Insta360 one RS. Good investment? Or overpriced?

[Baldbiker]

I've been planning on getting a 360 camera to add to my motovlogging setup and up until now considering the insta360 One X2.
However, this new camera might be a more versatile choice. It's a few hundred dollars more, but can play the part of a second action camera as well as become a 360 camera as needed. It would be a great addition to the bike as a new "looking back view" camera. Ultra-wide angle and 360 degree shots from the front could be what finally convinces me that rear view cameras are worthwhile.
Also, there has been a lot of talk among vloggers that they are getting sick of the unreliability of GoPros lately, and are looking for alternatives to try. This camera boasts higher quality and performance as well as greater versatility.
The downside is the price. For me in Canada Im looking at almost a thousand bucks to get one of these to my door if I order the motorcycle kit.
I already have a rear view camera as a Hero 7 Silver. It does a fine job except that it really doesn't capture the background that well, so I end up not using it much. I mean, I can take one shot and use the same shot for the next three videos and you can't tell because you can't really see where I'm riding, you just see me in motorcycle gear, looking at you.
If I go with my original plan of getting the One X2, I would still have all the elements though. I would have the action camera forward and back, as well as walk around, and I would have the 360 for wide shots or 360 shots looking back. It's just that it would be using three cameras instead of two.
I would really like to try the new action camera with 360 setup, it has some great new tech like HDR video and super stabilization, dual mics, and more. But man... a thousand bucks.

 

[Drakhen99]

I don't know how to advise you, but that camera looks great. I worry about the magnetic connections on some of the Insta cameras though, when used in our environment. If the view isn't wide enough on your rear-facing camera, it might be time to noodle a different mounting setup further away from you, or something like a Hero 9/10/11 with a Max Lens Mod. I quite like the view from my Hero 9 with a Max Lens Mod on it, when it's aimed at me.

As for GoPro reliability... yep, they have issues. They still win [in the reviews I've watched] for image quality. The issues I've had with the 9 and 10 can be mostly worked around, and I've had [knock on wood] a lot of success lately with just being able to edit videos instead of troubleshooting GoPro issues.

I'm curious to see what you end up doing, and the results of it!

-John

 

[Baldbiker]

I don't know how to advise you, but that camera looks great. I worry about the magnetic connections on some of the Insta cameras though, when used in our environment. If the view isn't wide enough on your rear-facing camera, it might be time to noodle a different mounting setup further away from you, or something like a Hero 9/10/11 with a Max Lens Mod. I quite like the view from my Hero 9 with a Max Lens Mod on it, when it's aimed at me.

As for GoPro reliability... yep, they have issues. They still win [in the reviews I've watched] for image quality. The issues I've had with the 9 and 10 can be mostly worked around, and I've had [knock on wood] a lot of success lately with just being able to edit videos instead of troubleshooting GoPro issues.

I'm curious to see what you end up doing, and the results of it!

-John

Actually I'm pretty sure when it goes together they use a waterproof plugging system. So it's not really just a magnetic hookup. They were showing this camera on and running while being submerged in water. I would prefer to get this one, but it's pretty expensive.

 

[Hippo-Drones]

If I was buying a new 360 camera and didn't have some already, I'd get the Insta360 X3 over the others. As @Drakhen99 has said, GoPro Hero 10/11 has far better video quality than any 360 camera though, and I'd say better than the RS in single lens mode too. Not had any reliability issues with my Hero 10, but that doesn't mean others have not, I guess I got lucky, or they got unlucky.
360 cameras are great, modular 360 cameras are less useful though in my experience, I have the predecessor to the Insta360 One RS... the One R, and other than in testing, I have never used the single lens camera, it was inferior to my Hero 8 at the time I got it in quality, and the files don't save without a gap, so if recording a long video, there would be a 1min gap between files due to how the camera saves long videos.
The One X2 is an awesome camera, and is my current go to 360 camera, really easy to use and edit and far less concerns about water ingress... it also has better stitching than the R or RS due to its form factor.

