For many, the DJI Action 4 is currently the
best action camera on the market. But that could be over today. Insta360 has released
the Ace Pro and is trying to fulfill every conceivable customer wish: 8K, a flip
screen, good low-light performance, good battery life and so on. Is that enough to
beat the Action 4? Let's find out. There are 15 categories and the winner of each category
gets one point. This video is not sponsored and you can also find a comparison between
the Ace Pro and the Hero 12 on my channel. Let's start with the image quality and here
the two cameras have one thing in common: both have a relatively large 1/1.3 inch sensor
with 48 megapixels. Sensor size isn't everything, but it is important when it comes to image
quality. A larger sensor has advantages, especially in low light. The aperture of the
Ace Pro is also slightly larger than that of the Action 4. Insta360 uses a completely new 5
nanometer chip for the Ace Pro. This is unique when it comes to action cameras and should not
only enable better processing of the image data, but also many AI-generated features. It will be
interesting to see what impact this new powerful processor has on overheating and battery life. The
Ace Pro was produced in collaboration with Leica, which should also guarantee good image quality.
That all sounds great, but in this video I will try to uncover all the weaknesses of the new
Ace Pro - but of course this also applies to the Action 4. And you'll see, it's going to be
a tough fight. One more thing about the image quality of the Ace Pro. Up to a frame rate of 30
frames per second, the Ace Pro activates the HDR mode in the default settings, also because HDR
comes without any major problems when it comes to the stabilization or battery life. And I have
to say, the Ace Pro's recordings never actually have that unrealistic HDR look. But let's take
a look at the categories in detail and let's start with the colors, contrast and exposure, in
other words the look that the cameras produce. Both cameras produce very beautiful and contrasty
images. As far as the colors are concerned, the Action 4's image looks a little cooler. The
blue tends more towards teal. DJI is taking a more cinematic approach here. The shot of
the Ace Pro has a little more saturation, perhaps a little more contrast because
the shadows are often a little darker and it looks warmer overall. As far as the fine
structures such as in the clouds are concerned, the Ace Pro emphasizes the edges more strongly,
while the Action 4 depicts the clouds more softly. Where the Ace Pro has clear advantages is in
artificial lighting conditions. Here it simply produces much better colors and the images look
more realistic. In addition to the standard color profile, the Ace Pro also offers a color profile
with more saturation and a flat color profile, as well as various creative color filters
that you can activate when shooting. The only negative thing I noticed with the Ace Pro is
the skin tones when the face is heavily exposed, that is, when the sun is coming directly from the
front. Then the skin tones look rather orange and unrealistic. This is probably also due to the
HDR mode. With the Action 4, on the other hand, the face then looks overexposed. Against the
light, the face is slightly better exposed on the Ace Pro, but sometimes looks a little
blurry in the shadows. What I noticed with the Action 4 is that the background sometimes looks
completely unsharp and muddy in difficult lighting conditions like here - I don't know why.
But I like the shots from both cameras. My problem with the Action 4 is mainly that it
only offers this one particular look. There is no other more natural color profile. If
you don't like the standard color profile, you have to use D-Log M. But D-Log M is an
advantage of the Action 4, because the Ace Pro doesn't have a log profile or a 10-bit feature for
color grading. All in all, that's a draw for me. In the standard settings, the field of view of
the Action 4 is slightly wider than that of the Ace Pro. This also applies to the setting
Ultrawide. In Ultrawide or Actionview, the difference is perhaps the biggest. And for
me, the ultrawide, enormously large field of view of the Action 4 is one of the great
strengths of DJI's camera. Interestingly, the field of view of the two cameras is
almost identical in the setting Dewarp, which is the distortion-free field of view. And
the Ace Pro has two other cool features when it comes to the field of view: the free frame
mode and claritiy zoom. In free frame mode, the unstabilized footage from the sensor is
saved. You can then freely select the framing in the app in post and stabilize the recording
and even add motion blur. And Clarity Zoom is an absolute novelty for an action camera.
It is a 2x zoom, but it is not a pure crop. The zoomed image is of good quality
and the zoom is almost lossless. Clarity Zoom is made possible by the
high-resolution sensor and probably also the powerful processor. And you can see
in the comparison that the image looks very good and has significantly more detail than
a simple digital crop. The Freeframe Mode and Clarity Zoom are both very useful features.
That's why this category goes to the Ace Pro. As already mentioned, in the default settings at
up to 30fps the Ace Pro shoots with HDR turned on. And of course you can see that. The highlights
in particular are much better protected. Since the shadows mostly remain dark, creating a
lot of contrast, an unrealistic HDR look is avoided. I think this implementation of HDR
is very well done - imagine riding your bike through the forest - there are no more burnt-out
highlights. It is interesting to note that the Ace Pro delivers a better dynamic range even when
the HDR feature is turned off. You can see that clearly here. Although the shadows are sometimes a
little darker, they do not contain less detail and the highlights are visibly better protected.
