586 days after the launch of the Shadow Stone Insta360 X3, the Shadow Stone Insta360 X4 finally arrived! The video specification of this generation has soared. Now there are 8K 30fps video, 11K delayed photography, 8K mobile delay and 5.7K 120fps bullet time.
We haven't seen any video equipment that has made us talk all the way up in the past few years. As a result, we have two in a row in the past six months. The first is the Dajiang Pocket 3 in October last year, and the other is the Insta360 X4. The X4 generation has increased by more than the previous generation (a new sensor was replaced at that time).
In addition, GoPro submitted an application to the US International Trade Commission on March 29, 24, requesting a 337 investigation and a ban on Yingshi Insta360. As a result, Insta360 X4 was released less than a month after the "GoPro 337 Certification" was mentioned (April 16). It's not a stick. I'm curious. Are you intentional or careless?
Specifications
Sensor: dual 48 million pixels, 0.8 μ m, 1/2 sensor, F1.9 aperture (should be IMX586)
Photos: 72 million pixels (11968x5984) and 18 million pixels (5952x2976) → 72 million pixels (11904x5952) and 18 million pixels (5888x2944) processed by PureShot algorithm in the camera
Panorama video: up to 5.7K 30fps, 4K 60fps, 3K 100fps → up to 8K 30fps, 5.7K 60fps, 4K 100fps (violent promotion!)
Maximum video bit rate: 120Mbps → 200Mbps
Single shot wide-angle video recording: up to 4K 30fps, 2.7K 60fps → up to 4K 60fps
Follow mode: up to 1080P 60fps → 4K 30fps, 2.7K 120fps (epic upgrade!)
Time delay photography: 8K → 11K
Movement delay: 5.7K → 8K
Bullet time (like the high frame video rotating around the main body like the hacker empire): 4K 120fps, 3K 180fps → 5.7K 120fps, 3K 240fps
Screen: 2.29 inch+curved tempered glass → 2.5 inch+curved Corning gorilla glass
Battery and endurance: 1800mAh+81 minutes → 2290mAh+135 minutes (capacity is 27% larger, 5.7K 30fps video duration is increased by 67%)
Size: 46.0x114.0x33.1mm → 46.0x123.6x37.6mm (lengthen and thicken a little)
Weight: 180g → 203g
Price: X2 is 2798 yuan → X3 is 2998 yuan → X4 is 3498 yuan
appearance
The left is a bare machine, the middle is equipped with a standard protective mirror, and the right is a comparison of "with and without" ↑
In this generation of Insta360 X4, there are more accessories. Just like the cheap and large GODA model, once opened, it is difficult to reseat the box:
C to C data cable, belief sticker, mirror wiping cloth, guide, manual, warranty card.
Temperature control back clip: The physical protective shell is hard and hollow, and will not block the interface.
Storage bag: It is replaced by a zipper type. There are 1 large compartment and 2 small compartments in it, which are used to put mirror wiping cloth, memory card or protective mirror. It is very considerate, Shadowstone It is indeed the largest accessory factory in the panoramic camera industry.
Removable standard goggles: It is not fixed with adhesive as before, and it is delivered from the factory. One screw and one card can fix it.
The short is Insta360 X3 (top), and the long is the shadow stone Insta360 X4 (bottom)
The larger one is X4 ↑ (there are grooves on the side of 1/4 interface now)
Insta360 X3 on the left, Insta360 X4 on the right ↑
The shadow stone Insta360 X4 is still a "sandwich" structure. The hard plastic middle frame with diamond lines has skin like coating on the front and back.
The most obvious feature of X4 is its lengthening. The width is unchanged, the thickness is slightly increased, and it is more and more like a laser sword handle.
The battery has also become longer (the subtext is that it is not in common use with the previous generation), 2290mAh, and the capacity is 27% larger than the previous generation (1800mAh).
When the screen is stretched to 16:9 level, the menu can display more items with larger font.
The usage of the panoramic camera of Shadow Stone is not different from that of the motion camera. The main reason is that the function menu of single and double lenses is added. Because the X4 has greatly improved the single lens shooting specification and performance, it can really be used as a motion camera with a maximum field of view of 170 degrees.
The operation logic and interface are not very different from the ONE R/Ace series sports camera of Yingshi, but identical.
