Choosing the right action camera can be tough.
Do you go for the tried-and-true GoPro or venture into the world of 360 cameras with the Insta360 X4? I recently put these two popular cameras to the test, mounting them both on the wing of my Cessna 172 aircraft to compare their performance in real-world conditions. Here’s what I discovered:
Mounting and Setup
The GoPro was securely fastened to the tie-down ring at the top of the strut. Meanwhile, the Insta360 was attached to the strut itself using a six-inch stainless steel extension rod. This setup allowed for a fair side-by-side comparison.
Color Profiles and Image Quality
One of the first things I noticed was the difference in color profiles. The GoPro’s Log profile is significantly flatter than the Insta360’s “Flat” profile. To get a better look at the image, I increased the contrast and saturation for the GoPro footage in post-production. I also needed to apply a 500K color correction to match the X4.
Overall, both cameras did a good job capturing details around the marina by the airport. At first glance, the Insta360 footage appears more detailed, but this results from over-sharpening. When you zoom in, it becomes clear that the Insta360 footage appears “crunchy,” with noticeable artifacts, whereas the GoPro footage looks smoother. However, at wider crops, the Insta360 footage can still look decent. If you prefer a sharper look, you can always add sharpening to the GoPro footage in post-production.
Field of View
The field of view is dramatically different between the two cameras. The Insta360 X4 captures a full 360 by 180-degree spherical image, while the GoPro has a more traditional field of view. In the 8:7 “Open Gate” aspect ratio with HyperSmooth enabled, the GoPro’s wide lens field of view is approximately 113 x 100 degrees.
Resolution
The GoPro video resolution is 5312 x 4648 pixels, which yields a 5.3K image. The Insta360 X4 is advertised as having “8K resolution,” but this requires some context. The full 360-degree spherical video is 7680 x 3840 pixels, resulting in a 7.7K resolution. I suspect that the “8K” was rounded up by their marketing team. Unless you’re producing videos for viewing in VR goggles, you’ll always have to crop the spherical image before delivery. The resolution drops significantly when you crop in to match the GoPro’s framing. Instead of 8K, the usable resolution drops to around 2.7K.
Understanding the 360 Image
The Insta360’s 360 videos are composed of two circular fisheye images, each captured on a separate 4K sensor. You can open a low-resolution “.lrv” video file to view these two circular frames. The problem lies at the edges of these circles, where the image quality degrades substantially. As with any lens, optical quality is poorest at the periphery.
Most Insta360 footage you see is not in this dual fisheye format. Instead, the camera applies a rectilinear projection to render a flat image. Each image circle gets stretched into a square format. Then, the two squares are combined to form a rectangular image with a 2 by 1 ratio. Think of it like flattening the two hemispheres of a world globe into a Mercator map. Just as that transformation distorts the map’s poles, the top and bottom of the 360 rectilinear image are also stretched. For the best results, you must carefully orient the X4 camera to avoid placing key subjects near the “stitch line,” where the two lenses meet.
Single Lens vs. Dual Lens
In contrast, the GoPro uses a single lens with a much narrower field of view, so it’s easier to get consistent image quality across the entire frame.
ND Filters
The GoPro has another advantage: the ability to attach ND (neutral density) filters, often called “prop filters”. With the camera set to 100 ISO on a bright day, these filters will force a reduction in shutter speed, creating a more natural-looking motion blur for the propeller. Unfortunately, the Insta360’s hemispherical lenses don’t support traditional flat ND filters. And no third-party hemispherical ND filters currently exist.
Dynamic Range and Flexibility
I also flew over a small lake near the airport to test the dynamic range. The GoPro wasn’t pointing where I thought, so it only recorded part of the lake. With the Insta360, this wasn’t an issue. I could adjust the framing in post-production to center the lake perfectly. This highlights a key advantage of the Insta360: flexibility. If you’re filming dynamic scenes, such as aerial maneuvers or formation flying, the Insta360’s all-encompassing field of view ensures you’ll never miss the shot.
Low Light Performance
I didn’t test the low-light performance of the cameras during this flight, but based on my past experiences, neither of these cameras is particularly good at night. Their tiny 1 over 2” sized sensors are simply too small to capture sufficient light. If I had to choose one, it would be the X4, but the resulting images are still quite disappointing. For better results, it’s advisable to use a full-frame mirrorless camera at night.
Stabilization
The GoPro’s HyperSmooth stabilization does a reasonable job of eliminating most vibrations but struggles to keep the horizon level during turns through larger angles. On the other hand, the Insta360’s FlowState stabilization can compensate for motion in all directions, including extreme shifts in angle, because it captures a complete spherical image. Regardless of the aircraft’s movements, the horizon remains perfectly level.
Conclusion
Each camera has its strengths and is suited to different missions. The GoPro offers “point and shoot” simplicity with consistent image quality across its narrower field of view. Plus, it allows the attachment of ND filters to render smoother, more natural-looking propellers. Meanwhile, the Insta360 offers unmatched versatility in framing, but this comes with a cost in image quality and editing time, because every video requires some post-processing.
Which Camera is Right for You?
Choosing between them ultimately depends on your needs. Consider the type of footage you plan to capture, your post-processing workflow, and your desired level of flexibility.
I hope this comparison helps you make an informed decision.