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Kandao QooCam 3 Ultra review: the best 8K 360-degree camera?
4:00 pm | September 25, 2024

Author: admin | Category: 360 Cameras Cameras Computers Gadgets | Comments: Off

Kandao QooCam 3 Ultra: one-minute review

Kandao has been making 360-degree cameras for some time now, and the Kandao QooCam 3 Ultra is by far the Chinese company's best 360-degree camera to date. It's an alternative and direct competitor to the highly rated Insta360 X4, and both are among the most interesting of the best action cameras currently available.

The GoPro Max 2 release has been delayed, but when it's finally released we expect this 360-degree camera to also offer up to 8K resolution to further expand the options available for fans of 360-degree shooting. But given this delay, and the fact that the QooCam 3 Ultra and Insta360 X4 are already available, it looks like GoPro could be in danger of missing the 8K boat.

Kandao QooCam 3 Ultra LCD screen view

(Image credit: James Abbott)

The QooCam 3 Ultra can capture video in several modes and resolutions up to 8K 30fps for 360-degree video and up to 4K 60fps in Single Lens Mode. Video can be captured in a standard 8-bit Rec. 709 profile or in 10-bit Rec. 2020 (HLG), with LUT support available in QooCam Studio. There's also a Dynamic Range Boost for HDR shooting; this limits resolution when shooting photos, but it's claimed to increase dynamic range by two stops.

This is a versatile action camera that offers IP68 dust and waterproofing to a depth of 33ft / 10m, has 128GB of internal storage alongside a microSD card slot, and can be controlled wirelessly using the QooCam 3 app. It's not a cheap 360-degree camera though, coming in at a higher price than its closest rival, the Insta360 X4.

Kandao QooCam 3 Ultra: release date and price

  • Launched August 29 2024
  • Costs $599 / £579 / AU$1,033
  • Accessories available separately
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Kandao QooCam 3 Ultra with lens protectors on a table

(Image credit: James Abbott)
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Kandao QooCam 3 Ultra battery charging case on a table

(Image credit: James Abbott)
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Kandao QooCam 3 Ultra selfie stick on a table

(Image credit: James Abbott)

The Kandao QooCam 3 Ultra was released in August 2024 and is available now for $599 / £579 / AU$1,033. The camera is listed at USD$699 for Australian visitors to the Kandao website. This is considerably more expensive than the QooCam 3 and more expensive than the Insta360 X4 which cost $499.99 / £499.99 / AU$879.99 at launch.

At the time of writing, only the QooCam 3 Ultra base kit that includes the camera, battery, PD cable, lens cloth and soft case is the only option available, so accessories have to be purchased separately.

These include a battery charging case, spare batteries, selfie sticks, a car suction mount and detachable lens protectors. A selfie stick in the kit would be preferable because these are essential for 360-degree cameras.

  • Price score: 3/5

Kandao QooCam 3 Ultra: specs

Kandao QooCam 3 Ultra: design and handling

  • Larger and heavier than the competition
  • Waterproof to 33ft / 10m
  • 1/4-inch screw thread

The QooCam 3 Ultra looks remarkably similar to the QooCam 3 but is both taller and heavier, at 11.85oz / 336g including a battery. This is undoubtedly still lightweight, but at 4.44oz / 126g heavier than the QooCam 3, that's quite a chunk of additional weight. It doesn’t affect handling or usability in most situations, but when attaching the camera to bike handlebar mounts, for instance, you have to be sure that your mount can adequately support the camera.

Build quality is excellent, and the camera certainly feels robust, with dust resistance and water resistance to 33ft / 10m – although as with all 360-degree cameras, the dual fisheye lenses on each side mean that you really wouldn’t want to drop it. Pop-on lens protectors are available separately, and stay attached well to protect from stray stones flying up and minor knocks.

The camera body is designed minimally with a power and mode button on the left, a shutter button below the 2.19-inch rectangular touchscreen, a customizable Q button, a button to change the camera view, and a 1/4-inch screw thread on the bottom. Most settings and functions are accessed by swiping from the top, bottom and sides of the screen, like most action cameras and 360-degree cameras, and this makes the QooCam Ultra 3 intuitive to use.

