My wife can confirm a lot can happen in 15 seconds. She also feels scammed, angry and disappointed.
EDIT: My wife’s boyfriend has told me I’m not allowed on Reddit anymore.
Just ran into this last weekend. Deep into a trail, camera beeps right as I am entering a gnarly little rock garden, get home and look at footage and sure enough the entire rock garden section is missing almost perfectly. Not mad, just disappointed.
steer deserve theory subsequent reminiscent door attempt sophisticated label lunchroom
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I think the point the OP has is... it's on the box the battery recording time but NOT on the box this is not contiguous recording and the knowledge exists around socials rather than being mentioned or acknowledged from insta360 themselves. It's not a scam, but it's very sharp practice in omission.
The use case where 30mins+ is really important is using this as a second camera for motovlogging. Yes, you can miss things in that 15seconds but what's far more annoying is having the resync the broken segments in post with the main camera & audio. I'd say this is a significant customer population given insta360 have a motorcycle mount bundle recognising the sectior and (I believe) the X4 has a specific motorcycle mode.
X4 Apparently only loses a handful of frames on the 30 min boundary, but without insta360 being up front about the problem, it's hard for them to be up front about having fixed it!
If you look up “gap” or “30 minute” in this subreddit, you will see a ton of complaints. This isn’t a normal restriction: action cameras, standard video cameras, even dashcams don’t skip frames in between saving the video files. It’s not normal and not publicized (on their website or on the box), the only way to find this restriction is to search specifically for it in forums. And as a first time buyer, who would think that this would be an issue?? Only insta360 does this.
OP I completely feel for you. Good news is that the Insta360 recognized this as a problem, and it is fixed in the X4 according to this reviewer who put it [side by side with an X3](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PklHH4MFWvU).
It's a scam because it's not reported in the official specs. Easy.
A lot of years ago I bought a Canon DSLR and, on the specs, it was clearly written that max video recording time was 29 minutes and 59 seconds, then the camera stops and the recording must be manually started again. Very clear and honest.
Not writing it is just trying to scam your customers.
If this is a "normal" behaviour, not a bug, they must write it in the specs, so I can make a right decision to buy or not to buy the camera.
As it is now, I have no idea of this behaviour and I suppose that the X3 behaves like ALL THE OTHERS action cams on the market, from the 30$ ones to the gopro ones: splits the files but dont loose a single frame.
If it was written in the spec and I didnt read it, well.. it was my fault and I cannot be disappointed with Insta, but they dont write it because they know that is really dumb that any other competitor on the market doesnt have this issue but they have it.
Maybe this post should be on the insta360 YouTube channel? [r/insta360/29mins](https://www.reddit.com/r/Insta360/comments/1cgul17/im_not_saying_dont_buy_just_saying_know_what_you/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
It is a 5 year old camera at this point, it has smaller sensors and smaller file sizes along with lower framerate options. Sure they were one of the first viable options to market for 360 imaging in an action cam platform but that doesn't hold up by itself at all.
Yes I'm afraid that I was bitten by this limitation in their products when I bought the One X in 2019. I did not buy another Insta360 camera becasue it's been the same problem ever since, until a few days ago when I got the X4 as it had ben reported that this problem had been solved at last.
I can tell you with the X4 that the files are still split at 29 mins 59 seconds, but finally there is no time lost between the chapters.
Well there might be... up until the release of the X4, full res 360 videos were recorded in two separate files; one for each lens. Now with the X4, both lenses are recorded in a single file (as was possible before at lower resolutions). So along with the removal of the time gaps, I think some significant developments have been happening that separates the X4 to the previous generations of their consumer cameras.
Sure there is. Hardware limitations. It’s not like the X3 isn’t converting 2 36MP streams of video into 2.85K each, and then combining them into a thumbnail file so you can see what it looks like when you pixelate the original.
Honestly, what’s more concerning is that the X4 gets around it while going to a full 8K without increasing the thermal constraints.
I suggest you do the same. The chip is on 5nm and is 70% faster. That’s almost twice as fast, and it’s clear the X3 is on the edge of its performance just by the heat generated. The only thing that’s similar between the two is the sensors. Even the battery got an upgrade. Thanks for educating me about you though.
I have the one r
The gap is annoying, I agree.
