No, with an Insta360 X3 you should not just
use the default settings in low light. The result will not be good. This is also due to the relatively small image
sensors. Today I will show you how you can still take
good shots with the X3 in low light conditions, for example indoors or in the evening. We'll change a number of camera settings to
do this - We'll then save these as presets - so we can recall our low-light settings
whenever we need them. At the end, I'll then give you some special
tips for shooting in low light conditions I'm going to use 360 mode today - but most
of what I'm going to say basically applies to the Single Lens mode as well. In 360 mode, for video recording, you can
choose between the Standard Video mode and the Active HDR mode. The Active HDR mode is intended mainly for
situations where there are very bright and very dark areas in the image at the same time. Unfortunately, though, the Active HDR mode
doesn't allow for manual exposure settings. I therefore exclusively use the standard video
mode in low light. The first setting for resolution and frame
rate is particularly important. Basically, the higher the resolution, the
better the image quality. However, there are consumer cameras, such
as the GoPro Hero10 or the Hero11, that produce better image quality at a lower resolution
in low light. Does this also apply to the X3? The highest resolution on the X3 is 5.7K. But you have to remember that you still have
to reframe the shot - as a result of the reframing, your shot will only have a resolution of 1080,
so Full HD. With the GoPro, the software removes the image
noise in low light when the resolution is slightly lower - this makes the image look
a bit better. This is not the case with the Insta360 X3
- the image quality in 4K is also significantly worse in low light than in 5.7K. In 5.7K, you have three frame rates to choose
from: 24, 25, and 30 frames per second. Which is the best choice? A higher frame rate usually allows for particularly
smooth and natural-looking shots. However, you have to shoot more frames per
second. There is therefore less time to expose the
individual frame. The camera can therefore only capture less
light for the single image. For this reason, higher frame rates in low
light are a disadvantage. I would therefore recommend a frame rate of
24. All those living in the PAL region, however,
should use 25 frames per second. The PAL region, that is most states outside
the US and Canada. And the right choice is important, because
especially in low light it is common to capture artificial light sources, street lamps, room
lamps and so on. If you now choose the wrong frame rate, it
can lead to an unsightly flickering effect in your shot. You should avoid this at all costs. Now we need to talk about exposure settings. To get the best possible results in low light,
we should set the exposure completely manually. To do this, swipe left and select Manual here
in the upper right corner. You should know that the brightness of a shot,
the exposure, basically depends on 3 factors: the aperture, the shutter speed and the ISO. The aperture is the size of the opening inside
your lens through which light passes. On the X3 the aperture cannot be changed,
so this value is not important for us today. The shutter speed determines the duration
of the exposure time, that is how long the light can fall on the sensor. We can control this value on the X3. In low light conditions the shutter speed
should be as slow as possible to capture as much light as possible. The last factor is the ISO value. This value determines how sensitively the
camera reacts to light. The higher the ISO value, the brighter the
image because the camera reacts more sensitively to the incident light. Unfortunately, if the ISO value is too high,
image noise and artifacts are generated - the image becomes brighter but the image quality
decreases. By the way, these exposure basics are not
only valid for the X3, but basically for every camera. Keep in mind that the X3 has two very small
sensors, which has its advantages, but is a clear disadvantage in low light. Let's now take a look at the settings in detail. The first setting here on the left concerns
the color profile. You have the choice between Standard, Log
and Vivid. You should definitely do without Vidid in
Low Light. Vivid has a lot of contrast - the dark areas
in the image - and there can be many in Low Light - are displayed very dark. Details are lost. If you want to get the most out of the X3,
you should try Log. This color profile has very little contrast
and little saturation. And while I'm usually not a fan of flat color
profiles on such consumer cameras, the Log profile of the X3 is very useful -, because
the low contrast preserves details in the very dark areas of the image that would otherwise
be lost - even the colors are preserved better than with the standard color profile, in my
opinion. But be careful - if you shoot with Log, you
will definitely have to edit your shot, you will have to add saturation and contrast,
otherwise the shot will not look good. For those who don't want to do this or have
little experience with it, I recommend Standard as the color profile. Very important is the second setting from
the left - the Shutter Speed. As explained earlier, this determines the
duration of the exposure and should therefore be as slow as possible. However, the Shutter Speed affects not only
the brightness of the image, but also the motion blur. A longer exposure results in more motion blur. Fast movements blur more. Basically, there is a rule in filmmaking for
the best amount of motion blur: The shutter speed should be exactly twice as high as the
frame rate. At a frame rate of 25 or 24 frames per second,
