. Currently waiting till Sept to see what all the options are. 2:Plan on doing this. Should be filming it this month.
Looks like you are going to be very busy with new reviews Mark! Sony 300 & 3000, Nikon KeyMission 360, 170 & 80 :) All are launching/shipping in Sept. end or Oct. !! Hope you can make it before thanksgiving ;)
Wow this was so thorough and awesome! Thank you! And out of curiosity...Santa Clarita or Antelope Valley? Definitely recognize the environment from growing up in these areas.
Great reviews on your channel. Thanks for those! Do you know what the depth of field bias for the Yi 2? I'm looking for a POV (likely head mounted) action cam to highlight laboratory work. So the focus would really be between quarter to full arm's length (0.6-2.5 feet? imperial units... not my strength).
Thanks great overview. Does the waterproof case increase the glare a lot? I wish the lens was not as wide. I mount it on a quadcopter and the background is too far. I wish there was a 100 / 90 degree FoV option
Definitely picking one up thanks for the insight was looking for a cheaper go-pro but since this almost out preforms the hero 4 and it nearly half the cost i think its worth it.
Just bought this awesome little camera, loving it so far. I am however curious what your suggestion would be if I was going to film myself Bungyjumping and want video + photo. Is the 2,5k mode the way to go, with or without stabilization? :)
having used the Yi4k extensively (for skydiving), and having done comparisons on a tripod - I believe if quality is important 4k 30fps is the only way to go, even if the final video is downsampled to 1080p it looks miles sharper than 1080p native. 2.7k seemed to not produce a much better image than 1080p. Stabilization is hit and miss. My advice is, especially on a one off such as a bungee, film in 4k, then edit afterwards to rectify the image, and to stabilize. The downside is 4k takes alot time to encode after you have applied these effects, however 1080p/2.7k doesn't look great to my eyes even on my 3k monitor. I wrote this thread with photo comparison: dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/why-4k-should-be-your-preferred-option-on-the-yi.20918/#post-280280
It's a Dshot Z-ONE 3 Axis Handle Gimbal with a custom mountain plate I created at the top. The Yi bevel out along the sides making it incompatible with most GoPro mounts that hold it in place based off body design only.
Great review! I have the latest firmware and I can't find 1080 ultra @ 120 fps. The highest 1080 ultra mode is 90 fps. However, I do have 1080 (non ultra) @ 120 fps. What exactly does "ultra" do? Also, sharpness was set to medium by default. Should this be changed to high?
Hoping so too. Currently waiting for Premiere to fix a memory leak bug. Soon as that's done, the AC is fixed, and the ash from the fire is out of the air ducts we'll be back in business. It's been a rough month ;)
+MarkHawkCam sorry to hear that! you do a fantastic job with your videos. in one you say that the yi action cam has a battery defect. has the firmware been updated to eliminate this?
I see there is slight difference in the options. I have 4k 24fps on Ultra but you have 30fps. On 1080 ultra i have max 60fps but yours 120. I am running firmware 1.10.9 whats yours?
+MarkHawkCam Sorry if the question is stupid but which is better : Xiaomi YI 2 or GoPro Hero Session ? And also can you do a test or review in the future ?
Hi MarkHawkCam, Great review on the cam, very informative and short. Question: Not sure if you or anyone there face the same problem as me. The 4K, Ultra 4k, 2.7k videos I was recording always seems to always ended up with 480p video when play on my laptop. No issue when recording in 1080p though. Any opinion?
Great video. I would like to ask you if there is exposure setting in the photo time lapse mode (like on the gopro 4 silver / black) which is good for continuous 12Mp timelapse of night sky. And what else you can set up in this mode
Hi ! Nice video, thanks for your review, it's the best i've seen for now ! I got a question though, do you know if we can plug an external mic as the gopro allows to do so ? (even via an adapter)
Got some clarification from Yi themselves. Got some more questions answered from Yi themselves (note Xiaomi actually has no part in this camera). I'll post replies to those that asked but here is some additional details. 2: Is there any external microphone support? 2A: We'll have a bluetooth mic for it
Oh thanks for the replies ! Good news ! Can't wait to test those stuff, already preordered mine :) Thanks again for your work, i know you from your old tests and still thinking you're doing the best ones ;)
comprehensive review...cant find any other better review of Yi 4k......there is no lens distortion correction for video mode in my Yi 4k action camera ??
You have to stop each time. I believe when you attempt to it'll either stop the recording or swap the settings once you've wrapped up with the last file you recorded and pressed stop.