This category clearly goes to the Ace Pro. And although the two cameras use a
similar sensor, the image from the Ace Pro shows more detail in 4K than the
image from the Action 4. If we zoom in, you can clearly see the difference. It's true that
the Action 4's field of view is slightly wider, but the difference is relatively clear. The
resolution of 8K will only be available with the final firmware version. I was therefore
unable to test it, but will certainly do a test soon. 8K will only be available in
24 frames per second. 8K is just one of the many special features of the Ace Pro, but I'm
excited to see what the 8K image will look like. If you also take the Clarity Zoom into account,
this category clearly goes to the Ace Pro. Both cameras can record slow motion in 4K
at up to 120 frames per second. And the recordings look great. The recordings have
the usual good 4K quality. Unfortunately, this does not apply to recordings at 240 frames
per second. You have to reduce the resolution on both cameras to 1080 and the recordings don't
look really good on either camera. That's a draw. The performance in low light is one of the
particular strengths of the Ace Pro. But it is also a strength of the Action 4, which is why
this comparison is particularly interesting. Both cameras have a large sensor, the Ace Pro has a
slightly larger aperture of 2.6. The Ace Pro has its own recording mode for low-light shots: Pure
Video. Here, image noise is reduced efficiently and the results look really good. The Action
4 also has a feature for improving the image quality in low light: Low Light Enhancement. Pure
Video and Low Light Enhancement were activated for these shots. The Action 4 takes almost
comparably good shots in low light. However, the Ace Pro has a few advantages in direct
comparison: the images from the Ace Pro have less image noise and are somewhat clearer, the
colors look a little better and the highlights, for example details in the lights, are
somewhat better protected, as you can see here on the right in the shop window, for
example. The shots of the Ace Pro are also slightly better stabilized. The difference is not
huge, but this category also goes to the Ace Pro. Both cameras can stabilize action
and sports shots well. In normal use, even with action shots, you will
hardly notice any difference. However, if we carry out an intensive test and
compare the two cameras directly, we can see that in the standard settings the Action 4
stabilizes the shot perhaps slightly better. In the High setting on the Ace Pro and Rocksteady
Plus on the Action 4, the difference is greater, with the Ace Pro only cropping the recording
dynamically if there is actual shaking, similar to the autoboost feature on the GoPro.
I also think that DJI has largely got the Action 4's stabilization problems in the shade under
control. This category goes to the Action 4. The Ace Pro is bigger than the Action 4 and
also weighs about 35 grams more, which is obviously a disadvantage for an action camera.
Part of the extra size is due to the flipscreen, but the Ace Pro would also be slightly larger
without it. The Action4 comes with a frame. When the Action 4 is mounted in the frame, it
is about the same size as the Ace Pro and weighs about the same. However, the frame has a few
advantages. It offers additional protection - the back display in particular is better protected
by the frame. The camera can also be mounted vertically on the frame. And the Ace Pro has
another disadvantage - unlike the Action 4, the lens cover cannot be removed and replaced
by yourself. Anyone who is concerned about this should consider buying Insta360 Care, which
offers quick and uncomplicated replacement. Apart from that, the two cameras are very
similar in design. They both have two side doors, a QuickSwitch button and of course the
shutter button, which in my opinion is a little too small on the Action 4. The Action 4
is waterproof up to 18 meters without a frame, while the Ace Pro is only waterproof up to 10
meters. This category goes to the Action 4. The foldable display of the Ace Pro is of
course a huge advantage. Not only can it be folded completely upwards, you can also use it
at a 90 degree angle to check the framing when looking at the camera from above. This opens
up completely new possibilities. The display is also slightly larger than the Action4's
back display and I have the impression that it is also slightly brighter at maximum
brightness. The Action 4 can be operated entirely via the front display. However,
the front display is of course very small to allow the best control of framing. It also
has the wrong format for this. Furthermore, it deactivates itself when recording at higher frame
rates. The front display of the Ace Pro is purely a status display and shows the most important
information. But this point goes to the Ace Pro. Both cameras have a magnetic mount, which is
very similar in design and also has a locking mechanism. In my opinion, however, the mount
of the Ace Pro has a few advantages. While the Action4 can still be slightly moved on the
mount, the Ace Pro is absolutely fixed - there is no risk of camera shake. However, this is more
of a theoretical problem, as these vibrations are not visible on the recordings anyway. The Action
4 has much stronger magnets on the mount. This may make it easier to mount when you're not
looking, but removing the camera with one hand is sometimes a little fiddly. But these are only
minor differences. One point for both cameras. I did a test in 4K30 to see how long both
cameras could record on a full battery charge. The Ace Pro was able to shoot for 1
hour and 35 minutes, the Action 4 for 1 hour and 46 minutes. Please note that I made this test
with pre-release firmware. According to Insta360, the battery life will further improve as a
result of firmware updates. The result of this test could therefore soon be different.
