Comparison Insta360 X3 vs Insta360 One R Twin Edition

— Action camera. In other words, all models that are not panoramic or 360° cameras (see below). Note that in some models, the viewing angle can be 180 ° or even more. The difference from panoramic cameras in such cases is that action cameras do not shoot panoramas.

— Panoramic camera. A type of action camera designed for shooting panoramic photos and videos. A distinctive feature of this type of camera is the fisheye lens protruding from the body. Such a lens completely covers the hemisphere in front of it, which provides interesting additional features: for example, by installing such a camera with the lens up under the windscreen of a car, you can capture both what is happening on the road and the behaviour of the driver and passengers at the same time. When viewing ready-made panoramas, the user can shift the image at will, directing his gaze in any direction within this hemisphere (this applies to both photos and videos); also similar photos and videos are well suited for viewing in virtual reality glasses.

— 360° camera. Further development of the idea of the panoramic cameras described above: devices that have several lenses and can cover the surrounding space completely or almost completely, 360° along any axis. Most 360° cameras are equipped with two lenses on opposite sides of the body. However, there are models with 4 and even 6 lenses (see "...Lenses" for more details). Anyway, cameras of this type provide maximum coverage but are not cheap.

— Oblong. Oblong action cameras — they look like an elongated rectangle (parallelepiped) or a cylinder, while the lens is placed on one of the narrow ends. This is the difference between the oblong cameras and the conventional ones described below. This layout is convenient primarily because it allows you to hold the camera in your hand securely. On the other hand, the control panel and display during shooting are often turned away from the user, which can create some inconvenience. However, this can be offset by the use of folding displays and other similar features; and in some situations, the side display and controls even prove to be an advantage.

— Vertical. Oblong action cameras that are stretched up and have a lens at the top. Such models are very similar to chest cameras and can be used for such purposes. However, their main use is shooting yourself and holding it in your hand. It is for this purpose that the case is made elongated, which makes it convenient to cover it with your hand.

— Conventional. The camera body has the shape of a rectangle, but the lens is placed on its wide, frontal edge. Outwardly, such models are most similar to classic digital cameras. Some may have a fairly large display, placed on the opposite side of the lens, as in the same photo cameras, which allows the user to see the shooting scene in real time. However, the l...ocation of the lens, usually, does not affect the technical specs of the camera itself, and therefore both conventional and oblong models can provide the same video quality.

— Cube. A fairly specific type of action camera, the body of which has the shape of a compact cube. Usually, such models are relatively small in size, but the size reduction, in turn, affects the video capabilities and overall functionality. For example, such models are extremely rarely equipped with displays (although many of them can be connected via Wi-Fi to a smartphone or tablet, which compensates for this disadvantage).

— Glasses with a camera. Devices in the form of sports glasses with a built-in camera. The lens of such a camera is usually located between the glasses lenses, less often on the side, based on one of the temples; during normal use, it constantly “looks” approximately in the same direction as the user himself. Also, the advantages of cameras of this type include accuracy and stealth. On the other hand, in glasses, the additional electronic filling must be very tiny, which makes it difficult to use advanced optics and severely limits the battery capacity. And even with this in mind, such devices are heavier and bulkier than ordinary sports glasses. Another disadvantage is that the camera and frame with lenses cannot be matched separately — as a result, a model with a suitable camera may not be suitable due to the size or style of the glasses, and vice versa.

— Camera mask. A protective mask with a built-in camera. Note that such masks can have different specializations — for scuba diving, motocross, skiing, etc.; these details must be clarified before purchase. However, the lens in such devices is usually located in the middle of the forehead, so the camera takes POV photos and video. The main disadvantage of such devices is that when choosing, you need to take into account both the technical specs of the camera and the purpose and convenience of wearing the mask. In other words, a good camera can be built into an inappropriate mask, and vice versa.

— Camera with a clip. Action cameras fall into this category, for which a clip-on mount is standard. Many of them can be additionally equipped with other mounts, but primarily designed for this type of use and may not be the best purchase for extreme video shooting. On the other hand, such a mount is quite versatile, since it allows you to attach the camera to almost any piece of equipment (backpack strap, unloading belt, belt, etc.).

— Sphere. The shape of the body is found mainly in panoramic and 360° cameras (see "Product type") — it is in such devices that the spherical body is often the most convenient. In the case of conventional action cameras, "sphere" usually means a cylindrical body with a lens on a flat end; such cameras are similar to conventional cameras (see above) and do not have fundamental differences from them.

The presence of a 1/4" threaded socket on the camera body. It is this size that is standard for modern tripods and is used in most of these devices. So this feature allows you to mount the camera on a tripod without using adapters and other additional equipment.

The ability of the camera to shoot Full HD (1080p) video.

