I received an Inspire Pro package with an X5 on Thursday of last week and spent a couple days shooting and testing it as much as possible. I thought I'd share some of the results from my flights so people can see what the X5 is like in real world situations. I shot in situations that would push the camera in all ways, low light, high contrast and high detail.
Overall I'm extremely impressed with the X5, it's a massive step up from an X3 in a lot of ways. Just because the camera is more capable does not mean it's for everyone though. I shoot with a GH4/S1000 kit a lot and in my opinion, the X5 will replace that kit 90% of the time. For stills, the X5 is an improvement over flying a GH4. For video, I would say it is on par with the GH4 but having full manual control of the camera from the ground put it's up a massive level. What most people need to know is that this camera will not just make your photos/videos better. It's capable of making them better, but it requires extra effort and time to get the shots. If you're shooting style is to get as much as possible and fly all over and capture as much as possible, the X5 is not a good choice. If your shooting style is to walk the flight path, plan it out, do a couple test flights, play it back to see what could be improved and then do it again, and again. And once you've nailed it... Do a safety take, just incase... Then the X5 will be perfect. If you're willing to put the work in, the X5 will reward you with better looking shots. If your'e just going to take off and hit record, then the X3 might actually give you better results some of the time.
With that said, here is a quick video I put together from my test shoots over a day and a half. Enjoy!
Overall I'm extremely impressed with the X5, it's a massive step up from an X3 in a lot of ways. Just because the camera is more capable does not mean it's for everyone though. I shoot with a GH4/S1000 kit a lot and in my opinion, the X5 will replace that kit 90% of the time. For stills, the X5 is an improvement over flying a GH4. For video, I would say it is on par with the GH4 but having full manual control of the camera from the ground put it's up a massive level. What most people need to know is that this camera will not just make your photos/videos better. It's capable of making them better, but it requires extra effort and time to get the shots. If you're shooting style is to get as much as possible and fly all over and capture as much as possible, the X5 is not a good choice. If your shooting style is to walk the flight path, plan it out, do a couple test flights, play it back to see what could be improved and then do it again, and again. And once you've nailed it... Do a safety take, just incase... Then the X5 will be perfect. If you're willing to put the work in, the X5 will reward you with better looking shots. If your'e just going to take off and hit record, then the X3 might actually give you better results some of the time.
With that said, here is a quick video I put together from my test shoots over a day and a half. Enjoy!