7 Ways to Solve Insta360 Panorama Camera Heat Problems | Is the X4/X5 body heating up normally?

With the release of Insta360 Panoramic Sports Camera X4 and X5, more and more people have started to pay attention to the panoramic camera and get their hands on it. Through this review, I hope to help you solve the most common problem that occurs during the use of Insta360 panoramic cameras - camera overheating.

"Sports cameras" usually face the challenge of overheating, especially for those who record for a long period of time, it's easier to worry about the camera overheating and crashing. This review will share 7 effective ways to solve the X4/X5 overheating problem, and hopefully provide some useful references for you! 

Does Insta360's panoramic camera overheat easily?

In conclusion(math.) genusInsta360's panoramic cameras are not prone to overheating.The

Unlike GoPro's sports cameras, which are designed for extreme sports, Insta360 focuses more on the overall "ease of use" of the whole family's camera, and the problem of overheating has been taken into consideration from the very beginning of the product design, so Insta360's cameras don't often have the negative feedback that the batteries are prone to overheating and causing crashes.

Panoramic cameras tend to overheat in [3 scenarios].

I shot the X4 in 8K in all three of these scenarios, and the results showed that only when recording while stationary on the locomotive did the continuous recording time meet my expectations - being able to record until the battery ran out.

8K recording causes overheating

8K recording: X4 starts to overheat after 42 minutes and 32 seconds, X5 can continue recording for 85 minutes until the battery runs out.

In an indoor environment in May (25°C), the X4's camera automatically stopped functioning when the battery had 32 minutes left, while the X5 was able to record for 85 minutes without noticeable heating.

Since the recording was made in a windless environment not affected by direct sunlight, it can be assumed that the overheating was caused entirely by the internal operation of the camera. If factors such as rising temperatures or direct sunlight were added, the overheating could have occurred earlier and the recording time would have been shorter.

Overheating due to fixed video recording in a motorcycle

Fixed on the locomotive: X4 battery drained after 1 hour and 15 minutes, X5 battery drained after 1 hour and 28 minutes.

According to the official information from Insta360, the X4 is able to record 75 minutes continuously at 8K30fps, while the X5 is able to record 88 minutes, which is in line with my test results.

Although there was some time spent waiting for signals, most of the time was spent recording motorcycle traffic. The weather was sunny with thin clouds, so the camera was actually exposed to constant direct sunlight. As the battery neared depletion, the camera heated up a bit, but not to the point of overheating.

Overheating due to USB charging and recording

USB powered shooting: X4 camera starts to heat up after 18 minutes 34 seconds, X5 has no heating problem.

With USB power, the X4 can continue to record even if the battery is removed. However, when I tried to record using only the USB power supply, I was surprised that the camera was not working at all.18 minutes.The recording was stopped due to overheating.

Previously, when I used the X3 for 5.7K shooting, I found that the trick to shooting for long periods of time was to remove the battery and only use the USB power supply to avoid overheating and stopping shooting, even in hot sunlight. So I was a little surprised that the X4 heated up so quickly.

When using X4 for 8K 30fps recording, you should avoid using USB power supply or recording while charging. If you intend to use X4 as a car recorder, it is recommended to adjust the camera resolution to 5.7K to minimize the risk of overheating.

7 Ways to Solve Panorama Heat Problems

Since the external design of X4/X5 is not significantly different from that of general sports cameras, its camera structure is not outstanding in terms of heat dissipation.

The X4/X5 features a relatively large battery in a compact body with a number of performance upgrades. In addition, the body adopts a waterproof design that creates an enclosed space. Unlike a cell phone, a panoramic camera lacks a large surface area to effectively dissipate heat, making it all the more important to take measures in advance to prevent overheating during use.

Next, I will introduce you several effective ways to avoid X4/X5 overheating.

Lower fps

Do I need to shoot in slow motion?

fps(Framerate) refers to the smoothness of a movie, the higher the value, the smoother the picture. For example, 60fps means it consists of 60 pictures per second, while 120fps is shooting at double the speed.The higher the fps, the greater the load on the processor, which causes the machine to heat up more easily.