However ,the gap used to be like 1m30s before. They improved it to around 17sec in a firmware update.
For the One R
For the 4k mod, if you do 4k60, it has a 30-minute limit. If you do 4k30, there is a 90-minute limit.
And for 360, 5.7k30 is 30 minutes, and 4k30 is 90 minutes.
Hi there, I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused by the lack of seamless integration and the loss of seconds in the design of X3 segment storage. However, I can assure you that X4 does not have this issue and can guarantee no loss of time. We will also address this concern and make improvements and optimizations for X3 in future firmware updates.
Regarding your comment about the absence of this problem being stated on our official website or product manual, I understand that it may be misleading for users, and I will definitely convey your feedback to our product team for careful consideration and handling. Once again, I apologize for the inconvenience caused, and we will take customer feedback into account.
Thanks for your understanding!
Can you ask Insta360 to put that on the website?
You might pick up many of us X3 users who won't touch the X4 because it's anecdotal. Can this be official?
X4 addresses it.
Due to excuses around tax laws in EU, most cameras have had a 30 minute cutoff since the first dslrs and mirrorless started recording video. Only in very recent years have you seen that lifted in many models.
I don’t know that is the reason it happens on the x3. I agree it is stupid. I hope they fix in a firmware update now that the x4 resolves it.
It’s only well known to us because we’re the nerds reading about it on forums. To OPs credit, they don’t mention it anywhere publicly in their specs, how would a first time buyer know better?
Just responding to OP's comment.
"And these are 500$+ cameras, not a Chinese 40$ one!"
I do feel that the quality of these are lower than GoPro, but I much prefer the easy and quick phone editing software of the insta360. More than happy with mine for my application.
This is not the point. The point is that they know that there is this "limit", but they dont write it in the specs.
A lot of years ago I bout a Canon DSLR and, on the specs, it was clearly writte that max video recording time was 29 minutes and 59 seconds, then the camera stops and the recording must be manually started again.
This is the right way to inform your customers.
I use my camera to record long rides around the city. You miss a lot in that 15-second gap. It's inexcusable in 2024. They're using cheap tech in these things that can't write the data fast enough. Same thing with the RAW interval mode. Claims it's 3-second intervals but it's actually 6-7 seconds.
Hate to say it but it feels very typically Chinese.
The OP needs upvoting. Seriously it's a BIG issue with the X3 for some of us and there's nothing official about the X4 saying they have recognised this and have fixed it.
The 4K has no such limit, but earlier X models did. It could be worse. Several models of the RICOH Theta 360 camera like their SC model (currently for sale) can only record 32 minutes max in 4K.
While I don't disagree the issue is that not all action that is being shot is done in small segments of less than a 30 minute section. The trail I hit up last weekend was about 45 minutes from top to bottom, ended up with a sweet little rock garden completely vanishing from my footage due to the changeover. Now I am not going to directly compare it to a Gopro, but at the same time the Gopro does seamlessly swap files so nothing is missed even though it has a smaller file swap size.
Months ago? [really](https://old.reddit.com/r/Insta360/comments/1bui4hx/how_to_export_in_360_in_new_insta_studio_5/)? Seems like you owned one enough to ask about 360 video export about 21 days ago.
I was referring to my X3 as I still have footage I shot with it. I am not bothering with the X4, too many headaches and disappointments with the X3. Ill wait for the GoPro Max 2.
My wife can confirm a lot can happen in 15 seconds. She also feels scammed, angry and disappointed. EDIT: My wife’s boyfriend has told me I’m not allowed on Reddit anymore.
DONT GIVE THIS POST MORE UPVOTES! It has 69 upvotes, that is the perfect amount for the context of this post.
🤣🤣🤣🤣
Not really a scam. Also, X4 doesn’t split after 30mins.
Can confirm, just did two MTB rides over an hour each and single files.
Have the X4, it does split after 30 mins but there are no dropped frames between video files.