 

[Drakhen99]

If I was buying a new 360 camera and didn't have some already, I'd get the Insta360 X3 over the others. As @Drakhen99 has said, GoPro Hero 10/11 has far better video quality than any 350 camera though, and I'd say better than the RS in single lens mode too. Not had any reliability issues with my Hero 10, but that doesn't mean others have not, I guess I got lucky, or they got unlucky.
360 cameras are great, modular 360 cameras are less useful though in my experience, I have the predecessor to the Insta360 One RS... the One R, and other than in testing, I have never used the single lens camera, it was inferior to my Hero 8 at the time I got it in quality, and the files don't save without a gap, so if recording a long video, there would be a 1min gap between files due to how the camera saves long videos.
The One X2 is an awesome camera, and is my current go to 360 camera, really easy to use and edit and far less concerns about water ingress... it also has better stitching than the R or RS due to its form factor.

And there you have it folks - solid info from someone who's used and has these cameras! Thanks @HippoDrone !

-John

 

[PhilTonic]

I found the option to record in 360 quite gimmicky and annoying to edit with. Insta sent me two X2s and one RS but I ended up giving them away. For the benefit I could see for my work, it was just too much extra time spent in editing (choosing angles etc.).

If multiple camera angles float your boat, excellent. For me simplicity is best.

More fancy gear does not up your game if that's your main concern. Royal Jordanian, 1.5 Million subs, single camera on the side of the helmet. Audio questionable. I said it to him in person that his external mic is clipping like hell. Made him a bit upset

Another example: Moji, largest german motovlogger just passed 1 Million subs. For a german only vlogger that is absolutely insane. Again, single camera on the side of the helmet. Terrible audio as well.

Content matters, nothing else.

 

[Drakhen99]

I found the option to record in 360 quite gimmicky and annoying to edit with. Insta sent me two X2s and one RS but I ended up giving them away. For the benefit I could see for my work, it was just too much extra time spent in editing (choosing angles etc.).

If multiple camera angles float your boat, excellent. For me simplicity is best.

More fancy gear does not up your game if that's your main concern. Royal Jordanian, 1.5 Million subs, single camera on the side of the helmet. Audio questionable. I said it to him in person that his external mic is clipping like hell. Made him a bit upset

Another example: Moji, largest german motovlogger just passed 1 Million subs. For a german only vlogger that is absolutely insane. Again, single camera on the side of the helmet. Terrible audio as well.

Content matters, nothing else.

You're right - content is king! I like the extra angles, and worked around most of the extra editing time so it's not a big deal for me.

-John

 

[R-Rated]

You're right - content is king! I like the extra angles, and worked around most of the extra editing time so it's not a big deal for me.

-John

You are right @Drakhen99 I did not think there was too much "extra editing" for 360 when compared to mounting different cameras and keeping up with batteries to capture different angles versus just swinging the point of view where you want the audience to see in 360 footage turned 2D.

Having a mix of single POV and multi cams makes sure the content appeals to different members of our audiences and our styles.

I actually had a few viewers express interest in having true 360 vids where they control where they look during scenic rides. Kind of like they are riding for theirself.

 

[Drakhen99]

You are right @Drakhen99 I did not think there was too much "extra editing" for 360 when compared to mounting different cameras and keeping up with batteries to capture different angles versus just swinging the point of view where you want the audience to see in 360 footage turned 2D.

Having a mix of single POV and multi cams makes sure the content appeals to different members of our audiences and our styles.

I actually had a few viewers express interest in having true 360 vids where they control where they look during scenic rides. Kind of like they are riding for theirself.

This is one area of motovlogging where I did a lot of research before buying a camera. What I found was that the preferred method was to edit in the camera maker's app and then incorporate THAT into your editing workflow... which was a non-starter for me. I didn't want to have to go through all the footage twice if I didn't have to. That's how I found the Reframe360 plugin for Resolve, and even tested it out with non-360 footage before purchasing my GoPro Max. Also, it's why I created my video on editing 360 footage in Resolve - to help others speed up their workflow, if possible.

