First Impressions of the Insta 360 X4 Camera

The Insta 360 X4 impressively enhances low-light performance and image quality, making it a game-changer for creative filming.

### First Impressions of the Insta 360 X4: A Game-Changer in 360 Photography
* 📸 This is my first test with the Insta 360 X4, and I'm excited to see how it compares to the previous X3 model, which I found **great for fun shots** but **lacked in quality** when mixed with high-end mirrorless footage.
* 🌲 The ability to **reframe shots in post-production** is one of the best features of 360 cameras, allowing me to **explore and capture unique angles** without needing to point the camera directly.
* 🌙 During low light conditions, the X4 shows significant improvement over the X3, as it **handles noise much better**, making it a **viable option for action shots in darker settings**.
* 🎥 The 8K resolution is a noticeable upgrade, providing **clearer and more vibrant footage**, especially in good lighting conditions, which **enhances the overall viewing experience**.
* 🌊 I tested various color profiles, including standard, flat, and vivid, to see how they affected image quality, noting that the **flat profile allowed for better post-editing flexibility with LUTs**.
* 🏄 The X4 also offers a **single lens mode**, which simplifies editing but sacrifices the **full 360 experience**, making it a potential alternative for those who prefer **easier shots**.
* 🌬 In windy conditions, I assessed the effectiveness of the wind muffs, while also exploring new frame rates like **50 fps at 5.7K** and **120 fps in lower resolutions**, which are **much-needed features for action videography**.
* 🔍 Overall, my initial impressions of the X4 are **highly positive**, and I look forward to conducting a full review that includes more dynamic environments like **surfing and kayaking**.

so this is my very first test with the Insta 360 X4, and I've got to say I'm pretty excited for this. I always thought the X3 was such a good camera. The only problem I had with it was that it was a camera to use for fun. It was a camera to get those really exciting shots or a camera to use when you didn't have anyone else to help you film. I used it a lot on my own personal Tesla Channel. We used a lot of editor keys to get some really creative shots, but the problem was, I think when you mixed it with like Sony footage, some really high-quality mirrorless camera footage, it just didn't look as good. So, what I'm excited to see today in my first look at this is, could you now use this alongside the mirrorless cameras like your Sony's, Fuji films, and a lot of those, and the viewer not really notice is the quality now there. Now we have AK. Let's find out w. So, one thing I love about these cameras

is that I can just hold this. I don't have to frame it, and I can show you where I'm about to go. So, if I face the camera forward, we're now going to walk through this kind of wooded section, and if we look down there, I don't know if you can see, there's actually an old swimming pool hidden in there. Look at that, very, very spooky. But the thing is, I don't have to point the camera. I can just walk straight, and I can reframe in post. Always one of the best things about owning a 360 camera like this. So, let's go through the woods. It's obviously daylight, but we'll just see how that noise comes about, because in less than perfect lighting conditions, this is normally where you would see a few issues. So, let's check out. Okay, so it's pretty dark right now, or is to me anyway. Very low light. So, how we looking? Can we see much noise in around the frame on my face? I've got on the standard picture profile at the

moment, but this is fairly low light. This is probably about as low light as I'd want to go with an action camera when it's the 360. Sorry, I'm going uphill, so I'm a bit knackered. But if this comes out good, this is going to be a game-changer for this camera. So now I'm just going to narrate over this footage as I'm editing it. And the first thing I noticed is the AK is making a huge difference, and it's really handling the moves into low light areas much better than before. It used to break down and be very, very noisy. I really love shots like this. It gives you a drone-like effect, and all you need to do is extend the invisible selfie stick and have it over your shoulder. [Music] In good lighting, you can see here the footage is looking really, really nice. This shot is set to Dew, so it gets rid of that fisheye look. On this shot again, I'm just holding out in front of me, and I think it

creates a really unique shot as I'm walking into work. [Music] [Music] [Music] A shot I used to love getting on the X3 was the motion laps, so here's a quick one crossing the beach. [Music] Now, as I walk through the streets, the shot is just so stable, and again with one camera, you can have it facing forward like a regular camera, or why not go for this view? It's like you're being followed by your own personal drone pilot. [Music] Again, if you're new to the 360 World, the beauty of this is that you can use and reframe the same shot multiple times, so this one walk means I can do a motion laps or take the angles from the left and the right too. [Music] On this shot, I'm just walking down the pier with the invisible selfie stick extended out, and it just gives you a really interesting shot. Let me reframe it so you can see what I was doing again in the edit. You can just

