Insta360 - ONE X2

I'm still getting awesome footage from my X2... 😜

Is this the kind of reactions I can respect here? I had a Insta360 X2 in the past with no problems reading it. It's my personal opinion so it would be nice if you respect that 

I have never owned a GoPro, but started 360 photography in 2005 with a mirror-ball add on for a digital camera. I’ve owned 360 cams from Giroptic, RICOH, Kodak and now have Insta360 and DJI. While my RICOH had better photos than the ONE X2, I got a ONE X2 because it had better software and was more fun. I instantly used a "worse" camera more than any of the other models I had. As I moved from X2 to X3 to X4 to X5, each comparison always had some things I thought the earlier model did better. With my DJI Osmo 360, I got it specifically for low light, hoping it might be my "go to" for low light situations, and the X5 for everything else. I’ve already seen alot of footage comparing it to other cameras, and some things look better on the Max 2, and other things look worse. Personal preference is a b-tch ;) What do you expect the niche of the Max 2 to be? What are the things that GoPro does better?

I don't know about gimbal mode for X4 Air. I think it depends on what you want to do with the camera. I have an Ace Pro and an X4 and I use my X4 a lot more in general because of the convenience of having a 360 pespective that allow reframing after the fact. I also have the X2 awhich was 150g and I notice the weight of the X4 (200g) at the end of a 100cm pole (a long lever) while snowboarding as I like to keep the stick horizontal and at waist height. The X5 is 200g as well so it will be a bit heavier than the 165g X4 Air. Last I checked the X4 Air is like $150 cheaper for a slight reducing in low-light image quality (the sensors are smaller) and like 15 minutes less battery life. So I would pick the X4 Air for action sports usage (handheld out in sunny weather) as well as to save some money. But if money is not an issue and you want the absolute best image quality available on a Insta360 right now and you are mostly not long-lever handholding (e.g. head, chest or object mounted) than I would got with X5.

I have a X2/X4 and a Ace Pro. X5 is a 360 camera. So when you crop it down from 8K 360 to a 16:9 viewport with say a 90 degree field of view... you are at something around 2.7K resolution (note you can shoot single lens in 4K, but it is an ultra, ultra wide field of view... so it's not going to be as good as a normal 4K as well). Personally, if I have to have only one camera with me, I always take my X4... it is just much more versatile as I think the convenient of framing and tracking almost always outweigh the loss in quality. Some times I have both an a magnetic-quick mount stick and just swap between the two depending on whether I need the reframing ability of the 360 camera or not.

I can definitely tell my X4 (200g) is noticeably heavier at the end of a long pole compared to my old X2 (150 g). X4 Air is 165g and the X5 is also 200g like the X4. The X4 Air has bigger sensor than X4 and so has better video quality and so sits as cheaper option to the X5 as it is $400 vs $550 for the X5 (the regular X4 is $425). I found this Youtube comparison of video quality of the three cameras here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsYJtg-O4f4. X4 Air also has field replaceable lenses compared to the X4 and earlier cameras and addition to Me Mode (which auto-creates a 16:9 MP4 centered down the selfie stick) it has InstaFrame (16:9 video center on your face) as well as 8K HDR (regular X4 only has HDR for 5.7k).

Yes... I really noticed the weight increase from the X2 (150g) to the X4 (200g, X5 is also 200g) when snowboarding with it on the end of a extended pole when riding like this [https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ReTFna\_vKLs](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ReTFna_vKLs)). For straight airs isn't fine, but I kind of flail/flap my arms a bit on spins and the weight of the camera at the end of a pole throws me off a bit when I land. Going to the X4 Air (165g) would help.

Camera sensor sizes use a very archaic and non-intuitive naming scheme... when they are listed as fractions... so the sensor size is bigger with the smaller denominator. The X4 has a Type-1/2" sensor (\~30.7 mm\^2) while the X4 Air has a Type-1/1.8" sensor which is roughly 38mm\^2. The X5 has a Type-1/1.28" that is roughly 71mm\^2 Here's a video I found on YT that shows side by side video comparisons - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsYJtg-O4f4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsYJtg-O4f4) (I have no affiliation with the video, it was just the first video I found today that did good side by side videos). Also the weight savings is non-trivial. I really noticed the weight increase from my X2 (150g) to my X4 (200g). The X5 is also 200g and the X4 Air is 165g.

I have an X2, so buying the X5 seems a no brainer. It's not available where I am right now, so I'd have to wait until I go home. Hopefully there will be more reviews out by then.

My only issue with GoPro is that I cannot shoot at 4K60FPS while mountain biking because it will almost always overheat. I do not have any over heating issues with my Insta Ace Pro 2 and that's mainly the reason I only use the Ace Pro 2 these days and sometimes the X2.

It's all about how you [use it](https://youtu.be/oAeuQ7MhMXs). (Not advertising, I don't film this for anyone other than friends/family) I like it because you have a lot of freedom to just not worry about putting it in the exact perfect spot. I have an insta x2, so the seams aren't particularly well stitched on close up objects, but that's all I really have to take into consideration. It also works as a gimbal, which I think is great.

Influencers pushed how well the camera proforms at night, and here we are with pure video, plus three A.I chips, and a larger sensor, with removable lenses, and an updated model that will again in the X6 be improved, As the X3 to the X4. I chose t return my Model and continue to use the outdated X2, but that will be my choice then tried to be sold a $600,00 after taxes and new Tarrif laws that I got no control over but totally understand want more, Pay more its a 4K Action camera wit h2 4K sensors creating a 8 K sephreical view exported down to 4K. If I really want it. I'll get it and it be like having two cameras in one, no need to buy an Ace pro 2 and X5 be wise, be smart spend your funds they can not go with you in the next life, good luck on your options Live the moment , but will we ever create that marketing video they made, NEVER

I treat my cameras as true action cams - almost everything I shoot is downhill‑mountain‑bike POV (with some snowboarding stuff in the winter). My two kids and I rotate between two GoPro Hero 7s and a Hero 11, and in bright daytime conditions the footage is consistently crisp. I also own an Insta360 One X2 and X4; they’re great for occasional 360‑degree shots (especially when we’re filming the kids in the snowboard terrain park), but their image quality still lags behind the GoPros in the daylight settings we ride, in my opinion. Lots of sponsored “reviews” frame these cameras as vlogging rigs, which shifts the conversation toward low‑light performance and front‑facing features. That’s useful if you’re shooting downtown at midnight, but for daytime action sports I’d rather see companies double down on ruggedness, stabilization, and ease of use than chase vlogging use cases. Bottom line: today’s action cams are all solid, yet GoPro remains my default. I’m still curious about the DJI Osmo Action 5, though. I’d like to see whether DJI can match the reliability I’ve come to expect from their drones.

I've been using the insta360 x2 and recently the x5 and I think that 360 is the best thing that has happend to sport cams. Quality is maybe a tiny bit worse compared to standard 4k+ modern cam, but the hasle of not having to adjust the camera angle and recording everything around makes so much up for it. The angle can be adjusted and the end result is up to the user, i personaly hate it when people exaggerate(in pov) with the wide angle to make it look faster etc but you still have so much more options that it is a no brainer