Insta360 X3
It is without a doubt the most versatile camera that I have ever used, the Insta360 X3 360° action camera. There is no doubt that it is not for everyone, but I think that once you have tried it for yourself, you will find your own personal way of having fun with it. In my opinion, the biggest advantage of this powerful action camera is the dual high-resolution cameras that are positioned back to back. Using these two lenses, users can have the opportunity to shoot all kinds of creative clips that are not possible with other cameras, which gives them an edge over their competitors. I even doubt that the brand developed this product in a way that is able to fully predict how users would use it to create content.
Design
Here is how it works, so let’s take a closer look at it. A half-inch SONY IMX586 sensor is housed in each of the two lenses, which used to be very popular in camera phones in the past. With the dual lens setup, the classic sensor has been given a new lease of life.
They both are recording a super wide-angle video that stretches a long way back, actually with a view that stretches beyond 180 degrees in all directions. There is a bit of overlap at the seams between the two feeds shot on the two cameras, but the algorithm uses them together to create an almost perfect 360 degree shot, despite the overlapping of the two feeds. The thing that makes this really amazing is that the camera knows where the mounting point is and what the mounting equipment, like selfie sticks, looks like, so it is able to remove that from the video by knowing where the mounting point is. As a result, even with a selfie stick mounted on the front of the camera, the Insta360 X3 is like a floating viewpoint. As a result, you do not need to worry about the shooting angle at all, since the camera creates a spherical image that is captured in real-time. It is up to you to decide the angles and movements of the camera, including the panning, tilting, zooming, and rolling of the camera, in your post-editing workflow.
As soon as you decide where you want it to be in the air, all you need to do is take a very hurried shot. As an accessory, a 33-foot-long selfie stick can be attached to the camera and used to follow any object in motion, or even wrap around the lens movement, allowing it to move as if it were a drone if it was mounted in a fixed position.
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As compared to its predecessors, the most important upgrade of this camera is that it comes with a 2.29-inch touchscreen, which is by far the largest on any insta360 camera and allows the user to change the camera settings with ease. It is possible to access the upgraded 1800mAh battery, microSD card slot, and USB port on the side of the camera through doors on the sides. The fact that the camera does not have a built in storage means that you cannot record directly from the camera. The user will find that there are a few details that may be inconvenient, such as the fact that you must first remove the battery before you can install or remove the memory card, as can be seen in the picture. There are also USB-C storage docks that can be used to have off-camera recording, but it’s also convenient to take the dock down and plug it directly into the phone, allowing you to edit directly from the dock.
Capture
The Insta360 X3 has up to 5.7K resolution for 360° video shooting, allowing users to capture stunningly detailed images with vibrant colors. In addition to the Vivid and standard color modes, it also supports log colors. But here I still recommend using Vivid or standard colors to create content, as it looks really great in daylight and is much easier for post-coloring. A surprise I found from the clips is the decent dynamic range, which does offer a pretty natural brightness transition. By the way, in certain modes like time-lapse, the X3 can shoot at 8K resolution.
360° video
time lapse
The cameras feature FlowState stabilization technology which helps reduce shake and blur in videos without sacrificing image quality or field of view (FOV). Additionally, both cameras also feature Horizon Lock mode which keeps your horizon level even if you move around during filming.
Actually, it’s pretty easy to shoot the whole spherical footage. Whether you can turn the footage into stunning creations depends on your spatial imagination and skills in using the software of Insta360 studio.
Software on Phones & PCs
The most convenient way to edit those spherical videos is using the phone app, where you can easily find a bunch of effects and shot patterns to follow, such as different sports or vlog patterns, sky swap, time-lapse, bullet time and so on. To post anything different on social media, it’s perfect and the render time is also surprisingly good, which is even faster than any video-editing tools I’ve ever used.
If you are a professional content creator who wants to edit the clips in detail with the best image quality and the best additional stabilization effects, the Insta360 Studio for PC will be a better and more powerful tool. There’re more options for desktops to upload to social media at higher resolutions than via phones. What’s even more convenient is that you can transfer the shots to Adobe Premiere Pro with the plug-in and edit in the adobe software.
Wide Accessories for Insta360 X3
The Insta360 X3 has great accessories that help secure mounting, such as tripods, standard selfie stick, extremely long selfie stick to shoot drone views, and all kinds of mounts. Unlike some action cameras requiring a waterproof case, the X3’s body is already waterproof to 10 meters without attaching a diving case. But if you still want more secure protection underwater, they also have optional waterproof housings for underwater use.
Verdict
In the actual shooting experience, the brand-new versatile camera is revolutionary. Especially when working with insta360’s software, no matter the phone app or the studio PC app, from the simplest to the most complicated work, it really feels sick. It’s so clever to present such a complex job to everyone’s phone. Once you export any video that’s edited under its guidance, you’ll probably be amazed at such a new perspective. It will even become a motivational tool to encourage you to try new sports with shots from different angles, and locations that most humans have never seen before.
We had never rated a product as an essential tool for shooting vlogs. But the X3 is, and at least for now, there is no 360° camera that works better than the Insta360 X3. So that’s almost all about the revolutionary camera.
