The 360 degree camera is something that some companies have tried their hands at and done a decent job but no one does it quite like Insta360. They have this baked into the DNA of their company and they have been the ones that have constantly pushed the envelope in the 360 space over the last few years. And, today, they have released the Insta360 X4 – an upgrade that checks all the right boxes for their 360 camera.
The New Insta360 X4
Link: New Insta360 X4 – $499 (these are affiliate links that support the site – thanks for the support!)
The previous model, the X3, made some significant upgrades to the line of 360 cameras from Insta360 but there were still some things that users wanted out of the 360 models. Insta360 delivered on those with this latest upgrade, upgrading many of the most desired specs in such a camera.
The New Insta360 X4 – 8K Resolution
For starters, let’s examine the headline feature – 8K. This is the resolution that Insta360 first rolled out in their Ace Pro last year and they did a good job with it. It was good quality and actually didn’t overheat the camera and the battery lasted quite a while. So, it was time to bring that 8K resolution to their 360 camera.
With all of these numbers, it is important to realize what a huge upgrade it is to go from 5.7K resolution to 8K resolution.
From Selore – https://seloreglobal.com/blogs/selore/what-s-the-difference-between-4k-and-8k
As you can see, on a traditional camera, going from 4K to 5K with a jump to 8K is HUGE! But, it is really big for 360 cameras because the resolution is spread across a 360 degree capture. That means that 4K is not going to be nearly as sharp as someone would expect from a traditional camera. 8K brings a ton more pixels into the equation meaning your 360 videos are going to be much sharper.
Plus, this is really great for reframing, which is a particular strength of Insta360. Not everyone can view 360 degree videos without them being on certain platforms or with apps. You aren’t going to just share a 360 video to another smartphone user unless they have software to really view it the right way. It is great on Facebook, Youtube, etc. But, the really great strength of 360 degree video is the ability to “reframe” – which is to grab any angle you want for a traditional video viewing experience.
This now means that you can get normal camera high resolution from a reframed video that you shoot in the 8K mode. Check out this video.
Check out this video that the Insta360 software made when I ran with the X3.
Using the Insta360 software, it can automatically (or you can do it manually) reframe various videos to give you different viewing perspectives and angles. This essentially turns a camera you can put into your pocket into a multi-camera production for all your great adventures and travel.
Taking the resolution up to 8K is going to make those reframed videos much sharper and allow the end-user to “punch” in even more for a zooming effect.
With this resolution hike, their new 5 nanometer AI chip allows for even more upgrades in the resolution department. The 8K resolution works at 30 frames per second and then the trickle down to other resolutions makes it look like this:
- 5.7K with 60fps
- 4K with 100fps
That means you will get some awesome slow-motion ability at high resolution, perfect for creating some smooth video or slow motion clips.
This upgrade also upgrades the Me Mode, something special in the X series. This allows the subject to automatically stay framed in the shot while keeping the selfie stick invisible. This means you hold the camera in front of you or wherever and it looks like you have a dedicated camera person filming you – but now, the ready-to-share clips will be filmed at 4K 30fps, up from 1080 like on the X3. Or you can slow it down with 2.7K at 120fps.
Removable Lens Guards
Another upgrade that is here that customers have been clamoring for is removable lens guards. This means that you no longer have to put a lens guard OVER the current lens to make sure that a scratch or crack doesn’t ruin you $500 camera. Now, you can use the Standard Lens Guard that comes with the camera or easily twist off and replace it with the Premium Lens Guard which has a tougher, scratch resistant tempered glass so you can not be as nervous about taking it through some rough adventures.
Along with the tough lens guard, they are also bringing a larger display with 2.5″ of Gorilla Glass for the touchscreen.
Better, Longer Battery Life
Another huge upgrade that people will love is the new 2290 mAh battery, that will give users 67% longer run time than the X3. It will allow 135 minutes of recording at 5.7K 30fps or 75 minutes of 8K at 30fps. I am testing mine now so will update when I see how it works for my uses in the real world.
A good thing is that it will charge up to 80% in just 38 minutes or 55 minutes if you need it at 100%.
Other Changes
In addition to the headline changes, they have also made some changes to numbers which may not sound like much unless you are more into the “pro” or manual modes with a camera.
ISO sensitivity (something that helps with lowlight performance) goes from 100-3200 to 100-6400. This means you will see more at night than before (though, because it is a 1/2 inch sensor on each lens, you will still see some “noise” at the high end because the sensor isn’t as big as like a full frame sensor on a big camera).
The max video bitrate went from 100Mbps to 200Mbps. This number is in relation to how much data is in the video files. Since this is going to 8K, this is to be expected but still welcome that they weren’t going for monster compression in the files.
Their creative shooting modes got major upgrades as well.
- Bullet Time – their signature Matrix-like slow-mo shot, now up to 5.7K120fps or 3K240fps.
- 8K TimeShift – a hyperlapse in sensational 8K resolution.
- 11K Timelapse – watch time fly and capture the magic in between moments.
And, yes, Insta360 is including synchronization with Apple Watch and Garmin watches to overlay data like GPS, speed, power, direction, distance, and much more on your final video. The X3 required a GPS remote to do this but now you can do it with the smartwatch you already use – as long as it is Garmin or Apple.
I have this on my Ace Pro and it is awesome! It works really well and is really cool to be able to drop something like that on a video, especially for some of the extreme adventures people use this for.
And, lastly, the Insta360 app and desktop software are excellent in helping you take the magic you captured and turning into something extraordinary to view – all with as little or as much work on your part as you want.
How Is This Great for Travelers?
A 360 camera really opens up the range of possibilities to simply capture all of your travels and then turn it into an engaging video when you get home. One of the frustrating things about filming your travels is you often may miss what goes on around you or even just taking in all the things you are experiencing as you to properly capture it with your camera or smartphone.
With a 360 camera, just hold the thing up and walk around admiring all the landscapes, architecture, food venues, or sightseeing highlights like you normally would. After you are done, you can reframe what you captured or export it in 360 for viewing on YouTube or Facebook so people can experience the trip as if they were there themselves.
Any working promo codes at all that anyone is aware of, purchasing direct, or through an authorized dealer of theirs?