Latest news with #ScottGilbertson
WIRED
10-05-2025
- WIRED
The Insta360 X5 Is the Best 360 Camera You Can Buy
Insta360's X-series 360-degree cameras have long dominated the market. They have great video quality, an easy-to-use interface, and simple editing software, which makes these the most beginner-friendly 360 cameras around. The latest version, the Insta360 X5, continues that tradition while bringing larger sensors with even better-looking video. The X5 is a worthy upgrade; video quality is better, battery life is improved, and new features like the PureVideo lowlight mode and replaceable lenses make the X5 the most compelling 360 camera on the market. What's New Photograph: Scott Gilbertson The big news in the X5, and the reason to consider upgrading even if you already have the X4, are the new twin 1/1.28-inch sensors. They're a considerable step up from the 1/2-inch sensors in the X4. At the same time, the video specs have not changed much at all, with 8K 30 fps and 5.7K 60 fps at the high end. A larger sensor with the same resolution means more detail in that footage, which is exactly what you get here. This is without a doubt the best-looking footage I've seen from a 360 camera. Keep in mind that the 8K refers to the overall 360-degree shot. When you actually frame that footage in the app, the highest resolution you'll be able to export is 4K. But the 4K footage you'll get is markedly better than what the X4 delivers. The footage coming out of the X5 is great for a 360 camera . Bear in mind, though, that almost any other newer action camera is going to have somewhat better video quality. The appeal of the 360 camera is that it can capture what's behind you, whereas Insta360's traditional action cam, the Ace Pro 2 (8/10, WIRED Recommends), cannot. This makes 360 cameras perfect for filming when you don't know exactly how you want to frame your shot, for example while riding a bike, skiing, skateboarding, and so on. In the past, to get this kind of shoot-everything, frame-later flexibility, you had to give up some video quality. While that's still true to an extent, with the X5 you're giving up very little in terms of video quality. Photograph: Scott Gilbertson
WIRED
09-05-2025
- WIRED
The Therm-a-Rest NeoLoft Will Make You Forget You're Sleeping on the Ground
My favorite place to wake up is in a sleeping bag, which is good because I tend to wake up a lot when sleeping in a sleeping bag. It's not the bag, it's the pad underneath me. I've tried them all (it's part of my job), and while some are definitely better than others, I've never found one that quite fulfilled every backpacker's dream—a lightweight, packable sleeping pad that feels just like the bed you left at home. Until now, that is. The Therm-a-Rest NeoLoft sleeping pad isn't the lightest at 25 ounces—goodbye, ultralight readers—but the 4.6-inch cushion is a true luxury, and it offers a great night's rest, which can be more valuable than shedding a few ounces. The Great Weight Debate Photograph: Scott Gilbertson There are two problems with carrying a big sleeping pad in the backcountry. First, there's the weight you have to carry, and then there's the amount of room it takes up in your pack. The ultralight community online will try to convince you that camp comfort—that is, your shelter and your sleeping set up—aren't as important as keeping weight down, so you can move fast. Depending on your goals in the backcountry, that may indeed be true. But after trying it for quite a few trips, I've found it's not the case for me. For me, carrying a little more weight in the form of a heavier tent and sleeping pad affords me a better night's sleep, which helps me (on average) to hike further than I do with less weight but poorer sleep. Therm-a-Rest's new NeoLoft pad steps into this weight/size/comfort debate by leaning heavily on the side of comfort. It is undeniably big, relative to something like Therm-a-Rest's XLite pads or Sea to Summit's Ether Light series (our two favorite ultralight sleeping pads). For all that, though, the Neoloft isn't that big when packed down, especially considering how big it is when you inflate it. The NeoLoft reliably packs down to a size that's just larger than a Nalgene water bottle—about an inch bigger around and an inch taller for the regular wide size pad that I tested. It's a tight squeeze fitting the NeoLoft in my Hyperlite Junction 40 with the rest of my gear, but it works for shorter trips where I'm not carrying a ton of food. For trips longer than three or four nights, I'd want a 55L pack. (Naturally, this will depend a lot on the size of the rest of your gear. You can see what I carry at LighterPack.) I'll confess that I was dreading testing this pad. I didn't want to lug it with me, but when I actually loaded it up … I didn't really notice the extra 8 ounces over the Nemo Tensor I usually carry. Again though, I am not trying to win any ultralight prizes. Rather, I'm looking for the right balance between weight and comfort. Sleeping Pad Technology Photograph: Scott Gilbertson I test organic mattresses for WIRED, and I use roughly the same criteria to judge sleeping pads. Comfort while sleeping comes down to how well your pad keeps you warm, how well it relieves pressure, how well it provides support, and how stable it is to sleep on.