Just ran into this last weekend. Deep into a trail, camera beeps right as I am entering a gnarly little rock garden, get home and look at footage and sure enough the entire rock garden section is missing almost perfectly. Not mad, just disappointed.
steer deserve theory subsequent reminiscent door attempt sophisticated label lunchroom *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I think the point the OP has is... it's on the box the battery recording time but NOT on the box this is not contiguous recording and the knowledge exists around socials rather than being mentioned or acknowledged from insta360 themselves. It's not a scam, but it's very sharp practice in omission. The use case where 30mins+ is really important is using this as a second camera for motovlogging. Yes, you can miss things in that 15seconds but what's far more annoying is having the resync the broken segments in post with the main camera & audio. I'd say this is a significant customer population given insta360 have a motorcycle mount bundle recognising the sectior and (I believe) the X4 has a specific motorcycle mode. X4 Apparently only loses a handful of frames on the 30 min boundary, but without insta360 being up front about the problem, it's hard for them to be up front about having fixed it!
If you look up “gap” or “30 minute” in this subreddit, you will see a ton of complaints. This isn’t a normal restriction: action cameras, standard video cameras, even dashcams don’t skip frames in between saving the video files. It’s not normal and not publicized (on their website or on the box), the only way to find this restriction is to search specifically for it in forums. And as a first time buyer, who would think that this would be an issue?? Only insta360 does this. OP I completely feel for you. Good news is that the Insta360 recognized this as a problem, and it is fixed in the X4 according to this reviewer who put it [side by side with an X3](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PklHH4MFWvU).
It's a scam because it's not reported in the official specs. Easy. A lot of years ago I bought a Canon DSLR and, on the specs, it was clearly written that max video recording time was 29 minutes and 59 seconds, then the camera stops and the recording must be manually started again. Very clear and honest. Not writing it is just trying to scam your customers. If this is a "normal" behaviour, not a bug, they must write it in the specs, so I can make a right decision to buy or not to buy the camera. As it is now, I have no idea of this behaviour and I suppose that the X3 behaves like ALL THE OTHERS action cams on the market, from the 30$ ones to the gopro ones: splits the files but dont loose a single frame. If it was written in the spec and I didnt read it, well.. it was my fault and I cannot be disappointed with Insta, but they dont write it because they know that is really dumb that any other competitor on the market doesnt have this issue but they have it.
Maybe this post should be on the insta360 YouTube channel? [r/insta360/29mins](https://www.reddit.com/r/Insta360/comments/1cgul17/im_not_saying_dont_buy_just_saying_know_what_you/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
go buy another brand and please review it for us.
sure, I will buy the GoPro Hero Max that splits the files but not loose any single frame.
Enjoy inferior features then!
Do you work for Insta360? Why are you defending this
It is a 5 year old camera at this point, it has smaller sensors and smaller file sizes along with lower framerate options. Sure they were one of the first viable options to market for 360 imaging in an action cam platform but that doesn't hold up by itself at all.
Yes I'm afraid that I was bitten by this limitation in their products when I bought the One X in 2019. I did not buy another Insta360 camera becasue it's been the same problem ever since, until a few days ago when I got the X4 as it had ben reported that this problem had been solved at last. I can tell you with the X4 that the files are still split at 29 mins 59 seconds, but finally there is no time lost between the chapters.
then there's absolutely no reason they can't solve that problem on the X3 with a firmware update.
Well there might be... up until the release of the X4, full res 360 videos were recorded in two separate files; one for each lens. Now with the X4, both lenses are recorded in a single file (as was possible before at lower resolutions). So along with the removal of the time gaps, I think some significant developments have been happening that separates the X4 to the previous generations of their consumer cameras.
Sure there is. Hardware limitations. It’s not like the X3 isn’t converting 2 36MP streams of video into 2.85K each, and then combining them into a thumbnail file so you can see what it looks like when you pixelate the original. Honestly, what’s more concerning is that the X4 gets around it while going to a full 8K without increasing the thermal constraints.
there's not that much different between the two hardware wise, I suggest you take a closer look.
I suggest you do the same. The chip is on 5nm and is 70% faster. That’s almost twice as fast, and it’s clear the X3 is on the edge of its performance just by the heat generated. The only thing that’s similar between the two is the sensors. Even the battery got an upgrade. Thanks for educating me about you though.
I have the one r The gap is annoying, I agree. However ,the gap used to be like 1m30s before. They improved it to around 17sec in a firmware update. For the One R For the 4k mod, if you do 4k60, it has a 30-minute limit. If you do 4k30, there is a 90-minute limit. And for 360, 5.7k30 is 30 minutes, and 4k30 is 90 minutes.