It was a modification to a Dshot Z-ONE 3 Axis gimbal. It's edges all bevel out which means it doesn't fit into the square groves designed for most GoPros. I attached a new place ontop of what was there to secure it in. Not as maneuverable but good for my Downhill tests.
Quick question, do the "ultra" modes allow you to squeeze 4:3 video into a 16:9 resolution like gopro's "superview" modes? I find that critical to mtn bike or motocross helmet cam applications, since it gives you the max vertical FOV in a modern looking 16:9 output, but surprisingly it seemed like gopro had a monopoly on the feature. Thanks for the great review!
To me it only appears to be the left and right sides. If it is squeezing top and bottom field of view it's very minimal. The camera does offer 4:3 recording though. We filmed some more tests using ultra field and digging into it in our side by side videos later this week.
My Yi is a magical getaway but I'll check when it comes back. If you don't hear back from me in a week or so, feel free to drop this question here again.
The other thing that makes me hesitant about the Yi 4K is the apparent lack of attention to sound quality. The GoPro Hero 4's strength is in this area, as I own the Silver model. As you may have noticed in your testing, it records high quality audio (even better when connected to an external mic). I have not come across another action camera aside from the Sony HDR-AS200V (which I also own) that matches the GoPro. It seems like Yi's marketing have totally concentrated on touting its video quality while keeping the poor audio quality unmentioned.
Love your reviews, very quick too! Question: I've preordered one for skydiving, 2 concerns now - skydive vids look much better with alot of blue, cold! Is there any setting I cam change the white balance or colour tone before processing? Second: gopro standard can be very wide for skydiving, makes people look like dots, i expected this would have a medium or narrow fov? It doesn't! Thats a pain. Hopefully they could implement this if not in future firmware as it's surely quite simple! Thanks mark
1: There are white balance options but they are all pre-defined. You can't set your own K value. 2: So yes and no. The FOV isn't as wide as GoPro by default. It's a little more narrow. If you enable "Ultra" it becomes a wide field of view similar to GoPro. If you enable "Lens Rec" the plates becomes a little narrower. But those are your options and it's not quite the same as actual field of view options.
+MarkHawkCam thankyou, I have emailed yi, surely these would be quite simple firmware updates... All the reviews have looked a bit red which can make images look dirty, and surely fov is a simple crop... With these 2 features I think it will make a great skydive cam, if not I might need to move to gopro!
+Andrew Mines I have emailed yi asking for FOV and colour settings, as I can see the footage bring to red for many. They said they will pass on, and to check firmware updates. I urge anyone who would like these to also email yi and perhaps we can make this almost perfect action cam even better!
I was looking to purchase this camera, and followed your link to the amazon page. It says the camera is no longer available.. Do you happen to have any insight on this? Loved your review, extremely informative, and really helped me make my decision.
What do you use to edit your video-a laptop or desktop computer? Does it need16 GB RAM or higher, for editing and syncing your videos onto UA-cam, or does it matter? Do you keep the videos on a computer or store it in the Cloud? Is NVIDIA better than or does it matter? I like your site and want to learn. I am looking at getting a new laptop anyways, so I'd like to get one that will help me edit and store videos from my new Yi action camera. Thank you for your time.
I edit a lot of videos and recommend a desktop with at least 8GB of ram, keep your videos on a separate hard drive, AMD would be better than Nvidia in video editing applications. Use Adobe Premier Pro as it is one of, if not, the strongest and most feature-heavy editing software.
It's a solid pick up but consider that by October there might be some new cameras on the market. It's won't disappoint especially with the firmware updates but there might be some other cool stuff right around the corner.
If you mainly film at night, Action Cameras aren't really that great. The image sensors are generally too small. Sony Action Cams perform the best at night of any. They have some new models but are restricted to Japan currently. You can also consider SoloShot cameras. Not sure it'll work at those speeds and distances but I've seen other pilots on the ground use it. SoloShotv2 would be the one I recommend looking into. That being said the Yi 4K is a great buy at 250 and if something better comes out later it shouldn't be to hard to sell.
There is a setting in the camera to fix the lens distortion as you are shooting, and a newer firmware allows you to shoot at three different Fields of View. That can eliminate a lot of that problem as you shoot. Also Go pro Studio (free with your camera) can remove whatever distortion creeps in. If you happen to have Cyberlink Powerproducer (NOT free, but reasonable) you can easily correct your action cam footage with very little effort.