The extra camera angles are cool - I have a video coming out soon [well, it's uploaded, I just need a spot in the schedule for it], wherein I had all 4 of my GoPros going at once, and even on-screen all at once... that was, challenging, let's say, for my computer.

The 360 videos where the viewer can pick their angle? That's awesome, I just never figured out how to do it and incorporate my helmet mic for decent audio. One day, maybe.

-John

 

[R-Rated]

This is one area of motovlogging where I did a lot of research before buying a camera.

....

The 360 videos where the viewer can pick their angle? That's awesome, I just never figured out how to do it and incorporate my helmet mic for decent audio. One day, maybe.

-John

I know you do research a lot before you just follow along. A lot of us here do on some level.

Cool plug for Reslove making things easy for the creators.

YouTube allows the viewer to control the point of view for 360 videos.

I wrote back and forth to GoPro for months because I needed to figure out on some of the off the bike videos on how to get where the audio would turn with the view of the camera. Nothing like the viewer having the waterfall ahead and slightly left on the stereo sound and then when I move the camera over and down passed the overhang, the sound stayed the same.

If I do make the true 360's again then I plan on forgoing the 360 audio and just use a traditional mic.

 

[Drakhen99]

I know you do research a lot before you just follow along. A lot of us here do on some level.

Cool plug for Reslove making things easy for the creators.

YouTube allows the viewer to control the point of view for 360 videos.

I wrote back and forth to GoPro for months because I needed to figure out on some of the off the bike videos on how to get where the audio would turn with the view of the camera. Nothing like the viewer having the waterfall ahead and slightly left on the stereo sound and then when I move the camera over and down passed the overhang, the sound stayed the same.

If I do make the true 360's again then I plan on forgoing the 360 audio and just use a traditional mic.

Thanks man - I wasn't gonna drop $400 on a camera without knowing I could use it the way I wanted

That's wild that the audio doesn't change when you turn the virtual camera - I had no idea [I don't think I've ever used the audio from the Max].

I guess I never figured it out because I would want to do the same thing - tie another mic's audio to the Max's 360 footage... and it wasn't high priority enough to figure out. If you DO figure it out, I am 100% interested in hearing how you did it!

-John

 

[R-Rated]

That's wild that the audio doesn't change when you turn the virtual camera - I had no idea [I don't think I've ever used the audio from the Max].

I guess I never figured it out because I would want to do the same thing - tie another mic's audio to the Max's 360 footage... and it wasn't high priority enough to figure out. If you DO figure it out, I am 100% interested in hearing how you did it!

-John

So far the latest from GoPro in my ever-growing email chain is NOT use horizon level and/or world lock. So basically that is where I started on the first test footage I sent them.

 

[Drakhen99]

So far the latest from GoPro in my ever-growing email chain is NOT use horizon level and/or world lock. So basically that is where I started on the first test footage I sent them.

Ahh, that makes sense, but wouldn't work for how I use the camera... so I'll just keep doing what I'm doing, and ignore the Max audio.

-John

 

[Moto Mengy]

I second what Hippo said, I have the Insta360 One X2 and I absolutely love it, BUT if I had to recommend a new 360 camera for a motovlogger I'd say get the Insta360 One X3. I don't think motovloggers need the modular design of the RS. The X3 is a slight improvement over the X2, not enough to make me upgrade mine, but if someone was buying new the X3 is the best choice IMHO.

I also use a Hero 7 and a Hero 8, but I like my One X2 the best out of my three cameras. Both Hero's have given me problems from time to time, yet my One X2 has been absolutely flawless, never a single issue at all. Great battery life, excellent software which is super easy to use, the thing just works. My only real complaint is I wish it filmed at higher resolution, which the X3 does but not by very much.