What you are watching right now is probably the first 360 video sample on the Internet
shot on the brand new Insta360 ONE RS 1-inch 360 edition in Low light.
If you have not watched my in-depth review of the Insta360 ONE RS 1-Inch 360 Edition,
you should go check out that 2D video first.
This is one of the example videos in true 360 format on YouTube VR and Oculus TV to
support all my statements in that review video.
In this video, we will focus on Virtual tours and 360 photos.
With last night's new firmware release - the V2.0, Insta360 ONE RS 1-inch 360 can now do
NINE bracketed HDRs.
We will find out in this video if the update creates a better HDR virtual tour than Theta
Z1 DualFisheye Plugins.
More importantly, We will compare it with Theta X.
Some of my viewers do not want to be bothered with ANY 360 photo post-editing.
Can One RS 1" 360 produce a better 360 virtual tour photo than Theta X with faster workflow?
This video will also answer that.
If you want to start offering Virtual Tour as your photography service
this is the perfect video for you.
I do recommand watching this with your Meta Quest 2 VR headset - as that is where the
future Virtual Tour is going to be on.
Not on the old Web 2.0 browser
Metaverse is here to stay, and your next camera should really take this into your consideration.
Now the watching instruction is out of the way, let's take a look at some real-world
photos shot on the One RS 1" 360.
Low light is one of the biggest advantages of this camera, so we went to Santa Monica
Pier on a busy Saturday night as you see right here.
Here is an HDR PureShot of the Pier.
I put all the settings and shooting information at the Nadir Patch.
So look down to your feet to see all this extra information.
The PureShot HDR is a new feature available to 1-inch 360 Edition for now.
It shoots pretty fast.
But if it is low light and lots of moving subjects, like right here.
it will create motion blur for moving subjects.
Just like long exposure shot.
So please be mindful.
I will suggest not using PureShot HDR if motion blur is your concern.
Before we dive deep into low light photography tho, let's take a look at Day time photography
first
Here is a daytime farm shot at Virginia in a single PureShot unedited.
The result is great, but take a look at PureShot HDR now with some simple editing in Photoshop.
It looks a lot better.
The Sun has a better dynamic range, and the color looks more summer-ish.
In the daytime, PureShot HDR goes pretty fast without any visible motion blur - it is a
mode I will recommand for all nature shots.
BTW, PureShot HDR general DNG, you will need some basic editing in Adobe Photoshop or Affinity
Photo.
Check out this tutorial here for the workflow.
You can even use your own HDR software like SNS HDR Pro - tutorial here - to merge HDR
to generate a more professional looking result.
Here is George Mason University in PureShot HDR.
This is near FairFax country courthouse, where the Johnny Depp VS Amber Heard court case
was taken place just coupled of weeks ago.
Our goal of this video is to find out who is the NEW King of Virtual Tour.
So let's compare it to Rioch Theta Z1.
First, we have a PureShot outdoor photo by the Insta360 ONE RS 1-Inch 360 Edition.
All settings are auto.
I want you to pay attention to the resolution chart on my hand, 10 feet behind me, and turn
around the big focus chart 4 ft away.
Also pay attention to the lens flare.
If you see the measuring tape below you under your feet, that point out the stitch line
of the camrea.
So that is where you look at for stitching quality.
Now look at Theta Z1 result in the exact same condition.
The dynamic range of Theta Z1 is not as good as One RS 1" 360.
But One RS 1" 360 Edition has more chromatic aberration in the high contract area.
You can prob remove the chromatic aberration in Photoshop with DNG, but that is an extra
step you need to take.
I personally think One RS 1" 360 is sharper than Theta Z1 and has better clarity.
What do you think?
Comment below.
They do have different lens flare characteristics.
I prefer how Z1 looks in flares.
But this is just personal preference.
You might like One RS better.
One thing is certain; there is no more red dot of death, thanks to Lecia optics.
You also notice One RS 1" 360 result is not level.
But the Z1 is perfectly level.
Insta360 Studio seems to not level your 360 photo in post during stitching.
So you need to calibrate your camera and level it everytime before you shoot.
Theta Z1, you don't need to.
It read the internal gyro to auto-level it for you in post stitching.
And the result is usually really really accurate.
So Z1 does have more bell and whistle in its stitching software.
I am sure Insta360 will update their software to support gyro since they do have that in-camera
as well.
How about comparing the 6K Insta360 ONERS 360 photo to Theta X 11K 360 photo.
11K, so much more resolution, it must look a lot better, right?
Here is the result of Theta X.
Besides having the same issue with a dynamic range like Z1, if you look at the focus chart
10ft away from me zoom in.
Theta X has missing pixels and color!
That's not good for distance details, especially for outdoor virtual tours , where the attraction
is usually pretty far away.
Now, Let's look at in-door HDR for a virtual tour
Just to see, without HDR, both the Insta360 ONE RS 1-INCH 360 Edition and the Theta Z1
are not acceptable.
The windows are blown out.
Here is PureShot HDR from 1-inch 360 Edition.
And here is Theta Z1 in-camera HDR.
They honestly both look great.
If you follow my channel, you know the correct HDR workflow for Z1 is using Dual Fisheye
Plugin or DualFisheye RAW.
Here is the result.
It looks really good and is high-end magazine-like.
Here is the edited PureShot HDR by me.
It also looks better than the original out of the camera.
I use SNS HDR Pro to merge the 9 bracketed DNG to remove ghosting.
As you see on the right up the stair, I am gone from the original photo.
There is a lot more control if you do your own photo editing.
But even that, the result is not as good as Theta Z1.
Actually, I don't know.
Some of my viewers saw my 2D comparison and liked the One RS 1-inch result.
They said it is more natural-looking instead of looking like obvious HDR processed in Z1.
What do you think?
Comment below and start the debat!
Here is the Theta X 11K HDR result.
Personally speaking, I don't think this looks as good as Theta Z1 or Insta360 One RS 1"
360 Edition.
It is slightly sharper but also has more compression artifacts.
The dynamic range is not as impressive and the HDR further wash the color out.
This really shows you the resolution means nothing without context.
A higher resolution does not mean a better picture.
So don't let the number fool you.
If you like my honesty, don't forget to give this video a thumb up and drop me a thank
you comment.
Okay, Now take a look at Low Light 360 photography.
Here are Insta360 ONE RS 1-inch 360 edition under the Pacific Park sign.
This is shutter speed in 1 over 60 to remove motion blur and ISO 800.
You do see some noise now in the dark sky.
But everything still looks really good.
Highlights look great.
Let's take a look under the fairy wheel.
Here is Shutter Speed 1 over 60 and ISO 400.
The result is really good.
I think I found the sweet spot on One RS 1" 360 - it is ISO 400.
It has minimum noise but great color and low motion blur.
If you need more light, drop it to 1 over 30 or even lower shutter speed.
Here is Z1 result.
Z1 is noisier around the shadows.
Also, Z1 highlight roll-off is not as good as ONE RS 1" 360 Edition.
So, in conclusion, in low light, One RS 1-INCH 360 edition is better than Theta Z1.
After you see all these comparisons in Meta Quest 2, who do you think is the NEW KING?
Comment below and tell me.
I also provide all the photos in this video and the RAW camera file to download for free.
So you can see it yourself in your editing software.
Maybe you can do better photo editing than me.
Hey, don't forget to subscribe if you are new, and give this video a big thumb up to
support us.
The next video is all about low light 360 video of the Insta360 ONE RS 1-inch 360 edition.
I will see you in the next VR video.