Insta360 X3 vs GoPro Max which is better? here's a summary they're both among the best 360
cameras but in some cases GoPro Max has better image quality I also prefer to use GoPro Max
in rugged shooting however for most people insta360 will be better -- A LOT better! In
this video, I'm going to show you why. No one paid me to do this video but insta360 did send me
the X3 to review it and I bought the GoPro Max myself. I also have affiliate links for both X3
and Max but my Max affiliate links are useless because it's cheaper to buy a Max directly from
GoPro. So I understand if you don't believe my conclusion but you don't have to take my word
for it. I'm going to show you side-by-side sample videos so you can decide for yourself. I'm also
going to make sample videos available for download so you can compare them yourself.
Let's get started. The first test is stabilization. I rode down these steps on my
electric unicycle. Without stabilization you can see that the camera shakes a lot. [Music]
Now let's see how the Max and X3 stabilization perform on this challenging test. [Music]
And they both perform FLAWLESSLY so I'd say their stabilization performance is a tie.
Now you might have noticed the Max had a completely level background whereas on the X3, the
video tilts up and down to keep me in the middle. We're going to talk about that difference later on,
under workflow. By the way, this artifact that you see here is from the dual camera bracket that I
was using you're not going to see them in ordinary use. Now let's compare video quality. To
test video quality, I put the cameras on a tripod and took a video of some text, making sure to match
the height of the camera's lenses. Without looking closely, the X3 looks sharper but actually the text
on the GoPro Max is easier to read, which means it actually has more detail. The fact is that most
people don't shoot with a 360 camera like this. Instead, most people shoot a 360 camera
with a selfie stick like this. So we should also compare the image
quality when they're held this way, with a third person view. Let's check it out.
So here's the GoPro Max. You can see that it's much less detailed than it is in the middle of
the lens. Now here's the insta360 X3. The difference is shocking! But is this difference noticeable in
the real world? Let's find out. Here are the Max and the X3 side by side. I graded the Max to match the
contrast of the X3. Now if you don't look closely, they look pretty similar. But soon, you notice
that the X3 looks sharper. And it's not an illusion. The X3 really does have significantly more detail
when both are used with a selfie stick to capture a third person view. Now before you go and jump and
get the X3 check out the strange results when I compared them in low light. Here are the Max and
X3 in low light, both of them in auto mode. They look very different but when I grade the footage
they look much more similar -- except for one thing. With colored lights, the Max has a lot of noise.
Sso I tried using manual exposure to force both cameras to use the same ISO and same shutter
speed. Again they looked similar, except that the Max gets a lot of noise around colored lights.
So, for low light, I prefer the X3 for two reasons. First, it looks better to me even without grading
and second, it's better at capturing colored lights. How about you? Which one do you prefer in
low light? Let me know in the comments. Now let's compare the Max and the X3 for slow motion. Both
the Max and X3 have 60 FPS (frames per second) 360 video modes. For the Max, it's 3K 60fps. For the X3 it's 4K 60fps.
The x3's 60fps mode is far more detailed so for slow motion, the winner is the X3.
This time, let's compare them for dynamic range. In standard video mode, Max and X3
have similar dynamic range. But the X3 has another Mode called Active HDR. It's not just a fancy
tone curve with lifted shadows. NO! It actually uses some of its sub-pixels to capture a darker
exposure, resulting in a much wider highlight range. Now that sounds too good to be true so
let me show you. Here's a sunny day with very wide dynamic range. Let's see how the Max and
X3's active HDR compare. I paused the video in this scene with very demanding dynamic range and
you can see how the grass is totally blown out on the Max. But the X3 captured the full
range of highlights and shadows. Now here's another scene where the grass and skies are
blown on the Max but are well exposed with the X3. Now I want you to pay special attention
to the grass. You see that? That's motion blur -- indicating a slow shutter speed. But you also
get the brightest highlights of the scene. And I swear I didn't use an ND filter on the X3. This is
proof that the X3's active HDR uses two different exposures at the same time, and isn't just lifting
the shadows. Now you might be wondering: maybe you get better dynamic range with Active HDR
but are you giving up something else, such as detail? Here you can see the massive
difference in the highlight range. But what about detail? Well it turns out that Active HDR is more
detailed as well. Now I thought it could be just sharpening, so I did another comparison -- this time,
with GoPro Max sharpening set to high. However, once again, X3's Active HDR video mode was more detailed.