Seeing the new technology that makes the yi2 run a bit more efficiently than the hero 4, im really curious and excited to see the hero 5 line up of cameras. Also if there is a hero 5 session, I hope they put a better sensor with better low light, better protune settings, and atleast 11 megapixes. But anyways, the yi 2 looks great!
Yeah, the stabilization is a bit iffy. Stabilization is more constant on the SJCAM SJ7 Star at 1080p60 anyway. I have this camera and the YI 4K Plus also. Stabilization is a bit better on the Plus. Thanks for sharing:)
Awesome. Thanks for the great review! Enjoy YI 4K!
Can you change lens mode
OMG ITS THE REAL YI TECH. OMG I AM SUCH A BIG FAN OF THE YI 4K I LOVE YOUR CAMERAS!
Best cam ever
How to connect mick with this camra ya Bluetooth handfree
I can see the hardwork & genuine thought process that went into the making of this video. Hatsoff. I just bought a Yi 4k.
Thank you. Love from India.
When in video mode. How do you pause and start back? When I pause the video it starts over. And I keep getting different video frames when recording
How's the quality of video bro...just tell me your experience
Some questions I got via email:
-Is this also possible to set manual shutter while doing a time-lapse? (would be useful for a night-lapse): Not at launch but Xiaomi said they were trying to bring it to a future firmware update.
-Can the ISO be adjusted manually for a time-lapse?: Yes
-What can be done with the Bluetooth remote, can you change settings, or just start/stop filming?: Can be used to start and stop recording or swap between photo/video. Nothing can be adjusted.
could you please provide a link or two for a bluetooth microphone..? that would be really helpful..thanks
Really good review! Thank you for your time making it and giving enough details so that it's worth the time watching. I purchased the camera and can't wait to arrive to start playing around with it! I think it's really a strong tool for just casual recording, summer holidays etc! Cheers.
Thanks for the feedback :D
This is the best Yi 2 4k Action Cam preview on UA-cam so far. Excellent job! You also get around to some beautiful places in this country of ours. Congratulations. I bought a couple of these caneras, and they are so much easier to use than my Gopros. The touchscreen is the frosting on the cake. That alone is enough to make this the best action cam out there for the moment. I keep hearing rumors about a Gopro 5 for this fall, but I wonder if that won't be delayed. Gopro stock has fallen and others have picked the technology up and run with it to good effect. In any case, it's nice to see that this little camera niche is as competitive as it is.
Thanks for the feedback. I was surprised to see GoPro launching the new Hero Omni before the Hero5 announcement. Has me a bit worried but hoping to see some news trickle out this Sept. If not Sony and other camera manufacturers seem to have some interesting stuff on the horizon.
Got some more questions answered from Yi themselves (note Xiaomi actually has no part in this camera). I'll post replies to those that asked but here is some additional details.
1: What is the MAX size Micro SD card supported in the Yi2?
1A: 1 We suggest 64GB which is the best to be compatible with action cam but the max size 256G would be no problem
2: Is there any external microphone support?
2A: We'll have a bluetooth mic for it
3: The Front indicator light turning off when the camera starts recording, is this a bug?
3A: The old firmware we set to turn off the front indicator light as it may interfere with video quality when recording but as many users suggesting turn on, so in the new firmware the front light won't turn off.
4: Have you noticed any issues with sound when recording inside the case with WiFi turned on? Some users questioned wifi
interfering with the microphone similar to cells phones near speaks back in the day.
4A: The YI 4K beta machine might have had problems with the audio as its still in old build but all final version of YI 4K won't have such issues.
5: (this one is me again) what accessories are coming to the Yi2?
5A: Waterproof case, 3D gimbal 😊 , UV filter, and other cool accessories. (Assume 3D gimbal is probably a 3-Axis gimbal)
6: (me again) What is the expected US price for the Dive case and battery.
6A: We'll get back to you when final pricing emerges for the US marketplace.
I use 128gb without any problem (with few xiaomi yi1)
Finally, some information on an external microphone!
Thank you so much!!
Nice review, Mark. I posted it in my review of the cam on my italian website.
Just a question: what's the relationship between Yi, Xiaomi, and this camera?
There is no relationship. They were a distributor/investor for the first Yi camera. This time, Yi Technology is independent.
+MarkHawkCam I thought Xiaomi had financial stake in YI technology at company level, not the product level. They've put their investment arrangements to an end? Xiaomi official store in China doesn't carry Yi 4k, and the claim of being a Xiaomi ecosystem company disappeared from Yi's website (which they tend to emphasize at every occasion not long ago). Wonder if there's any happened.
