X3 or X5?

[andrew259]

I've shot 50 hrs video with the x3 and 10 minutes with the x5....
X5 trumps the x3 by miles and miles.... And miles.....
If you are serious about picture quality.. X5 all the way.. If you're just having fun- stick with the cheaper toy!


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[andrew259]

Just to add - if you can't tell the difference between a cheap lens and a quality one (like canon EF lenses) then stick to the x3.
For those that don't need to go to spec savers, the x5 will amaze.


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[MichaelS]

Using it properly is one thing and using it to impress TV clients is another.
Even footage from an Alexxa will not look different on TV than if it was shot on a less expensive camera.
You are in denial when you think it will. TV compression will undo most of the grading one has done in post and distributing it through cable or satellite will degrade it even more.
So, my suggestion is to be aware of this before spending $2500.00 to $7,000 on the X5 or X5R systems. That's all.
I do agree, the camera is better. No doubt about that. It would be good for motion theatre release (X5R) but not for TV.
It never ceases to amaze me that some of you think that the X5 is the answer to filming with the Inspire1 for TV. Well, as an experienced DOP for 25 years, it is not!
The X3 is perfect for Television as it is. Add a few ND or polarizer filters and with a possible upgrade to 60p in the future, the X3 will be a dynamite system for the Inspire1 for some time to come!

I will not make any more comments about this here.

Nice try, Pal. The fact that you can't even spell Alexa tells me you have never been in the same zip code as one. I guess TV Producers spend millions of dollars on Alexa and Red cameras for the fun of it. They should just use Handycams and no one would notice.

 

[White Airwolf]

Nice try, Pal. The fact that you can't even spell Alexa tells me you have never been in the same zip code as one. I guess TV Producers spend millions of dollars on Alexa and Red cameras for the fun of it. They should just use Handycams and no one would notice.

It was a typo re Alexa. Go ahead, spend the extra money on an X5. Bottom line is your clients will NOT notice the difference even if you do on your home computer.
They will also not care as the X3 still produces a better image than the crappy GoPro systems. But then again, they won't care about that either.
It is unbelievable the mind set a lot of you have over this issue. If you feel you must have the X5, go ahead. The X3 will please 98 percent of your clients as it stands now.
It produces awesome 4K imagery even if it is from a smaller chip. Don't forget, most of the video will be shot 200 feet up so closeup detail will not be evident regardless of which of the two cameras you use.

 

[White Airwolf]

This is simply one of the worst pieces of information I've seen posted on the internet. Even with God awful youtube compression it is easy to see a camera outshine another especially in the realm of dynamic range. Even if they are compressed to hell and back it's very apparent if there is a lack of detail in the shadows or a sunny window that's blown out to a white mess. For someone that wanted to throw out Philip blooms name you should know that. A huge portion of his professional work is online continent. I'm pretty sure he would disagree that all HD cameras are created equal. I find it very hard to believe you've ever made a living in the video world.

Been in the business longer than you ever will.

 

[The Editor]

It was a typo re Alexa. Go ahead, spend the extra money on an X5. Bottom line is your clients will NOT notice the difference even if you do on your home computer.
They will also not care as the X3 still produces a better image than the crappy GoPro systems. But then again, they won't care about that either.
It is unbelievable the mind set a lot of you have over this issue. If you feel you must have the X5, go ahead. The X3 will please 98 percent of your clients as it stands now.
It produces awesome 4K imagery even if it is from a smaller chip. Don't forget, most of the video will be shot 200 feet up so closeup detail will not be evident regardless of which of the two cameras you use.

The X3 produces very poor 4K video due to not only the throttled bitrate but also the dreadful GOP structure and intraframe pulsing every 8 frames. This is a fact and not a subjective interpretation so I think your comment stating the X3 "produces awesome 4K imagery" is a little far fetched.

I have noticed a trend with most of your posts (I have looked back at many of them), and nearly every one of them appears to be aggressively asserting your condemnation of either peoples opinions or telling other forum members they do not know what they are talking about.
However, you do not back any of your statements up with coherent arguments giving any technical reasoning and yet you claim to have been 'in the business' longer than most people ever will be.
Perhaps a little less aggression and fewer scatter gun approach of posting "its rubbish, don't waste your money, no TV image will show the difference, grading is a waste of time, there is no such thing as 2.7k" etc will go some way to gaining some respect from other forum members.