This set of settings is very mature. All the function modes are listed by default, and you cannot customize the sequence. However, you can set the preferred preset mode for the "Q key", and use the key to quickly switch functions. It is OK to get used to it.
[Picture quality]
After all, it's the camera. If you don't fix what you have or don't have, just look at the picture quality first.
All photos use the PureShot output of shadow stone, and panoramic videos use 30% (default gear) color enhancement.
PS： The highest bit rate of Insta360 X4 video recording of Shadowstone has risen to 200Mbps from 120Mbps of the previous generation. When capturing H.264 video, the "high bit rate" 8K video is 1.5GB per minute, and the 5.7K 30fps video is about 700MB (in fact, it is 200Mbps bit rate). "Standard bit rate" 8K video is 1GB per minute, and 5.7K 30fps video is about 500MB.
PSS： The equivalent focal length displayed by the shadow stone Insta360 X4 is still 6.7mm, but the actual physical focal length is shortened from 1.24mm of X3 to 1.2mm of X4, and the longitudinal resolution of the photo is reduced by "full" 32 pixels.
Daylight scene 1, where the "global" is the panoramic video Rio 120 degree field of view.
5.7K 30fps video recording of Insta360 X3 (the highest specification), compared with 5.7K 30fps, 5.7K 60fps and 8K 30fps of Shadow Stone Insta360 X4 ↑
Daylight scene 2, where the "global" is the panoramic video field of view of Rio 160 degrees (pay attention to the shadow around the sun and the trees. The 8K video can even be magnified by 50% ↑)
5.7K 30fps video recording of Insta360 X3 (the highest specification), compared with 5.7K 30fps, 5.7K 60fps and 8K 30fps of Shadow Stone Insta360 X4 ↑
Shadow stone Insta360 X4 For 5.7K 60fps and 30fps videos, there is no obvious difference in picture details and dynamic range, and the color will be more bright and colorful than 8K videos.
The 8K mode is full of 11K pixels of two IMX586, and the details are naturally stronger when the 8K mode is used.
If the power and capacity allow, as long as the light is enough, you can close your eyes to 5.7K 60fps or 8K 30fps video.
For high frame rate video recording, the Insta360 X4 has 4K 100fps, and the image performance rises in situ.
The 4K 100fps mode has more obvious sharpening. In addition to the difference in dynamic range, at first glance, it even feels a little stronger than the previous generation 5.7K 30fps video.
Below is a photo comparison. X4 uses PureShot synthesis in the machine to directly output insv files. X3 is RAW photo+computer PureShot synthesis ↓
Both generations are 72 million pixel panoramic photos, with different local details contrast ↑
X3 should no longer have any performance bottlenecks here (it directly outputs RAW photos, and does not need local processing), but it may be the difference between the original RAW photos. The noise reduction and line details of X4 are better.
In overtime, we brought Insta360 Ace Pro to make a comparison.
Default photographing mode: Insta360 Ace Pro is 12 megapixel mode, shadow stone Insta360 X4 is single lens 36 megapixel mode, and the global and central areas are enlarged ↓
Insta360 Ace Pro is a normal motion camera, and the viewing angle is several circles smaller than that of a panoramic camera (the single lens viewing angle is greater than 180 degrees), so the picture details will have great inherent advantages. In addition, Insta360 Ace Pro has its own HDR for photographing and 4K 30fps and below, so its dynamic range is significantly stronger.
Although the round imaging circle of the panoramic camera will be cut through multiple channels, the details of the Insta360 X4 are actually better than we expected.
(Circular imaging field of single lens of panoramic camera ↓)
Oh, by the way, X4 has a more useful "natural wide angle" FOV option. Compared with the original "super wide angle", the effect is as follows. Pay attention to the little sister below the center of the picture and the columns on both sides ↓
Ultra wide angle mode
Natural wide-angle mode
Summary
With the sensor unchanged, the noise reduction performance and the dynamic range of the shading part of the Shadow Stone Insta360 X4 are significantly stronger, as if it has its own HDR to a certain extent. Even if 5.7K video is also used, the Shadow Stone Insta360 X4 is a sure win. Even if 4K mode is used, it can level with the previous generation's 5.7K.