Clearly the BEST review I saw in a while. I love this camera.
Congratulations and thanks for the quality review!
Thank you again for a in depth review. Can't wait for you to do more video on this action cam. I actually place an order for one a month ago. Can't wait for it to arrive.
After you've had sometime with it I would be curious to hear how your experience with it was.
The best review of YI AC 2! I was waiting your review about this camera. Can you tell about the new remote control, is it the same as remote control of first YI action camera? They are looks the same. I mean, will the first version of remote control correctly work with the YI action camera 2?
I think you got the best review so far for the Yi Action Camera 4K. :D. Thanks for the great review!
Now that's a comprehensive, well thought out, well planned, and well executed review. Thank you.
thanks
It is so rare to see such extensive and well done review! Good job!
Now you made me want this camera. :)
Thanks for the much needed feedback. Hopefully we'll have more to come soon.
I've been waiting for this for quite awhile lol. I got the original Yi after watching your in depth comparison of the Yi and GoPro
Looks like a legit review. Just saw some misleading reviews comparing this to GP H4B and the videos looks really great except not from the unit itself or only one unit on two screen with different editing.
got a new subscriber here mate, great videos and contents.
you did a big job, Mark. Nice review! After the review i made an order for the Y2. :) Thank you very much and keep going!
Sold on your review! Ordered mine at Amazon already! Thanks for a good review! Good 4K vid and great features for $200 cheaper than GoPro. Built in touchscreen ftw!
Glad to hear. Wouldn't mind hearing what viewers thought after you've had sometime with it. Helps others looking to buy in the future. Also if you ever want to support the channel, referral links in the more information section below this video help me keep buying these cameras. Thanks for the feedback :D
Got mine in the mail today! I've tested a few shots at the beach sundown and so far good. Very crisp even in low-light! Though... I just realized, been watching a few videos in the last few days and most of the reviews/unboxing I watched have the phone holder. I got mine from Amazon - the selfie stick kit but only came with the stick and blutooth button. No phone holder.
Thanks for the time spent for this rewiev ! It was very clear and professional :)
Subscribed, cheers from Italy !
Great review, I just ordered one yesterday with the selfie stick.
I don't know if 2.7K was available when you did the review but looking at their website it seems to be a great res as it is in 16:9 and up to 60fps and works with the EIS! :)
Nice detailed video. I'm pretty much sold on this camera!
Very very good production and content, thank you for your great work on this video
I've been eyeing that camera big time. For the price ... it's awesome.
Good review. I'm surprised Yi has not replaced the 4K model till today (Almost Dec 2019)!
Sold very helpful. Everytime I got ready to type a question you pretty much answered it in the video lol
The best type of feedback I can hope for. Thanks :D
Hey, I have a couple of questions:
1. When starting a UA-cam channel, would this be an efficient camera for vlogs? if so what setting would I use for vlogs?
2. I'm planning on doing a sky dive, what settings would you use for this?
So as you can see I'm mainly interested in the quality to choose along side it's fps
this is the best and the most complex review I've ever seen! Good job! Now I'm just sad I bought Yi 1 and didn't wait for the second version...
Late adoption Yi owners get rewarded pretty well though. They often update their hardware over the life of a product similar to a gaming console. Coming in late just means your Yi1 is better then my launch day ones ;)
When using the timelapse video mode (converts to video in camera) is it 4k? Thanks!
If you set it to 4k, it will be in 4k yes.
Thanks Mark. This is another great review from you. Do you plan to make a review of new Action Cam from Olympus? It looks very interesting. I would love to see your review abut this product.
Been getting a lot of requests for it. It's not for lack of wanting to but mostly a lack of time and budget. It's not off the table just don't have a time-frame for it right now.
Great review man, thanks so much!
This must have taken so much hard work and time, great job!
Hi. Very good and detailed review, like all the others! I found the "AS50_vsAS200_vs_AZ1_files.rar" Files (thx for uploading by the way) but are there some Files of the Yi 4K? 1920x1080 in 30fps would be perfect to compare! The reason I ask for in this video at 16:56 and 23:49 the 1920x1080 resolution in 30 & 60fps looks very bad, so I'm not sure if the Yi 4K just makes great videos in 4K? Makes the Sony HDR-AS50 for example better videos in in 1920x1080 in 30fps?
