It seems the sensors are still 1/2" and there’s still no GPS.
Also, no info about video time lapse or photo time lapse specs.
The biggest pain point (IMHO) with the X3 is the length of processing time/CPU power required to stitch the video before it is useful to upload (https://help.mapillary.com/hc/en-us/articles/11951588568604-Insta360-X3)
I haven’t seen whether the X4 addresses this in any way (my suspicion is that it does not unfortunately, which leads to the continued recommendation of the GoPro Max and PANOX V2 for consumer 360 capture for Mapillary)
If minimizing processing time and convenience is the priority then I think the Ricoh theta X is likely a even better option, as it has a built-in GPS and does the stitching in real-time. So the files are ready to be uploaded immediately, and this can quite convenient when you get home and have a several hours of video to upload… That convenance does come at a premium cost though; (and no, I have not tried the GoPro Max and PANOX V2 workflows so could be wrong).
Based off my painful experience with my X3, I don’t think this one would work any better for mapillary. The missing GPS signal was the worst part about the X3 and since the X4 STILL doesn’t have it, I would expect the alternatives such as the remote to not work at all still or a phone to have terrible reception as usual.
At the current moment, I think an X3/X4 would be more useless than just using your phone as a dashcam on the mobile app. Plus the suction cup mounts for them are rated atrociously low (50 mph) and they have fallen off at about only 35 mph in my experience. (Didn’t help that it happened on a bridge over a busy highway 
)
Well, there are also camera mounts that actually hold. I wouldn’t think of sticking a camera on the roof without additional security either
@brunofilmklov - yes, the drag/drop workflow is the same for the GoPro Max and the PANOX V2, so that’s part of what makes them really attractive (together with built-in GPS)
@Hopen111 - which mount were you using? I’ve heard good things about the Fat Gecko triple mount.
I was using the official insta360 mount. It costs way too much for the performance you get from it (About 40 USD each).
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Hi Boris,
This is getting a bit off topic, but reaction to the the article was:
- The resolution increase is a good, but a bit meh – not sufficient to remove the need to a directional camera; a 16K resolution is likely what is needed replace the dashcam.
- A large battery is good, but unless its replaceable it’s only useful sometimes, and one needs will likely need to be prepared to have the camera connected to a power bank anyway most of the time while mapping…
- Lens guards - I think this is must have on for 360 cameras - basically is a consumable, as the lenses are too exposed and prone to be polished/scratched, and thus effectively gradually and unevenly reducing the effective the resolution. Really wish this was available for my camera.
- While the rubber coating might reduce the risk of accidents, but I have bad experiences with deterioration with time - and if that stick residue ends up on the lens, that could be really bad.
- Don’t think the heralds the next era of 360 cameras - it merely mostly catches up with the competition, i.e. PANOX V2 and Theta X.
GPS tacking
The bluetooth add on GPS-receiver for the X3/X4 is also one my biggest concerns, when choosing my current camera. Can you share your experiences to share, regarding what works and doesn’t when using the Insta360 GPS-remote (w.r.t. avoiding missing GSP-data and/or poor cuaracy) ?
My experience is that for recording while on foot or on bicykle, from my attempts to use the phone as a GPS-recorder for the Theta V and with the Theta X – is that the GPS-receiver needs a some kind steady-rest to have any useful accuracy. A long a “heavy” (~0.5kg) invisible-stick seems to do the tick for me, (as that adds sufficient interia to slow down random movements).
However car mounted reliable communication would the issue, though I think that would very much depend on how and where remote can be mounted. Have a Bluetooth remote that works reasonably well through a glass sun-roof, but only most of the time, when placed in the “right” spot - it’s good enough for start/stop, but…
Workflow and minimum lead-time comparisons
True the drag/drop workflow with Desktop Uploader is convenient, but I try to avoid as the new process seems more than 3 slower on my end, than using the command line Mapillary Tools and the older process_and_upload the videos process.
Have not done any performance comparisons yet, and but that is something I intended to do later. My upload speed is capped to 50Mbps, and typically the 360 video_process_and_upload (of selected images) is completed in roughly about ½ hour, and then have to wait another 2~3h for the Desktop Uploader finish up the DashCam .MP4 videos… (I tend to be impatient, so if I have to use a dedicated upload tool, then I’m not happy about the later time – when I know it could be faster.)
Well has damaged lens, so I was considering replacing it with a PANOX V2, but that was before I realized it different overall workflow:
- Capture video.
- Stitch videos in-camera - this a additional step that adds to the workflow minimum lead-time. (Can run as batch job for all unprocessed videos) This will obvious cut the MicroSD expected life time in half, due to the increased were from repossessing the videos. By the way I would appreciate a estimate of how fast this (ratio) is for different frame rates, i.e. 1:1 for 30fps ? 1:1/3 for 10fps? 1:2/30 for 2fps ?
- Transfer videos to Laptop (e.g. move the MicroSD)
- Upload aka “drag/drop workflow”.
Compare that my workflow with the Theta X:
- Capture video; swapping batteries every hour or so (2~5 min si lost each time).
-
- (Not needed)
- Transfer videos to Laptop (e.g. move the MicroSD)
- Process and upload.
Thus to capture ~4 hours of video, the workflow can be done in about 4.5h “machine time” – so pretty good reduction from the ~8h workflow with the Theta V (2/5 recording, 1/4 downloading to the phone, 2/4 time-sync and upload). Obviously sometimes steps 2 and 3 can be combined activities, so so as to not impact the overall lead-time that much, but…
Car mounts
Sorry, not entirely sure what I used last summer, but I believe it was a GoPro AUCMT-302, worked fine up to about ~70km/h, and above the camera had a tendency to resonate in air stream and visibly vibrate. Worked fine for the most part, but it failed to stick to the care twice (likely user error), so I’d also recommend adding safety strap - to save the camber just in case…
Have recently tried the Geila Triple Cup - Suction Camera - Car Mount Triple Suction Cup Mount with 1/4 Threaded Head 360 Degree Tripod Ball Head, seems more stable - but a bit too low for the Theta X, so need to to more experimenting…