the shutter speed should be one fiftieth of a second. In low light, I therefore set my Shutter Speed
manually to one by 50. To get even more light, you could also set
your shutter speed to the value of your frame rate, that is, one by twenty-four or one by
twenty-five - but you will get way too much motion blur - your shot will look very strange,
especially if there is a lot of motion. So such a low shutter speed is only useful
if your shot doesn't contain much motion. For example, in a talking head shot like this
one, it would hardly be noticeable. Now you should also know that there is a disadvantage
when we set the shutter speed manually to one fiftieth. Due to the resulting motion blur, which in
theory would actually be best, the electronic stabilization of your X3 can no longer work
as efficiently. Electronic stabilization needs very sharp
images to work well. For this reason, despite the otherwise excellent
flow state stabilization, unsightly judder could occur. Therefore, it would be best to use the X3
with a pole and hold it as steady as possible. In the best case, you attach it to a tripod. If you are still looking for mounts and tripods,
you will find a link to the accessories for the X3 in the video description. The ISO value is especially important for
shooting in low light. As mentioned earlier, a higher ISO will result
in a brighter image, but also more noise. Therefore, the goal should be to set the ISO
as low as possible. Since we have set the Shutter Speed manually,
we can now use the ISO value to change the brightness of the image. In general, you should remember: Up to an
ISO value of 200, the image quality is good. From 400 onwards, you can clearly perceive
image noise. At an ISO value of 800, the X3 removes at
least part of the image noise via software - interestingly, less image noise can be detected
than at 400, but the image looks much softer and details are lost. Above 800, of course, the image quality decreases
even more. In a perfect world, you should never use an
ISO of more than 200. Of course, this is not always possible in
low light - so you should set a value of 400 or 800 manually. On the far left, you can also set a maximum
ISO value. The camera will then automatically adjust
the exposure, but never exceed this value. Here you should use a maximum of 400 or 800. I leave the white balance on the X3 mostly
on auto - the automatic usually works very well - but a manual white balance would have
some advantages. When taking very long shots, Auto might change
the White Balance for no clear reason, which could ruin your shot. In addition, the artificial light may well
mislead the camera, which can then lead to strange skin tones. The correct value for White Balance in Low
Light depends on the color temperature of your light source. the isolated exposure feature must remain
turned off with manual exposure settings. There are two important settings in the main
menu that we should also take a look at for best results. You swipe down with your finger and then tap
on the settings menu icon. Here you'll find two more settings that are
important for us today: bitrate and sharpness. For better results, make sure the Bitrate
is set to High - this will result in larger files, but also better image quality. I actually always set the Sharpness to LOW
- high sharpness does not lead to more details. Rather, the edges are artificially emphasized
by the camera - this may look good at first glance. But it is not cinematic and does not look
professional. You can add some sharpness in post-processing
if the image looks too soft for you. Or you can use Medium as sharpness if you
don't want to post-process your shots. With this, we have optimally set up our X3. Now tap on the Quick Menu button on the right. Here we can save our settings so that we can
quickly activate them again later. You can use the plus to create a new preset
or overwrite an existing one. I tap on the plus and use Customize1 as the
name. Here you can see the most important settings
of our preset. With the checkmark you save the settings. Now I would like to give you some simple tips
for shooting in low light: When shooting indoors, use the available light
as good as possible. That means, if it is still bright outside,
place your subject near the window and use the natural light as a light source. This usually gives better results than the
artificial light in the room. Also, keep in mind that a low light shot can
also look like a low light shot. So you can expose your shot a bit darker. It's normal for a night shot to look dark
overall. And of course you can bring additional light
sources yourself. This RGB light here, for example, is not expensive
and can easily be taken anywhere. Especially for indoor shots, you should also
pay attention to the dynamic range. If it's relatively dark in the room, but there's
still daylight outside, your windows might burn out completely when they're in the frame
- such a shot won't look good. Avoid such a situation if possible or adjust
your exposure accordingly, always if that makes sense. Let's summarize the most important things: Use a low frame rate, for example 24 or 25
frames per second. Manually set the shutter speed to twice the
frame rate, for example one fiftieth of a second when shooting at 24 or 25 frames per
second. Use the ISO value to adjust the exposure,
whereby the image quality will drop sharply, especially above 800. Don't forget that stabilization won't work
as well in low light. If you're not that experienced with your X3
and are worried about not doing everything right, take a look at my video on the most
common beginner mistakes. And if this video was helpful to you, give
me a Like as feedback. There will be more tutorials on the X3, so
until next time!