Author Archives: Allen Huffman

About Allen Huffman

Co-founder of Sub-Etha Software.

What’s next for consumer 360 cameras?

I have had a variety of 360 camera systems since I first purchased one in 2005. My first Insta360 camera was the ONE X2 which was released in October 2020. Next came the X3 in September 2022, then the X4 in April 2024. Now, with the release of the X5 in April 2025, many are wondering why they have gone from “every two years” to “every year.”

Online camera ramblers(tm) suggest it is due to the impending release of 360 cameras from competitors DJI and GoPro.

However, if you search for “GoPro bankrupt” you will find many (many!) videos talking about the impending end of that company. Here is one that was posted to YouTube about a week ago:

however, you should be aware that the above video is sponsored by Insta360, and videos about the “impending bankruptcy” of GoPro have been showing up the past few years.

Still, a new 360 camera from a well-stablished camera company would get my attention. I’d certainly switch to it if it were better than what I am using.

The same goes for DJI which has slowly been becoming a camera (and wireless microphone) company as much as it is a drone company.

Competition is good, and there is as much praise for the DJI microphone and camera offerings as there is for their drones (i.e. “flying cameras”).

And I find it sad that RICOH, which was one of the first affordable consumer 360 cameras, doesn’t seem to ever pop up in 360 camera discussions any more.

What do you think will be “the next big thing?” Leave a comment…

Selling my X4 and tons of accessories

UPDATE: Sold for $400. Congrats to the buyer! You got a great deal!


It has been only a year since I picked up my Insta360 X4, but now that I have a new X5, I am getting rid of all my X4 gear. This includes the X4, three batteries total, quick charger, dive case, lens covers, lens guards, several carrying cases, mix wind muffs, and more — some of these items never got used. I really expected the X4 to be around for two years before the replacement model came out ;-)

The X4 by itself is $424 on Amazon, but you can buy my whole kit for less than that right now if you want, or bid and try to get it cheaper:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/335935741599?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=AvuV3Hq0Tee&sssrc=2524149&ssuid=AvuV3Hq0Tee&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Insta360 X5 low light performance

Here are some raw footage clips of the Insta360 X5 camera recorded at night. For the test, I had my X4 recording in 8K 30fps Video mode, and put the X5 in 8K 30fps PureVideo mode.

One surprising thing was that even the preview screen looks much brighter on the X5:

Insta360 X4 (left) versus Insta360 X5 (right)

Here are the results:

As you can see, the X5 produces a significantly brighter image. But, freeze frame along the way and you will see it still suffers from graininess and image blur when recording in low light levels.

And since the X5 has a slightly larger image sensor, I wanted to do a comparison that I did not see in any of the pre-release YouTuber videos. For this test, I set both the X4 and X5 in normal 8K 30fps Video mode (NOT using PureVideo on the X5). I was surprised at how much brighter the X5 video is even in “normal” Video mode:

There may be a few more short tests I want to complete before selling off my X4 gear, so keep checking this site.

If you have any specific things you want to see tested, leave a comment. If I have time, I will try to do them.

Until next time…

Insta360 X5 charging LED…

The Insta360 X5 charging LED glows amber/orange instead of red. This is different from earlier models. It is difficult to tell in this photo, but it is quite different when looking at it directly.

Also, the “PureVideo” low light mode may be garbage. I did some tests tonight and while it is definitely brighter, it still needs alot of light to avoid the image becoming a grainy, blurry mess. I’ll have some demo videos to share, soon. (Better than not having it, of course, but it does not look like it will solve my #1 issue with these 360 cameras — low light performance.)

insta360 X5 new menu system

When the X4 was released, it brought a nicely revamped menu system. The X5 does the same, which means — currently — some of the Insta360 tutorial videos (such as how to pair the GPS Action Remote) are useless since they show menu options that do not exist on the X5.

Here are the top level menus.

Screen 1

There are far, far fewer icons on the X5. Currently, you get six, then some new larger buttons.

Screen 2

Swiping to the next screen shows some more large “buttons.” This reminds me of the control panels found on smartphones.

Screen 3

The third screen also uses the “big button” style. Bluetooth is where you go for Remotes (no dedicated button) as well as pairing microphones, for example.

Audio settings

The audio settings has some new options — including one none of the pre-release YouTubers knew about: Dual-track radio. Insta360 released a small wireless microphone, and apparently the X5 will let you sync two microphones to the camera. Was this possible with earlier X cameras?

