Hi guys, it's KJ the MiTechGuy here, and today I'm going to talk 360.
I've gotten a lot of questions about how I have been getting certain shots in my videos
like the ones you just saw in the intro.
And the answer to those questions is that I just use the Insta360 One X.
In this video, I'm going to start off with comparing the One X to the GoPro Hero 7 because
for the price point of $400, I think the only real competition for the One X is the Hero
7.
I'll look into things like stabilization, hyper lapses, audio, and pictures, then I'll
dive in deeper as to why I think 360 cameras are the future.
Let's get right into it.
The GoPro Hero 7 is a very compact, durable, 4K action camera.
You probably know a lot about GoPros already because they have been everyone's action camera
of choice for years now.
On the other hand, you may not have known about the Insta360 One X until recently.
This camera is still compact, shoots a 5.7K spherical image that equates to about a 1080p
16 by 9 video, but the camera is admittedly not as rugged or durable.
So while the Hero 7 works a lot like any normal camera, the Insta360 One X is a bit more complicated.
The One X captures spherical images and videos of everything around it whenever it is recording.
This means that when taking pictures, you can hold the camera out and from one image,
you basically can choose between an infinite amount of angles based on the angle you are
trying to get.
Side by side, the image quality on the Hero 7 is clearer because it does have a higher
density of pixels within the frame it captures images in.
The 5.7K combined resolution of the One X is for the whole sphere.
That is why the 16 by 9 footage is still around 1080p.
So if you really just need pure image quality, the Hero 7 will still have the higher quality
images and videos, and you should start veering that direction.
But when we look at selfie images and video, we can notice that with the One X, it makes
it look like there's some sort of drone or hovering camera that took the image.
This is because when you use the Insta360 selfie stick, the camera automatically hides
the stick from any angle.
And if you hold it directly to your side, it really just looks like there's some magical
floating camera.
When I first saw images and video using the One X, I was really impressed.
I am not sure if the content captured on these cameras is as mind blowing to you guys as
it is to me.
I think it's incredible how some of these shots turn out.
When making this comparison, I wanted to take a look at the image stabilization of both
cameras, because both advertise having a new level of image stabilization.
The Insta360 One X's stabilization is called FlowState, whereas that on the GoPro Hero
7 is called HyperSmooth.
When walking, both cameras show really impressive image stabilization.
Without any sort of optical image stabilization on each camera, they both have to rely heavily
on software, and I think both cameras did an excellent job with image stabilization.
The Insta360 should have the advantage because it has more data points to stabilize the image
because it captures a full, spherical image.
And this difference becomes really apparent when I start to run.
With the One X, the image stays incredibly smooth despite my running.
The hero 7 visibly struggles with the harsh steps.
Again, when I am just walking, however, both are incredibly smooth.
So keep these things in mind if there's a possibility you'll be running with these cameras.
Next, I wanted to see the hyperlapse capabilities of both cameras.
With the Hero 7, you have to change the mode to TimeWarp, which makes for some incredibly
smooth hyperlapses that I have actually included in previous videos.
The Hero 7's hyperlapses are really impressive, and given the fact that I am just walking
and not on any sort of skateboard or cart, makes it seem that much more impressive.
But with One X, I was able to take the hyperlapse to another level using its TimeShift setting.
With the One X, I was able to capture the video just as normal video, and in post, I
was able to make this cool hyperlapsed video.
And because it is all in post, I am able to slow down certain sections of the video to
really latch on to certain instances that I want to emphasize.
I can even change the angle completely and have it point at me for the duration of the
hyperlapse.
As I put the two hyperlapses side-by-side, let me know which camera you prefer.
Does the Hero 7's image quality outweigh the flexibility that the One X is providing you
as a content creator?
As I said, both of these cameras are not made for their audio capturing capabilities.
That being said, the Hero 7 took a clear step up from any of the GoPros in the past and
its audio doesn't sound bad at all.
It sounds nice and full, but still because there isn't any sort of wind shield, there
is still a lot of background wind noise.
The One X is picking up my voice, but it's just noticeably not as full.
If you wanted to pick one of these for a-roll in like a vlog, the Hero 7 has the crispier
video and better audio.
But beyond the points I just brought up, it gets hard to compare them directly because
fundamentally, they are two different types of devices.
The GoPro Hero 7 is a very rugged device that can be tossed around and is waterproof.
To achieve the same level of ruggedness, you’d have to purchase the waterproof casing for
the One X.