face out, and you've got a whole new shop. [Music] [Music] So, it's lunchtime now, and I thought I'd bring the camera back out just to grab a few more shots around the town. The wind has died down in certain parts of St. IES as well, so I'll be able to get, again, a better idea of what the audio is sounding like. But beautiful day here today. What the image quality looking like? I think I've got the camera currently set in standard mode, and the colors are quite punchy. I looked at the images that I took on the way into work, and they are quite bright. So, I now might move everything down into flat, and we'll see what that looks like. Okay, this is the same position. We're now in flat. How does the flat color profile look? And next, we'll try Vivid, so you can see that okay. And now we are in the Vivid color profile on the screen. It doesn't look too different, but we'll see when we get back to the laptop how

different. This makes this shot look some nice turquoise blue sea there. How's it looking? What picture profile would you choose? Okay, now we're using that flat profile. Let's try some editor Keys LUTs, and as you can see, they look pretty great. And if you want to check them out, I'll put a link in the description below. Okay, this is the same position. We're now in flat. How does the flat color profile look? And next, we'll try Vivid. So you can see that again. I like this shot. And simply reframing this shot, zooming out, gives you this really wild perspective. So the second shot, you can see both sides of the coast in one shot. I really like [Music]. This is the single lens mode on the X4. I wouldn't normally use this mode on a 360 camera because I think while you've got this camera, you might as well try and capture everything. But if you do want to lock it off, maybe you want to make your shots a little bit easier to

edit this. This is what the front-facing or rear-facing single shot mode will look like. Basically, you're not going to get the whole 360 anymore. It's going to act a bit more like a GoPro or an action 4. Now, the image quality probably won't be quite up to their standards, but I'm quite impressed with the 8K so far, as I keep saying. So, maybe this could be a good alternative if you don't want to carry both cameras. What do you think of this image quality now? It is super, super windy, as you can tell by my hair. So, this is just an ultimate test of these wind muffs. Are these doing anything to help? I doubt it because it's pretty strong wind. Now, it must be 40, 40 mph winds, I would imagine. But the shot I want to show you now is that there's new frame rate. So, at 5.7k, we can do 50 frames a second here in the UK, and we can even do up to 120 frames a second in, I think, 4K or 2.7k. So, let's

try that out now. Let's take a look at these frame rates, something which was much needed and a good reason to upgrade from the X2 or X3. This is AK 25 frames a second. This is 5.7K at 50 frames a second, still looking very nice. And this is 4K at 100 frames a second, handy to have. But I did notice a big drop in image quality. What do you think? And here are a couple more shots [Music]. Okay, so they are the first few shots I got from my walk into work with the X4, and I've got to say I'm really impressed. I think the jump to 8K is going to make a real big difference. Now, as I've mentioned, this isn't the full review. This is just my quick First Impressions. So, if you want to see the full review of the camera where we're going to experiment a lot more, we're going to take in the sea, surfing, and kayaking, make sure to subscribe to the channel, and I'll see you in that video.

Insta360 X4 8K First Impressions - Walking to Work

Editors Keys

The Insta 360 X4 is an exciting upgrade from the X3, which was great for fun and creative shots but struggled to match the quality of mirrorless cameras.

The X4's 360-degree capability allows for effortless reframing in post-production, making it ideal for solo filming.

The reviewer is particularly interested in the camera's performance in low-light conditions and its ability to blend seamlessly with high-quality footage from Sony and Fuji cameras.

Game-Changing Low Light Performance of the 360 Camera

The 360 camera's low light performance has improved significantly, handling transitions into dark areas much better than before.

The footage in good lighting looks stunning, with the Dew setting eliminating the fisheye effect.

The camera's unique angles and the use of an invisible selfie stick create dynamic and interesting shots, offering the ability to reframe the same moment multiple times.

The narrator is capturing shots around St.

Ives during lunchtime, experimenting with different camera settings and color profiles.

They start with standard mode, then switch to flat and vivid profiles to see the difference in image quality.

The narrator also tries out editor Keys LUTs for editing the flat profile shots and discusses the unique perspective of reframing shots with the camera.

Testing the New Camera's Single Shot Mode

The camera's single shot mode will no longer provide a full 360 view, resembling a GoPro or action camera instead.

The 8K image quality is impressive, making it a potential alternative to carrying both cameras.

The new frame rates offer 50 frames per second at 5.

7k and up to 120 frames per second in 4K or 2.

The X4 camera offers upgraded frame rates, including 25fps in 8K, 50fps in 5.

The image quality dropped at higher frame rates, but the overall performance is impressive.

The jump to 8K is expected to make a significant difference, and a full review with more experiments is coming soon.