There are more small changes, but I’ll let the YouTubers do the 55 minute deep-dive videos on the menu system ;-)

More to come…

Insta360 X5 physical changes from the X4

As my two photo gallery sites prove, I prefer sharing photos over videos. A video goes by, and if there is something interesting in it, you won’t ever find it again unless you write down a timestamp so you can replay the video and seek to that point later. But photos? You just pop into a gallery and can drill right down to find photos of what you are looking for. It is much easier for me to find something at the Branson Ferris Wheel by looking at my photos of it than looking at my videos of it.

With that in mind, here are some unprofessional cell phone pictures of the exterior of the X5 compared to the X4. Some interesting differences.

Sides

On the X4 (left), the USB port is just above the battery. On the X5 (right), only the battery is on that side and the USB port has been moved to the opposite side.

On the opposite size, you can see that the control buttons (power and Q) have been moved up a bit, and the USB port is now at the bottom. The flap that covers the USB port is very different, as well.

Bottom

Where once cameras only had the 1/4″ tripod mount, newer cameras will have indentions and such for installing “quick release” adapters. You can see how this has changed a bit between X4 and X5.

Physically, the X5 still fits in the carrying case I have for my X4 so, unlike the X3 to X4 size increase, you should be able to keep using your same camera case.

Up next … a look at the revamped (again) menu system….

Until then…

Insta360 X5: Hype and Hammers

Two days ago, the Insta360 X5 was announced and made available for sale. Amazon US had it for sale about an hour before the official launch announcement. Amazon Germany and Canada had also jumped the gun, so folks were able to see the official product name and all the specs before the official release.

This was quite a different launch than the past ones.

I received my X5 on April 23rd, the day after the announcement. There was a firmware update 1.0.0 waiting when I activated it, and this update introduced features that none of the pre-release YouTubers had access to. Thus, we should expect a second round of videos to cover this stuff.

X4 versus X5 in “normal” 8K mode

Here is my quick sample I did last night:

I also stopped by a local bar and grill (dim indoor lighting) to see what the new PureVideo mode would do:

I will be doing more tests and comparisons soon.

But I digress…

Hype and Hammers

This is pure speculation, but it seems like the pre-release YouTubers were all given a script or at least marketing bullet points for them to insert into their videos. Many of them recreated the “lets hit the camera with a hammer and break the lens then replace it” that had been shown to us by the Insta360 teaser video a week ago. I really doubt that all these content creators are so uncreative they would just recreate the manufacture’s marketing video.

The second thing I have noticed is the use of hype in the videos (title, thumbnail, etc.). I do not recall seeing so many “hype” references for the X3 or X4 launches. And, honestly, what hype? An announcement came out a week ago announcing “something new” coming on April 22nd, and that was it. There was no hype. We just had the normal speculation videos/posts/tweets/etc. online. I suspect “hype up the hype” may have been a marketing directive as well.

Have you noticed any other patterns? Please leave a comment.

So far, I like everything about the X5 better than the X4 except having to buy all my accessories again. (See that link for the list, and contribute if you know of things I have missed.)

More to come!

The scripted world of Insta360 X5 reviews

Quick background: I got my first digital camera in 1996, and was taking one-shot 360 photos back in 2005. Basically, I’m old and have been doing this for decades. However, I am still new to the Insta360 cameras. I have only been using them since the ONE X2.


Many companies will send out pre-release hardware to various YouTubers so they can have “review” videos ready to post the day the product is announced. The Insta360 ONE X2 was my first Insta360 product, and it was already for sale when I got mine. Since then I have watched the launch day “review” videos for the X3, the X4 and now the X5.

Insta360 requested changes to videos?

The X4 release had a bit of controversy around it when some YouTubers came forward explaining some of the terms that Insta360 had “requested” for their videos. They had been “asked” to edit things out or make changes to their “honest” review. For some, it was the end of them dealing with Insta360 (or so they said at the time; I have yet to see if they have an X5 launch day video). For the rest, we wondered what changes they made at the request of Insta360 in their “honest” reviews.

This shouldn’t be a surprise with any paid or sponsored video, but most of these folks will say they are giving an “honest review” or are “not sponsored.” While we can’t read minds to know how honest they are being, we certainly know that a hardware sponsor is indeed a sponsor. Whether someone is providing hotel rooms (a lodging sponsor) or lunch (a food sponsor) or hardware, these are indeed sponsorships and in the USA the F.T.C. requires this to be disclosed. So while it may be legal in other parts of the world to not disclose sponsorships, there are quite a few USA folks who have been in violation of this for years.