Great review. As a Xiaomi Yi user I am glad to see this company stepping up and improving its model. Surely this is going to be a deal in the action camera market. Now I realize that the build quality of Xiaomi Yi wasnt actually all that bad, and maybe a bit more useful (I could change atleast a mode while inside of the case).
If it's anything like the Yi 1 launch, hoping Xiaomi sees the feedback and address it. They put out new hardware version of the Yi 1. My 2 launch models weren't nearly as good as the US based on I ordered 6 weeks ago.
Nice Review, what did you use during review yi color or flat?
This is was great review, but today i'll see about the color of Yi very different than gopro. Should you give me choice which one of the best of action cam?
Hey, great video. what equipment did you use when using the bike? it seemed almost perfectly steady?
i just fell in love with this
Oh my god you helped me so much with the interview/questions you asked YI
I want to buy the YI2 and a gimbal, I was kinda looking at the feiyutech but now I see that YI is also going to make one. So I will wait a bit before buying :D Thanks.
Are you also going to reviews gimbals such as the feiyutech g4s and the Zhiyun Z1-Evolution and maybe the YI 3d gimbal?
Excellent comprehensive review - thanks for making it and uploading. Camera seems terrific overall - the picture in particular looks very sharp - but it seems over expose a lot of shots? Is there a way of adjusting this in the settings rather than in post production?
You can mess with the ISO a bit but Yi Technologies has stated the final launch will have some more color control and maybe adjusted based on feedback.
Thanks Mark. Just final question - does using EIS degrade the picture quality in any way? ie would leave EIS permanently turned on?
Very informative, thanks!
Keep creating!
Thanks for video.
First look, Impressive action camera. I'll buy one maybe.
Great review! With the latest firmware updates does the auto white balance still shift and over emphasize reds in certain situations? Or do you have to use the cooler color profile to avoid that? If so, is the cooler profile natural looking or too cool (I haven't seen any examples). Thanks!
Why is the 2.5K video at 17:15 so much less sharp than the 4K image? Lower bitrate also?
And could you tell me the frame rate that 2.5K can reccord? I didn't see it in your video.
Great review though! Thanks for taking the time.
Very detailed review! liked and subbed.
Can you briefly explain how well this works as a car dash cam?
What settings would be most suitable for a 1 hour commute to work in the city?
You'd have to set up recording manually. I'd suggest Loop mode at 2K 60fps or 1080p 60fps with, lens rec turned on, stabilization off, and play with any zoom/field of view features that were added in the last update. After a unique event, make sure you manually stop and restart your recording to save the primary 20-minute loop otherwise Yi 4K will keep re-recording over the last 20minute loop.
Perfect!
Thank you very much Mark.
Wow man seriously excellent review! I have a question, did the yi 4K ever freeze on you? I have a hero 3+ black and the dam thing freezes all of the time!! That is why I never bought the hero 4 black. IMO GoPro looks great when it works, However if you scratch the surface of GoPro quality since the hero 2 (absolute beast of a camera) they have a lot and I mean a lot of problems.. Freezing locking up, etc. Some even out of the box brand new. I'm not sure if I will ever buy a GoPro again unless they figure it out with the hero 5. I am extremely interested in the yi 4K if it is stable. Thanks!
Only had the camera freeze up once and it was from intense heat from a video timelapsing hike every .5 seconds for 3.5 hours in 90+ heat. Had the device externally powered. Most people wouldn't run into locking up this way ;)
Very nice and comprehensive review. One question: what is the longest exposure available currently? thinking about some nightlapse in the himalayas :)
There will be a future update for adding shutter control in time-lapse. Currently, it's only available for single shots.
Thanks for the great reviews Mark, any plans of doing these?
1. Olympus Stylus TG-Tracker
2. Yi 4k vs Sony AS50 (I know it's not 4k but they are same price range and both have stabilization!! For someone having a $200-300 budget, these two are really great options and it would be helpful to see how their stabilization, sharpness and color reproduction compares)
1: Not at this time. Might be something I do later in the year as a general budget camera face off. Currently waiting till Sept to see what all the options are.
2:Plan on doing this. Should be filming it this month.
Looks like you are going to be very busy with new reviews Mark!
Sony 300 & 3000, Nikon KeyMission 360, 170 & 80 :) All are launching/shipping in Sept. end or Oct. !! Hope you can make it before thanksgiving ;)
Thanks for clarifying the modes!
Wow this was so thorough and awesome! Thank you! And out of curiosity...Santa Clarita or Antelope Valley? Definitely recognize the environment from growing up in these areas.
Great reviews on your channel. Thanks for those!