WIRED
08-05-2025
- Automotive
- WIRED
Panasonic's S1R II Is a Capable, Affordable, Mirrorless Hybrid Camera
The S1RII features Panasonic's latest phase-detection autofocus, which has much better subject recognition and tracking algorithms. The S1RII can recognize people, animals (dog, cat, bird), cars, motorcycle and bikes, trains, and airplanes. In my testing, Panasonic's subject tracking system is very nearly as good as what you'll find in Nikon, Canon, Sony, and Fujifilm. It wasn't necessarily the best for everything—for example, Nikon stands out as better at tracking birds—but it's an all-around solid autofocus system that doesn't miss much. Photograph: Scott Gilbertson What I did not like is not what it does, but what it can't do—namely, stop tracking a subject when in subject-tracking mode. For example, if I am tracking my dog playing on the beach in the early morning and want to stop for a second and shoot the sunrise, on my Sony and Fujifilm I can tap the screens and switch the focus to the horizon, compose, shoot, and return to tracking the dog. To do that with the S1RII I had to first toggle off the subject tracking. It isn't a huge hassle, nor is it a deal breaker, but it is a little head-scratching. The rest of the time, I found that the S1RII did a good job of tracking everything I asked it to. Oddly though, it has the hardest time with humans. Sometimes in a crowd of people, it would lose the subject, something that doesn't usually happen in my testing of Nikon, Canon, and Sony cameras. While Panasonic's autofocus system is definitely faster and more accurate than previous versions, it's not flawless. I don't find this a deal breaker at all (I still shoot many manual focus lenses), but it might be worth testing with a rental if you shoot a lot of sports or wildlife. Image Quality I've always liked Panasonic's color rendition for its neutrality. It's not warm, it's not cool, it's just about perfectly in the middle. The only place I saw this vary a bit with the S1RII is in skin tones on my kids, who looked a little pinkish in some lighting conditions, but otherwise I did not find any color rendering oddities. Dynamic range is very good. I was able to lift shadows in RAW files 2-3 stops without really even needing to deal with noise. Photograph: Scott Gilbertson Panasonic-SR1II-Sample-Imag_Street-Art_Photo
WIRED
26-04-2025
- WIRED
Fujifilm Instax Mini 41 Review: A Stylish, Capable Budget Instant Camera
Fujifilm's Instax cameras have taken over what Polaroid started so many decades ago. There are still Polaroid cameras, but Instax is the far more popular choice. Fujifilm's cameras are simple and fun. No matter which Instax camera you buy, it's fun. You point, you shoot, you see the results. The latest in Fujifilm's Instax line is the new Instax Mini 41, a budget option like the very popular Mini 12, but with a more retro, camera-like design. It lacks the manual controls that photographers might want, but it's simple and fun in a way that more capable cameras often aren't. Photograph: Scott Gilbertson A Firm Grip The Mini 41 is a very plastic camera, though it doesn't look like it. The design makes it look a little like Fujifilm's insanely popular X100VI. Once you pick up the Mini 41, however, the plastic really comes out. It feels like an Instax Mini 12 in a different suit of clothes. This is both good and bad. It's good in that the simplicity and automation remain, but it's not so good in that the plasticky vibes are strong. This is definitely not the Mini 99. The Mini 12 comes in at $80, the Mini 99 is $200, and the Mini 41 arrives at $129. Why spend more than $80 for nearly the same features? Essentially, you get a camera that looks more like a 'camera.' It still has the same fully automatic features of the Mini 12, (including some not-so-good features, like the automated flash that occasionally washes out photos in bright daylight), but it doesn't have the bubbly cartoonish design of the Mini 12.
WIRED
26-04-2025
- WIRED
Fujifilm's Instax Mini 41 Is a Stylish and Capable Instant Camera
Fujifilm's Instax cameras have taken over what Polaroid started so many decades ago. There are still Polaroid cameras, but Instax is the far more popular choice. Fujifilm's cameras are simple and fun. No matter which Instax camera you buy, it's fun. You point, you shoot, you see the results. The latest in Fujifilm's Instax line is the new Instax Mini 41, a budget option like the very popular Mini 12, but with a more retro, camera-like design. It lacks the manual controls that photographers might want, but it's simple and fun in a way that more capable cameras often aren't. Photograph: Scott Gilbertson A Firm Grip The Mini 41 is a very plastic camera, though it doesn't look like it. The design makes it look a little like Fujifilm's insanely popular X100VI. Once you pick up the Mini 41, however, the plastic really comes out. It feels like an Instax Mini 12 in a different suit of clothes. This is both good and bad. It's good in that the simplicity and automation remain, but it's not so good in that the plasticky vibes are strong. This is definitely not the Mini 99. The Mini 12 comes in at $80, the Mini 99 is $200, and the Mini 41 arrives at $129. Why spend more than $80 for nearly the same features? Essentially, you get a camera that looks more like a 'camera.' It still has the same fully automatic features of the Mini 12, (including some not-so-good features, like the automated flash that occasionally washes out photos in bright daylight), but it doesn't have the bubbly cartoonish design of the Mini 12. Photograph: Fujifilm