 

[White Airwolf]

The X3 produces very poor 4K video due to not only the throttled bitrate but also the dreadful GOP structure and intraframe pulsing every 8 frames. This is a fact and not a subjective interpretation so I think your comment stating the X3 "produces awesome 4K imagery" is a little far fetched.

I have noticed a trend with most of your posts (I have looked back at many of them), and nearly every one of them appears to be aggressively asserting your condemnation of either peoples opinions or telling other forum members they do not know what they are talking about.
However, you do not back any of your statements up with coherent arguments giving any technical reasoning and yet you claim to have been 'in the business' longer than most people ever will be.
Perhaps a little less aggression and fewer scatter gun approach of posting "its rubbish, don't waste your money, no TV image will show the difference, grading is a waste of time, there is no such thing as 2.7k" etc will go some way to gaining some respect from other forum members.

Nice try!
Don't forget, the X5 still uses only 60 mb/sec bit rate, which is the lowest quality of any of the camera makers. So you certainly aren't gaining anything there. Spending an additional 2500 dollars for marginally improved oerformace that will mostly go unnoticed to me seems like a total waste of money and proves that people will buy the latest products that come out by manufacturers even though there is no reason to.
It's all marketing hype that most people seem to fall for.

 

[The Editor]

Nice try!
Don't forget, the X5 still uses only 60 mb/sec bit rate, which is the lowest quality of any of the camera makers. So you certainly aren't gaining anything there. Spending an additional 2500 dollars for marginally improved oerformace that will mostly go unnoticed to me seems like a total waste of money and proves that people will buy the latest products that come out by manufacturers even though there is no reason to.
It's all marketing hype that most people seem to fall for.

Fine - you have made your thoughts clear across multiple threads, numerous times to the point that other forum members are complaining - can we leave it there now please?

 

[qbizzy]

I was under the impression that IQ had a lot more to do with the size of the sensor. Bigger sensor means more space. Since dynamic range improved but bit rate remained the same, is it safe to assume the pixels are larger? Kind of like the difference between a sony a7s and a7r - sure the a7r has more MPs but the pixels are larger on the a7s. Larger pixels = better light gathering ability. So even if the compression or bit rate is the same, the information in the actual image, BEFORE its compressed, is more representative. I am merely suggesting or asking - not claiming.

Personally, I can't wait for the X5.

 

[Kirk Voclain]

Drones are what I call "Blue Skies & Green Grass" machines. What this means is most of the time, you will be shooting at a distance to where the added benefits of a high-end camera is lost. At 50-100 feet, a car or a person looks exactly the same regardless of which camera (X3 or X5) you’re using. In most cases you’re not going to be doing any close up work with a drone.

Possibly 98% of the guys using drones are shooting “Just Stuff” the other 2% are doing real work with their drones, so unless you fit in that 2% you’re pretty much wasting your money with the X5, I’ve compared the stills and video and I can’t see any difference at distances shot from a drone. Good shots from a drone are more on the creative side of setting the shot, lighting, contrast and post production.

The worst part is your Inspire will belly flop and crush your camera just the same whether its an X3 or X5, with the X3 you’ll cry a lot – where if you have an X5 - slitting your wrists might be less painful. With this in mind, the X5 on the Inspire for most of us is a waste of money and a much bigger risk for the dreaded inevitable crash.

While DJI will brag the X5 is light years ahead of anything else - the truth is the X5 is more for the pilot’s ego, or for showing off to the client than for performance. The mere fact you spent thousands extra on the X5 will brain wash you into thinking your images and video are better.

Bottom line - anything you can shoot on an Inspire with a X3 or X5, I’ll shoot on a Phantom 3P with identical results. There is nothing you can do with the Inspire with an X5 that I can’t replicate with the Phantom 3P. In addition, since I’ll only have a grand invested makes me a better flyer because I have less “Worry Factor”.

So unless you're doing high-end feature work or working in a low light condition, the Inspire X3 or a Phantom 3P will do the job. Keep in mind - no director is going to let you fly that close to the "principle’s face with a drone" to appreciate the extra quality of an X5, so we’re back to Blue Skies and Green Grass again!


