Why did I choose Pocket 4

Surely anyone who has been passionate about technology long enough has experienced this feeling: eagerly waiting for a new product to launch, then holding it in your hand and feeling a bit disappointed because you realize you don't really need it. Not because the product is bad, but because I have drawn an ideal version in my head, but the reality is different. That's exactly what I experienced in the past few weeks, when I tried out the two most awaited pocket camcorders this year: DJI Osmo Pocket 4 Pro and Insta360 Luna Ultra.

When I heard there was a 60mm telephoto lens, I was quite excited

When there were rumors about a two-camera Pocket, with a telephoto lens of about 60mm, and then Insta360 launched the Luna Ultra, I was one of the people looking forward to it the most. Not because the parameters sound great, but because I know what the 60mm tube brings. Anyone who has ever filmed or taken serious photos understands: 60mm tubes give a neater, neater frame, without the distortion at the edges like 20mm tubes often do when placed close to the face. I imagined sitting and talking to people with a better frame, the mic wasn't bulging and distorted due to the wide-angle lens, everything looked more delicate. I sincerely hope that, perhaps many content creators do too.

Then I tried it for real, and decided not to use it

I tried both Luna Ultra and Pocket 4 Pro, while previously I was familiar with the Pocket 3 and Pocket 4 single-lens versions. After a few days of real use, I came to a somewhat unfortunate conclusion: I will not use these two devices. I went back to the regular Pocket, just a 20mm tube. There are two reasons, both very real.

Reason 1: quality is not as expected

When considering buying a camcorder, the first question should always be: does the quality meet your needs? I used to think the 60mm tube would produce images as good as the 20mm tube I'm using. But that's not the case. Looking at the parameters, it's easy to understand why. Both cameras use sensors for the telephoto lens that are much smaller than the main lens. Smaller sensors capture less light, narrower dynamic range, and low light means the camera has to process more images to compensate. So even though it was the focal length I wanted, the image quality was not as expected. If a feature doesn't solve the problem, no matter how good the parameters are, it's meaningless for your actual needs. If only the far corner is better, then current flagship phones, with larger telephoto sensors and more powerful image processing, will do much better. A pocket camcorder that is inferior to a phone in exactly what it advertises as its strong point is worth thinking again before spending money to buy.

In this video I used a 60mm lens

Reason 2, deeper: my actual needs are just that

Sitting and talking, filming from the front like the video in this article, is the most basic job that I need a machine to do. For that, a 20mm tube placed in front of you is enough. It may not be as neat as the 60mm tube, but facing the front, the difference is not significant. The 60mm lens is only really useful when filming someone or something far away, which only accounts for about 5-10% of my needs. The question I want everyone to think is: is it worth it to have to carry a bigger, heavier machine, just to serve those 5% of cases? Both dual-lens cameras have to trade off compactness for an additional telephoto lens. Reviews of the Pocket 4 Pro also noted that the dual camera cluster makes the device much larger and heavier than the previous generation. To me, that is a small price to pay for a feature that is only used in a few cases. According to my feelings when holding both types of cameras, the single-lens Pocket4 is only about 70% larger than the Pocket 4 Pro or Luna Ultra. That 30% bulkier, plus the extra weight, is a price to pay every day, while the benefits only appear in a small fraction of situations. If I had to choose, I would rather leave space in my backpack for other items I use more often than carry a large device that I don't touch most of the time.

Pocket 4 on the left and Pocket 4P on the right

This is not about money, but about how we live with things

This is not about money. This is how I choose to live with furniture. The longer I live, the more I want to simplify things. Even the mic I'm using is the same: I have nearly a dozen good mics, but in the end I chose a compact one, both a mic and an interface, that fits in my pocket, just to avoid having to carry a lot and still be enough to use. In the world of photography and videography, there is a familiar concept called Gear Acquisition Syndrome (GAS), roughly understood as "syndrome of addiction to buying things". It accurately describes the cycle many technology enthusiasts often encounter: constantly wanting to upgrade, buy more accessories, and constantly change to a new device, not because the old stuff is no longer usable, but because of fear of missing out on the newest one. Many people in the photography world have said that the only way out is to return to the original question: what do I really use this equipment for, how much of the time do I use it, and is the current equipment enough to use it? I think the biggest trap of technology players is not lack of money, but fear of missing out on new things, fear of feeling like you're falling behind if you don't have the newly released item. I'm older now so I'm less influenced by those things. I do what I need, buy what I need, and dare to give up what I don't need, even when the whole world is praising it.

Conclude

Osmo Pocket 4 Pro and Insta360 Luna Ultra are both serious products, marking a real step forward for dual-lens pocket camcorders. For those who shoot far away, the 60mm telephoto lens is a truly valuable upgrade. But my job is mainly to sit and talk face to face, so that upgrade doesn't properly solve the problem I'm having, while the size, weight and quality of the telephoto lens are the burden I have to bear. Sometimes confidence doesn't come from owning the newest gadget, but from daring to say: "This is cool, but it doesn't suit me." I chose to return to the smallest, simplest machine, suitable for 95% of the work I do every day.