Do you know what the depth of field bias for the Yi 2? I'm looking for a POV (likely head mounted) action cam to highlight laboratory work. So the focus would really be between quarter to full arm's length (0.6-2.5 feet? imperial units... not my strength).
Thanks great overview. Does the waterproof case increase the glare a lot?
I wish the lens was not as wide. I mount it on a quadcopter and the background is too far. I wish there was a 100 / 90 degree FoV option
Great review, thank you!
Definitely picking one up thanks for the insight was looking for a cheaper go-pro but since this almost out preforms the hero 4 and it nearly half the cost i think its worth it.
Just bought this awesome little camera, loving it so far. I am however curious what your suggestion would be if I was going to film myself Bungyjumping and want video + photo. Is the 2,5k mode the way to go, with or without stabilization? :)
having used the Yi4k extensively (for skydiving), and having done comparisons on a tripod - I believe if quality is important 4k 30fps is the only way to go, even if the final video is downsampled to 1080p it looks miles sharper than 1080p native. 2.7k seemed to not produce a much better image than 1080p. Stabilization is hit and miss. My advice is, especially on a one off such as a bungee, film in 4k, then edit afterwards to rectify the image, and to stabilize. The downside is 4k takes alot time to encode after you have applied these effects, however 1080p/2.7k doesn't look great to my eyes even on my 3k monitor. I wrote this thread with photo comparison: dashcamtalk.com/forum/threads/why-4k-should-be-your-preferred-option-on-the-yi.20918/#post-280280
Great review! Wish I watched it before I ordered my non-brand action cam for a bit more than the Yi 2... We'll see how it looks when it arrives.
Which one did you order?
I ordered mine yesterday. I was going back n forth with the Activeon and the GitPro 2. I saw this yesterday and jumped right on it.
Great review! But did build your gimbal? Or customized one?
It's a Dshot Z-ONE 3 Axis Handle Gimbal with a custom mountain plate I created at the top. The Yi bevel out along the sides making it incompatible with most GoPro mounts that hold it in place based off body design only.
Great review! I have the latest firmware and I can't find 1080 ultra @ 120 fps. The highest 1080 ultra mode is 90 fps. However, I do have 1080 (non ultra) @ 120 fps. What exactly does "ultra" do? Also, sharpness was set to medium by default. Should this be changed to high?
going on a big trip soon, hope your yi vs yi 4k video comes out soon! having a tough time deciding which to take along
Hoping so too. Currently waiting for Premiere to fix a memory leak bug. Soon as that's done, the AC is fixed, and the ash from the fire is out of the air ducts we'll be back in business. It's been a rough month ;)
+MarkHawkCam sorry to hear that! you do a fantastic job with your videos. in one you say that the yi action cam has a battery defect. has the firmware been updated to eliminate this?
That was with the Yi1. It was a hardware issue. They fixed in later iterations.
I see there is slight difference in the options. I have 4k 24fps on Ultra but you have 30fps. On 1080 ultra i have max 60fps but yours 120. I am running firmware 1.10.9 whats yours?
Thanks! Bud where did you bought the camera?
Very good, very Quick!!! Thanks man!
what is this custom gimbal you are using? Works great so I'd like to see how you made it
so! as i understood from the video - yi2 - the best choice for that money, am i right?
Definetly looks like it is.
Yasss
+MarkHawkCam Sorry if the question is stupid but which is better : Xiaomi YI 2 or GoPro Hero Session ? And also can you do a test or review in the future ?
So helpful. Thanks for the review..
What a great review. Thanks!
EXCELLENT review! THANK YOU! Wow
Hi MarkHawkCam,
Great review on the cam, very informative and short.
Question: Not sure if you or anyone there face the same problem as me. The 4K, Ultra 4k, 2.7k videos I was recording always seems to always ended up with 480p video when play on my laptop. No issue when recording in 1080p though.
Any opinion?
Great video.
I would like to ask you if there is exposure setting in the photo time lapse mode (like on the gopro 4 silver / black) which is good for continuous 12Mp timelapse of night sky. And what else you can set up in this mode
Hi ! Nice video, thanks for your review, it's the best i've seen for now ! I got a question though, do you know if we can plug an external mic as the gopro allows to do so ? (even via an adapter)
+Abdel Hadi I don't think so but checking with Xiaomi. Can't find anything covering it in the documentation.
Got some clarification from Yi themselves.
Got some more questions answered from Yi themselves (note Xiaomi actually has no part in this camera). I'll post replies to those that asked but here is some additional details.
