Should YOU buy a 360 camera? Insta360 vs DJI Osmo Action 4 review

It's an interesting video, but you compare a last gen DJI vs the previous gen 360 cam. I would like to see a comparaison between the DJI Osmo 4 vs. Insta360 Ace Pro vs. Insta360 X4. All three are the same gen, so it would be more "balanced".

Its 2024.
Shooting in linear pov is something very 2000ish.
Life happens in 360.

But if you wanna arm wrestle in linear lens then test it with the Ace Pro 8k action camera

That ending just made my mind up

I think the biggest advantage of the 360 camera is that you can have one camera on a single mount and then get all the perspectives you need (primarily front and rear facing I guess), it's it's only one bit of hardware (and therefore one bit of outlay). You can see from the stuff that FortNine does, it really is absolutely brilliant. I know TeapotOne has been tryin gout (might have moved to it completely now) the Insta360 Ace, which looks really nice, especially in low light.

BUUUUT you've done a great job demonstrating the differences here, it's a great video which can really spark some discussion.

I had the 360 hated it sent it back got the action 4 loved it far better quality

i did the sensible thing and got the insta360 one rs, so i have the 360 when i want it and a 4k lens along with the 1" lens depending what i want to capture. just means its a lot more versatile for me with less outlay

I prefer to see quality content over pixel peeping. Good audio is a also far more important than ppl realize. For absolute quality content on adventure motorcycle traveling with good audio check out Itchy boots. 👍

i bought a dji but i prefer insta360 ability to show me in the vid as well.

As always the go to person for an honest review. I thought I was going mad every single YTer saying how great the Insta360 is, while I can see with my own eyes how terrible the footage is. I do appreciate the camera and what it can do, but for £450 this is not serious, I bet if all YTers weren't sponsored by Insta360 the reviews will be way more negative.

Great video thanks.

I have the X3 and a top tip is upscaling your footage in Topaz Video AI to 4k and it gets rid of the softness. A Con is the extra cost of buying Topaz (I got a Black Friday deal) plus an extra 3rd step in your workflow. Great video btw.

I went on an offroad adventure ride with both cameras available. The mounting position is key. The 360 x 3 outshone every time. I could see any view I chose and could make 6 different videos of the "master" video and post them separately. Had 4 spills and could analyze each of them from different angles.
if you had extended the pole up front and higher, then the focus isn't as critical as low down at wheel height because its more landscape. Also, its not designed for high speed action. I don't think it is described as an "action camera". Basically I would chose the 360 for 80% of situations and the other for the rest. There never is a perfect camera. Pick your poison.

360 just works for me. No matter what you get the shot. Every time. Give the camera to your kid - its still a great shot, also because the stabilisation is amazing. Retired my DJI once I got the Insta 360 and never looked back.

Great video, thank you. It might have been worth briefly mentioning the insta360 One RS with the interchangeable lenses.

I would be SUPER interested to see how the x4 compares with its 8k if you get your hands on one of those.

GoPro is still the best action camera when the image quality is the goal. ✌️

I want to use the X4 for 360 spherical movies and stills - IE no reframing - but in VR, the resolution of the viewport is effectively the same as reframing since the person standing in the center of the sphere can only see what they're looking at. The problem is that the viewport is 2208 x 2064 for a 110° by 96° (hxv) FOV for 6,912 x 3,870 pixels so the 8K sphere (7680 × 4320) needs to be sharp. But every sample of the X4's 8K spherical image looks blurry - about as blurry as the X3 at 4K.

Your not wrong about the fragileness if the X3. I have had my camera replaced once already and 2 weeks later the lens is already scratched.
X3 is great but I use it less and less because I am scared to damage it.
As the action 4. It supports all standard TRS mics. So if it works with your android phone it will work with the action 4.

One thing you got wrong: The 360 cameras *do* see all around the stitch line; the have overlapping FOVs and the camera has smarts to remove "long black pole"-looking objects in that spatial area, You can test this by using a very very long stick - try 3m and if not yet convinced, stack two sticks together (avoid curvature/sag). Even at 7m (yes I've tried it) it still filters out the stick. and you cab prove the case by putting your face in that same 'seam space" and you will see that the pole is filtered out but your face is not -- assuming you are not too close to the device.
TL;DR: there is a very small 'physical' 'gap' but the Stick-removal is software.

The setting you want to "lock" the view (for Nick's crash) is **not** ti turn off FlowState, but to turn *on* "Direction Lock". This ensures you still get the stabilisation but the footage preforms as if it is pointed in a single direction. Hence the name,., I think ythis is indeed what you did, as you would have all kinds of other difficulties if you actually did turn "off" Flowstate.

Still using my osmo action 1!

Insta looks like cartoon colors.
Dji is so amazing. Can't see why not pick up dji and put cartoon colors on in post.
Sadly insta is the only 360 action cam, but too much kid cam for me.
Hope one day dji will try 360 out

Bennets team can you do a comparison between the Gopro vs Dji osmo 4 vs Insta360 Ace pro?

They are completely different cameras, you simply cannot do what you can on a 360 on the DJI or the GOPro, I have them all, mostly for diving but I do use it on my bike. The beauty of a 360 is that when editing correctly it can feel like you are being recorded by another person, you also have the ability to pan away to something and then come back to yourself as a focus. The 360 have lens covers, if you are really worried put it in one of their several cases.