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Kandao QooCam 3 Ultra on a table

(Image credit: James Abbott)
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Kandao QooCam 3 Ultra on a table

(Image credit: James Abbott)
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Kandao QooCam 3 Ultra on a table

(Image credit: James Abbott)
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Kandao QooCam 3 Ultra on a table

(Image credit: James Abbott)
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Kandao QooCam 3 Ultra case on a table

(Image credit: James Abbott)

Using the camera without the phone app works well, but you can also attach it to the QooCam 3 app via WiFi 6 for wireless control. In terms of ports, there's a USB-C port under a waterproof door that can be used to charge the battery and transfer photos and videos on one side of the camera, while on the other is a door keeping the battery and microSD card slot, which can take cards up to 1TB, safe from water ingress. The latter is useful, but with 128GB of onboard storage, it's not always necessary to use a memory card.

In terms of battery life, forgetting anything that Kandao claims, I spent over an hour wandering around a city shooting 8K video, timelapse/hyperlapse videos and photos for well over an hour and hardly dented the battery – it only ran out days later after further shooting.

Of course, this wasn't continuous use, but in real-world terms, I wasn't disappointed. A second or even a third battery is still useful to ensure you can continue shooting when out for the day, and the battery charging case that's available separately makes charging easier, and provides storage for batteries when not in use.

  • Design score: 4/5

Kandao QooCam 3 Ultra: features and performance

  • Dual 1/1.7-inch Quad-Bayer sensors
  • 96MP 360-degree photos
  • 10-bit HLG video option

The key features of the QooCam 3 Ultra are pretty much tied into the hardware where the dual 1/1.7-inch Quad-Bayer sensors and the lenses with f/1.6 apertures and 9.36mm equivalent focal lengths take centre stage. 8K video is oversampled to improve image quality. Other features include 96MP 360-degree photos, 10-bit HLG, SuperSteady Stabilization, Spatial Audio, built-in GPS and Single Lens video capture.

Image Stabilization uses a 6-axis gyro and works well, but unless you walk with bent knees, the way that you have to with professional video gimbals, the bob of walking will be noticeable as can be seen in the example video. This was captured this way on purpose to discover whether improvements had been made on the QooCam 3, but both perform identically in this area.

The camera view on the camera LCD and in the app is also stabilized, unlike the QooCam 3 at launch, so you get much closer to what you’re going to get on-screen, which is an improvement. Although, with 360-degree cameras what you get predominantly comes down to reframing video in software.

Kandao QooCam 3 Ultra on a table

(Image credit: James Abbott)

QooCam Studio, which is Kandao's desktop editing software for photos and videos still lacks the slick and easy-to-use interface alongside some of the more exciting reframe options of Insta360 Studio. It's still fairly easy to use, and the QooCam 3 phone app still provides more functionality than the desktop version including the ability to use templates, although much work could be done to both to vastly improve them.

Sound quality from the four directional mics for spatial audio capture is pretty good, but don’t be fooled by the choppy sound you'll hear in the QooCam desktop app. Sound is massively improved, and is the way it should be, once videos have been exported. You can also attach external microphones via Bluetooth and USB-C; if sound is important, one of these will be essential to take advantage of the best sound quality possible and to reduce ambient noise.

Single Lens capture is another useful feature that allows you to capture video with one of the lenses rather than both – you can select the camera facing towards or away from you. This is ideal when you know that you simply want a single view and video can be captured in 4K up to 60fps or 3.4K at 100/120fps for slow motion footage.

You still need to run the footage through one of the apps where you can change the field of view – the view captured is square but is cropped to 16:9 with the Reframe Adjustment option. One point to note here is that you can’t actually reframe Single Lens videos because the viewpoint is fixed.

  • Features and performance score: 4/5

Kandao QooCam 3 Ultra: image and video quality

  • Up to 8K 30fps video
  • Up to 96MP photos
  • Slow motion capture

Kandao QooCam 3 Ultra on a table

(Image credit: James Abbott)

360-degree cameras sound almost unfathomable when you first think about them, but they're much less complicated than they sound and open up a wealth of creative possibilities. You can pan, zoom and change camera direction, allowing you to easily film yourself and the entire environment around you. Although an 8K resolution sounds excessive, this resolution covers 360 degrees and greatly improves image quality for 360-degree videos.