2: Is there any external microphone support?
2A: We'll have a bluetooth mic for it
Oh thanks for the replies ! Good news ! Can't wait to test those stuff, already preordered mine :) Thanks again for your work, i know you from your old tests and still thinking you're doing the best ones ;)
Thanks man, hoped you used my pre-order link. It's the best link around :p Thanks for the feedback.
Hi Mark, great review! Can you play 4k footage directly from this camera to a Ultra 4k TV?
I'm not 100% sure of the video out capabilities of the Yi 4. If you found the answer please let me know. :D
comprehensive review...cant find any other better review of Yi 4k......there is no lens distortion correction for video mode in my Yi 4k action camera ??
I hope you do understand that "Lens Distortion Correction" is only for still images so you see it under Photo mode only and not a video.
great review-looks like a great camera
Great review. Did I miss what the bit rate was and does the image stabilization drain the battery quicker?
60Mbs and didn't really notice a notable drain while using stabilization but we didn't put it front of a clock to check.
+MarkHawkCam were you able to change resolutions while in record mode or did you have to stop each time?
You have to stop each time. I believe when you attempt to it'll either stop the recording or swap the settings once you've wrapped up with the last file you recorded and pressed stop.
Great review, mines on order what gimbal did you use as I've been told they don't make one for it ?
It was a modification to a Dshot Z-ONE 3 Axis gimbal. It's edges all bevel out which means it doesn't fit into the square groves designed for most GoPros. I attached a new place ontop of what was there to secure it in. Not as maneuverable but good for my Downhill tests.
Nice review mate!
What about battery life 1080p 60fps? Is about the same as 30fps?
You recommend the camera?
I have some gripes but it's a powerful camera and I suspect it'll get better with time similar to the Yi 1. Would have no issues recommending this.
Also I suspect 60fps would be in the same ball park minus maybe 15%-20% battery life. Would expect to get around 2 hour 5 mins to 2 hours 15 mins.
+MarkHawkCam thanks!
I think I will get one. Definitely because the battery life!
I'm considering getting an action cam. Budget of around 300
Original Yi+Gimbal(FY G4qD or similar) or Yi 4k
Which would be a better choice
Quick question, do the "ultra" modes allow you to squeeze 4:3 video into a 16:9 resolution like gopro's "superview" modes? I find that critical to mtn bike or motocross helmet cam applications, since it gives you the max vertical FOV in a modern looking 16:9 output, but surprisingly it seemed like gopro had a monopoly on the feature. Thanks for the great review!
To me it only appears to be the left and right sides. If it is squeezing top and bottom field of view it's very minimal. The camera does offer 4:3 recording though. We filmed some more tests using ultra field and digging into it in our side by side videos later this week.
Good review. Is the optional date stamping available in "lens correction" mode? The previous Yi was not.
My Yi is a magical getaway but I'll check when it comes back. If you don't hear back from me in a week or so, feel free to drop this question here again.
The other thing that makes me hesitant about the Yi 4K is the apparent lack of attention to sound quality. The GoPro Hero 4's strength is in this area, as I own the Silver model. As you may have noticed in your testing, it records high quality audio (even better when connected to an external mic). I have not come across another action camera aside from the Sony HDR-AS200V (which I also own) that matches the GoPro. It seems like Yi's marketing have totally concentrated on touting its video quality while keeping the poor audio quality unmentioned.
Love your reviews, very quick too! Question: I've preordered one for skydiving, 2 concerns now - skydive vids look much better with alot of blue, cold! Is there any setting I cam change the white balance or colour tone before processing? Second: gopro standard can be very wide for skydiving, makes people look like dots, i expected this would have a medium or narrow fov? It doesn't! Thats a pain. Hopefully they could implement this if not in future firmware as it's surely quite simple! Thanks mark
1: There are white balance options but they are all pre-defined. You can't set your own K value.
2: So yes and no. The FOV isn't as wide as GoPro by default. It's a little more narrow. If you enable "Ultra" it becomes a wide field of view similar to GoPro. If you enable "Lens Rec" the plates becomes a little narrower. But those are your options and it's not quite the same as actual field of view options.
+MarkHawkCam thankyou, I have emailed yi, surely these would be quite simple firmware updates... All the reviews have looked a bit red which can make images look dirty, and surely fov is a simple crop... With these 2 features I think it will make a great skydive cam, if not I might need to move to gopro!