If you don't plan to shoot in slow motion later, it is recommended to set the fps at 30 or up to 60, which can effectively reduce the heat generation of the device.

Regarding the human eye's perception of frame rate, there are some opinions that the human eye can only distinguish 30fps, but there are also studies that indicate that the human eye can perceive 240fps. However, from personal experience, the difference between 30fps and 60fps is not obvious in daily viewing.

I usually shoot at 60fps, but if I feel the camera is getting too hot, I will lower the frame rate to 30fps to minimize the heat. As for 120fps, I mainly use it to shoot quad-speed slow motion, which is good for capturing short bursts of exciting action scenes, such as sports or fast-moving images. This setting makes the movie more visually appealing, but you need to pay attention to the heat dissipation of the equipment.

5.7K shooting

If you experience overheating when shooting at 8K, it is recommended to try recording at 5.7K.

Although the X4 and X5 have been upgraded to 8K 30fps recording, it is also stated that it will bring a larger overheating load. If you are experiencing overheating problems during use, using 8K for special clips and lowering the frame rate to 5.7K for general shooting is not a bad solution.

In addition, the difference between 4K and 8K is not a double difference, but a4-fold increase in the amount of data handled (due to a 2-fold increase in both vertical and horizontal directions)In this case, the reduction from 8K to 5.7K would also significantly reduce the overheating load. It would seem that a reduction from 8K to 5.7K would also significantly reduce the overheating load.

Avoid HDR shooting

HDR - The Most Forgotten Mode

With HDR, the sun's rays and the details of the dark areas will not be easily lost, and the overall shooting effect will be more colorful. So this mode is very suitable for daytime sunny day to use.

stillHDR means taking video of two different exposures, light and dark, and then compositing them together.This "compositing" increases the number of shots taken and the processing load on the camera. This "compositing" increases the number of shots taken and the processing load on the camera, which tends to generate heat.

Dynamic HDR produces beautiful colors on a sunny day, so I use this mode myself even if I have occasional heating problems. If you don't use HDR mode to prevent overheating, you can improve the colors by adjusting the "Saturation" and "Contrast" when you edit the movie later.

Using ME Mode

X-Series exclusive shooting modes

The X3's Me mode shoots at resolutions up to 1080p, but both the X4 and X5 can shoot up to 4K, making Me mode much more useful. This makes the Me mode much more useful. Also, the thermal load is less at 4K resolution than at 8K.

Me mode does not allow post editing after shooting, which means that this mode can prevent the camera from overheating.It can also save the memory of SD memory card.

Avoid shooting while charging

X4-specific heating scenarios

In the case of the Ace Pro 2, heat generation can be suppressed to a certain extent when the battery is removed and shooting with an external power supply. However, the X4 quickly overheats even when the battery is removed, so you should avoid taking pictures while charging.

Avoid hot sunlight

After all, people feel uncomfortable in high temperatures!

It's a bit of a boring topic, but it's inevitable that a camera will overheat when recording in the hot sun, so it's best to avoid it if you can. And the X4 can shoot at temperatures ranging from -20°C to 40°C, which is pretty good.

Shooting in short clips

It's better to just record a short video for later editing.

With the exception of motorcycle trips where I need to shoot for a long period of time, I use the 360 degree panoramic camera mainly to record a few short videos that last only a few minutes. If you want to use the panoramic camera as a vlog camera for a long period of time, it is recommended to use the 4K single lens mode. In addition, Insta360 has also released a temperature control grip for the panoramic camera.

How to use the Panoramic Camera Control Grip Cover

This temperature control grip is made of "polycarbonate" and uses "graphene" which is said to have three times the thermal conductivity of the traditional material "copper". I initially thought that this was an accessory to help dissipate heat to extend the duration of continuous shooting, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

Cameras are more prone to overheating when shooting in 8K, so this accessory is a great way to get the most out of your camera.Designed for long term 8K recording users.The camera is designed to allow you to hold the camera more easily for better heat dissipation.

