The Insta360 X5 is a big upgrade to one of the best 360 cameras on the market. A new larger sensor provides superb image quality, the new PureVideo mode cleans up grain in your low light clips and the newly redesigned microphone housing will minimize any wind noise ruining your clips. And the X5 also makes it easy to swap out any damaged lenses by yourself, has an improved battery, but also comes with a higher price tag than last year. Worth the upgrade?
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00:00I'm starting to lose track of how many cameras Insta360 can release each year.
00:05I have been testing the latest one, the X5, and on paper it didn't sound like a massive upgrade.
00:13But after spending a few weeks with it, I'm starting to find little things that are actually sort of big
00:18and that are making me consider upgrading.
00:20And my favorite place to review a 360 camera is what a mountain.
00:25So let's do it!
00:30So, first things first, I bought myself an X4 last year mainly for my skiing and snowboarding videos.
00:42360 cameras are by far the best way to capture skiing memories and all that stuff.
00:48They're super immersive, they look really cool, and they're just fun to use and edit.
00:52The new X5, just like the X4 that I bought, can film in 8K up to 30 frames per second
00:58or in 5.7K up to 60 frames per second.
01:02So those specs aren't changed.
01:04But the X5 now has a larger sensor and new image processing.
01:09Both of these factors contribute to noticeably better image quality.
01:14So here I have both of these cameras on the same selfie stick.
01:17Both of these clips are filmed in same modes, and you can tell that the footage is looking a lot more detailed.
01:24Edges of objects and things like trees in the background are just much sharper.
01:29And it's not really all about the details and sharpness.
01:32Color and just overall processing this year looks redefined and it looks much nicer.
01:39When using the X4, I often found that the sky would have this dark blob over it
01:43that seems to be mostly gone this year.
01:53So the microphone housing for this camera has been completely redesigned.
01:56It should perform better in more windy environments.
02:00Things like having it on a motorcycle or when you're out going skiing.
02:03You should get just better audio with more clarity and less wind noise.
02:08So I'm just going to bomb down the hill and see if that works.
02:13Okay, so looking back at this footage, yeah, that sounds much cleaner.
02:34I think folks who are attaching these cameras onto vehicles and cars and motorcycles
02:39will enjoy this little hardware change.
02:41You should be able to get better engine noise than just wind.
02:49So as I've said earlier, I've mostly used these cameras for action sports
02:54or for getting just very specific shots only possible on a 360 camera.
02:59But every now and then I have tried using it for something else
03:02and usually I'd walk away feeling pretty disappointed.
03:06This year, I brought the X4 to CES, barely used it until I got to the LG Spoof.
03:12And as you can see, that footage is not great.
03:15It's noisy.
03:16The dynamic range is not good.
03:17The stitching, the stabilization is all suffering in low light.
03:21Insta360 is trying to fix some of that with the new mode called Pure Video.
03:26What it does, it basically cranks up the post-processing
03:29and that low light footage looks a lot cleaner with less noise, punch your color and contrast.
03:36I tried it in many different scenarios and each time it performed a lot better than normal video mode.
03:42Definitely an improvement over the X4 and that opens up more possibilities for you while using this camera.
03:48And lastly, this is the thing that I've kind of just noticed.
03:50The X5 can also film in log.
03:53Lots of people, including myself, will be very excited about that.
03:56However, the log option only works in HDR for some reason.
04:02I did talk to Insta360 about it and they say they will be looking to add log into other video modes later on too.
04:10So that's good news.
04:11For those people who film in HDR, you can now film 5.7K up to 60 frames per second, not 30,
04:17which has been the limitation for a couple of years now, since the X3.
04:28And that's almost it, at least when it comes to just image performance and overall quality.
04:35But there are some new things here worth going through as well.
04:38The first one has to do with repairability.
04:40So Insta360 has presumably made it easier to swap out the lenses just by letting you do that whole process yourself.
04:49And I said presumably because my kit actually didn't arrive on time.
04:53So I won't be able to show you the process.
04:56Hey, sorry, I have to jump in here for a minute.
04:58At that time when I recorded this video, I didn't actually get the replacement kit, but it is, um, it's here now.
05:04So I can show you the process and tell you a little bit about it.
05:07The replacement kits cost $30 and you get one single lens.
05:11The process is super simple.
05:12You use this tool to unscrew the old lens and you can pop it up, place in the new one, screw it back in, and you're good to go.
05:21Insta also says that the glass in these lenses is stronger than ever.
05:24So ideally you will not need a replacement kit at all.
05:27But I did get mine scratched up.
05:30It is a tiny, tiny little scratch.
05:31So it didn't show up in any of the clips.
05:34Battery life is also better, and the camera can also charge faster, but it does come at a cost.
05:44The battery has been slightly redesigned, which means you won't be able to use your old batteries in the new X5.
05:52I hate it when companies do that.
05:55And my reasoning this year is twofold.
05:58While I'm glad to see there are improvements year over year, it wasn't a pain point.
06:02Insta360 batteries were already good last year, and they didn't necessarily need an update.
06:09Plus, new batteries each year just add to the whole environmental cost, too.
06:14So, something to think about.
06:17The mobile app has been revamped to simplify some of the editing process.
06:21Overall, I think the app is really good, and it has been for a while.
06:25This new update, I'm still trying to get used to it.
06:28Some icons aren't labeled, and some features are sometimes grayed out when I feel like they shouldn't be.
06:34There's a new de-warp mode, which kind of helps you with lens distortion.
06:38Sometimes it turns on, sometimes it's off.
06:41It's a little confusing, but we'll get there.
06:43And that is all that is new with the Insta360 X5.
06:52It is a great 360 camera in a market that honestly doesn't have a whole lot of competition right now.
06:59There are some rumors lately floating around of DJI getting into this space with their own 360 camera.
07:05Meanwhile, GoPro is still expected to release its version of a new GoPro Max this year.
07:10Right now, Insta360 is basically running away with it.
07:14But I do have two little complaints about this camera, which I do think are important to mention.
07:20The first one is just the overall weight and the footprint of the camera.
07:24Both X5 and X4 are slightly larger and heavier than its predecessors,
07:28and you definitely feel it if you're putting a 360 camera on your helmet.
07:32Once I unboxed the X5, I immediately had a feeling that it was even heavier than last year,
07:38and I was kind of shocked to find out that the X4 and the X5 are exactly the same weight.
07:45The second complaint is the price.
07:47It is $550, which is $50 more this year.
07:52And I get it.
07:53Price increases are never fun and make upgrading decisions a lot more difficult.
07:59If you are thinking about upgrading,
08:01I'd recommend just thinking about what you need the most out of a 360 camera.
08:06If image quality is on top of your list like mine,
08:10that alone could be a reason enough for you to upgrade this year.
08:14Alright, thank you so much for watching this video.
08:17If you want to see me ski down a mountain more often,
08:20go subscribe to The Verge so I can expense my holidays.
08:24That's terrible.
08:25That's a joke.
08:26That's not how this works, by the way.
08:28We'll see you later.