The latest iteration of the innovative Insta360 action camera, the X5, brings practical new features I can utilize to film my rides. It has better low-light performance, an improved wind guard for the microphone, and extended battery life, plus parallel recording of ready-to-share flat video and 360-degree video for later editing. Off-road riders will especially appreciate that the lenses are now user-replaceable.
In the new PureVideo recording mode, the larger 1/1.28-inch sensors capture more light than the X4 and previous models. This results in noticeably better image quality in lower light settings, such as on rainy days or when making a video at dusk or dawn.
Recording at 70 mph, the Insta360 X5’s wind-guard filters out much of the noise that drowns out engine sound.
The new battery can keep you recording up to two hours in 5k/24 fps, and you can use your X5 as a charging block in an emergency. Although the marketing info says the battery will charge to 80 percent in 20 minutes, several attempts yielded, at best, a 45 percent charge in 20 minutes.
As a weekend user of the Insta360 cameras, I need it to be simple to operate and my videos easy to share. The new InstaFrame filming mode allows you to set the direction you want to record, either at a person that the camera follows or a direction, such as facing my direction of travel.
When I have my helmet on, gloves on, kickstand up, and the bike started, I use the gesture control feature by raising the palm of my hand to the camera, and it starts recording. When I want to stop recording, I can again raise my palm and the camera stops recording.
The X5 can be voice-controlled when connected to most Sena and Cardo helmet intercom communication units. You simply pair the X5 as though it is a second smartphone. With that accomplished, you can do voice-over blogging, or start and stop recording using those commands. Keep in mind that when you have the X5 connected to your comms unit, you cannot make calls, listen to music, or use the intercom. The voice-over mode is an exclusive channel.
I ride with a USB-C cable plugged into the camera. Unfortunately, while the Insta360 X5 software hides the selfie stick, it does not erase the power cord. Unexpectedly, I lost the newly relocated USB-C outlet cover on a particularly spirited ride. It must have blown off due to the combination of forward speed and crosswinds. From now on, I will take it off before heading down the road.
The Insta360 X5 gives you considerable control over exposure, color profile, bitrate, frames per second, image quality, and more—if you want it. I just set mine to auto.
I select Timelapse when I want to share a long section, but I don’t want to bore my friends with half-hour videos. The Timelapse software collapses a half-hour into just a few minutes, as shown here.
I use Road Mode for loop recording, giving me a 360-degree dashcam. The new Road Mode allows you to allocate a portion of the internal memory to save the last several hours of loop recording, rather than just the selected fixed-length segment.
The X5 builds on the capabilities of the previous models—including the X4, X3, One RS, and One X2 I have previously reviewed—to bring awesome video capture to the amateur videographer. Should you spend $550 to buy the Insta360 X5 if you already have a previous model? The answer depends on what you are doing with it. The user-replaceable lens feature is huge to those of us who tend to scratch anything we get our hands on. The expanded editing capability allows you to make infinitely detailed videos using the updated, free desktop program, or that step can be entirely bypassed by recording in InstaFrame mode—or anywhere in between. Just think about how On Any Sunday would have looked if the Insta360 X5 had been around then.
Click this link to bag a free invisible selfie stick worth US$24.99 with your Insta360 X5 purchase, or head to store.insta360.com and use the promo code “ULTIMATE”. Available for the first 30 purchases only.
Insta360 X5 Specs
HARDWARE
- Sensor size: 1/1.28 inches
- Lens focal length: 6mm
- Lens aperture: f/2.0
RECORDING
360° Video Resolution
Video Mode
- 8K: 7680×3840 @ 30/25/24 fps
- 7K+: 5760×2880 @ 30/25/24 fps
- 7K: 5760×2880 @ 60/50/48/30/25/24 fps
- 4K: 3840×1920 @ 120/100/60/50/48/30/25/24 fps
InstaFrame Mode
- 7K+: 30/25/24 fps
- 7K: 30/25/24 fps
- 1080p: 30/25/24 fps
PureVideo
- 8K: 7680×3840 @ 30/25/24fps
- 7K: 30/25/24 fps
- 4K: 30/25/24 fps
Single-Lens Video Resolution
Video Mode
- 4K: 3840×2160 @ 60/50/30/25/24fps
- 7K: 2720×1536 @ 60/50/30/25/24fps
- 1080p: 1920×1080 @ 120/100/60/50/30/25/24fps
FreeFrame Video
- 4K: 3840×3840 @ 30/25/24fps
- 7K: 2720×2720 @6 0/50/30/25/24fps
- 1080p: 1920×1920 @ 60/50/30/25/24fps
Me Mode
- 4K: 3840×2160@30/25/24fps
- 7K: 2720×1536 @ 120/100/60/50/30/25/24fps
- 1080p: 1920×1080 @ 120/100/60/50/30/25/24fpsPhoto resolution: 72MP (11904×5952) or 18MP (5888×2944)
FORMATS
- 360°: INSV Single-Lens: MP4
- Video coding: H.264; H.265
- Maximum video bitrate: 180 Mbps
- Photo: INSP (can export via mobile app or Studio desktop software) and DNG
- Audio format: AAC, 48 kHz, 16bit
Video Modes
360°
- Video (built-in Active HDR)
- PureVideo
- InstaFrame
- Timelapse
- TimeShift
- Bullet Time
- Loop Recording
- Road Mode
Single-Lens
- Video
- Freeframe Video
- Me Mode
- Loop Recording
Photo Modes
- Photo (optional HDR)
- Interval
- Starlapse
- Burst
Audio Modes
- Auto Wind Noise Reduction (two levels)
- Voice Enhancement
- Stereo
- 360° Audio
IMAGE ADJUSTMENTS
- Color profiles: Vivid; Standard; Flat
- Exposure value: ±4 EV
- ISO range: 100–6400
- Shutter speed range: Photo: 1/8000 to 120s; Video: 1/8000 to the limit of frames per second
- White balance: 2000K to 10000K
Insta360 X5 Price: $550 MSRP
Insta360 X5 Menu Screenshots