360-degree videos can be captured in 8K up to 30fps, 5.7K up to 60fps and 4K up to 120fps, so although 4K provides the ability to capture 360-degree slow motion, image quality is greatly diminished when compared to 8K. 8K file sizes are huge and even 5.7K are pretty hefty, so you do have to consider how much footage you intend to capture and think about whether or not the 128GB of on-board storage needs to be supplemented with a microSD card.

Reframed 360-degree video

Timelapse/hyperlapse

8K 360-degree videos and timelapse videos look great, although there can be a small amount of wobble where lens images are stitched so hopefully this can be improved. Overall image quality is great even with the Standard bitrate (100Mbps), but this can be improved by opting for High (150Mbps). Color profiles available include 8-bit Rec. 709 for in-camera processed footage or 10-bit Rec. 2020 (HLG).

The latter provides a much greater dynamic range with the ability to apply LUTs in QooCam Studio, with 11 LUTs preloaded and the ability to add your own. Unfortunately, there's no ability to dial down LUT strength, and there are no options available for making adjustments such as exposure, white balance, shadows or highlights to video.

When using the phone app you get a histogram to aid with exposure, but when shooting with just the camera in isolation, you only get an exposure warning where blue denotes shadow clipping and red highlight clipping. This is perfectly adequate and provides a quick and easy way to assess exposure.

Dynamic range isn’t great, so you have to watch your highlights, but Dynamic Range Boost for HDR shooting does increase dynamic range by two stops at the expense of photo resolution which is limited to 24MP. There is a noticeable difference between standard and Dynamic Range Boost images, and the processing of the latter is no heavier than the former. Video looks fine because you're forced into capturing in 10-bit Rec. 2020 (HLG) which is a flat profile and offers greater dynamic range.

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Photo of a river and bridge taken with the QooCam 3 Ultra

(Image credit: James Abbott)
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Street photo taken with the QooCam 3 Ultra

(Image credit: James Abbott)
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Photo of traditional red phone boxes taken with the QooCam 3 Ultra

(Image credit: James Abbott)
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Street photo taken with the QooCam 3 Ultra

(Image credit: James Abbott)
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Tiny world photo taken with the QooCam 3 Ultra

(Image credit: James Abbott)
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Photo of an old doorway and wall art taken with the QooCam 3 Ultra

(Image credit: James Abbott)
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Photo of of a bike taken with the QooCam 3 Ultra

(Image credit: James Abbott)
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Photo of sign on a wall taken with the QooCam 3 Ultra

(Image credit: James Abbott)
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Photo of punts on the River Cam taken with the QooCam 3 Ultra

(Image credit: James Abbott)
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Photo of a Cambridge University college  taken with the QooCam 3 Ultra

(Image credit: James Abbott)

The best photo quality comes from the DNG8 shooting feature where eight DNG files are captured and then merged in the RawPlus software for increased detail, lower noise and extended dynamic range. The downside is that it's a convoluted process where you have to merge the eight DNGs into a single DNG in RawPlus, export, edit in Lightroom, export a JPEG and then reframe the JPEG in QooCamStudio before exporting a final JPEG.

Standard photo quality is pretty good with brighter conditions providing the best results like most action cameras and drones with small sensors. But when working with DNGs, you have to edit in Lightroom, export a JPEG and then reframe the JPEG in QooCamStudio before exporting again. This process hasn’t been improved since the QooCam 3, and it could and should be much more streamlined.

ISO handling isn’t bad for a camera of this type with such small sensors, and coupled with the f/1.6 apertures it's well suited to low-light shooting when the situation arises. I tested the camera at night in a dark location at ISO 6400, which is the highest setting available, and the results are useable but it's certainly not a setting you'd want to rely on too often. ISO 1600 is much more useable, but shooting at the lowest possible ISO is always preferable.

  • Image and video quality score: 4.5/5

Kandao QooCam 3 Ultra: testing scorecard

Should I buy the Kandao QooCam 3 Ultra?

Buy it if...

You want to shoot 360-degree video
If you would like to shoot 360-degree video, the QooCam 3 Ultra will allow you to do this and the 8K maximum resolution produces great image quality.

