Insta360 X5 lets you easily replace scratched lenses
These new lenses have 'sapphire-level durability' as well.
360-degree action cameras — or “360 cameras” in short — have always been prone to scratches, due to the protruding nature of their fisheye lenses. In the case of Insta360, repair fees may cost a little over $100 per lens, on top of a $20 service fee plus a variable shipping fee. It isn’t ideal, but hey, shit happens.
The good news is that Insta360 is finally solving this pain point. The freshly-announced Insta360 X5 is the world’s first 360 camera with user replaceable lenses, with the single-lens repair kit costing just $30 — a big saving compared to the usual repair fees. Additionally, these new high-strength lenses apparently have “sapphire-level durability,” and are said to be “100% more drop-resistant than X4.”
The Insta360 X5’s $30 replacement lens kit includes a short cylinder that grips onto the geared lens ring. With a counterclockwise twist, you loosen and lift the ring, then you use the removal wedge to lift the old lens. If needed, the kit comes with a lens blower, brush, cleaning wipes and cloth for cleaning the inner lens. Next, you pick up the new lens with a pre-applied suction cup, install it on the X5 (but leave the suction cup on for now), and reinstall the lens ring (check the alignment marks). If all went well, you can finally remove the suction cup and proceed to stitching calibration.
As you’d expect, Insta360 recommends using the replacement lens kit in a dust-free environment, with the humidity set to no higher than 60% — to avoid lens fogging. If you ordered the kit but struggle to find the right environment to perform the repair yourself, you can ship your device and the kit to Insta360 for a free repair.
There’s a caveat, however. Despite the teaser videos with influencers doing wild damages to the lenses, Insta360 actually doesn’t recommend using this kit to replace cracked lenses or those with deformed lens rings. That is to say, the X5 still deserves some tender loving care. Like the X4, you can install twist-on lens guards for extra protection, at the expense of some image quality.
Another major upgrade on the Insta360 X5 is the increase in sensor size — from 1/2 inches to 1/1.28 inches, meaning a boost in accuracy plus low-light performance. Bear in mind that both the X3 and X4 feature the same sensors, with the latter “forced” to capture 8K video (by way of an AI chip), so to me, the X5 is the true upgrade since the X3. As a bonus, the X5 carries a new wind guard for improved audio capture. I’ve included some sample stills and clips at the bottom of this post.
The X5 also comes with three AI chips, which are comprised of two new “Pro Imaging Chips” plus the same old 5nm AI chip from the X4. Together, these enable the new PureVideo mode for applying Active HDR at up to 5.7K@60fps, which should make for some clean sunrise and sunset shots. There’s also an InstaFrame mode, which outputs both an automatically-framed flat video and the original 360-degree video, so that you can share the former instantly.
Other notable upgrades on the Insta360 X5 include fast charging (from zero to 80% in 20 minutes), larger battery (2,400mAh; up to 180 minutes for 5.7K@30fps in endurance mode), IP68 ruggedness (waterproof up to 15m or 49ft deep), and a “Twist to Shoot” gesture control to start recording by single-handedly twisting the selfie stick twice. As with the X4, you still get the famed “invisible selfie stick” effect, “FlowState Stabilization,” 5.7K@120fps slow motion, Bluetooth headset pairing, and cold weather resistance of down to -20ºC (-4ºF).
Seeing that its mobile app’s interface got complicated over the years, Insta360 did a revamp to coincide with the X5 launch. For one, the redesigned album page now features thumbnails that automatically recognize and highlight people or main subjects, which should make it easier for users to identify clips. As for editing, rather than spending minutes on “Deep Track” to focus on yourself, you can now just click either “Selfie View” button and export that footage right away. Likewise with “Forward View” for the other perspective.
With the boosted ruggedness, improved repairability, larger sensors, and three AI chips, the Insta360 X5 is arguably the toughest and most powerful consumer-grade 360 camera on the current market. The X5 is already available now, starting from $550 for the standard bundle. Just don’t forget to grab a compatible microSD card as well — UHS-I V30 speed class or higher required.
