![[images/Insta360 X5 vs Ace Pro 2 Which Should You REALLY Buy.webp]] # Insta360 X5 vs Ace Pro 2 Which Should You REALLY Buy? [Watch on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFW26DUbhu0) · MountMedia · 2025-05-29 · 15:29. Written from YouTube's English captions and the creator's chapters. ## Outline - **0:00 – Intro.** The X5 is the best 360 camera you can buy, but can it replace a traditional action camera like the Ace Pro 2? Werner will compare five strengths of each, define five user types, and say which he'd pick. - **0:40 – Image quality comparison.** X5 shot in 360 mode at 8K30, reframed and exported in 4K, against the Ace Pro 2 at 4K30. The reframed X5 footage keeps up fairly well. The bigger difference is the look: the X5 is much wider and shows more surroundings, while the Ace Pro 2 sits closer to the subject. X5 colors are more saturated and warmer, with more yellow. ![[images/Insta360 X5 vs Ace Pro 2 Which Should You REALLY Buy-t0045.webp]] - **1:56 – X5 strength 1: reframing.** You choose the framing in post, which is a big help when filming yourself. The cost is that every 360 shot must be edited, though tracking makes it quick. Single Lens mode shoots 4K up to 60 fps like a normal action camera and is much improved over the X4. ![[images/Insta360 X5 vs Ace Pro 2 Which Should You REALLY Buy-t0210.webp]] - **3:37 – Ace Pro 2 strength 1: resolution.** The X5's 8K 360 footage is cropped when reframed; exported at 4K, its real resolution is closer to 2.7K. The Ace Pro 2 shoots uncropped 8K and very sharp 4K, with more detail than both reframed X5 clips and X5 Single Lens 4K. The gap is barely visible on a phone but clear on a big monitor. - **4:23 – X5 strength 2: invisible selfie stick.** The stick disappears automatically in 360 shots, which gives a distinctive look. The Ace Pro 2 can erase a stick through an app effect, but it works like Photoshop retouching, only on short clips, and looks much worse. ![[images/Insta360 X5 vs Ace Pro 2 Which Should You REALLY Buy-t0435.webp]] - **5:16 – Ace Pro 2 strength 2: 4K slow motion.** The Ace Pro 2 shoots 4K at up to 120 fps. The X5 needs 4K 360 for 120 fps, so reframed slow motion is lower quality; Single Lens mode tops out at 60 fps. Werner notes that Insta360 provided both cameras but the video has no additional paid sponsorship. - **6:08 – X5 strength 3: field of view.** The very wide view is immersive, for example when biking, and shows more of the surroundings. - **6:35 – Ace Pro 2 strength 3: body and mounting.** The X5's protruding lenses are a weak point, though the new lens replacement kit makes them easy to swap. The Ace Pro 2 is slightly lighter, and its form factor suits helmet and chest mounts better, while the elongated X5 suits a selfie stick. The Ace Pro 2 is waterproof to 12 m and the X5 to 15 m without a case, but the X5 needs a dive case for 360 shots underwater (stitching fails without one). The Ace Pro 2 has a magnetic quick-release mount; the X5 uses a 1/4-inch thread. ![[images/Insta360 X5 vs Ace Pro 2 Which Should You REALLY Buy-t0715.webp]] - **8:11 – X5 strength 4: creativity.** Wide view, invisible stick and reframing together allow unusual angles that amaze viewers. - **8:42 – Ace Pro 2 strength 4: dynamic range.** The X5 improved a lot over the X4, but the Ace Pro 2 still has a slight edge. Both now have HDR built into the standard video mode and it looks natural, but X5 HDR is limited to 5.7K, so Werner usually shoots the X5 without HDR and the Ace Pro 2 in 4K with HDR. - **9:23 – X5 strength 5: stabilization.** The X5 is visibly better stabilized, helped by its wide view. - **9:48 – Ace Pro 2 strength 5: price.** The Ace Pro 2 costs $400 against $550 for the X5, and was on a significant discount at the time. Links come with a free gift, for the X5 a lens replacement kit. - **10:18 – Low light comparison.** Both have a PureVideo low-light mode. The Ace Pro 2 exposes faces brighter but shows more noise; overall Werner calls it a draw, as the sensors are about the same size. ![[images/Insta360 X5 vs Ace Pro 2 Which Should You REALLY Buy-t1025.webp]] - **11:10 – Recording time and overheating.** The Ace Pro 2 records 4K30 for 1 h 42 min on one battery; the X5 records 8K30 for 1 h 27 min. The Ace Pro 2 had no overheating at 22 °C in the office; the X5 shut off after 1 h 19 min at 8K30 in summer heat. The two key takeaways are the different look and the need to reframe X5 footage. - **12:23 – The beginner.** Pick the Ace Pro 2: no reframing step and fewer settings to learn. - **12:41 – The advanced user.** Pick the X5: its creative options add more than the Ace Pro 2's slightly better image quality. - **13:09 – Social media.** Pick the X5: resolution matters less, you can choose horizontal or vertical later, and Me mode keeps you centered with the invisible stick and no reframing, ideal for vlogging. - **13:41 – Sport and action.** Depends on the mount. For a chest mount, such as mountain biking, the Ace Pro 2; for a pole, such as skiing, the X5. - **14:21 – Family and travel.** The simpler Ace Pro 2, with its flip-up screen for filming yourself and family, though the wide X5 also works. Werner's own pick is the X5, because he values its creative possibilities and wide look and finds the quality gap small now. He points to his X5 beginner tutorial. ## Things mentioned ### Cameras - **Insta360 X5**: 360 camera; 8K30 360 video, 4K120 360 mode, 4K60 Single Lens mode, waterproof to 15 m, replaceable lenses, 1/4-inch mount, $550 - **Insta360 Ace Pro 2**: action camera; 8K video, 4K120 slow motion, flip-up screen, waterproof to 12 m, magnetic mount, $400 - **Insta360 X4**: earlier 360 camera, used as a point of comparison for Single Lens and dynamic range improvements ### Products / accessories - Lens replacement kit for the X5 (free with the creator's X5 link, limited offer) - Insta360 dive case (needed for 360 underwater shots on the X5) - Selfie stick, helmet and chest mounts - Insta360 Mic Air (free in the Black Friday offer in the description) ### Software and features - Reframing in post with subject tracking - Invisible selfie stick effect, and the Ace Pro 2's app-based stick removal effect - Single Lens mode, Me mode, HDR in standard video mode, PureVideo low-light mode, horizontal or vertical output from 360 footage ### Purchase options - Insta360 X5 (15% off plus free Mic Air, Black Friday offer for first 30 buyers): https://www.insta360.com/sal/x5?utm_term=INRNHMF - Insta360 Ace Pro 2 (22% off plus free Mic Air): https://www.insta360.com/sal/ace-pro-2?utm_term=INRNHMF - Insta360 accessories: https://store.insta360.com/accessory?utm_term=INRNHMF - Related video, Insta360 X5 beginner tutorial: https://youtu.be/8odW0CICT2s - Music: Audiio (promo code SAVE70 for 70% off) ## Bios - **Werner Plank** runs MountMedia, a YouTube channel of camera tests, comparisons and tutorials focused on 360 and action cameras from Insta360, DJI and GoPro. He films much of his footage in the mountains and narrates this comparison, closing with his own pick of the X5. - **Insta360** is the camera maker behind both products; it supplied both cameras for this review without additional paid sponsorship.