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00:00Hey guys, I'm Tom from TechChap and this is being shot with the brand new Insta360 X3
00:06action camera.
00:07And it is a full 360 degree camera and I've got to say I've had more fun with this than
00:11I think any other camera ever.
00:13And what I really love about this is that you can capture everything and then frame
00:17and edit it later in the app.
00:19So I can show you that way, I can show you that way, we can go upwards if you like, or
00:24I can extend this selfie stick up to 3 meters to get a kind of drone shot overhead.
00:31This is an incredibly versatile action camera and it's been a lot of fun having a play with
00:35it.
00:37So a big thank you to Insta360 for sending this out for me to have a play with and also
00:41sponsoring this video.
00:42Although, as always, all opinions are my own and basically I just want to show you everything
00:46you can do with this.
00:47Oh, and also a big thank you to Pete and James who helped me make this video.
00:51And actually this was a bit of a team effort and if you do enjoy the video, a like and
00:54subscribe would be lovely.
00:56So following on from the Insta360 ONE X2, we now have the Insta360 X3.
01:02They've dropped the ONE part of the name and actually this comes with a whole bunch of
01:06new tricks and new features that makes it stand out as one of the best and most versatile
01:10action cameras you can buy.
01:12For starters, it can record 5.7K full 360 video and thanks to new larger half inch sensors,
01:19we're getting better image quality with less noise and the new 360 active HDR mode balances
01:24detail in light and darker areas of the scene.
01:27And single lens mode turns this into a regular action camera using one of the two cameras
01:32to record sharp 4K 30 footage.
01:35360 audio uses the four built-in microphones, meaning your voice and sounds should be clear
01:40no matter which direction you're holding it.
01:42And the X3 also has plenty of official accessories, though it should also work with most regular
01:47GoPro style mounts.
01:49So new, you can now take full 360 photos at up to a huge 72 megapixels and it also
01:55works underwater down to 10 meters or 33 feet and there's even a 4K 120 bullet time mode
02:02which gets you shots like this.
02:05And so like with the 360 video, you can then pop it into the Insta360 app on your phone,
02:10Android, iOS or on your PC.
02:12I've got it on my MacBook here and then you can edit and reframe your footage however
02:16you like.
02:17I mean, just look at that.
02:18I've been reframing it on the fly.
02:19Looks great.
02:20That is very cool.
02:22Setup is simple.
02:23You just charge it up and then pop in your micro SD card and you're good to go.
02:27Then it's just a case of choosing what mode, resolution and frame rate you want using the
02:312.29 inch tempered glass touchscreen or using the quick select button and then just hit
02:36record.
02:37And it's the full 5.7K 360 degree video that's the killer feature here.
02:41The dual hemispherical lenses each record 180 degrees and then the processing stitches
02:46them together.
02:48Removing any selfie sticks from the image, well, most of the time.
02:51And this tops out at 30fps, although you can get 60 if you drop the res to 4K.
02:56And so next to a regular action cam like the GoPro Hero 10, for example, this means you
03:01don't need to worry about setting up your shot.
03:03You can just reframe it in the app afterwards and export it in whichever aspect ratio you
03:07want.
03:08So 16 by 9 for YouTube or 9 by 16 for your Instagram reels or TikTok.
03:13It really is a case of shoot first, reframe and edit later.
03:17So for example, while you can see I can move around, this is in the Insta360 app, once
03:21you export it, ideally in ProRes, you'll get the full quality.
03:25And then what you can do is set keyframes by pressing the little plus button down here.
03:29And then you can adjust the pan angle, the roll, the field of view, all sorts of things.
03:34So you can't really miss the shot, which is a huge deal.
03:37And also beyond that, you can probably use the same piece of footage multiple times if
03:40you wanted to, just with different settings.
03:43You can see James has been having some fun with this.
03:44He does have his arm stuck out here while he's riding it because he's holding the selfie
03:47stick with the camera on it.
03:49So while it does remove the camera and the stick, you're still gonna have your arm stuck
03:53out like that.
