Immersive camera tech specialist Insta360 has launched an update to its 360-degree pocket actioncam. The candybar-shaped X3 can capture all-around stabilized video at up to 5.7K resolution accompanied by directional audio, with tweaking possible via app-based AI editing tools.
"With the X series, we are reinventing the point and shoot camera to make it easier for anyone to be a creator," said Insta360's founder, JK Liu. "X3 is built to help the next generation of creators take their creativity to new heights."
The X3 can serve as a traditional actioncam in Single-Lens Mode for ultra-wide 4K footage, while MaxView goes out even wider – to 170 degrees – at 2.7K. Thanks to new 1/2-inch 48-MP image sensors, it can also grab 5.7K (5,760 x 2,880) 360-degree video at up to 30 frames per second with Active HDR, which makes use of an algorithm to stabilize action footage – though a six-axis gyro is also onboard.
Light sensitivity runs from ISO100 to 3,200, shutter speed can be set from 1/8,000 to 120 seconds for photos and 1/8,000 to the frame limit for vids, and stereo audio recording at 16-bit/48-kHz with direction focus and wind reduction has been cooked in too.
An onboard feature will automatically remove selfie-sticks from captured footage to create "impossible third-person views," while a new Me Mode frames selfie footage at 60 fps to focus on the user while keeping the selfie stick out of shot.
Of course, shooting in 360 also allows for subsequent reframing and editing via the AI-powered companion mobile app, before posting content to social feeds online – with the company noting that "a 4:5 Instagram post can be turned into a 9:16 TikTok video in a tap without losing any quality."
The X3 is capable of shooting 72-MP photos and 8K 360° timelapse footage, as well as slow-mo video at 120 fps at 4K resolution or 180 fps at 3K. A Loop Recording feature puts the X3 into continuous recording mode, but only actually saves the last few minutes as defined by user-programmed intervals – meaning that the actioncam can serve as a dashcam.
Rounding out the key specs, all captured content is saved to SD media, the user interacts with the actioncam via a 2.29-inch touch display topped in tempered glass and four physical buttons for glove-friendly control of the action, the unit is waterproof without additional housing to 33 ft (10 m), and lens guards are optionally available for extra protection. Wireless comms shape up as Bluetooth 5.1 and 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and a 1,800-mAh battery offers a per-charge runtime of 81 minutes.
Available globally from today, the 114 x 46 x 33.1-mm (4.48 x 1.8 x 1.3-in), 180-g (6.34-oz) Insta360 X3 retails for US$449.99. The video below has more.
Product page: X3
