While you may not be familiar with Insta360 by name, I'd like to bet that a lot of the content that you're watching on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram is filmed using one of the brand's cameras.
Insta360 is considered a market leader, and while it has a vast lineup, the 360° X Series cameras are the most well-known and bestsellers. The palm-sized devices have long been the purview of social media creators - and as soon as you switch it on, you'll see why.
The first thing you'll notice is the size. It's a slightly elongated version of a GoPro, but where it puts the latter to shame is a camera on both sides, so selfie shooting is just as easy as the reverse. The next reason these cameras appeal to vloggers? The wealth of customisable features.
You can play around for hours with the quantity of shooting modes. Which is exactly what I have been doing over the last few months.
I have been putting the Insta360 X5 to the test over the summer, through weddings, holidays and daily life to see if it's worth the extra packing space (spoiler: very much so!).
Read on to find out more.
Tech specs
- Sensor Size: 1/1.28"
- Lens Aperture: F2.0
- 360º Video Resolution
- Photo Resolution: Approx. 72MP and approx. 18MP (5888x2944)
- Shutter Speed: Photo: 1/8000 - 120s; Video: 1/8000 - to the limit of frames per second
- Weight: 200g
- Dimensions: W46 x H124.5 x D38.2mm
- Run Time: up to 185 mins
Set-up
As with any new tech, the first thing you have to do before you can begin shooting is to download the Insta360 app. Only once you have paired the device can you start exploring the many features that the camera has to offer.
Design
The X5 is the brand’s flagship and is defined by its rugged design and crystal clear imagery. To ensure that it can withstand the most thrill-seeking activities, the lenses are made from a durable glass - which I can attest to. Through the knocks and bumps of travel as well as my clumsy nature, they have stayed in perfect condition. I would recommend purchasing the lens guard if you’re like me, but if the worst does happen, this camera has a new lens replacement system, which means you don’t need to purchase a whole new camera if one cracks.
Functionality
To access the wealth of different settings, you don’t necessarily need the phone app. There is a navigation bar on the camera itself that operates in a very similar way to the latest phones. Swipe down and you can adjust the likes of brightness levels and orientation locks, whereas if you swipe up, you can switch between resolution (8k, 5.7k and 4k) and frame rate (30fps, 25fps and 24fps). Swipe right to browse through your taken footage or left for shooting preferences.
While the Insta360 X5 takes beautiful pictures - with the likes of interval, starlapse and burst available - it’s the video functionality that makes it stand out on the market. This is down to the 360-degree capturing. It’s truly epic and extremely fun to play around with. My favourite is the first-person angle. It reminds me of the one used by train-loving Francis Bourgeois. While he uses a head-mounted GoPro, he need not faff around with accessories to get the same view, he could simply opt for the X5 to convey the same authentic, immersive experience.
The video capabilities are endless, and that is shown by the sheer volume of modes: Video (with built-in Active HDR), PureVideo, InstaFrame, Timelapse, TimeShift, Bullet Time, Loop Recording and Road Mode, the latter for carpool karaoke - of course. But that’s just the start. There’s also single video modes with Video, Freeframe Video, Me Mode, and Loop Recording all available.
You can also customise the colour - vivid is my preference. And there’s the option for voice enhancement for those all-important talking to camera moments and auto wind reduction, something that came in handy to me while I was shooting on a boat in Lake Tahoe.
The X5 has been fitted with larger 1/1.28" sensors, which allow for more light and a new AI-powered chip that prevents the need for compression. Together, these features work in tandem to improve resolution. The 8k is a thing of beauty, capturing the depth of colour of the lake’s turquoise waters, the pop of colour of the swimwear, the green of the trees and the contrasts in even better vibrancy than it looked in real life.
Built for adventurers, it can shoot underwater up to 15 meters, in temperatures ranging from -20℃ to 40℃ and for up to 185 minutes with a charge up time of just 35 minutes.
Accessories
To get the most out of your camera, the extensive attachments available via the brand are recommended. In my opinion, the extended selfie stick is the most important for a wider field of vision, but there is also an invisible option if you’re trying to disguise its use, and carry cases and lens guards to keep the device safe. If you’re looking to use the camera over an extended period - aka longer than the 185 run time allows - you can purchase an extra battery as well as a fast charging case that can stash two batteries.
Verdict
Insta360 X5
Built for adventurers, the Insta360 X5 is a high-powered camera made for high-octane travels. I put it through its paces this summer through weddings, holidays as well as more mundane everyday life and the quality of the pictures and videos was unmatched.
Stand-out features for me were the first-person angle shots that were entertaining and immersive, and the vibrancy of the pictures, thanks to the larger sensors and AI-powered chip.
Buy now £519.99, Amazon