Both cameras can recharge the battery very quickly. The difference is not huge,
but this point goes to the Action 4. An overheating test never corresponds to real
conditions and whether you really have problems with overheating also depends on your usage.
Besides, it's already relatively cool here in the Alps and it's 18° Celsius in my office. And good
news for all Action 4 users in the EU. DJI seems to have solved the overheating problem in the EU
with a firmware update. Nevertheless, the Action 4 was not quite able to beat the Ace Pro.
In 4K120, the Action 4 shoots for 45 minutes, the Ace Pro for more than an hour before
overheating. In 4K60, the Action 4 recorded for 1 hour and 20 minutes and then shut down due
to overheating. The battery was also almost empty. The Ace Pro ran for 1 hour and 11 minutes,
didn't overheat, but ran out of battery. Again, the difference is not great, but the point
goes to the Ace Pro by a narrow margin. Both cameras sound very similar
to me in the vlogging test. They are about equally loud, the Ace Pro has a little
more bass, the Action 4 sounds a little clearer. The Ace Pro was better able to handle the extreme
airstream when skiing. But for me it's a draw. The Action 4 is a camera with hardly any special
features. Apart from D-Log M, I can hardly think of any Action 4 feature that the Ace Pro doesn't
have. With both cameras, the poles can be removed from the shot, although this is much easier with
the Ace Pro and can be done directly in the app. The recordings do not have to be uploaded as with
the Action 4. Both cameras can be connected to a wristband that serves as a remote control, which
also records the GPS data. However, the remote control of the Ace Pro has a fully functional
display with which you can also change settings and check the framing, which is a huge advantage
if you have mounted the camera on a helmet, for example. The Ace Pro can also be connected to a
Garmin or Apple Watch to track the most important data such as GPS or speed. The Ace Pro also has
a few additional shooting modes, such as the Free Frame Mode or Star Lapse. Photos can be taken
with the Ace Pro in 48 megapixels, with the Action 4 only in 12 megapixels. The Ace Pro not only
supports voice commands, but also gesture control. For example, you can start a recording by moving
your hand. And a simple but absolutely interesting feature. The Ace Pro has a pause feature. You can
pause the recording and then resume it. Everything is saved to the same file. And the Ace Pro has a
Highlight Assistant that automatically captures the most important highlights directly in the
camera. These can then be used when automatically creating a clip. This is made possible by the
fast 5 nanometer chip and accelerates automated edits and the creation of memories because,
according to Insta360, the camera uses AI to recognize and mark interesting subjects in
the video clips. Your smartphone therefore does not have to analyze the clips again.
Of course, it depends on whether you really need one of these features, but
this point goes to the Ace Pro. And that brings us to the last, but also one
of the most important categories, the app. Most people use their camera in combination with
the app and the Insta360 app is certainly one of the highlights of Insta360's products. It
offers a wide range of options. The auto-edit feature works better than that of DJI. The app
also offers a complete editor, while DJI refers to LightCut. And let's not forget the numerous
creative effects and features under shot lab and Flash Cut. The new AI Warp feature is particularly
cool. Not only are there different presets here, you can also use text input to determine how the
subject you have marked should change in the shot, similar to an AI image generator. I have to
admit that I rarely use the many features myself, but many of them look really cool.
And the app has another special feature. You can transfer several clips from the camera
to your phone in the background without having to keep the app open. This means you can use
your phone for other things while downloading. This is not possible with the DJI app.
This category also goes to the Ace Pro. The AcePro wins with 12 to 7 points. But
how much do the two cameras cost? You can get the Osmo Action 4 for 400 dollars
and the Ace Pro costs 50 dollars more, so 450 dollars. You'll find a link to
both cameras in the video description, and you'll also get a free gift if
you use the link for the Ace Pro. By the way, with the Insta360
Ace there will also be a slightly cheaper version with a smaller sensor.
What would I recommend? For me, the great strengths of the Ace Pro in this comparison are
the useful flip screen and the excellent image quality and, of course, the many features. If
you don't need the features and the flip screen and like the look of the Action 4, the Action 4
is a smaller but also excellent alternative. But how does the Ace Pro compare to the Hero12?
Take a look at the corresponding video on my channel if you are interested and give me a like
as feedback if this video was interesting for you. There will be more videos on the Ace Pro and the
Action 4. So stay tuned and see you next time!
