Category Archives: Insta360

Experimenting with Insta360 timelapse…

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A feature I have only played with a few times (on any camera) is timelapse. The first time I did it with an Insta360 camera was when I got my first one – a ONE X2 – and tested it while visiting Universal Studios Florida. While having a meal, I let the camera run . This video is on my Park Hopping YouTube channel:

Later, when I upgraded to an X3, I stuck it on the top of my car with a magnet mount and just let it record the sky.

I did a few tests like this, and they are somewhere on my Sub-Etha Software YouTube channel.

By the time I had an X4, I think I only used this feature one time — and that was just a few weeks ago. I let it record while folks where leaving Silver Dollar City at the end of the day. That video is posted on my DisneyFans.com/ParkHopping.com Facebook page, I think.

And that was the end of my experiments with timelapse…

But recently, I saw an interesting “day to night” timelapse posted by Best360:

This motivated me to began experimenting again. I used an external battery pack handle, attached to the top of my tripod, and set up my camera to record from 7:30pm until it was dark at 8:30pm.

My first attempt failed. Apparently I did not hit the button properly…

My second attempt went much better, but at the end of the timelapse, everything was still pretty bright due to the new X5 producing a brighter image. I am unsure if the camera is doing something to change modes as it gets dark — I just used the “Timelapse” mode and let it do whatever it wanted to do.

My third attempt I ran from 7:30pm to 9pm. It was even more dark, but you can see it still does not look dark in the timelapse:

It is an interesting feature, but quite boring unless you actually reframe it to pan the video and give it a bit more motion.

Have you done much with this mode? If you know of a good use for it, leave a comment.

Until next time…

What’s next for consumer 360 cameras?

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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

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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

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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…

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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

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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

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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

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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!