Insta360, best known for their 360 camera, recently released an update to their Insta360
Go action camera, the Go 2.
This is not a 360 camera but is instead similar to a GoPro with one main difference, and that
is that it is tiny.
The Go 2 builds on the success of the original Insta360 Go, but with some important updates
that bring it more inline with the specs of the GoPro but in a much smaller form factor
and at a slightly lower price.
In this video I’m going to take a look at how the Go2 stacks up against the GoPro in
terms of features and image quality, I’ll talk about the post-production workflow or
the Go2, and where I personally see this fitting into my filmmaking toolbox.
I’m not going to do a full review of every single feature in detail because there have
already been a ton of those released on YouTube in the past few days.
Instead, I’m going to focus on the features and use cases most relevant to trail runners
and adventure filmmakers like myself.
Let me start by saying for full disclosure that Insta360 did send me this camera for
free to test out in advance of its release, but they did not pay me to review it and had
control over what I would say.
And as you'll see in this video, while I think there are some great positives about this
camera, there are also a lot of limitations.
If you’re new to the channel, my name is Jeff Pelletier and I’m a trail runner and
filmmaker based in Vancouver, Canada.
I love telling stories about my experiences on the trail, including races and self supported
adventures.
Even though I’m a professional video producer by trade, for me it’s never just about the
quality of a camera when it comes to my adventure films.
I also consider size, weight and ease of use.
And that is where the Insta360 Go 2 really shines.
The first thing that struck me was just how tiny this thing really is.
And the camera itself weighs only 26 grams or just under an ounce.
This means you can clip it in places and get shots that even a GoPro can’t.
It comes with a bunch of different clips and they also sent me some optional GoPro mount
adapters so I was able to use it with my existing GoPro handles and mounts.
The camera is actually magnetic as well which makes it really easy to clip in and out of
some of the mounting brackets, and to stick directly to metal surfaces to get some pretty
unique shots.
When compared directly to the GoPro Hero 8 and especially the larger Hero 9, you can
see just how small and light this really is.
The GoPro Hero 9 with a battery and card weighs 159 grams or 5.6 ounces, which is more than
6 times the weight of the Insta360 Go 2.
Of course, the GoPro Hero 9 has not only a large rear facing screen, but also a front-facing
screen, while the Go 2 has neither.
It requires instead the use of the Insta360 app to preview your shots which I’ll talk
about in more detail later in the video.
Something else to keep in mind though is that you will in most cases still need to carry
the charging case with you, so this extra bulk and weight needs to be considered as
well if you’re counting grams like me.
But including Go 2 case and camera combined still only weight 89 grams or 3 ounces, and
in a smaller form factor than the GoPro Hero 9.
One thing to note is that while the camera is completely waterproof, the charging case
is not which is a bit of a shame and means that I'll need to keep it in a ziplock bag
in my pack when on the trails.
The Go 2 is capable of filming at a couple of different resolutions and in a couple of
different modes, but let me simplify it for you and say right away that you’re going
to want to film in its highest resolution of 1440p and in what’s called Pro Mode which
unlocks the camera’s flow state stabilization.
While there is no 4K option, 1440p is plenty for social videos and I think in many cases
even for adventures films as well.
For many of my own films, I capture most of my footage in 2.7k on the GoPro if I'm worried
I might run out of space while spending a few days on the trail.
But I have to be honest, I would have loved to have seen a 4K option as well here like
many of the other cameras around this price point.
The Go 2 also doesn’t have a removable battery like the GoPro, relying instead on an internal
rechargeable battery capable of up to 30 minutes of recording time at 1440p in Pro video mode.
You can then recharge the camera using the included case which takes about 35 minutes,
much like a pair of apple AirPods.
This makes it really easy and cost effective to use for the more casual user who could
then charge the camera in its case when it’s not in use.
But right away this tells me that I likely won’t be relying on it as a primary camera
for longer adventures where I would prefer to carry a handful of spare batteries like
I do for my GoPro.
Similarly, the camera relies on internal storage instead of a removable MicroSD card like on
a GoPro.
It’s capable of recording up to about 30 minutes of footage at 1440p in Pro mode on
its built-in 32 GB of storage, so basically a single battery charge worth of footage.
For some people this may be plenty of space, but I typically shoot at least an hour of
footage per day, so again this is going to prevent me from relying solely on this camera
to tell stories, especially when I'm out for more than a day on the trail.
I'd really have expected to see a lot more storage in this camera, or preferably even
the option for removable MicroSD cards.
But I understand why this limitation exists.
There's likely just no way to fit all of that into such a small camera without having both
the battery and memory fully integrated, so this is definitely where a tradeoff exists
between features and size.
But I really wanted to do was to put the camera to the test in order to look not just at the
stabilization but also at the image quality.
And not only on a bright day but also in low light, because that’s where these action
cameras with their small sensors really tend to struggle, and the GoPro is no exception.
So with there being so much snow here in the mountains, the first test footage I shot was
on skis in the backcountry.
And here it performed really well, as I expected it would.
Right away I noticed how much lighter it felt on my helmet.
In fact, I couldn’t even tell it was there and kept worrying I'd lost it, whereas when
wearing a GoPro you can definitely feel it.
