There’s a new 8K 360 Camera setting its sights to take down the roundabout King Insta360.
The Kandau Qoocam 3 Ultra 8K 360 Camera is based on the current Qoocam 3, but with greater resolution, 10-bit color, and more.
The Qoocam 3 Ultra is designed with dual 1/1.7” CMOS image sensors, GPS, and a Bluetooth connection for remote control through a smartphone.
Image Credit – Kandau
By contrast, the Insta360 must rely on smartphones, or the Insta360 GPS Preview remote to record that metadata.
The camera’s 10-bit color with HEVC video formatting gives the camera ultra high definition 8K video recording internally with a much smaller footprint, and twenty percent more color gamut than the X4.
Kandau claims the 8-bit recording Insta360 X4 must be connected to an external Insta360 Titan recorder to get that extra 2-bit boost.
Image Credit – Kandau
When comparing the Q3 Ultra to an unnamed “other 8K camera”, the Q3 Ultra looks to have improved color and better low-light performance, but whether that camera is from the competition, or Kandau’s previous QooCam 8K camera is up for speculation.
Either way, the Q3 Ultra 8K camera does indicate improvements in the camera’s image processing and capture.
Image Credit – Kandau
The camera’s dual sensors also offer a maximum resolution of 96 megapixels when shooting stills, which is about 33% sharper than the Insta360 X4.
One slight issue, however, is how Kandau has opted to mount the camera sensors and lenses.
The larger sensors are offset on each side of the camera, which could end up causing alignment problems for the inexperienced shooting in 360 for the first time. But looking at the samples, it doesn’t appear to.
Image Credit – Kandau
The camera captures at a video bitrate of 150 Mbps, has an ISO range of 100-6400, SuperSteady image stabilization, and has improved dynamic range, although Kandau stops short of providing details.
It is built sturdy enough to receive an IP68 waterproof rating down to 10 meters before needing a dedicated underwater case.
Image Credit – Kandau
The Quoocam 3 Ultra also sports up to 128GB of internal storage, with a microSD card shot for additional space.
There is no word about just how large a microSD card is supported in the slot, but DIYP compares it to the X4’s capability to house 1TB MSD cards, which would make some degree of sense.
Other features include WiFi6 dual-band wireless connectivity, Bluetooth 5.2, spatial audio, and a 2280 mAh internal rechargeable battery with a 50-minute runtime.
Pricing and availability
The Kandau Qoocam 3 Ultra is also priced at the same $499 price point as the X4, but this is set as an early-bird price. The camera will retail for $599 beginning August 10, 2024, when it ships.
[source: DIYP]
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