+Andrew Mines I have emailed yi asking for FOV and colour settings, as I can see the footage bring to red for many. They said they will pass on, and to check firmware updates. I urge anyone who would like these to also email yi and perhaps we can make this almost perfect action cam even better!
+Andrew Mines support@yitechnology.com
Lovely review, thanks
Did you edit any of that footage? they look awesome
How worse or better is the GoPro Session actioncam? I am chosing between these two. Any info would be great.
@MarkHawkCam would you suggest this over Sony HDR as50? I am looking to use one of these for vlogging.
Really great review, thanks a lot! Is there any way to use the front led as a recording indicator?
It'll be available in the first firmware patch. I posted a list of questions and responses from Yi in the comment section here.
Sorry, I'm a little confused on what you said about lens rectification @16:15 and @17:43. Can you please clarify?
Where did you get phone holder and selfie pole from? I can't find such stuff... Can you give a link? Anybody?
Will there be coloured filters available for deep diving as well as polarised lense?
Wow. Looks impressive.
I'm new to the whole camera and filming world, are these cameras good for like cinematic quality nature scenery filming?
I was looking to purchase this camera, and followed your link to the amazon page. It says the camera is no longer available.. Do you happen to have any insight on this? Loved your review, extremely informative, and really helped me make my decision.
Looking into it.
Thank you very much
Contacted Yi and the talked to Amazon. Appeared to be an error Amazon is experiencing on their end. Appears to be working now. amzn.to/2b4oSpO
Mark between this YI 4K and some as200v which has better microphone/audio??
What do you use to edit your video-a laptop or desktop computer? Does it need16 GB RAM or higher, for editing and syncing your videos onto UA-cam, or does it matter? Do you keep the videos on a computer or store it in the Cloud? Is NVIDIA better than or does it matter? I like your site and want to learn. I am looking at getting a new laptop anyways, so I'd like to get one that will help me edit and store videos from my new Yi action camera. Thank you for your time.
I edit a lot of videos and recommend a desktop with at least 8GB of ram, keep your videos on a separate hard drive, AMD would be better than Nvidia in video editing applications. Use Adobe Premier Pro as it is one of, if not, the strongest and most feature-heavy editing software.
Nice review Mark...
As usual, Your reviews are rock solid. Thinking about ordering this for 249.00. Do you still recommend? Thank you, Skip Skip-Built RC.
It's a solid pick up but consider that by October there might be some new cameras on the market. It's won't disappoint especially with the firmware updates but there might be some other cool stuff right around the corner.
If you mainly film at night, Action Cameras aren't really that great. The image sensors are generally too small. Sony Action Cams perform the best at night of any. They have some new models but are restricted to Japan currently. You can also consider SoloShot cameras. Not sure it'll work at those speeds and distances but I've seen other pilots on the ground use it. SoloShotv2 would be the one I recommend looking into.
That being said the Yi 4K is a great buy at 250 and if something better comes out later it shouldn't be to hard to sell.
MarkHawkCam
Thanks Buddy. Thats good solid information... Thank You very much. Skip
great review! any thoughts on good editing programs to remove fisheye (post filming) that are free?
There is a setting in the camera to fix the lens distortion as you are shooting, and a newer firmware allows you to shoot at three different Fields of View. That can eliminate a lot of that problem as you shoot. Also Go pro Studio (free with your camera) can remove whatever distortion creeps in. If you happen to have Cyberlink Powerproducer (NOT free, but reasonable) you can easily correct your action cam footage with very little effort.
Newer versions of GoPro studio no longer accept outside branded footage... for some reason.
thanx for best review! So what is actual bitrate for 4k and 1080p120?
60Mbs. Not 100% sure for 1080p 120fps. I'll reach out to Yi.
If I would buy it - I would go for the white one - it helps a lot with heating up.
Seeing the new technology that makes the yi2 run a bit more efficiently than the hero 4, im really curious and excited to see the hero 5 line up of cameras. Also if there is a hero 5 session, I hope they put a better sensor with better low light, better protune settings, and atleast 11 megapixes. But anyways, the yi 2 looks great!
Very excited to check out the new cameras this year. Have a feeling we'll have pretty high peaks for minimum standards by the time they year is over.
hello mark , do they make any filter for yi 4k waterproof case ? red filter to scuba diving
Yeah, the stabilization is a bit iffy. Stabilization is more constant on the SJCAM SJ7 Star at 1080p60 anyway. I have this camera and the YI 4K Plus also. Stabilization is a bit better on the Plus. Thanks for sharing:)