The standard image size in this standard is 1920x1080. However, in the case of action cameras, this category also includes some other resolutions that are similar in quality, for example, 1440x1080. In general, Full HD provides a very good balance between image quality, the volume of captured files and the processing power requirements for processing them, which makes this standard very popular in modern video equipment — both in cameras and in TV monitors.

Another important parameter given in this paragraph is the frame rate. The higher it is, the smoother the movement in the frame will be, and the details in dynamic scenes will be visible clearly. Technically, 30 fps or even less is enough, but 60 fps is considered the perfect value — at this frame rate, motion blur becomes almost imperceptible and at the same time the size of the captured files remains within reasonable limits. However, there are cameras on the market with a higher frame rate at FullHD resolutions — 90 fps, 100 fps, 120 fps and even 240 fps. This speed is usually used for shooting slow-motion video, but the possibility of such shooting needs to be specified separately.

The ability of the camera to shoot Ultra HD 4K video.

This format covers several resolutions in which the horizontal frame size is approximately 4K pixels. The most popular in action cameras is 3840x2160 (twice the FullHD frame on each side), but there are other options — for example, 3840x1920, corresponding to an aspect ratio of 2:1. In general, 4K is a kind of successor to Full HD: among HD standards that surpass Full HD, UltraHD is the most popular, in particular, many advanced TVs are produced with 3840x2160 screens. On the other hand, this format is quite demanding in terms of processing power and memory, so it is relatively rare in action cameras, mainly among premium models.

Another important parameter given in this paragraph is the frame rate. The higher it is, the smoother the movement in the frame will be, and the details in dynamic scenes will be visible clearly. However, in UltraHD mode, most modern action cameras produce a very low frame rate — most often 30 fps, and in some models 24 fps or even 15 fps. This video is quite viewable, but fast movement in the frame may look blurry. There are cameras capable of shooting UltraHD at a solid speed of 60 fps — the blurring effect during such shooting is almost imperceptible. However, such a model cost is high.

Frame rate supported by the camera when shooting in slow motion.

In general, such shooting is called “high-speed” because it is carried out at an increased frame rate (more than 60 fps). As a result, when played back at normal speed (60 fps and below), the video looks slow hence the name. This kind of slow-motion can be used just for fun, as an artistic technique, and even for scientific purposes — to capture movement that is too fast for the human eye. In any case, the higher the slow-mo frame rate, the more you can slow down the video and the more advanced the camera is in this regard. On the other hand, the higher the frame rate, the more performant the graphics part should be; and this, in turn, affects the price of the device, sometimes quite noticeably.

We also note that slow-mo shooting may be available only at certain resolutions, not always at maximum. These points can be directly specified in the specs of the action camera.

The presence of a digital (electronic) stabilization system in the camera design.

Any stabilization is intended to compensate for small juddering of the image that occurs due to the instability of the hold in the hands, vibrations from the motor or road roughness (when used in transport), etc. Digital stabilization is carried out as follows: a reserve area is allocated along the edges of the sensor, which under normal conditions does not participate in the formation of the final image. If the device is being shaken, the camera electronics select certain parts of the image from the reserve and build the image in such a way that in the end, it remains stable.

Compared to other methods of stabilization, digital systems are extremely simple and reliable. Moreover, they are inexpensive and have almost no effect on the weight, dimensions, and price of the camera. At the same time, with this method of stabilization, the effective area of the image sensor is reduced, which can adversely affect the image quality and the amount of noise on it.

The presence of an optical stabilization system in the design of the camera.

Any stabilization is intended to compensate for small juddering of the image that occurs due to the instability of the hold in the hands, vibrations from the motor or road roughness (when used in transport), etc. Optical stabilization is carried out by a system of movable lenses and gyroscopes in the camera lens; such a system monitors the vibrations of the device and adjusts the optics in such a way that the image falling on the sensor remains motionless.

The optical method is considered more advanced than the electronic method described above: it allows you to use the entire area of the image sensor, which contributes to good image quality. At the same time, the stabilization mechanism turns out to be quite complex and expensive, and often quite fragile. In addition, it increases the weight and dimensions of the entire device — not by much, but sometimes this may be important. And the miniaturization of such systems further affects the price. As a result, the presence of an optical stabilizer is most often a sign of a fairly advanced camera.

The presence of a active noise reduction system in the design of the action camera.

This function is relevant only for models with the ability to record sound (see above). The noise reduction system, by the name, monitors extraneous noise in the recorded sound (for example, the rumble of the wind in the microphone array) and eliminates them — thus, the camera captures only “useful” sound with a minimum of ambient noise. Of course, even the most advanced of these systems are not perfect, and errors in operation are inevitable — the camera may miss some noise or reduce the volume of a “useful” sound. However, in most cases, noise reduction somehow positively affects the quality of the recorded audio.