This accessory is very lightweight at only 11.3 grams and is highly recommended to prevent scratches on your camera.

I've tested 8K shooting at the same temperature conditions.The original X4 bare metal camera could only shoot for 42 minutes, but after using the temperature-controlled clip, the shooting time was extended to 47 minutes.So it does have some cooling effect? However, letting the camera blow directly into the natural wind when shooting outdoors may be more effective at preventing heat crashes than a temperature-controlled clip.

One thing to keep in mind.The X4 and X5 temperature control grips are not interchangeable.Please note that if you use X5, please choose the exclusive temperature control grip.

6 Ways to Extend Insta360 X5 Battery Life

The key to effectively solve the overheating problem is to protect the camera battery, through proper care to increase the battery life, the following for you to introduce 6 can effectively extend the life of the panoramic camera battery, welcome to refer to ~!

Use of spare batteries

The Insta360 X5 has a recording time of about 85 minutes on a single battery, so if you need to record for longer than 100 minutes, it is recommended to use it with a backup battery. However, it should be noted that the actual recording time is not only affected by the battery, but also by the capacity of the SD memory card.For long term continuous recording, a 512GB memory card is recommended.This is to ensure sufficient storage space and uninterrupted recording.

Action Camera Opinion

X5 Memory Cards | Insta360 X5 SD Memory Card Selection Guide | Capacity, Speed & Recommended Brands | Getting Started with Sports Cameras Compared to its predecessor, the X4, the Insta360 X5 offers a significant improvement in SD memory card writing efficiency: the X5 produces approximately 20% fewer files than the X4 under the same shooting setup, which translates into longer shooting time and less reliance on large-capacity cards....

For example, for a two-day, one-night outdoor hiking trip, if you expect to record a total of about 8 hours (480 minutes) of video, a 512GB memory card is usually more than enough. However, due to the need to recharge the camera during the trip and the difficulty of obtaining a stable power supply when camping in the mountains, it may be necessary to use a 512GB memory card to recharge the camera.At least 3 batteries are recommendedThis ensures uninterrupted recording and peace of mind for the entire trip. Below is the correlation between the number of batteries and the recordable time. 

Use the mobile charger if necessary

If you find it inconvenient to carry around a spare battery, you can also consider charging X5 with a mobile power supply.

Since the battery capacity of the X5 is 2,400mAh.We recommend choosing a 10,000mAh or 20,000mAh mobile power for long term shooting.However, it is important to note that the higher the capacity of a mobile power supply, the heavier it usually is. However, it is important to note that the larger the capacity of a mobile power supply, the heavier it usually is. In terms of portability, I still prefer to carry a couple of spare batteries to make it lighter and more practical. Insta360 also offers a 2800mAh battery for the X5, which is 17% higher than the standard X5 battery.

Adjusting Camera Settings

Close Bluetooth

Turning off Bluetooth communication reduces battery consumption.

Bluetooth is mainly used for connecting to low-power devices and therefore does not consume a lot of power on its own. However, if you do not need to use Bluetooth for a while, it is recommended to turn it off to further minimize battery consumption.

Select the most power-efficient recording mode

Adjusting the recording mode and recording settings according to the scene helps to reduce battery consumption. Increasing the frame rate or picture quality unnecessarily not only accelerates battery consumption, but can also take up a lot of storage space.

If battery life is a priority, we recommend using the Insta360 X5's new "Enhanced Duration Mode" for shooting. With the X5's enhanced battery life mode, even with a 2400mAh battery, you can shoot for 208 minutes at 5.7K24fps.

Turn off voice control and gesture control

The following functions for assisted shooting leave the camera in standby mode for long periods of time, so if you want to reduce power consumption, it is recommended that you activate them only when necessary and minimize their use.

Assisted Shooting Supported by X5

• Voice Control
• Gesture Control
• Turn and shoot.
• Pre-recorded
• One-click quick start

Conclusion

I hope you can effectively solve the overheating problem of X4/X5 through the methods introduced in this article. I will keep updating Insta360 product reviews and brand research in my blog, so stay tuned and read the other posts 😊