You would like to be able to easily film yourself
360-degree cameras make it incredibly easy to film yourself using a single camera and without the need for a camera operator, which can simplify the process.

You'd like to be able to reframe photos and videos
The beauty of shooting 360-degree photos and videos is that you can reframe the viewpoint which provides a huge amount of creative freedom with a single camera.

Don't buy it if...

You're on a budget
The Insta360 X4 is less expensive and also offers up to 8K video capture alongside great features in the phone and desktop apps.

You'll only use Single Lens shooting
If you have no intention of capturing 360-degree photos and videos, whether to show in their entirety or reframed to a standard aspect ratio, this camera would be a waste of time for you.

You'd like a more compact 360 camera
The Insta360 X4 is both smaller and lighter than the QooCam 3 Ultra. For some this won’t be an issue, but smaller and lighter will be attractive for more action-oriented activities.

QooCam 3 Ultra: also consider

Kandao QooCam 3 Ultra on a table

(Image credit: James Abbott)

How I tested the Kandao QooCam 3 Ultra

  • All features and functions tested
  • Phone and desktop apps used for editing
  • Image quality reviewed

The QooCam 3 Ultra was tested over several weeks shooting photos and videos in different conditions and locations to test all of the features and functions, alongside handling. With 360-degree cameras, shooting is only half the battle, so the second part of testing was running everything through the QooCam 3 smartphone app and the QooCam studio desktop app to put editing through its paces.

Approaching 360-degree image capture is extremely similar to, yet wildly different to capturing standard photos and videos. So, with this in mind, I was drawing on 30 years of photographic experience and 16 years of working as a photography journalist. Having used these types of cameras before I was aware of what to expect and what to look out for, but with any new product there's inevitably something new to discover.

First reviewed September 2024

Insta360 X4 review – the best 360-degree camera just got better
4:43 pm | April 16, 2024

Author: admin | Category: 360 Cameras Cameras Computers Gadgets | Tags: | Comments: Off

Insta360 X4: two-minute review

The best handheld 360-degree camera just got better with the latest iteration, the Insta360 X4. It builds on the X3, most notably bumping up the video resolution from 5.7K to 8K – and when we're talking about such a wide field of view from twin ultra-wide lenses, resolution matters.

Insta360 X4 specs:

Sensor: Dual 72MP 1/2-inch sensors

Video: 8K 360-degree, 5.7K up to 60fps, 4K up to 100fps, single lens up to 4K 60fps

LCD: 2.29-inch touchscreen

Video modes: Active HDR, Timelapse, Timeshift, Bullet time

Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C

Memory card: MicroSD UHS-I

Size: 46 x 123.6 x 37.6mm

Weight: 203g

Battery: 2,290mAh

8K video up to 30fps trickles down improved capabilities at lower resolutions, too, with 5.7K video up to 60fps and 4K video up to 100fps. The single-lens mode also gets a bump in frame rate, with 4K up to 60fps.

Video can be shot in a standard mode with choice of standard, vivid and flat color profiles, plus there's a HDR video option for increasing perceivable detail in bright highlights and dark shadows – something the X4's small 1/2-inch and high-resolution sensor otherwise struggles with.

With its improved capabilities, the X4 feels like a more versatile pocket camera. Like the X3 it offers neat video modes you don't get on the best camera phones, like a 360-degree field of view that enables a shoot-first reframe later way of shooting, and creative effects such as ‘bullet time’ and hyperlapse, but it now also feels like a highly capable action camera, vlogging tool, and – particularly for motorcyclists – dash cam.

Insta360 X4 360 degree camera screen outdoors with vibrant grassy background

(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)

Video modes are supported by superb image stabilization that smooths out the shakes in your action footage, plus 360-degree horizon lock, which levels your edited footage when the camera rolls with the action.

Insta360's clever ‘invisible’ selfie stick allows you to film everything around you from a third-person view, whether it's mounted to bike handlebars or in the hand, while the extra-long selfie stick can give you a drone-like perspective. This is also a fully waterproof camera up to 33ft / 10m, so most experiences are covered.

We still get the lovely 2.29-inch touchscreen and simple interface, while a beefier battery has been squeezed into a body that’s roughly the same size as before, albeit around 10% heavier, and gives a huge bump in battery life.