If the X4 is fully fired, Using the recording specifications of 8K 30fps (from full pixel 11K super capture to 8K), 11K delay photography, 8K movement delay, 4K 100fps slow motion (the previous generation was 3K 100fps), and single lens 4K 60fps (the previous generation was 4K30), you can directly pull out the difference between generations . Even before the configuration was disclosed, we thought it was a sensor change
Due to the limitation of principle and sensor size, even if it is better than X4, the single lens image quality of panoramic camera still lags far behind that of motion camera. But one thing to say, the 170 degree field of vision of this single lens is really big.
Cold knowledge: the total pixels are square. The number of 8K pixels is just twice that of 5.7K, while 11K is twice that of 8K and 4 times that of 5.7K.
[Material management and later stage]
After seeing the picture quality, of course, it's the editing problem.
The core of panoramic camera is the image quality (the users who have not bought it care most) and editing (the users who have bought it care most).
The advantage of panoramic video is that there is no need for early shooting and almost no need for anti shake. It is very suitable for use in various vehicles/high-speed sports such as cars/yachts, cycling/skateboarding/skiing, drones/planes/parachutes.
However, because the "shooting" operation was moved to the later stage, and the amount of material was huge, it was called "a good shot, a crematorium in the later stage".
This year, the situation has finally improved significantly.
Insta360's APP now has a somatosensory "quick cut" function ↑ similar to the "infinite screen" of the hammer system. Lao Luo calls the expert directly (all the Yingshi panoramic cameras now support it).
When previewing and editing materials, you can call the gyroscope of your phone. Just like playing VR shooting games, the mobile phone has become a window to see the past/VR glasses. Like going back to the shooting scene, you can use the somatosensory simulation to directly "turn your head" to look at different places, genius!
The objects in the picture can be circled, and then the tracking and shooting can be completed automatically, and the users in Dajiang can call the insiders directly. This function is similar to the visual tracking of the Dajiang UAV, but now it tracks the people and objects that once passed by you.
After the popularization of similar VR/AR devices of Apple Vision Pro, the ultimate solution for panoramic material editing should be to build a VR version of Insta360 APP. Just to wait for this, we have not cut the video materials of the original Insta360 ONE X.
Mobile APP can now export 4K ProRes and download materials in the background (previously, you had to wait for transmission). In addition, the WiFi transmission speed of Insta360 X4 has been improved from 19MB/s in the previous generation to 30MB/s, so the processing and response speed is much faster now.
On the PC side, the Insta360 X4 has a USB 3.0 interface (5Gbps), which can quickly guide materials without removing the card.
But the biggest improvement is that, Now there is PR plug-in!
The insv panoramic material of Shadow Stone can be directly dragged to Premiere Pro for preview+re shooting. I cried on the spot.
But to be honest, it is more convenient to take pictures in the official studio (after all, the mouse directly drags the perspective). It now also has basic editing functions ↑
[Chip performance and AI]
In fact, compared with the picture quality, Ben Yanzu felt more about the improvement of performance and fluency.
Insta360 Ace Pro is a 5nm process "AI chip" (the model is still unknown), while the shadow stone Insta360 X4 may be directly connected to two such chips, which has a performance overflow beauty:
The soaring video specifications - 8K 30fps video, 11K delay photography, 8K movement delay and 5.7K 120fps bullet time.
It can process 72 million pixel Pureshot photos in the phone (similar to the AI photo optimization of current mobile phones, which directly processes RAW photos and was previously completed on mobile phones/computers). It takes about 3 seconds to process 18 million pixels, and between 5 and 8 seconds to process 72 million pixels.
Even the following mode below 2.7K 30fps, self timer removal lever+splicing output MP4 can be settled in the machine (the highest gear 4K 30fps and 2.7K 120fps require mobile phone or computer processing).
All these are saved and processed in the background, which will not affect the real-time viewfinder, and will not suspend the viewfinder as the previous generation did.
In the preview screen under low light, you can see more brightness in the dark, and the star mode can also be turned into a night vision device (although the noise is exploding). This is very similar to the effect after Vivo started using Vivo V series image chips.
The 11K photo/delay photography of Shadow Stone Insta360 X4 is 11904x5952=70852608, about 70.85 million pixels (48 million pixels of IMX586, about 6000 pixels on the short side). Since the imaging circle is circular, the actual pixels used are circles with a radius of 2976 pixels: 3.14x2976x2976x2=about 55.62 million pixels.