Regards Mike

Go check out this TEST post:
Side by side Images X5 and X3 | DJI Inspire Forum

Kirk Voclain

 

[drewid20]

Been in the business longer than you ever will.

Haha I suppose there's always a market for a $200 wedding video. My guess is that's why your "clients" can't tell a difference.

 

[David Wilbanks]

Another option to consider is following the Osmo release, there is a newer x3 released with that one (different camera, my guess is newer sensor) and can shoot [email protected] like this feature much more the only catch is that x3 isn't compatible with the inspire (my guess is we'd need a fw update, which who knows if we will get that update or not)

I think using the Osmo x3 (should have a different number like x3+) with the Inspire 1 is more complicated then a FW upgrade. The x3 on the Inspire 1 has focus set to infinity, like the GoPro. Altho it will work on the Osmo, I think the results will not be good. The new x3 has focus set somewhere closer. The x5 works for both platforms because the focus is adjustable.

Maybe someone has tested the two x3's on the Osmo. I will when my Osmo arrives.

 

[skylabimaging]

I think using the Osmo x3 (should have a different number like x3+) with the Inspire 1 is more complicated then a FW upgrade. The x3 on the Inspire 1 has focus set to infinity, like the GoPro. Altho it will work on the Osmo, I think the results will not be good. The new x3 has focus set somewhere closer. The x5 works for both platforms because the focus is adjustable.

Maybe someone has tested the two x3's on the Osmo. I will when my Osmo arrives.

those focus points are set through algorithms, which can be changed...ie a firmware update,

however i do think you are right...it's probably more complicated...it's dji

 

[David Wilbanks]

those focus points are set through algorithms, which can be changed...ie a firmware update,

however i do think you are right...it's probably more complicated...it's dji

I'm not really sure about setting focus point with FW on a fixed focus lens. I do know the focus on the GoPro lens is set and the threads glued in place at the factory.

 

[skylabimaging]

I'm not really sure about setting focus point with FW on a fixed focus lens. I do know the focus on the GoPro lens is set and the threads glued in place at the factory.

Ohhhh yeah yeah your right....still easy just swap lenses

 

[Bryan Conover]

I think the X5R is a worthy investment for the 1263 views and 18 subscribers I have on my youtube channel. I spent another $15,000 on post processing equipment and they all really like it. Looking forward to the dreaded inevitable crash...All humor aside...the first guy that purchases a X5R either needs to stop wondering around the Warner Bros back lot looking for work or purchase a Phantom 3 Pro and get really creative with color timing footage...both destinations for a 15 aerial clip have just about the same outcome.

 

[Patriot1776]

Hi have you heard of the camera Sony rx 100 zoom? For the drone.

 

[emulsiondown]

Hi guys,

I'm coming from a Turbo Ace Matrix (great quad, great photos, good video) and looking for an easier setup that doesn't take 20 minutes to unpack etc. Inspire looks like the perfect solution! I am concerned however that if I opt for the X3 I might be disappointed I didn't buy the X5 (looks like the loss would be $1000 for the upgrade over the long run) I am curious if you X3 users are very happy with video quality, or in my shoes would go straight for the X5. Money is an issue, but I could hustle for the extra 2k - Thanks for any input, look forward to joining the team

the X3 is basic but great for the 4k. the X5 of course has lens options and the beautiful 4/3 sensor. my experience so far is nothing short of amazing ... and i'm comparing all initial reactions and observations to my 3DR SOLO with a HERO 4 Black. i'm happy i spent the additional.

 

[Air Miles]

The x3 is a great camera and the x5 is great if you are going to make a production film. We have both the x3 & x5 and I'll have to say that we use the x3 the most. The x3 seems to have a crisper picture.
The x5 is a lot of extra camera that 90% of us do not need. The x5 has a narrow field of view at 72% and the x3 has a 94% field of view. When we fly with the x5 camera you also lose 3 minutes of flight time.
Like I said we use the x3 for almost all of our environmental inspections.
We are waiting on Dji to produce the new camera with the zoom feature.

 

[damoncooper]

X3 for video. X5 if you are a stills guy. X5 has no advantage for video.