The most capable rivals, such as the GoPro Max, Kandao Qoocam 8K, and Ricoh Theta X, are either dated or pricier – or both – and until they’re replaced, the X4 is 2024's unrivaled 360-degree camera, and could be the one extra pocket camera in addition to your smartphone that you choose for getaways, gatherings, and events. It handles superbly, and captures the kind of video footage you simply can't yet shoot with a phone.

Insta360 X4: price and availability

  • Launched worldwide in April 2024
  • Costs $499/ £499 / AU$879

The Insta360 X4 is available worldwide now following its April 16 announcement, and costs $499.99 / £499.99 / AU$879.99 – that's roughly a 10% markup from 2022's X3. Given inflation and the new camera’s improved capabilities, that price increase seems fair, although the X3 has fallen in price since its release, and will likely drop in price further following the X4’s launch, and is a compelling cost-effective alternative.

There are a host of optional accessories in the Insta360 ecosystem, including various selfie sticks (one of which is designed to enable you to capture ‘bullet time’ effects), mounts, and an underwater housing. In the box you get the X4's new detachable lens protectors (replacement protectors are available separately), while you'll need a microSD memory card to store photos and videos. At the time of writing it's unclear if the X4 will be available in different kits – visit the Insta360 store to see all the accessories on offer.

Insta360 X4 360 degree camera mounted to a selfie stick

(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)

Insta360 X4: design

  • Slightly bigger and heavier than the X3
  • Similar X3 design includes large touchscreen and 1/4-inch threaded port for a selfie stick
  • Waterproof up to 10M
  • New screw-on lens guards

The stick-like design of the Insta360 X4 is very similar to the X3, and that's a good thing, because the X3 is one of the most user-friendly 360-degree cameras available. Its grippy exterior is easy to hold, or you can attach one of Insta360's invisible selfie sticks using the threaded mount point on the bottom.

Twin bulbous ultra-wide lenses cover the entire 360-degree field of view – these are the part of the X4 that really needs protecting, and to that end the camera comes with ultra-light clear lens protectors that can be screwed on and off, whereas the X3 uses non-reusable sticky lens guards.

Build quality is superb: the camera is fully waterproof up to 33ft / 10m, with all ports rubber sealed (though I haven’t had the opportunity to test the waterproofing out properly, yet). You’ll know if the seals aren't fully locked, thereby compromising waterproofing, as the orange coloring inside the catch will be visible – a neat bit of design.

You get a USB-C port for connecting and charging the camera, plus a hefty 2,290mAh battery that can record for up to 135 minutes – that's a huge increase from the 81 minutes provided by the X3's 1,800mAh battery.

The X4 records onto microSD memory cards, and naturally, because of the waterproof design, the card slot is inside the camera's battery compartment rather than directly accessible outside, as is the case on the less-robust and action-averse DJI Osmo Pocket 3.

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Insta360 X4 360 degree camera on a selfie stick outdoors with vibrant grassy background

(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
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Insta360 X4 360 degree camera side view outdoors with vibrant grassy background

(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
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Insta360 X4 360 degree camera side view outdoors with vibrant grassy background

(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
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Insta360 X4 360 degree camera in the hand outdoors with vibrant grassy background

(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
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Insta360 X4 360 degree camera outdoors with vibrant grassy background

(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
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Insta360 X4 360 degree camera outdoors with vibrant grassy background

(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)

There's a slight increase in size from the X3, though it’s barely noticeable, plus a 10% increase in weight – the X4 weighs in at 7.16oz / 203g, and feels reassuringly solid for its diminutive size.

There are four direct physical controls around the camera: robust power and quick menu buttons on the side, plus shooting mode and record buttons under the generous 2.29-inch touchscreen. Most of the action happens through the responsive touchscreen.

By default the customizable options displayed on screen for quick access include the shooting mode and resolution settings, the lens, plus the lens perspective. At a push you can switch between viewing 360-degree footage from the front or rear lens (in the single-lens mode, this option selects the lens you're recording with).

The user interface is simple and quick to navigate, though a little keen to go idle – I've needed to reopen the menu many times to confirm video mode selections.