From the perspective of actual data throughput and effect (11K is four times the data volume of 5.7K before), the 5nm AI chip of the Insta360 X4 of Shadowstone should have the strongest performance among the current sports cameras/civil panoramic cameras.
The button on the chin looks like a muddled face
Panoramic cameras are often mounted on the selfie stick. At this time, only gesture or voice control can be used.
The generation of Shadow Stone Insta360 X4 has added AI gesture recognition (↑ in the middle of the above figure, Biye's gesture is for taking photos, and the palm of his hand is for video). The recognition range and accuracy are exaggerated. The official marker can be used from 40 cm to 1.6 m, but it can be used from 30 cm to more than 2 m.
In addition to the tricky angle near the side frame of the machine, it is basically 360 degrees away from the machine. As long as a face and the "Bier/Palm" gesture are detected, they can be triggered, almost hitting every shot.
This cliff is easier to use than voice control (also available now), especially when there are passers-by beside you, I am afraid that I am very satisfied.
However, because it does not have face recognition, passers-by waving can also trigger. If you go to a tourist area where people follow the crowd, it is estimated that you will record a lot of unexpected materials.
The operation speed and experience will be improved by the performance improvement:
The X4 takes less than 4 seconds to boot up, faster than previous products
Almost all operations can respond immediately, and the switching mode only needs to wait about 1 second for fuzzy animation
The preview stream during video shooting and recording has greatly improved the definition, which is no longer the violent sharpening of Nokia pictures
The panoramic camera has a full blood 60Hz refresh rate that is close to the standard iPhone. I dare not be so bold in my dreams
The system has zoom animation, even in the key setting page, there is animation demonstration???? Huh? Who will tell me where the sun comes out today? What year is this night? Not to mention panoramic cameras and sports cameras, SLR has never fought such a rich battle.
The Insta360 X4 not only has the automatic brightness of the screen that most sports cameras/panoramic cameras do not have, it even has a touch to light the screen??!! The control center finally has the power percentage display! All stand up!
Like the Ace series, the Insta360 X4 can be set to automatically turn on video recording after power off and charging. There is pre recording. The Q button on the side can be set to mark the highlight moment. Diankun/motorcycle/bicycle users will laugh like Nike on the spot. Happiness comes too suddenly. Let me take it easy first.
It is also 5.7K 30fps video, and the X4 has significantly lower heat than the previous generation. In fact, from the fact that the battery capacity is 27% larger and the endurance is 67% higher, we can also calculate the huge energy efficiency improvement brought by the new 5nm chip. But the bonus of 5nm chip+body heat dissipation improvement was eaten back when 8K video was recorded.
The official standard 5.7K 30fps can last for 135 minutes (increased by 67%), and 8K 30fps can run for 75 minutes (almost full of a 128GB card).
The radio is better than the previous generation, although, in fact, the panoramic camera is more suitable for an independent microphone.
[Accessories group]
In this generation of Insta360 X4, the most important accessory upgrade is actually the lens protector.
The protective mirror delivered from the factory (with blue dot mark on the bayonet) is of great significance, In the future, you can buy better panoramic cameras at Leisure Fish ， If you have strong financial resources like us, you can also choose a stronger advanced protective mirror. The bayonet is a red dot sign, made of tempered glass, and has an orange coating. Shenghui costs 249 yuan.
It should be noted that although the X4 body is 10 meters waterproof of the bare machine, there is air between the protective mirror and the camera lens, and it is not sealed. When encountering a strong light source, the image quality will be significantly affected. When the temperature difference is large, fog may also form. Soaking in water will naturally trap water in the lens cover.
It is recommended to remove the protective lens for shooting, unless it is difficult to ride or get on the UAV.
The bullet time accessory launched with X3 is to fix the camera with a rope, which is a bit scary when thrown.
Later, it was replaced by the rigid connection of the above ↑ rotating bracket+self timer rod, which was simple and violent, and they were all separated by their own self timer rod and tripod (the counterweight was very heavy, and the bracket could not be extended), which forcefully solved the bug that the previous generation of accessories used too frequently
Effect of wearing protective case, lens protective sleeve and flash memory companion ↑
This generation of lens protectors are set according to the size of fully armed lens protectors. They are quite large.