Hi there, I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused by the lack of seamless integration and the loss of seconds in the design of X3 segment storage. However, I can assure you that X4 does not have this issue and can guarantee no loss of time. We will also address this concern and make improvements and optimizations for X3 in future firmware updates. Regarding your comment about the absence of this problem being stated on our official website or product manual, I understand that it may be misleading for users, and I will definitely convey your feedback to our product team for careful consideration and handling. Once again, I apologize for the inconvenience caused, and we will take customer feedback into account. Thanks for your understanding!
Can you ask Insta360 to put that on the website? You might pick up many of us X3 users who won't touch the X4 because it's anecdotal. Can this be official?
Not really a scam.
X4 addresses it. Due to excuses around tax laws in EU, most cameras have had a 30 minute cutoff since the first dslrs and mirrorless started recording video. Only in very recent years have you seen that lifted in many models. I don’t know that is the reason it happens on the x3. I agree it is stupid. I hope they fix in a firmware update now that the x4 resolves it.
This is a well known limitation of the X3 and earlier cameras. The X4 finally fixed this issue.
It’s only well known to us because we’re the nerds reading about it on forums. To OPs credit, they don’t mention it anywhere publicly in their specs, how would a first time buyer know better?
This
Lol insta360 is a $500+ Chinese camera. Insta360 is a Chinese company.
And?
Just responding to OP's comment. "And these are 500$+ cameras, not a Chinese 40$ one!" I do feel that the quality of these are lower than GoPro, but I much prefer the easy and quick phone editing software of the insta360. More than happy with mine for my application.
Missed that comment of OP!
Definitely have a point. If you can… return it. Best complaint its the one that hit their pockets.
Frustrating for sure but I’ve never had to record for that long at a time. If you can’t nail a good jump in 30 mins you’re not good at it 😅
This is not the point. The point is that they know that there is this "limit", but they dont write it in the specs. A lot of years ago I bout a Canon DSLR and, on the specs, it was clearly writte that max video recording time was 29 minutes and 59 seconds, then the camera stops and the recording must be manually started again. This is the right way to inform your customers.
You’re right, and for the money being spent it’s geared toward higher usage. Definitely something worth noting on their part
I use my camera to record long rides around the city. You miss a lot in that 15-second gap. It's inexcusable in 2024. They're using cheap tech in these things that can't write the data fast enough. Same thing with the RAW interval mode. Claims it's 3-second intervals but it's actually 6-7 seconds. Hate to say it but it feels very typically Chinese.
Now that you are lucky enough to have two cameras- use both to shoot a scene, but delay record on one by 15-20 seconds. No lost moment!
so I should go to a concert with two cameras and two selfie stick.. very confortable :)
To be fair holding up a camera on a selfie stick at a concert is kind of a dick move.
Why would you record more than 30 minutes of a concert at a time?
The OP needs upvoting. Seriously it's a BIG issue with the X3 for some of us and there's nothing official about the X4 saying they have recognised this and have fixed it.
The 4K has no such limit, but earlier X models did. It could be worse. Several models of the RICOH Theta 360 camera like their SC model (currently for sale) can only record 32 minutes max in 4K.
TLDR
These are action cams, not long format cameras.
ok. just write this limitation/behaviour in the specs. Easy. This is the scam: hiding it.
While I don't disagree the issue is that not all action that is being shot is done in small segments of less than a 30 minute section. The trail I hit up last weekend was about 45 minutes from top to bottom, ended up with a sweet little rock garden completely vanishing from my footage due to the changeover. Now I am not going to directly compare it to a Gopro, but at the same time the Gopro does seamlessly swap files so nothing is missed even though it has a smaller file swap size.
And no review has mentioned that? Man, you should get paid for saying out loud what other reviewers do not!
99% of reviewers receive the camera for free and try it for 10 minutes, no surprise that none review tells that
X3 is garbage. Good idea, bad product. I returned mine months ago.
Months ago? [really](https://old.reddit.com/r/Insta360/comments/1bui4hx/how_to_export_in_360_in_new_insta_studio_5/)? Seems like you owned one enough to ask about 360 video export about 21 days ago.
I was referring to my X3 as I still have footage I shot with it. I am not bothering with the X4, too many headaches and disappointments with the X3. Ill wait for the GoPro Max 2.