But outside of the ruggedness and water resistance of the Hero 7, I’d argue that the Insta
360 One X can do everything that the Hero 7 can, plus a lot more.
Let’s start with the editing interface because there have been 360 cameras in the past, but
their footage has been much harder to edit.
When opening the app you can just click the camera button and you can connect to the camera
via WiFi.
This is pretty easy because the app remembers the last device you connected to.
Once inside, you can see the view of the camera and you can pan around and initiate a picture
or recording right from here.
But the best part of this app is the actual editing.
You can trim a video down to the parts you want.
And because the camera takes a spherical image, you can change the footage to whatever aspect
ratio you want right from the app.
Once you choose an aspect ratio, this is where things get interesting.
You have multiple ways to choose your camera angle.
With the ViewFinder mode you can have the camera record your movements and sync the
camera motions with how you move your phone.
So when you play it back, you get a video with all of the camera movements that you
just put in.
With pivot point, I can create really smooth pans just by setting pivot points and letting
the software smoothly transition between the points.
And with Smart Track, we can have the software automatically track a subject and maintain
consistent framing.
Earlier in the video where I was testing the microphones, I used Smart Track to keep myself
centered in frame.
With a 360 camera, you can be much more in the actual moment because if you want to capture
the world around you, all you have to do is hold the camera up.
You can start getting a bunch of shots that seemed otherwise impossible.
I have even been able to post some of my 360 pictures on Instagram, and I have gotten lots
of questions of how the pictures were even possible.
And because of the fact that you can software pan with the One X, simple pans that you’d
have to physically move for the GoPro Hero 7 are just so much smoother on the One X.
It should also be noted that in crowded environments, just holding the One X up and walking feels
so much less invasive to the people around me than constantly trying to move a different
camera like the Hero 7 to aim at what I want to capture.
You can even do this cool little planet effect that can give you some variety to the types
of shots you include in any sort of video or social media post.
If you haven’t noticed, I have already been including shots from this camera in my other
videos over the past month.
Using this attachment, there is this other cool feature called bullet time where you
can spin the One X around you to create this cool effect.
The software will automatically keep you in the center of the frame and will again make
the selfie stick disappear in order to really have a piece of footage that nobody else can
really execute without the One X. I honestly don’t know how much I will use the bullet
time feature, but it is a really cool feature nonetheless.
You might look strange just twisting this over your head, but the limitless possibilities
of images you can capture make it worth it.
Just show the people watching the footage, and they'll be amazed as well.
If you’re thinking about getting this camera, I would recommend you take a look at the Insta
360 instagram page.
They compile a lot of the best videos and images captured with their 360 cameras.
It’s a cool page to get inspired by the limitless potential of 360 cameras.
So again, I’m not getting paid by either company to make this video.
I had personally bought the GoPro Hero 7 and have been loving it, and I had requested to
receive the Insta 360 One X because I thought it was really cool.
It’s just the more and more I use the One X, the less I end up even bringing the Hero
7 with me.
I just feel like I have so much more creative control with the One X because I don’t have
to worry about ever getting the framing perfectly right for anything.
And Insta 360 has actually developed and is still developing a lot of cool mounting accessories
for the One X that will only take the shots created by the 360 camera to another level.
The GoPro Hero 7 is still a very rugged device that is small and can be mounted just about
anywhere.
It has a very high quality 4K sensor that can execute 1080p at 240p.
And in straight up 16 by 9 image quality, you will end up with higher resolution with
the Hero 7.
But the One X’s image quality isn’t bad at all.
And the peace of mind knowing that the entire sphere of view is captured at any given time
you’re recording just makes the image quality difference seem less significant.
There are just a plethora of shots that are just impossible to get without some sort of
camera crew or robot.
The Insta 360 One X takes already available 360 video capture technology, and puts it
into a package of hardware and software that everyone will be able to use.
It is still understandable that after watching this video you still think the Hero 7 is the
camera for you, but I’m just expressing my opinion that I still think 360 cameras
like the Insta 360 One X are the future for just about any instance that GoPros are used
for.
I will have links in the description for both of the cameras, and if you by the Insta 360
One X using my link, you will get a free selfie stick as well.
That’s all I had to talk about today.
If you haven’t already, make sure to follow me on Instagram and Twitter to see what I’m
up to.
Make sure to subscribe and have the notification bell clicked because I have a lot of cool
videos in the works.
As always, thanks for watching and I will see you in the next video.