- So I first heard of Insta360 back in late 2018-ish

when they released the One X.

And at the time there were other consumer 360 cameras

on the market, such as the Theta S

which was my first 360 camera,

but Insta360, they marketed their camera differently.

Whereas most 360 cameras were pushing towards shooting

for VR or shooting 360 degree photos

that you could scroll around on on Facebook,

Insta360 was marketing towards reframing.

They wanted people to be able to film themselves

rather than focusing on the whole world around you

or filming for VR.

Okay, and when I reviewed the One X,

I used this whole metaphor of a tech bin in my basement.

Here we go back up, what is in here?

(bin thuds)

This is my tech bin.

And it was just this idea that,

we pick up these tech tools and we use them once

and unless we have a really specific idea

of what we're gonna use them for,

we often don't get enough use out of them

for how much we pay for them.

(sighs)

And it's true, the One X didn't make its way

into my daily life, but 360 cameras made their way

into my creative life because once the pandemic hit,

I had to make videos without a crew.

We are on our way to the Brooklyn Heights Promenade.

I didn't have time to make crazy camera rigs,

and I didn't have time to set up every single

shot of myself.

So I turned to the GoPro Max and I chose a Max

over the One X because GoPro's desktop editing software

was much easier to use.

The camera felt more rugged and therefore

I just trusted myself more with it.

And I really liked having a color screen,

but now we have the One X 2.

And although I don't have time for a full blown review

because it is fully Techtober,

I do wanna give this guy a spin to see what Insta360

has learned since the One X.

(upbeat music)

On paper, the One X 2 adds a full color touch screen,

it's got longer battery life,

it's got IPX8 water resistance

and even more AI powered editing tools all for $430,

which is only $30 more than its predecessor, the One X.

Insta360 kept the same basic rectangular shape,

but it refined the hardware

with two new latched compartments.

One for a battery and the Micro SD card

and another for a USB-C port.

The X 2 also has plastic textured rails

that run along the outside of the camera

and overall they just make the camera feel more rugged.

And of course there are still two very large,

protruding lenses off either side of this camera,

which, that will never not bring me loads of anxiety,

but it is absolutely to be expected with 360 cameras.

Also new this year is that IPX8 water resistance.

It wouldn't be a heck of video if it wasn't raining

when we were trying to shoot, right?

So here we are.

That water resistance offers up to 10 meters

of waterproofing without an underwater housing,

but Insta360 claims that underwater,

360 degree footage stitching is still not possible

without specialized dive cases or underwater lens guards.

And that's because water refracts light

and it creates visual aberrations,

and it's really hard for an algorithm

to stitch that footage and I mean,

that's a problem for most 360 cameras. So nothing new here

That water resistance does make it feel more rugged though.

And you can also use a single lens of this camera.

So it makes the camera just more of an action cam

than anything else.

(gentle upbeat music)

The most obvious upgrade is the new touch screen though.

While 360 cameras are shooting everything in sight,

being able to see the angle at which the camera

is seeing the world is important,

especially when taking photos.

You can also watch playback, change settings,

switch camera modes, all on this circular screen

and I gotta say, this is one

of the most responsive touchscreens I've used

on an action camera.

I am a little worried about it under water

because flashes can sometimes be sensed as touches,

but when it is warmer and we are swimming again,

we'll have to put that all to the test.

(gentle upbeat music)

Now powering this camera

is a larger 1,630 milliamp-hour battery

that Insta360 claims can record up to 80 minutes

of 360-degree footage at 5K 30 frames per second.

I am kind of a little disappointed to see

that the One X 2 can still only record 360 footage

at 5.7K 30 frames per second.

And you can do 3K at 100 frames per second,

but all of those specs are exactly the same

as they were on the One X.

These have become standard specs for consumer 360 cameras.

I mean the GoPro max, the Vuze XR, Insta360's own One R.

I mean, they all have these specs

and while it is impressive, when I'm reframing,

I think it would just be great to have 4K on a single lens.

Now that being said, this footage does look great.

Let's ride.

In the standard color pre-set the highlights

don't blur out and the blacks are crisp.

And pair that solid image quality

with Insta360's Flowstate stabilization,

and you have some really great footage

with very little effort.

The camera also has a steady cam mode

which only uses one lens

to create steady wide angle footage.

And that maxes out at 2K 50 frames per second.

So Insta360's mobile app is like super user-friendly

and you can tell they've spent a lot of time developing it.

Now 360 footage is still daunting to a lot of people,

especially people that aren't gonna bring

their footage home and edit it on a desktop.

So if you have a mobile app that does most of that editing

for you, well, that's a win-win right?

Plus when you come home,

it's like an awesome way to look through

your day's adventures and to kind of edit stuff.

And, ah, man, I just find myself sitting here editing

and reframing just for fun.

I don't know, the footage like never goes anywhere,

but anyhow, the app is great.

The desktop app, not as much.

And that's the biggest difference between the GoPro max

and the Insta360 still for me.

As someone who edits their 360 footage on a desktop,

I do simply prefer the simplicity

of GoPro's desktop software, GoPro Player.

Keyboard shortcuts are clearly labeled,

the main tools I need are very easy to see

and they have great icons and overall the UI,

it's just prettier to look at.

Whereas Insta360's desktop app really requires you

to kind of dig for the settings and really get

to know the program before you can use it proficiently.

You just can't pick it up and use it as quickly as GoPro's.

I really only had about 48 hours with this camera.

So I didn't have time to put it head-to-head

to the GoPro Max, but the One X 2 just feels

a lot more like an action cam,

which is what I loved about the Max.

It's being able to throw it in and out of bags,

it's not having to worry about being so delicate with it.

And it's also about being able to hold it in your hand

and feel that it is secure,

which is what those plastic rails

along the side definitely help with.

I love my job. I hate the rain.

That is the One X 2.

And with this you get that added color touchscreen

that's super responsive, nice and bright.

You also get a more rugged design,

a little bit larger battery.

And while it would have been nice to see a spec bump,

this camera still produces really good looking images.

And with the One X, Insta360 allowed you

to film everything around you and yourself really easily.

And so for $30 more, you get that added bonus

of being able to see yourself while you do it.

- WowWee buds, Techtobar, what a time.

And it's not even over, I think.

Oh, that was a great rhyme.

Anyway, it's gonna be TechNovember as well.

We're gonna have lots more coming your way.

So I hope that you are well and we'll see you

on the next one.