New camera day. I just got my hands on the Insta360 X4, the little 360 camera that shoots 8K, and in the video above I open the box and take a first look at everything inside.
I’ll be honest about why I bought it. This one is for me. Curiosity, mostly, plus a growing suspicion that one of these belongs in the bag for all the shots my main rig can’t easily get.
Quick expectation check: this is an unboxing and a first look, not a full review. I haven’t put it through real shoots yet, so I’m not going to pretend I have. What I can give you today is what shows up in the box, my first impressions holding the thing, and what I plan to test before I form a real opinion.
What the Insta360 X4 actually is
If you’ve never used a 360 camera, the idea is simple. Instead of pointing a lens at your subject, the camera records everything around it at once, in a full sphere. Then, in the edit, you reframe the footage and pick the angle you want after the fact. It’s like having an invisible camera operator who never misses the moment.
The headline on the X4 is the resolution: 8K 360 capture. That matters more on a 360 camera than it sounds, because when you reframe, you’re only using a slice of the full sphere. The more resolution you start with, the better the final flat shot holds up. That’s the main reason this camera got my attention in the first place.
Opening the box
I won’t spoil the full play-by-play here. The video above walks through what’s included, piece by piece, and if you’re deciding whether to buy one, that part is worth watching. What ships in the box determines what accessories you’ll need to budget for on day one, and that’s where these purchases quietly get more expensive.
My short version: first impressions out of the box are good. It looks and feels like a serious piece of gear, not a toy. I came away more excited than when I ordered it, which is not how every unboxing goes.
Why a 360 camera in a traditional kit
My main cameras aren’t going anywhere. But there’s a whole category of shot that a traditional camera makes hard and a 360 camera makes almost free. These are the use cases that talked me into it:
- Behind-the-scenes coverage on shoots, without dedicating a person (or my attention) to it
- POV and driving shots where mounting a regular camera is awkward or risky
- One-take moments you can’t redo – capture everything, choose the framing later
- Unusual b-roll angles: on a pole, low to the ground, places I wouldn’t put a full-size camera body
- Multi-angle edits pulled from a single small camera by reframing
None of that replaces what I do with my A-cameras. It adds a flavor of coverage I currently skip because it’s too much hassle. If the X4 makes even two or three of those easy, it earns its spot in the bag.
What I want to test before the real review
Unboxing excitement is cheap. Here’s what I actually need to find out, and what I’d want to know if I were in your shoes.
First, the edit. I want to see how 8K 360 files behave in my editing workflow – how heavy they are and how the reframing process fits the way I already work. Second, stitching: every 360 camera has to blend two lenses into one image, and how visible that seam is in real footage matters a lot. Third, the boring practical stuff – battery life on an actual shoot day, how it handles long takes, how it does in less-than-perfect light. I’m not going to quote numbers I haven’t measured myself.
That’s the follow-up video and article. This camera will ride along on real work before I call it good or bad.
First-look verdict: who is this for?
Based on the unboxing alone, I’m impressed and I’m glad I bought it. The 8K spec is the real story – more resolution in the sphere means more usable footage when you reframe, and that’s the difference between a gimmick and a tool.
If you’re a creator who wants one small camera that catches everything and lets you decide the shot later – vloggers, travel shooters, anyone documenting fast-moving real life – the X4 should be on your shortlist. If you’re a working filmmaker like me, think of it as a utility player: not your A-camera, but the thing that quietly grabs shots your A-camera can’t.
And if you want hard answers on footage quality, battery, and the editing workflow, wait for the follow-up once I’ve used it on real shoots. First looks are fun, but opinions are earned in the field.
In the meantime, if you’re curious what I actually shoot with day to day, take a look at my gear page – the honest list of everything in my kit, including what I’d buy again.