I have the Insta360 AcePro, now under repair/replacement due water damage. I'm trying an X3 now. I find the 360 camera more vulnerable, more hassle and bulkier along with all of its benefits. I'll probably keep going with the AcePro.

What?! GoPro unreliable? I'm shocked.

How does it do as a dashcam? i could not read number plates.

You can't really compare a 360 camera to a single lens action cam. They are built for different purposes and they yield different results. Of course both can do pretty much the same thing, but each has its use case scenario where it excels.

The best side-effect of your videos is you convince me to NOT buy new things. I'll stick with my aging Hero7 Black until it stops working.

Just a followup but the Insta360 X3 has attackable mounts that let it use replaceable lens covers now too. I have some on mine.

I have protective lensguards on the insta x3,... no idea why any mortal that pays his own gear and isn't rich would ride dirt or inbetween grass and sticks without?
With the x4 you can replace the lenses so there is much less urge to use a lens cover but they still are available.

I don't understand the advice to get a single lens actioncam if you only intend to use one camera. It's 2024, people are getting used to dynamic shots. If you are doing red bull rated stuff you get away with one single lens on you chin or chest without everybody falling asleep or swiping away, but even these people often use more than one camera, maybe a drone,.. to get some variation in viewpoint/ angles,..
With the 360 you don't need to do anything while riding to get decent framing, to get a varied angle,... if you just mount the camera, push and enjoy your ride you have a lot off interesting images, let the app figure it out before posting it on your social media and you get a decent result, being aware of what you film, changing the camera position and more involvement in the post processing won't harm off course.
With a single lens you miss a lot of the action, you need to stay aware of what you are filming and even if you change a pov and angle a lot it takes a lot of effort to turn it into a natural dynamic movie.

If you have a boring static image and no content, people that watch on a big high res screen will get bothered quickly and start to focus on image quality, color,... however, if there is something interesting to see or if the boring view is made interesting with the camerawork nobody will be bothered or even notice lower quality images,...

The argument against a 360 for studiowork?? A somewhat decent smartphone will do a great job in the studio, better than the dji or about any action cam.

Pro Tip: use a sharpie or similar to colour-in the scuff and wipe off any excess. The scuff is too close tot he sensor to focus. Glass reflects, especially scuffed areas as they become prismatic, fill that in with ink and the reflectivity goes away.

With the right settings in the x3 and corrections (if needed) in post, you can have the same good picture or better. My gripe with the x3 is to get around of the distortion.

Nice honest review, experienced exactly the same on my recent euro trip with an Osmo 4 and Insta 360, Osmo 4 is fantastic and my go too action cam especially for the cost!

They are for different use. You shouldn’t compare them. You should compare action camera to action camera and 360 to 360. I know the quality of 360 is not the best but I mainly used it for self tracking when I solo travel. Now I have ordered an Hohem isteady v3 for this job and will definitely cover me on the most I was going to use the X3 but I will still use it for some effects and 360o

How many% of people concentrate on image quality ( Sharpness, Color, Dynamic range etc)of a motorcycle ride video at 100 km speed and watching on a 6 inch mobile. ❤

I am just wondering which software best to remove wind noise now?
Free if possible

Doesn’t the new insta 360 x4 record in 8k? Would that solve any concerns about resolution?

I had absolutely shocking experience with DJI, would never buy it again.

If you've got one already, buy the other. I love my GoPro and my X4 but tend to use the x4 more because of how you can ad lib in post.

I was about to purchase those insta 360 clamps to mulit use for the Action 4. R u def not using those clamps now???? thanks

Had the Insta360 One R when it came out and have never looked back since. I really like the idea of not having to worry which way the camera is pointing coz when I ride, I want zero distractions. Being able to reframe in post hits home the whole point of it all -- I'm a rider first and foremost, so my priority is to enjoy the ride and not to be constantly thinking about camera angles. The ability to hit record and just forget about it is indispensable on a bike.

Now I have moved up to the X4 mainly because of the gesture control that allows me to start and stop the recording while riding without having to faff about with the record button.

It is easy to overlook the huge effort that has gone into creating all these sample clips, before then editing too. A great video, thank you.

Anyone that’s ever recommended an insta360 device has been paid to do so.

I heard a rumour that the govt is about to make chin mount cameras illegal is it true and doesn’t apply to rear mounted brake lights

I have the x3 and go 3, I use them both in different situations. Now I got my eyes on the new dji action 5 pro. The x3 requires more time editing to reframe for the desired angle.

Hi John, I read that you'd still prefer the Osmo Action 4 vs the Insta 360 Ace Pro 2 and the Action 5. I'm looking at doing more cinematic stuff (currently on a Hero 9) and not just on motorbikes, which out of all the cameras, in your view, was able to cope with the contrast better? I'm talking about autumnal tree tunnels in the Wye Valley and Forest of Dean and also the grey overcast in the Brecons. I've made a habit of shooting in a flat colour profile / Log / HLG since I've got my preferred LUT. I was originally inclined to go with the Action 5 but on your review of the Insta 360 AP2, you mentioned the Action 4 as still being a good contender. Thoughts please?

A lot of food for thought there. Thank you, John. Now ... if only I could find a decent handlebar mount that is light and strong ....