03:54That's worth bearing in mind.
03:55And also if you're wondering why I didn't do this, it's because I can't really ride a
03:58bike.
03:59Don't tell anyone though.
04:01And for me as a YouTube creator, I'm always trying to get shots that are more interesting,
04:05more dynamic and possibly even more relatable and often just basic tripod panning shots
04:10just bore everyone to death.
04:12This kind of stuff is so much more interesting and it's all from this.
04:15It looks like I've got a FPV drone flying through the woods here or it's a outtake from
04:20Return of the Jedi.
04:22And if your camera slips out of position, you don't have to lose the shot like you would
04:26on a regular action cam.
04:27You can just reframe it later on.
04:29If you do pick one of these up, just have some fun with it.
04:32Try the different modes.
04:33I guarantee you, you're gonna have a lot of fun and actually you're gonna get some surprisingly
04:37good results.
04:38Also despite this being a very bumpy ride, the X3 has some of the best stabilisation
04:43I've seen.
04:44Even these handheld selfie stick shots are great thanks to the FlowState horizon levelling
04:49which keeps the horizon more or less flat no matter which angle you're holding it.
04:53And even mounted to an RC car gave us some nice smooth footage while the car itself was
04:57shaking and bumping along.
04:59All we did was reframe our shots to make it look like swivels.
05:03Now most shots require either a mount like a suction cup onto a car or something or this
05:08guy which is the 3 metre long Insta360 selfie stick.
05:14Which I'm not sure if I have quite enough room in here to fully extend it.
05:18Thou shall not pass.
05:19It is huge and it shrinks down to just that.
05:24Although you do get a few looks if you walk around town with this fully extended over
05:28your head.
05:29Just be aware though of shadows as the processing can't remove these like it does with the selfie
05:33stick itself.
05:34If you hold it extended a metre or so behind you then you can get a cool third person gaming
05:39style perspective which makes for great timelapse or sped up footage.
05:43Or better yet, get yourself a beefy suction mount and stick it to your car for a seriously
05:47cool racing game look.
05:49I absolutely love this.
05:51Or even hold it way above your head and you can get some cool walk around laps shots like
05:56this one around the Glastonbury Tour.
05:59The 5.7K resolution is spread over the full 360 so the 4K single lens mode will offer
06:05slightly finer quality video and also frame rate does top out at 30fps in the main 360
06:11modes.
06:12But importantly, and like all action cams, ideally you want to shoot this in well lit
06:15conditions.
06:16Lighting is everything.
06:20Also not every shot suits the wide fish eye field of view but you can easily flatten this
06:25out in the app to give a more natural appearance.
06:28Or you can just have a bit of fun with the crystal ball mode.
06:30Or my favourite tiny planet which can have some unintentionally hilarious results.
06:37Now I will say that some images were a little softer than I'd like and also the stitching
06:41between both hemispheres is usually good although you do get an obvious seam when the crossover
06:46point is over more detailed areas like these paving slabs.
06:50But luckily the apps have a couple of extra intelligent stitching options which can help.
06:55Now one of the new modes, 360 Active HDR, attempts to draw out more detail from darker
07:00and brighter areas of the image and it did work well in the woods but in some conditions
07:04especially with direct sunlight on one lens but not the other, it could vary its exposure
07:09a little too often and so there's some obvious mismatch between lenses.
07:13As for single lens mode, you get a 180 degree image at 4K30 with a 120Mbps bitrate from
07:20either camera.
07:21It's basically GoPro mode that films where you point it.
07:25And side by side with the GoPro Hero 10 with its highest single lens resolution, it's
07:29clear the 360 cam's FOV is wider by default although you can adjust this later.
07:34Although bear in mind the new Hero 11 will be coming out soon as well.
07:37But if you want the best quality 360 image then you'll want to use the new 72MP photo
07:43mode.
07:44This is the highest resolution in any 360 camera and it captures a ton of detail and
07:49gives you as many options to reframe as the video does.
