Fun new action camera opens up a whole new world of photographic opportunities

I feel like a kid who has just received an exciting new toy.

I’ve just unboxed an Insta360 X4, and I wonder why I haven’t considered one of these in my camera kit until now.

The Insta360 X4 is an amazing bit of kit that differs significantly from other action cameras like the GoPro or DJI Osmo in both shape and functionality.

Like other action cameras, it shoots high-resolution video and stills, and you can mount it on just about anything — but it offers, in my opinion, many more creative opportunities for content creators compared with other action cameras.

As its name suggests, the Insta360 X4 can capture 360-degree footage of just about anything, anywhere and anytime.

The narrow rectangular shape (about the size of a Mars bar) with its two dome-like lenses on either side of the camera and a 2.5-inch touchscreen on one side, mean it looks unlike any other camera.

Setting it up and using it is dead easy — just mount it on something and hit the record button (you can also use voice or gesture control to do this).

There’s no need to think about framing or even pointing the camera in the right direction because of the 360-degree capture.

It sounds a bit weird, but it works!

The camera captures 360-degree footage via the twin lenses and twin sensors, and automatically stitches it together.

You can choose your viewpoint, reframe, or crop the images captured on your smartphone later on via the Insta360 mobile app.

If you prefer, by using the camera’s Me Mode and the invisible selfie stick effect, you can make sure you are front and centre of the action without any reframing.

The verdict

I loved testing the Insta360 X4 — it is so much fun to use, and the video and stills it captures are first-class for this kind of camera.

The unusual points of view and special effects you can capture with it are only limited by your imagination.

The 360-degree capture “shoot first and frame later” meant I didn’t miss a thing while riding my motorcycle with the camera mounted on the handlebars. With the Insta360 mobile app I can, for example, switch between a forward and rear point of view after I’ve finished my ride — and the invisible selfie stick feature creates amazing drone-like close-ups of me riding.

Even though the camera appeared to shake a fair bit on the end of the selfie stick while I was riding, the image stabiliser did a great job keeping things steady.

I also enjoyed using the camera while hiking in Tasmania’s Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, and captured some nice drone-like images of myself by simply holding the invisible selfie stick in front or behind me.

I also loved the fun Tiny Planet pictures you can create in the app.

The only thing to be careful about with this camera is the dome lenses. They are very exposed and easily scratched, so keeping the supplied lens guards on is vital.

The standard Insta360 X4 kit includes a pair, but I strongly recommend buying a pair of the premium tempered glass guards, which are much tougher and more scratch-resistant.

Tech specs

The Insta360 X4’s 360-degree Mode has a maximum resolution of 8K 30fps and 5.7K 60fps. In Single-lens Mode the maximum is 4K 60fps, and the Me Mode has a maximum of 4K 30fps. The camera has a maximum single-photo resolution of 72MP, and it is waterproof to 10m without an additional housing (and up to 50m with one).

The video modes include Active HDR, Timelapse, TimeShift, Bullet Time, Loop Recording and Pre-recording. The photo modes include HDR Photo, Interval, Starlapse and Burst.

The Insta360 X4 standard bundle, which includes the camera and standard lens guards, starts from $879.00.

Some of the other bundles available include a snowboard bundle, ski bundle, invisible dive bundle, and a road cycling bundle.

I tested the motorcycle multiview bundle, which includes the camera, standard lens guards, action invisible selfie stick, heavy duty clamp, and a lens cap, which costs $1046.

A set of premium lens guards costs $61.99, and an invisible dive case that is waterproof to 50m costs $173.99.

For more information about the Insta360 X4, visit store.insta360.com