This footage was filmed at 1440p in Pro mode with the default Vivid colour setting with
no additional colour correction done at all.
But my main use case for action cameras is for running.
So I then took it to the track for a side-by-side comparison with the GoPro Hero 9 using this
dual camera adapter for my GoPro handle.
This time I set the camera to LOG which is similar to the flat setting on the GoPro but
even flatter.
Now this might look horrible to the untrained eye, but a professional will know that the
flatter of an image the better in order to preserve the most information possible so
that the footage can then be graded in post-production.
I always film in flat colour on the GoPro and it’s how I get such good exposure in
my footage.
I’ve left this footage in log and the GoPro footage in flat with no colour correction,
because I wanted you to focus on the stabilization and not on the colour saturation or contrast
which can be easily changed in post-production when working with either camera.
I’ve also left both cameras in full auto mode in terms of exposure.
Now like the GoPro, the Go2 does allow you to manually set the ISO and shutter speed,
as well as the white balance.
This will definitely provide much better results under certain conditions, but even I typically
leave these settings on auto when filming on the run because lighting conditions can
be just too variable and I don’t want to have to keep stopping to adjust these settings,
I don’t want my camera to be a distraction.
So I figured my test footage should reflect this as well.
In a side by side comparison with the GoPro, I think it actually provides an even more
stable image.
It's got a similar Horizon lock feature like the GoPro Hero 9, and with a similar wide
Field of view.
I then took it out on the trails to see how it would perform under lower light conditions.
And again, this is just on the default exposure settings so it may be possible to get better
results with certain manual settings but it’s important for me to see how the camera performs
naturally.
Something I learned early on in working with GoPros is that stabilization on these little
action cameras relies heavily on having a fast shutter speed.
When filming in lower light the camera is forced to use a slower shutter speed in order
to expose the image for longer, which is why the stabilization is such a problem.
Now let’s talk about post-production.
Just like with the Insta360 One X, footage from the Go2 can be edited directly in the
mobile app, or in the Insta360 studio software on a Mac or PC.
You can also get a plug-in that allows you to work with your footage directly in Adobe
premiere and after effects, although be warned that this can cause problems with After Effects
in working with GoPro footage.
Rendering can take time, but it's something that can be queued up and left overnight.
You'll just need to factor this time into your workflow when planning your edit.
Another point for the GO 2 though here, is that you can export from Insta360 studio in
Apple ProRes format instead of just mp4, which is a really nice feature for us professionals.
But what's really cool is that when filming in Pro Video mode the Go2 records what is
essentially a 180 degree perspective.
This means that you can change the field of view as well as both the stabilization and
horizon lock options and even the orientation between vertical and landscape later in the
software, no matter what you may have had it set to while recording.
This is definitely not possible on the GoPro where what you film is what you get, and there
is no loss in quality from what I can tell when changing these settings after the fact.
The original video file is actually in 2880x2880 resolution, so when you change the FOV it’s
actually got pixels to spare before rendering the final 1440p image.
Okay so time for my final thoughts here on this camera.
First of all, will it replace my GoPro entirely?
Definitely not.
I need the ability to swap out batteries and memory cards for my multi day adventures.
But I do see a place for it in my toolkit.
There are many times when even a GoPro is too large and heavy to bother carrying with
me, and that’s when I’ll likely reach for the Go2.
In fact, it’s so small that I’ll may start to just throw the camera itself in my pack
when in doubt, even without the charging case, just in case I need a second angle and to
serve as a backup to my GoPro, or on days when I might not otherwise want to bother
carrying a camera.
I think this is where the Go2 really shines, for those shots you can’t otherwise get.
For example, you could easily clip this to the brim of your hat, on the end of a running
pole, or directly on your running vest.
It’s so unobtrusive that it won’t be super obvious to those around you that you’re
filming as it is when holding a GoPro.
I could see leaving this hooked on to my running vest basically the whole time during a race,
so that I can just really quickly tap the button to start recording when I’m on a
really cool technical section of trail where I wouldn’t otherwise want to bother getting
out my GoPro and having to hold it, or really anytime I might want some footage but need
both of my hands like at an aid station.
Similarly, for any sports that I want some no hands POV footage where I’m not wearing
a helmet and therefore can’t or just don’t want to mount a larger GoPro to my head.
But at a price similar now to the GoPro Hero 8, you're going to have to decide for yourself
whether it would make sense to buy this camera to simply supplement your other cameras.
I see it much like a drone, where you may not use it very often, but when you do you'll
be glad you have it.
These kinds of tools can help to get really interesting angles and to capture footage
in circumstances we might not otherwise be able to, allowing us to tell more engaging
and immersive stories.
You can definitely expect to see shots from this camera in my future films.
So what do you think, would you see a place for this in your filmmaking toolkit?
Or do you think this could even meet your needs as a primary action camera?
Tell me about it in the comments below, and if you found this video helpful then do me
a favour and give it a like.
I’ve got a similar review in the works of the Insta360 One X mark II, the newest 360
camera from Insta so stay tuned for that.
Until then, remember the best camera is the one you have on you.