Best Non-Chinese 4K Cameras For Your M1 Mac

The YI M1 is a mirrorless camera with a 20MP Four Thirds CMOS sensor that can shoot 4K/30p video. It is manufactured by YI Technology, a China-based company that has previously made its mark in the action cam market. The YI M1 is targeted towards those who are looking to move on from their smartphone camera but aren't interested in a conventional DSLR or mirrorless camera. The camera features a touchscreen UI and comes with either a 12-40mm zoom or a 42.5mm prime lens, or both. While the YI M1 offers excellent image quality, it struggles with autofocus and low-light photography.

The Yi M1 is a mirrorless camera with a 20MP sensor and 4K/30FPS video recording

The Yi M1 boasts impressive specifications, including a 20MP sensor, 4K/30FPS video recording, an ISO range from 100 to 25600, face detection with support for up to 32 faces, built-in Wi-Fi, and a 3" LCD touchscreen viewfinder. The camera offers a simple, intuitive user interface with a touchscreen that allows for easy navigation and adjustments.

The Yi M1 is compatible with Micro Four Thirds lenses and comes with either a 12-40mm zoom lens or a 42.5mm prime lens. The lenses are constructed with a mostly plastic body and lack weather sealing, but they offer good image quality. The camera also supports over 50 other lens options from Olympus, Panasonic, and other brands, providing versatility for different shooting scenarios.

One of the drawbacks of the Yi M1 is its slow autofocus, which can be frustrating when trying to capture moving subjects. Additionally, the camera struggles in low-light conditions, producing blurry and undefined images. It also lacks a built-in flash and viewfinder, which are commonly found in other mirrorless cameras.

Despite some limitations, the Yi M1 offers excellent value for its price. It is a good option for beginners who want a lightweight, easy-to-use camera with the capabilities of more expensive models.

The camera is made by Yi Technology, a China-based company

The Yi M1 is a mirrorless camera produced by Yi Technology, a China-based company. It is a sturdy, well-built, and handsome-looking camera that boasts impressive specifications, including a 20-megapixel IMAX269 sensor, 4K/30FPS video recording, an ISO range from 100 to 25600, face detection with support for up to 32 faces, built-in Wi-Fi 802.11n, and a 3-inch LCD touchscreen viewfinder.

Yi Technology is a trusted brand with over 20 million users globally, and their products have received numerous accolades, including being ranked as the #1 Best Seller on various YI cameras on AliExpress in 2021 and receiving over 18,000 product reviews with 99% positive feedback on Amazon.com.

The Yi M1 camera offers a great combination of affordability and features, making it ideal for those new to photography or seeking a lightweight and strong camera for their travels. It is also a good option for those looking for an affordable device to shoot 4K video.

While the Yi M1 performs well in daytime shots, it struggles with nighttime photography, producing blurry images that lack definition. Additionally, the camera lacks a built-in flash and a built-in viewfinder, which may be inconvenient for some users.

Overall, the Yi M1 is a well-built and feature-rich camera offered at an unbeatable price, making it a great choice for those seeking an affordable and capable device.

The Yi M1 has a touchscreen interface and two physical buttons

The Yi M1 is a mirrorless camera with a touchscreen interface and two physical buttons. The touchscreen is a 3-inch display that allows users to tap to focus and swipe to access the camera's settings. The two physical buttons are located on the back of the camera and are used for playback and AF selection. The touchscreen interface aims to provide a simple, smartphone-like user experience. However, the camera lacks a built-in flash and viewfinder, and the autofocus system has been criticised for being slow. Overall, the Yi M1 offers a combination of attractive features and a budget-friendly price point, but its performance, particularly the autofocus and touchscreen responsiveness, could be improved.

The camera comes with a 12-40mm zoom lens or a 42.5mm prime lens

The Panasonic Lumix G 42.5mm f/1.7 ASPH. POWER O.I.S. Lens is a standard portrait-length prime lens. It is designed for the Micro Four Thirds system of mirrorless cameras. The lens features a maximum aperture of f/1.7, which is beneficial for selective focus imagery and shooting in low-light conditions. The aperture range is f/1.7 to f/22. The lens features an aspherical element in its optical design, which helps to control spherical aberrations and distortions for enhanced sharpness and accurate rendering.

The Panasonic Lumix G 42.5mm f/1.7 lens is also equipped with a fast stepping AF motor and an internal focus design, providing smooth, quiet, and responsive focusing performance. The POWER O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer) compensates for camera shake, resulting in sharper imagery when shooting handheld. The lens has a rounded seven-blade diaphragm, producing a smooth out-of-focus quality when making shallow depth-of-field photos and movies.

The Olympus M. Zuiko 12-40mm F/2.8 Zoom Lens is a versatile lens capable of handling various photography styles, including night photography, sports, action, and weddings. It features a maximum aperture of F2.8 and a filter at 62mm, with a lightweight construction of 13.4 oz. The lens has a focal length of 12-40mm, equivalent to 24-80mm in 35mm format. It offers a premium focal length range, allowing you to capture a wide range of subjects, from landscapes to close-up portraits.

The Olympus 12-40mm lens provides fast and accurate autofocus, ensuring that the emphasis remains on the subject rather than the camera. It is easily interchangeable, allowing you to use other lenses in your repertoire. The lens comes with a lens cap, a lens rear cap, a lens hood, a lens case, and a one-year warranty card.

The construction of the Olympus 12-40mm lens is impressive, with 14 elements in 9 groups, including aspherical and ED lenses. This ensures high-quality video and crisp, clear images. The lens offers 0.3x magnification, with a 35mm equivalent max image magnification of 0.6x, providing a subtle blurring background effect ideal for portraits.

The Yi M1 has slow autofocus and struggles in low light

The autofocus on the Yi M1 is slow and inaccurate, especially in low light. The camera uses an 81-point contrast-detect autofocus system with touch-to-focus/shoot. While the touch features make choosing a focus point easy, the camera lacks a dedicated AF control switch, which makes switching AF shooting modes difficult.

The M1 offers face detection and both AF-S and AF-C shooting modes. The face detection works well, with the camera doing a good job of following the face throughout the frame. However, getting the face in focus could be problematic at times. The autofocus lacks any sort of subject tracking outside of face detection.

In terms of accuracy, the autofocus is fairly accurate in good light, but it occasionally fails to focus on the desired target. In low-light conditions, the autofocus often struggles to acquire focus and sometimes misses its mark or fails altogether. The autofocus also tends to hunt a lot before locking focus, giving footage a distracting, wobbly appearance.

The autofocus issues are compounded by the lack of a built-in viewfinder, which makes it difficult to line up shots. The camera's 3-inch touchscreen can be used to zoom in on a particular part of the frame, but this is not as precise as using a viewfinder.

Overall, the slow and unreliable autofocus of the Yi M1, especially in low light, can be frustrating and make it difficult to capture sharp images or video.

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