I’m new to the 360 camera scene, but after just a week or two with the new Insta360 X4, I can’t see myself using a GoPro anymore. When.
To start things off, my primary use is Insta 360 X4 is to document behind the scenes while I work. So while this camera can do a lot of things that creators will find useful (which I’ll get to later), I really just need decent footage that I can use. for Instagram Reels, YouTube and Patreon.
Previously, I used a GoPro attached to my camera button. This approach is effective but also has many limitations. The main thing is the field of view. The GoPro has a pretty wide lens, but no matter where you place it on the camera, you will never be able to see the subject and I are shooting at the same time. This makes the scene feel very static and uninspiring. There are also times when I put the GoPro in off-camera mode and this results in constantly having to adjust the position to make sure it’s pointing in the right direction or tilting it up/down to cover the entire scene. Not only does this take extra time, but most importantly, it takes up more of my mental energy than I’m willing to devote to the task. This led to many situations where I would lose any BTS recording because I didn’t want to deal with it or didn’t have the time.
That’s why Insta360 X4 is a game changer for me. Because it always shoots video footage in all directions, you don’t have to think about how to set up the camera. There is no ability to adjust the left or right angle or tilt up and down. You just need to set up the camera and press the record button. You can then adjust where in the frame you want the video to be in post-production.
For me, the ability to endlessly re-adjust video is the number one reason why the BTS camera is perfect. Not only do I not have to worry about adjusting the camera, but I now have the ability to express myself in the scene as well as the subject. During the post process, I can also add movement to the video where maybe the video starts showing me and then rotates to the topic. This adds excitement to the clip as well as gives you more options in post-production.
The new Insa360 X4 now also records in 8k30 resolution, allowing you to zoom in even more. But for me, I ended up keeping it at 5k60 so I could slow down parts of the clip a bit. But even at the lower 5k resolution, I was able to record clips in both horizontal and vertical aspect ratios without any problems. This capability is another way the Insta360 wins over GoPro. Because before I had to choose whether to film horizontally or vertically. And because I primarily use my footage for horizontal spaces, videos would struggle to be shared to vertical platforms. But with Insta360, I get the best of both worlds.
All I have to do is edit the clip the way I want in the app or the free Insta360 software horizontally. With the GoPro, I then had to crop the video to convert it to portrait. This almost always results in losing important parts of the video. However, with Insta360, I can change the format to portrait and it can simply zoom out to show what I need because there is 360-degree footage.
However, one important thing to know is that 360 video is a combination of footage shot on two different sensors and lenses. This is important because there is a gap in the video where two different videos are stitched together. Most of the time, this is barely noticeable. However, I discovered that this characteristic became more apparent as things got closer to the camera. So when I attached the X4 to my camera, I initially just had it pointing straight forward and backward. But this made the stitching move over the camera and my face.
However, an easy fix for this problem is simply to rotate the camera slightly so that the stitching moves just in front of the lens and to the side of the camera. It was a strange concept to me at first. It’s just that the 360 camera is pointed at an angle so it doesn’t look right. But since it captures everything at once, rotating the camera doesn’t really matter.
Luckily, once you get the footage into post-production, it’s still just as simple to use. You can drag the video clip in a very intuitive way to display the video area you want to display. You can also easily set where you want the video clip to start and then have the camera “pan” to another part in the video with just a few clicks. So I can take an ultra-wide photo showing me and the subject, then have the video zoom in on the subject and track them through the video. However, one of the hardest parts of 360 video is that you shoot so much that it can sometimes be difficult to narrow down what you want to show. And this is where they have an AI-based framing feature that analyzes your video clip and will automatically cut out pieces of content from that clip so you can choose what you want to use. But for me, I usually know exactly what I want to show so I tend to edit and trim clips manually.
One of my favorite and most used features when recording BTS is the ability to quickly start recording and easily stop and delete footage. Sometimes, when capturing moments, it’s hard to know for sure whether something interesting will happen or not. So as soon as something starts happening, I can press the record button and even if the camera is off, it will turn on and start recording. If nothing happens, I can press and hold the record button to simultaneously stop recording and delete the clip. This saves a lot of time in post-production without having to review clips where nothing happens or having to dive into menus to delete footage in camera. However, one thing I wish was that the time from turn off to recording was a little faster.
From here, recording BTS footage is only a small part of this camera’s capabilities. From high-resolution still images to recreating drone-style footage, even creating crazy Matrix-style slow-motion video clips called bullet time. Take a look at some of the X4’s promotional material and you’ll quickly see what potential this little setup can give you!
I also feel it’s important to mention some specifics surrounding the specs of this camera. As mentioned earlier, it can record videos in 8k30, 4k60 and even 4k100 resolution. It can capture stills at 72-megapixel resolution and also has an HDR mode for both stills and video. I also have no complaints about the battery life with a run time of 135 minutes. You can also easily change the battery if you’re shooting for a long day, and the entire camera is waterproof up to 30m. There’s also the possibility of using a dedicated underwater shell if you want to go deeper.
There are also many accessories. From invisible selfie sticks to extremely long invisible poles, as well as special camera rigs used to shoot bullet time videos. They also have special lens protectors, but unless you are filming in a hazardous environment, I recommend not using protectors as they can cause unwanted flare and artifacts. want. The camera also has a USB-C port for fast charging. I love having this because when I charge it Sony a7cR via USB-C, I can easily charge the 360 camera at the same time. This makes the process of using the camera on a daily basis along with the daily BTS camera quite seamless.
What I like
- Shoot in a set-it-and-forget style while still being able to record everything and re-frame in post-production
- Fast recording with quick cancellation
- Solid configuration with great battery life
What I don’t like
- Wishing time started faster
- Have to be a little conscious about where the seam is in certain situations
From the beginning, I always thought of a 360 camera as a one-of-a-kind device. Thankfully, I was horribly wrong. This camera has dramatically increased my ability to capture BTS footage while also making the process easier, more dynamic, and more engaging. If you are considering using a GoPro or currently use a GoPro, I highly recommend you consider the new feature Insta360 X4. If you have an older Insta360 X3, I feel this newer model would be worth the upgrade.