Physical controls are hard to access when the camera is out of reach on a selfie stick, and that's where voice and gesture controls come in. You can command the X4 to start and stop video recording – which proved super-handy when I had it mounted three meters above my head on the extra-large selfie stick, while a peace sign gesture will trigger the timer for taking photos. The mixture of audible and visual commands covers you in most scenarios, including underwater.

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Side view of the Insta360 X4 360 degree camera outdoors with vibrant grassy background

(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
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Side view of the Insta360 X4 360 degree camera outdoors with vibrant grassy background

(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
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USB-C port of the Insta360 X4 360 degree camera outdoors with vibrant grassy background

(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
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Side view of the Insta360 X4 360 degree camera with lens protectors

(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
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Side view of the Insta360 X4 360 degree camera with lens protectors

(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
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Lens protector mounted on the Insta360 X4 360 degree camera

(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
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Insta360 X4 360 degree camera without lens protector

(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
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Insta360 X4 360 degree camera emerging from the supplied soft case

(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)

There's more to dig into by swiping the touchscreen. Flicking from right to left reveals exposure settings including color profile, while swiping left to right opens up your photo and video gallery for playback, and during playback you can swipe the screen to move around the 360-degree perspective.

Swiping down from the top of the screen opens up the main menu, through which you can activate and deactivate a number of controls such as gesture and voice commands, and connect to compatible Bluetooth-equipped devices such as headphones and remotes. You can also adjust the screen brightness here.

Explanatory on-screen text appears for most of the operational controls and shooting modes, which is super-handy when you’re getting started, especially for getting the most out of the shooting modes.

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Insta360 X4 360 degree camera in the hand alongside selfie stick

(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
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Insta360 X4 360 degree camera mounted to a selfie stick

(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
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Insta360 X4 360 degree camera on a selfie stick seen from way below

(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
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Insta360 X4 360 degree camera outdoors with vibrant grassy background, recording video

(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
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Insta360 X4 360 degree camera on a selfie stick recording video

(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
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Insta360 X4 360 degree camera on a selfie stick recording video

(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)

The X4 is designed to be used in vertical orientation, and as such your handling and viewing experience is largely in the 9:16 ratio. You can record in horizontal format using the single-lens mode, and there’s also a multi-aspect FreeMe mode where you can choose the aspect ratio, but overall the user experience is geared to content creators and mobile users familiar with the vertical format.

During recording, the X4 can get warm quickly, especially in the power-hungry high-resolution video modes. If you're using the X4 for shooting action, your movement will go some way to cooling the camera down, but if you're recording while largely stationary or in particularly warm environments, things can get moderately warm.

Overall, the X4 handles superbly for users of all experience levels and abilities.

Insta360 X4: features and performance

  • Huge 135-minutes of recording time 
  • Especially capable image stabilization
  • Intuitive mobile editor
  • Decent range of shooting modes

We're currently updating our Insta360 X4 review.

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Battery of Insta360 X4 360 degree camera outdoors with vibrant grassy background

(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)
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Battery of the Insta360 X4 360 degree camera outdoors with vibrant grassy background

(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)

MicroSD card in the Insta360 X4 360 degree camera outdoors with vibrant grassy background

(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)

Insta360 X4 360 degree camera outdoors with vibrant grassy background on a selfie stick

(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)

Insta360 X4: image and video quality

We're currently updating our Insta360 X4 review

Should I buy the Insta360 X4?

(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Insta360 X4: Also consider

(Image credit: Future | Tim Coleman)

If our Insta360 X4 review has inspired you to think about other options, here are two more cameras to consider…

How we tested the Insta360 X4

  • Sporadic use over a few weeks
  • Bike rides and vlogging in various lighting conditions
  • Bullet time, hyperlapse, and regular video recording using a variety of color profiles and resolutions

We had our hands on the Insta360 X4 for several weeks before its official launch. Sadly we've not used it for the kind of adrenaline-filled extreme sports that you see in the launch videos, although it's still had extensive real-world testing. 

We've run it in 8K capture for long periods to test its power and stamina, used it for vlogging on the move, and for moderate sports such as road biking. We've tried out the various video resolutions, color profiles and HDR video capture to see how the small 8K sensor copes in bright and low light. 

The various video modes have been played with too, including bullet time and hyperlapse, plus we've taken still photos in the various options. 

First reviewed April 2024