07:52Even though ideally you'll want well-lit conditions.
07:55Okay, let's dig a little bit deeper with the many many modes this has to offer.
08:01We took the camera to our local outdoor market and got a few funny looks from people as we
08:04captured them for a few minutes and you can easily add or remove motion blur in the app.
08:09And while I can't show you the full 8K output in this 4K YouTube video, in either case the
08:14detail is incredible.
08:16Then there's this, the Insta360 bullet time accessory.
08:20This literally just screws into the bottom of the camera and you can then pull it out
08:24as far as you like.
08:26And then I would suggest pinching in here at the end so it doesn't retract in.
08:31And then you can basically throw the camera around you, above or to the side and get yourself
08:36some cool bullet time effects.
08:40Just make sure you don't smash anything.
08:42You record at 4K 120 or 3K 180 and then slow it down to 30 for that slow-mo bullet time.
08:48I'm sure you could manage a cooler effect than me with this and it's something I definitely
08:52want to play with more.
08:53Then there's nose mode where you hold the camera up to your face or even in your mouth
08:57to get some weirdly ultra close-up shots.
09:00I couldn't get this to look anything but a bit unpleasant, but happily Insta360 sent
09:04me this video of a man demonstrating this better than I ever could.
09:08That is someone definitely living his best life.
09:11And this is being shot with me mode.
09:14That is Sylvie the cat.
09:16So I'm using this on the very short selfie stick just in front of me and it's kind of
09:21meant for vlogging.
09:22Let me know what you make of the footage.
09:24This is me mode.
09:25Also, say you're using this as a dash cam or somewhere else where you need to capture
09:29footage after the event, Insta360 are planning a firmware update which will allow you to
09:33pre-record 15 or 30 seconds before you hit the record button.
09:38Now the camera is really only half the story.
09:41To get the shot you want, as I say, you'll need the AI-powered Insta360 mobile app or
09:45the studio editing app on your PC or Mac.
09:48All are free, just connect to your X3 via Bluetooth or USB.
09:51You can add extra camera positions and control the type of transition between them, you can
09:55change speeds with time shift or use the deep tracking function to have the AI dynamically
10:00track a subject you choose.
10:03And the studio app has even more options that make it my preferred choice for editing.
10:07Also Shot Lab in the mobile Insta360 app offers a few fun options like Sky Swap which lets
10:12you, well, swap out the sky for something a bit more dynamic.
10:16Okay, so my cameraman and videographers aren't really out of jobs.
10:20This is just going to be another tool that I add to my arsenal.
10:23And actually in some ways, especially when I do a lot of car videos, it's always tricky
10:27to get those shots.
10:28You usually have to use a chase car and often it can be a bit difficult and a bit dangerous.
10:32Now I can stick this onto the car, maybe onto the bonnet or at the back, or you can attach
10:36it to the shorter 120cm selfie stick which is lighter and maybe a better option for most
10:41of us than the whopping 3m one to get yourself some of those drone style shots.
10:46Which is very useful because most of the time you're not allowed to fly a drone but no one's
10:50telling you you can't walk around looking like a bit of an idiot but getting a similar
10:54kind of shot.
10:55Downsides?
10:56Well, just be aware that the lenses do stick out.
10:58They are proud of the camera so these may get damaged so be a bit careful although it
11:03does come with a little pouch that you can put it in to keep it safe.
11:06Just bear that in mind especially if you're spinning it around in bullet time mode.
11:10And also while the video quality may not be as sharp as a dedicated single lens action
11:15camera, I think all the added versatility you get with this makes it worth it.
11:19And so for me this is the best action cam I've ever tested and it's going straight in
11:23my camera bag.
11:24But what do you make of it?
11:25Let me know in the comments below and if you are tempted to pick one up yourself I'll leave
11:28a link in the description below.
11:30Thank you so much for watching guys.
11:31If you do want to see more from me then don't forget to hit that subscribe button and I'll
11:34see you next time right here on The Tech Chat.