Previous generation accessories, left flash memory companion (this generation of mold has minor changes, but the function is the same), right charging audio adapter ↑
The audio adapter, flash memory companion (card reader of C+Lightning port), and 3-meter super long carbon fiber self timer rod ↑ (suitable for UAV with strict control now, it can pretend to be a UAV with panoramic camera) of the previous generation can still be used in this generation.
If you buy official batteries separately, there will also be a box ↑ with TF card slot. Yingshi is indeed the largest panoramic camera accessory factory. In order to sell accessories, it has even made four generations of panoramic cameras in a row. It doesn't earn money to make cameras. Make accessories to make friends.
Oh, by the way, Insta360 X4 can be matched with DJI Mic2 of a friend, and can be used directly. It really makes me cry.
【 Regret and hope]
The layout of this generation has not changed. The memory card is still in the battery compartment. If you want to unplug the card, you must first shut down the computer. I hope the next generation can put the card slot next to the charging port like the Shadow Stone Ace Pro.
It is hoped that the new firmware can shorten the time interval of delay photography: for 11K and 8K delay photography, the minimum time interval is 2 seconds, and there is only 0.5 second interval when it is reduced to 5.7K. However, the previous generation of 8K delay has a 0.2 second interval, and more interval gears can be selected. This delay dog "Really, I am really really real".
The resolution of the LRV shrinkage image file used for in plane preview now can not keep up with the new screen, and the definition is not as good as the in plane monitoring when shooting (although, in fact, we rarely review the material in plane)
Now the performance is sufficient, and the screen has grown a lot. Dare you add a zoom button when the player plays back?
The function that Ben Yanzu hopes to add most is actually the material renaming/note function on the mobile phone APP or PC (it is also OK to write notes into exif information). In addition, it would be better if the insv material could retain basic exif information such as model name.
Before the X4, we always thought that the bottleneck of the panoramic camera was insufficient sensor pixels, but after looking at the sample, we found that the bottleneck of the panoramic camera was computing power in the past and now, far from "squeezing the performance of the IMX586". At least before the camera ISP can handle 11K 30fps HDR video streams, the IMX585 is more than enough.
At first, I thought it would be a big loss if this generation didn't replace the 1/2-inch OV64B? However, after looking at the sample, we found that the 64 million pixels of the upper pair of pixels may be different. Now it is not enough for the unit pixel to be large enough, so the lighting scene will have to raise the ISO, unable to exert the full power of 8K video. From the 0.8 μ m IMX586 to the 0.7 μ m OV64B, the lighting scene is even worse.
According to the rhythm, the Insta360 X5 released in 2026 will either continue to pile more powerful chips and batteries to give the panoramic camera a little shock of "computational photography". Or a 1/1.3 OV48C (the OV50H is 2x2 OCL, not suitable for panoramic cameras). No matter which scheme, X5 is expected to grow again.
Summary
If the ONE X2 is "1m high-definition, 2m anti aliasing, 3m avatar", and the X3 is "1m anti aliasing, 2m avatar", the X4's current 8K video recording and 11K delay are already "1m avatar". Unfortunately, the video shot by the most powerful civil panoramic camera can not feed the Vision Pro's 23 megapixel screen.
Even though the price of X3 has been reduced to 2698 yuan (800 yuan difference from X4), But unless you are just taking still photos or delayed photography, we suggest you pay more to strengthen the X4 (I wonder if this generation will suddenly launch a co branded version of Ghost Killing Blade as before.).
Before the brain technology soared in place, 360 degree panoramic video without dead angle recording will be the recording method closest to true reproduction.
Wearing VR devices such as Vision Pro, you can instantly return to the moment of shooting, and time will come again. But this time, you can see everyone's actions and reactions at that time, and you can see the eyes and details that were not noticed at that time, even looking at different places. I would like to call this experience "simple time machine".
Now, VR glasses are not even needed, and the panoramic video taken before can be viewed with body sense on the mobile phone. Click the video of the early generation ONE X, it seems that the summer afternoon when I returned to my school days, the leaves were singing and the cicadas were still singing. It's sunny today. I wonder where the students are?
Follow our Weibo @ Love Computer
Follow our WeChat official account: playphone
Of course, we also pay attention to our Bilibili account: love computer
