Wherever we go, we always want to capture those special moments as good as we can. We want to create memories and take plenty of photos and videos to make sure we will never forget special moments. Digital and technical innovations are moving so fast that several new products are launched every year that are of interest to travelers.
Cameras, phones, drones, action cam's, it's all there. But those who want to travel light want to think smart on what camera gear they bring on their travels.
This all-rounder seems to go beyond where all other cameras and equipment are limited. We are super curious to check its endless possibilities.
About Insta360
Insta360 was founded in 2015 with just one mission, to help people capture and share their lives. They wanted a better way to share experiences. They had been searching for that 360 camera that would allow to share great moments with people anywhere in the world. When they couldn't find the right gear to realize their vision, they decided to build it themselves. The Insta360 X3 was introduced in September 2022, as the next gen of the world's best-selling 360 action camera.
The new 1/2" 48MP sensors and a 2.29" touchscreen are the biggest changes from the previous model. It makes the Insta360 X3 the most powerful camera you can carry in your pocket.
Unboxing
It's probably the most fun thing to do when you purchase new gear, unboxing everything! When unboxing the Insta360 it comes with the device itself, a charging cable, a protective pouch, a quick start guide and a lens cloth.
The protective pouch and the lens cloth are super useful. It's very easy to take the Insta360 with you using the protective pouch. It literally fits every bag, no matter how small. We even take it in the pocket of our trousers, just super easy.
With camera's on both sides of the device it happens quite quickly and easily that you have your fingers on the lens. You just have to get used to that in the beginning, but that makes it extra nice that the Insta360 comes with a lens cloth to get rid of the fingerprints before you start filming.
The quick start guide gets you started in no-time.
Massive touchscreen
The touchscreen on the Insta360 is the best. It's a larger 2.29" touchscreen with tempered glass, perfect. It's an ultra-bright touchscreen designed for crystal clear photo and video previews.
Bad-ass battery
The bigger, the better! The Insta360 X3 has a bigger and better 1800mAh battery with 10% more capacity. This battery will power you through all the action.
Favorite features of the Insta360 X3
There is so much you can do with this new Insta360 X3, the possibilities are endless. I'm sure there are plenty of features we haven't even discovered yet.
But, we do already have some favorite features of the Insta360.
Reframe
No worries while filming whether you have everything on it or filming from the right angle. With the X3 it is possible to choose the best angle for your shots afterwards. With simple AI framing tools in the Insta360 App it's easy to find the best and perfect angle of your content.
Single lens
You can of course also record videos in normal mode, which is the single mode for the X3. You can shoot wide-angle videos in Single Lens mode and even instantly share the footage on social media. With a 2.7K resolution, you can also make extremely wide 170-degree videos with MaxView.
Third-person view
This third-person view is my favorite feature of the X3. The invisible selfie stick disappears in your edits, which gives you a third-person view. This is something you simply can't do with regular cameras.
Robust and waterproof
The X3 is robust and IPX8 waterproof up to 10 meters. You can get an optional Dive Case that makes underwater 360-degree recordings possible, even up to 50 meters deep!
Insta360 App
The insta360 app is absolutely indispensable if you purchase the X3. Download this app to your phone immediately after purchasing the X3.
Editing and extracting photos videos and photos has never been easier. The app is a creative powerhouse right in your pocket and is your camera's perfect sidekick.
Editing with AI is next level with the X3 and Insta360 app. You can use auto editing tools and templates.
Shot Labs
I already mentioned it before, but the X3 and the Insta360 app use a lot of AI. With the special Shot Lab you can use AI-powered effects for your footage.
It works super easy, you can use AI on existing videos with templates or you can shoot a new video and start from scratch. Just select the clips you want to edit with AI and then just let AI do the work. You can add the Northern Lights, a massive storm, the beautiful milky way or any effect to your videos in no time. You are the director of your own movie!
Flash cut
Flash cut is for the lazy ones among us or for those travelers who have little time and still want a nice edit of their videos. With Flash cut you let AI do a stylish edit of your clips, complete with text, music and much more! The app has an extensive library with different themes. AI scans your footage and picks what it thinks are the best moments of the video, the best angles and the best shots. The app cuts them together so you can edit them however you want and get the perfect video.
Invisible selfie stick
No drone, or no drone allowed? No problem! Insta360 X3 has you covered! Our number one recommendation when it comes to accessories for the Insta360 X3, a three meter invisible selfie stick. The Insta360 works best from a distance. The selfie stick disappears in the footage, so not to worry about that. The further you can put the Insta360 away from you to film, the cooler and more beautiful the images become. It's with this 3 meter invisible selfie stick that you can almost use the Insta360 as a drone.
Insta360 X3 Review
It didn't take us long to come to the conclusion that this ‘toy' is our new favorite gadget and new favorite travel gear. The Insta360 X3 is the all-rounder we have all been looking for and goes way beyond any other camera. In fact, it has instantly replaced our previous favorite, the GoPro. The Insta360 is more versatile and you can simply do much more with it. It has more possibilities and more options and also important, it is super easy in use.
It is the most user-friendly camera we have had so far, both in use and in the app to extract images and photos from the footage you took.
We've only been using the Insta360 X3 for a few weeks, but we're already looking forward to our upcoming trips to get even more cool shots.
This blog was written by travel writer and Traveltomtom team member Ashley. She received the Insta360 X3 to test it extensively. Ashley already wrote more than 15 travel gear reviews and this review blog about the Insta360 X3 is her latest one.