There’s a cult following for 360-degree cameras. Whereas corporations like GoPro and Ricoh proceed to dabble within the class, Insta360 merely dominates it. Till immediately, the X3 was the last word 360 digital camera, with a great deal of options and capturing modes that have been comparatively straightforward to make use of. Insta360’s assortment of selfie sticks, guards, instances and peripherals added much more cool methods like bullet time results and fast-zoom video results. Just a few years later, we’re getting the Insta360 X4, with enhancements prioritizing the basics. There are higher-resolution digital camera sensors, an even bigger battery and much more versatility, due to a number of resolutions and framerate choices.
The Insta360 X4 doesn’t look massively completely different from the X3. It has the identical sweet bar kind issue, with two big wide-angle lenses both aspect. It does appear extra elongated, however I had no challenge cramming it into my pocket throughout every week of testing.
The brand new digital camera has detachable lens guards, which is an clever design enchancment. Any injury or scratch to the lens will doubtless have an effect on picture high quality, particularly when it’s uncovered in … adventurous settings. Beforehand, Insta360 provided sticky lens covers, however the X4 new lens has guards that may be twisted on and off the digital camera sensors. And so they come included within the field, which is good.
Each the USB-C port and battery compartment, the place the microSD slot lives, are protected by strong covers with sliding locks. The Insta360 X4’s Sort-C port now helps USB 3.0 speeds, arguably essential when coping with these higher-resolution movies and larger recordsdata.
The button format stays streamlined and acquainted to anybody who’s used Insta360 cameras earlier than. There’s a round ‘shoot’ button (voice and gesture capturing choices are built-in, too, however they’re rather less dependable), a mode switcher, a programmable Q button, and the facility button. The two.5-inch touchscreen is larger, too, and most settings are only some swipes away. It seems like utilizing a smartphone, which helps make it intuitive.
Nevertheless, the sheer versatility means there are plenty of menus to peruse. I by no means felt overwhelmed however throughout testing, I by no means fairly managed to get Bullet Time and Time Shift to work wherever close to in addition to I’ve seen on YouTube.
Newcomers can energy up the X4 instantly and seize video and stills with out an excessive amount of battle. Naturally, for many who know what they’re doing, that is the place issues get enjoyable.
The technical enhancements give attention to video, with the brand new capacity to file footage at as much as 8K 30fps or 5.7k at 60fps. Sluggish-mo video has been boosted as much as 4K decision, too. Insta360’s Me Mode, which captures conventional ‘flat’ video (together with its ‘invisible’ selfie stick), has been upgraded to 4K 30fps. In brief, it captures extra of the whole lot in comparison with its predecessor. Extra pixels imply extra element with 360-degree video (or any seize mode). It additionally ensures that while you crop all the way down to create clips for social media, the footage doesn’t seem too low-res. Plus, Insta360 claims that stepping down to five.7K decision to file video will supply higher efficiency in low gentle, which appeared true throughout my exams indoors and within the night.
Insta360 has thought of the elevated processing calls for of higher-resolution content material. The X4 has a 2,290mAh battery, 67 % greater than the X3’s. In keeping with the press launch, it ought to be capable of seize video for as much as 135 minutes.
Whereas we’re specializing in the upgrades, plenty of Insta360’s greatest digital camera options are carryovers from the X3. 360-degree horizon lock retains all of your footage degree no matter the way you maintain the X4, and there’s nonetheless spectacular picture stabilization and waterproofing as much as 33 toes. Whereas the X3 mounted lots of the largest issues with capturing 360-degree video, the X4 has boosted constancy to the purpose the place it’s attainable to seize polished footage with out a lot effort.
The X4 is now out there to order directly from Insta360, priced at $499.99. That is $100 greater than its predecessor however nonetheless lower than the corporate’s pro-level $800 digital camera, the One RS 1-inch 360 Version.
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