You’re about to see a camera that absolutely blows the GoPro out of the water! The GoPro has always been the staple of Action Cameras, In fact, pretty much everyone I know has owned at least one GoPro.
But we all know the story. You see the GoPro advert, get sucked in by the incredible shots that it can seemingly take, you buy one…
And then realise that your life is incredibly boring, and you don’t actually have a use for an Action Cam. Recently, Insta360 sent me a new toy to play with, and I have to say, I’ve been blown away by how versatile the Insta360 X3 has been.
So in this post, let’s talk about 10 ways that the Insta360 X3 is better than a GoPro, and 10 reasons why I think you should go and buy one of these right away.
NUMBER 1
The fact this is a 360 camera means that the Insta360 X3 can be used in a whole range of different situations compared to a traditional Action Cam, which, just can’t.
Like filming yourself without worrying about if you’re in frame or not. Or filming an event and not knowing which direction things are coming from, whilst simultaneously capturing your reactions.
Or perhaps even use it to spot where problems are coming from when you don’t know the exact source of them. Thank you, Tesla.
Because as long as you have the X3, you can decide all of that AFTER you’ve filmed it.
NUMBER 2
It’s not just that you can film with the X3 and then decide which direction to look after you’ve filmed. Oh no.
Something unique about Insta360’s range of cameras is the invisible selfie stick. Simply mount the camera on the end of the extended stick and the Camera will automatically stitch together the footage from both sides of the camera to make it look as though the selfie stick isn’t even there.
This means you can get some pretty interesting and unique perspectives on anything you are doing, even though it might not be the most interesting or action-packed thing to film.
From snapping photos with an invisible photographer to being followed whilst riding your bike or driving your car. It even makes for some fun third-person perspectives, all seemingly whilst you’re being followed by someone filming you.
Again these are all things that if I had used a GoPro, just wouldn’t be possible.
NUMBER 3
That selfie stick is just over 1m in length. But check out the Extended Selfie Stick which takes your 360 footage to a whole new level. Literally. Coming in at a whopping 3m in length, the Extended Selfie Stick gives you drone-like abilities.
Film those same activities such as driving a car, riding a bike or even just running, but now with a camera that, other than the shadow of the selfie stick, looks like it’s just hovering above you in mid-air.
Use it to capture footage from even more unique angles without having to climb up somewhere to place and then retrieve the camera each time. Or perhaps even, use it to inspect your roof, or your gutters and save yourself from needing to climb up a ladder.
The angles you can get are just so varied, it’s such a flexible camera.
NUMBER 4
For those of you suckers like me, who did go and buy a GoPro, maybe 2 GoPro’s, bought a tonne of mounts and adapters and screws and things. The good news is that you can still use all of them for the Insta 360 X3!
The X3 has a standard-sized thread on the bottom for a tripod, so simply attach the tripod adapter to the bottom and now it will fit onto any GoPro mount that you might already have. So no need to rip everything out and use new mounts on all your gear!
NUMBER 5
There is one adapter of all adapters that has inspired me more than others recently…Bullet Time.
Did you know that the creators of the Matrix used hundreds of meticulously positioned and calibrated cameras to create the effect now known as Bullet time? But with Insta360, you can get a similar effect with a simple Bullet Time Cord and the X3.
Simply attach this to your camera, and fling it around your head to capture yourself in full 4K 120fps, 360-degree slow-motion glory.
It will never look as cool as Neo in the Matrix. But I’ve seen something that has inspired me. Throughout this year, I’m going to carry my Insta360 X3 everywhere with me. Then when moments strike where we’re experiencing something memorable, I’m going to take this out and swing this around my or our heads to capture a pretty cool time-lapse-type look at our whole year of adventures.
One that should have started off in Disneyland Paris, had I remembered to bring it. But one that I’m going to continue through this year, and share my results with you at the end.
NUMBER 6
This is something that I argue makes your Insta30 useful almost every day of the year. Did you know that the X3 makes for an ideal Dashcam for your car or bike? Simply mount it to your car, and the X3 will capture a 360 video of what’s going on.
It even has a dedicated Dashcam mode which will continually record and only save the footage you need.
This would have saved my wife’s insurance premium when someone crashed into her on a roundabout a few years ago, even though it wasn’t her fault. Because it was on a roundabout, (which, for non-UK viewers, is like an intersection but round and with the high likelihood of someone crashing into the side of you!) the insurance companies policy was that it had to be a 50/50 fault because it’s too difficult and costly for them to prove otherwise.
NUMBER 7
But with all of these features and gadgets, that’s not to say that the Insta360 X3 is a slouch when it does come to be an action cam.
You can switch it to using just a Single lens, and now you have a fully capable action camera that can still rival the GoPro. Mount it on your helmet, car, or board, and capture stunning footage of your adventures.
There are so many gadgets here that you will be able to attach the X3 to literally anything. They even make specific kits for those adventures - from Snowboarding to motorcycling, with everything you need to fix your camera without worrying about it falling off.
The Camera is still pretty rugged. It’s fully waterproof up to 10m just as it is without any extra cases. Or you can buy a Dive case to extend that to up to 50m deep.
So take this to the beach, diving, snorkeling, or even just sitting in a hot tub and you’ll never need to worry about getting caught short again!
NUMBER 9
One thing that’s also impressed me with the X3, is its ability to take 360-degree time-lapses. Simply pop this on a tripod and leave it in place to capture a beautiful 8k timelapse in 360 degrees, which lets you pan your timelapse and add movement without the need for complicated gimbals or motorised sliders.
NUMBER 10
And number 10. The biggest reason that I feel that the Insta360 X3 is far better than a GoPro, is simply that I use my X3. And it’s not just because Insta360 has given me one to play with.
But both of my GoPros have been sitting in a drawer for years. I’ve barely touched them.
The X3 has been kept on my desk. And I’ve even noticed this amongst all of my creator friends who are starting to bring Insta360s with them instead of GoPro.
Because you can get much more creative, and capture things without worrying about whether you’ve got it capturing the right angle or maybe the GoPro gets knocked and now it’s facing down and recording nothing. The Insta360 X3 doesn’t have any of these problems.
Now, I don’t know if it’s as TOUGH as a GoPro in terms of being able to drop it out of a plane, and I’m not the guy who’s going to test that one that’s for sure.
But this IS something that I will continue to use a lot of my own videos and to capture moments with my family throughout the year.
I definitely can’t say the same for my GoPro, which will stay in that drawer gathering dust.
Hope this review helped, thanks for reading, and I’ll see you in the next one.