UPDATE: Several of the launch videos I have watched have said — up front — that Insta360 sent them the gear for free! Huzzah! I wish all would do this.

But I digress…

The X5 launch was different…

Unlike all the other X series launches I have watched over the past three releases, this time pre-release YouTubers were allowed to share video clips the day Insta360 announced something new was coming out. Multiple videos appeared on YouTube showing sample video, often a side-by-side comparison between an X4 and “whatever this new camera will be” (they couldn’t tell us yet). It was these low-light demonstrations that really got my attention.

Whatever this new device was, it sure looked more capable in low light situations.

But we also noticed something … odd.

…and “reviewers” seem to be following a script?

The official “launch teaser” video released by Insta360 ended with an up-facing video of someone with a hammer who then “smashed” the lens, breaking it. This was followed by clips of what looked like them unscrewing the current lens and replacing it.

Whatever this new device was, it sure looked like breaking a lens would be less of a big deal.

The odd part was seeing, over and over, different YouTubers posting short and cryptic “we can’t tell you what this is yet” videos showing them doing the same thing. Many used a hammer to break the lens, with the same up-facing video, and clips of them replacing it.

They were recreating that part of the Insta360 ad.

Coincidence? Maybe…but that seems unlikely.

Uncreative? Seems unlikely, since these folks all produce videos and the other samples were different.

Instructed by Insta360? Seems quite likely.

Launch videos echo marketing bullet points…

In most (all?) of the launch videos I have watched (so far) about the X5, I note they all have been giving us marketing bullet points for things they haven’t tried or tested. For example, they tell us the X5 lens is more durable. How do they know? Did they test breaking an X4 and try that same force on an X5? Not that I have seen. But the marketing says it is, so it is stated. That is not a review. That is reading the specs.

It is not a “review” if you are telling us a feature you haven’t even tried.

(And yes, this is just semantics. All they have to do is “According to Insta360, they say…” and we get it. But instead most/all have presented it as an untested, unverified fact. Whether it is or not, that is not a review. That is just echoing marketing specs.)

So…

As you watch all the X5 launch day “review” videos, keep in mind the ones that say:

  • “Honest review” – if you have to tell us that, there must be a reason. Have they been dishonest in the past?
  • “Unsponsored” – surely they had a hardware sponsor. How else would they have all this gear before they could even buy it?

…and then start noticing the things they all say (phrases) or point out (which could come from talking points provided by Insta360), as well as things they do in their “review” videos.

And now, back to binging dozens of X5 launch day videos… Comment with your favorite ones!

To be continued… (My videos will be available maybe as early as tomorrow night.)

Insta360 X5 accessories you have to re-buy

Last Updated: 4/23/2025

If you already own an Insta360 X4 and decided to get the new X5, here is a list of things you will have to re-buy, according to Insta360. This page will be updated as we get more information:

X5 Accessories to Re-Buy

Per Insta360:

As X5 is different in size and internal structure from X4/X3, most accessories are not cross-compatible, including the battery, Invisible Dive Case, Lens Guards, and Quick Reader.

– Insta360
  • Battery
  • Battery Fast Charge Case (new design, charges 2 batteries instead of 3)
  • Invisible Dive Case
  • Lens Guards
  • Mic Adapter (not confirmed; but Insta360 is listing a model specifically for the X5)
  • Quick Reader
  • Quick Release (not confirmed; but Insta360 is listing a model specifically for the X5)
  • Rubber Lens Cap
    • “The Insta360 X4 lens cap is not compatible with the X5. Our X5 has a new rugged, replaceable lens design that’s different from the X4. While some accessories like the 1/4″ mounting point are compatible between X4 and X5, specific accessories such as lens guards are not cross-compatible due to changes in size and optical performance. If you need lens protection for your X5, we recommend using accessories specifically designed for the X5 model.”
    • Screen Protector (not confirmed; but Insta360 is listing two versions specifically for the X5)
    • Thermo Grip Cover – one of these came with the X4, but not with the X5.
    • USB Charging Cover (not confirmed; but Insta360 is listing two versions specifically for the X5)
    • Utility Frame (“camera cage”) – per Hugh Hou video.
  • …and more to be added.

Find something else? Please leave a comment and I will update this list.