On the other hand, GoPro Max has better details in deep shadows.
Next let's compare stitching performance. Both the Max
and X3 were able to stitch as close as a foot and a half away.
But there the X3 has smoother stitching at the nadir, which is noticeable when you're using them
on a selfie stick. Now both Max and X3 also have single lens non-360 modes. On paper, the X3's single
lens mode has higher resolution. But Max's single lens mode actually has slightly better detail
than the X3's 4K single lens mode. Interestingly enough, at 60fps, X3's single lens mode is sharper than
Max but Max has 360-degree horizon leveling for any single lens mode, at any resolution and at any frame rate,
all with no stitching needed. X3 can also use 360-degree horizon leveling in single lens
mode but it has to use something called "FOV+" mode, which is less detailed and needs to be exported.
So for single lens mode, it's a clear win for the GoPro Max. But X3 has two other 180-degree
modes for which Max has no equivalent. Now so far we've been talking about image quality but
for most people there's something that's going to make an even bigger difference: and that's
EASE OF USE. You gotta check this out. Alright, here's one of the clips you saw earlier. I shot
this on the GoPro Max. To make it non-360, I have to reposition the video and add keyframes
every time the angle changes. Now here I fast forwarded it but you can see that it's not
hard but it does take some time. Alright here's the exact same scene shot in the Insta360 X3. I
click on this button here that says "deep track". I drag a square around the subject, check this box,
and click on "start tracking." That's it! I can leave it alone and go grab a snack or watch a
football game. Even though the subject looks nothing like the original and keeps changing
angles, the AI is smart enough to keep track of it, regardless of background and light conditions.
Now let's compare the manual keyframing with Insta360's Deep Track. Not only is
Insta360's keyframing smoother but it also keeps the subject in the middle. So easy!
Now how would you like it if you didn't even have to do tracking? That's right! All you have to do is use a new mode called
Me Mode, which lets you shoot a third person view like this with no keyframing needed and
no tracking needed! Here's how it works!
I swipe the screen to the left, tap single lens, swipe the screen to the left again, and tap on Me Mode.
And I can choose the aspect ratio here, if I want portrait or landscape.
And I can choose the frame rate up to 60 FPS And I can choose the projection whether linear (no distortion)
or max view (for extra wide view). Now let's say I want to keyframe (with a 360 video). Then I press this button to switch to 360 mode.
Now I'm in 360 mode. If I want to switch back to single lens mode with Me Mode, I just press this button.
And I'm back to Me Mode. Now just use a selfie stick and start recording. The video will be
stabilized and will have 360-degree horizon leveling. Me Mode is limited to 1080p, but as you can
see, the level of detail is similar to a reframed 5.7k 360 video. And I can shoot at up to 1080p
60fps which looks like a reframed 5.7 k60fps 360 video. During post-processing, just select
all your Me Mode videos and hit export. You're done! No keyframing or tracking needed. Now, a
while ago, I said that Insta360 X3 has two modes for which Max is no equivalent. The other
one is a slow motion Me Mode. How do you use slow motion in me mode? And I'm sure you're
also wondering other questions such as how do you change the subject so that it's not
always in the middle? If you want to find out, check out this video. Before you go, just a couple of
quick notes about the X3 and the Max. The max has a better built-in microphone but the X3
has an invisible wireless microphone option. And in terms of durability, they're both waterproof and
they both have optional protective lenses but the Max's protective lenses are more
convenient to use because they're clip-on. I also prefer GoPro's product replacement
plan. So which one do you prefer: X3 or Max? Let me know in the comments I'll see you in 360.
[Music]