Insta360 x3 is an incredible camera. Its app cum editing software on the smartphone is just as impressive. No need for desktop editing for most stuff, so you can upload on popular social media platforms such as Instagram and YouTube on the fly.
The insta360 was always on the cards long before I bought the camera. Even before this version, the x3 came on line. I had doubts about the contorted 360 view as a daily utility. That held me back.
Then along came 6 straight days calendar free in June and wanted to do something to occupy myself. Straight to the store on day 1 as Amazon did not have stock. Picked out the camera, the insta360 selfie stick and the Sandisk v30 128GB SD card.
Price wise, it retails for AUD 799 at JB Hi Fi in June 2023. You will need a v30 SD card with least 128GB which is not included. It cannot be an ordinary SD card with high storage. The v30 spec is a must for the SD card.
When the first Insta360 was released in 2017, it was the World’s first 360 action camera. I took it as an extension over the conventional fisheye 180 degree lens. And in my mind it went into special effects category and rarely to be used.
As the models improved and more amazing views of people and the World made it to YouTube it got my attention. The app with the incredible software played a major role and not just the camera.
That pushed it into my bucket list. It has 2 other key elements – you could film yourself without being on selfie mode and also create drone like footage. A conventional action camera could not do these.
The company
Insta360 is a product line of a Chinese company Shenzen Arashi Vision Inc based out of Shenzhen.
Starting in 2015, it has been delivering a steady stream of commercial and consumer product focused on 360 view cameras and softwares to deliver the results that we now see.
DJI, also out of Shenzhen showed the way with their impressive range of drones, gimbals and cameras. DJI camera drones also impressed ISIS, the Israeli defence forces and now used by Ukrainians in the current war. But DJI did not do 360 cameras.
Insta360 x3 the latest consumer camera, released in Sept 2022. And it is the World’s best selling 360 action camera.
360 action cameras
Just to be clear, the insta360 range of products or any 360 camera of other brands such as Ricoh Theta or Go Pro’s Max provide wide angles views and has the barrel distortion effect. This applies to both video and still photography. You have to apply single or linear lens view to get conventional view footage.
The Insta360 does very well in bright lights and the outdoors. And poorly indoors or even in cluttered outdoor spaces. Interestingly this is not necessarily a disadvantage.
Its not a surprise that nearly all the amazing footage using a 360 cameras are done in bright lights in wide open spaces such as mountains, parks, sea, snowfields and winding trails etc.
For indoors and low light, a conventional camera such as the Sony ZV1 does the job well. I have covered the incredible low light capability of the ZV1 in an earlier post.
Insta360 x3 set-up
Straight off the bat, it is easy to set-up and operate even when compared to the conventional actions camera rivals such as Go-Pro and DJI. I had struggled with DJI’s Osmo firmware update let alone the connectivity ease.
All you need to do is download the Insta360 app from Apple or Android store, connect to the newly unboxed camera, follow the steps and you are good to go. And if there is a firmware upgrade that too is easily done at start-up. To me it was intuitive and fast. Both the app and the camera did very well.
What you need to keep in mind
Firstly this is a special effects action camera that can do conventional photo and video works so you really need to plan ahead. Or else you will miss good opportunities. It is certainly not a point and shoot camera despite its easy initial setup.
Even when you chance upon an unexpected sight or event, you will need to work out what sort of sequence of steps to get the best possible outcome. Unlike a conventional camera where you can whip out and take videos and photos the moment you see something of interest.
Secondly the 360 camera must be held at minimum distance from the body. Hence the basic selfie stick extended is a must. Longer the better. No selfie stick and your options for good shooting outcome is not very good.
One exception though is for selfie on the walk. No need to extend the selfie stick as the wide angle is great. You can immediately see the difference when using a conventional camera, action or phone cameras. It is also makes it discrete when you hold it close to you.
Thirdly and this is one of the best feature of a 360 camera, the ability to reframe the focus at the time of editing.
And the last and most important feature is the ability to create footage of you as the centre of focus. You no longer need a friend to hold a camera focusing on you doing something.
Riding a bike, on a ski, walking a trail or base jumping, with the help of now famous invisible selfie stick, you have footage of yourself doing these things. And there are multiple view perspective that you can apply.
The power of editing software and AI
Besides the indispensable selfie stick, the editing software is the third partner to reach a desirable outcome. And Insta360 has done very well in this space. The AI alone is a standout feature and easy to use.
You already have the Insta360 mobile app which you first downloaded to setup the camera. This app has the ability to edit on the phone with extensive features and ready to upload to popular social media platform such as Instagram, Twitter YouTube or Facebook.
Words cannot describe how incredible the AI feature is. The AI with a tap of the screen, processes the raw footage. It takes about a minute and it delivers a number of options that you can preview. And all are incredibly done. You then export the chosen option to the social media of choice. I can confidently say that the AI creative editing is way ahead of anything I can do.
For serious PC or Mac editing work, you can download Insta360 Studio. This too is free.
The act and art of reframing
An important manual editing task that is required of a 360 camera operator is to understand and apply the concept of reframing.
Reframing is a 360 peculiar practice as the 360 is too wide to pick a focal area. So the field of view has to be defined. This is the cornerstone of releasing a decent to a spectacular footage for social media consumption. If done well, it can create a story. An opportunity to go viral. It however requires a lot of practice.
The 5 main types of reframing are ;
- Auto Reframe
- Deep tracking
- Using Keyframes
- Snapwizard
- Viewfinder
This is an excellent YouTube video by Shanil Kawol on how to reframe your footage. The instructions are simple and clear.
Of all five, I found that I used the first 3 often. I found the Snap Wizard and the Viewfinder difficult and it has to be personal to me. I suspect I was not wired that way.
Final Take
This is a new and separate paradigm of videography and photography. It will be good to have it in your quiver.
Both camera and the software widens the art of the possible.
The AI and its power of creative processing is a surprise and a bonus. I was dumbfounded when I saw the output. Typically the camera and the photographer or videographer contributes 75% of the creative juice and the editing software does the rest. For the Insta360 x3, I felt that with AI, it is the other way around.
One caveat though. A visually impressive sight with a 360 potential must be first identified. Wide landscapes are the key and this is evident in nearly all the 360 footage seen in YouTube. Adrenaline based activity further adds to the footage impact.
Best advise is to unbox it, complete setup, screw in the selfie stick , extend the stick to the maximum for your setup. No need to configure anything in settings.
Head to a picturesque sight such as a park with many features such as Elder Park in Adelaide. Press the recording button and walk. As you walk, move the camera at intervals from the front to the back and side ways, hold it high and low while recording continues uninterrupted.
Watch and play with the footage. You will realise its immense potential. And then spend time to understand the powerful and easy editing features.
Good luck and enjoy the new paradigm in photography.