- Vlogging with an action camera
has become extremely popular over the last few years.
Demand for online content has infinitely grown,
and humans now spend more time
than ever scrolling their devices.
Our ability to document, edit,
and upload has become a daily process.
I mean, for me, what started as a way
to capture underwater footage,
something no other accessible
camera could achieve at the time,
has become more of a staple choice
for everyday content creation.
For travelers, outdoor enthusiasts,
and active families, in 2021,
the action camera was their tool of choice,
for a plethora of reasons.
Compared to the handy cam of 1990
or even the point and shoot of 2010,
action cameras like GoPro, DJI, and Insta360,
have drastically improved their product offerings.
And now are largely capable of capturing
so much more than just our goofy family moments.
Spend three minutes on a launch video
of one of these products,
and you'll see life being lived
and seemingly captured
in an incredible variety of environments.
These cameras are cheap,
far more rugged than your cellphone,
drastically smaller than a DSLR,
and arguably easy to operate.
In this video, I wanted to help you
explore these tools a little further
and dissect very much, in my opinion,
which action camera I believe is the best
for vlogging in 2022.
Let's just pull it up a bit,
so they're all in line about the same height.
All the lenses are filming from about the same height.
There we go.
Here we go.
Kitchen coffee styles.
So something to keep in mind with this shot,
I think this is a really good example
of what each of these cameras are capable of achieving.
When it comes to action cameras,
I have selected these three,
the GoPro HERO10, latest offering from GoPro,
the DJI Action 2,
and the Insta360 One R.
Now, when I'm referring to the Insta360,
I am mostly referring to the One R 1-inch mod,
because I believe that mod offers
the best specs when it comes to an action camera.
However, you can also buy this camera in a 4K mod,
it's a modular system,
so you can buy twin editions and various accessories.
What I would like you to focus on
in this comparison is the simplicities
of audio, of visuals, being the color,
and the crispness or quality of the shot,
and the focus.
So something which you might find interesting
is that the closer that I get,
the Insta360 One R 1-inch,
will probably look worse and worse.
Now that is purely because on the 1-inch this is...
I guess this is a challenge of science,
when you have the biggest sensor.
So far, the action cameras are unable
to create infinite focal length
as the sensor size grows.
So the reason why someone like DJI and GoPro
are maintaining these smaller sensors
and not opting to put a full frame sensor
into seemingly tiny form factor
is because, scientifically,
you can't get everything always in focus.
Now that is one of,
I think defeats of this technology,
is having something
which you can purely just turn on and capture.
I'm just gonna shuffle the cameras now.
So GoPro switch.
When it comes to video specs,
I think the first important thing to mention,
one what you've probably seen,
in that previous example of all three clips on screen
is the sensor size.
Now, when we look at the Insta360,
yes, this has the biggest image sensor,
but one of the reasons as to why I would stay clear
of using this as my vlogging camera
and why I don't vlog on this
is because of the fact that it has
that 90-centimeter minimum focusing length.
So being brutally honest,
looking at the pros and cons,
there are a lot of pros to using
the Insta360 One R 1-inch.
The biggest sensor does give you
better low light capabilities,
but this isn't about awesome specs.
This video is purely about vlogging.
And when it comes to vlogging,
the key areas that I focus on
are audio and video and the entire package,
and the fact that I'm not able
to just hold my arms length out
and capture myself in focus
is why I don't use this for vlogging.
So ruling out the Insta360 One R.
Something else that I also wanna say,
just before we move on to the next two
and why I would put the next two side by side
is that this is also the oldest product out of the three.
The Insta360 One R was released
in January, 2020 or roundabouts.
So you've got to come to expect
that the company are probably working
on improvements for this camera.
So if you are a big fan
of the modularity of this system,
then maybe I would wait
and see what Insta360 have in the pipeline.
However, if you're looking to buy an action camera
to go vlogging on your travel straight away,
let's further discuss two options.
The whole point of making this video
is to give you a better understanding of these three tools.
And hopefully through watching this,
you are able to make up your own mind and opinion,
as to which product best suits you or you prefer.
(speaking French)
When it comes to order your quality,
both the GoPro HERO10
and the DJI Action 2 have great audio pickup.
So as I put the coffee forwards,
I think DJI and the GoPro will keep this in focus,
whereas the...
Yeah, whereas the Insta360,
it will be out of focus.
So I think what's probably acceptable
is roundabout here.
I think the minimum is 30 centimeters for both of these.
So everything should be in focus on these two cameras,
whereas they won't be in focus on that.
So that's a point.
My opinion of the two is I do think
that the GoPro has a slightly better audio pickup.
Now that is only because I have had more experience
with shooting on GoPro.
When we look at audio and we compare,
I guess, all three of these products for vlogging,
something that I think DJI
and Insta360 do better than GoPro in this space
is the fact that you can improve the audio
for slightly cheaper.
With the Insta360 One R,
you can just buy a very cheap USBC audio pickup,
which will sit in there
and you can add an external microphone.
With the DJI Action 2,
the audio and the external audio
is accessible via USB-C.
Now this opens up a range of opportunity
for using the camera as a studio camera
or for just the capabilities
that USB-C bring with podcasting microphones.
For example, you could use this microphone right here
with the DJI Action,
which you couldn't use with the GoPro.
Too, too, too, too, too, too.
Testing, testing, testing.
Okay, so when I talk into the mic, it's good.
Let see how this drastically increases.
Too, too, too.
So let's say I wanted to record a podcast
or some music or if I was just...
This is a pretty good setup, I think.
However if you are looking to improve your GoPro audio,
you can do so by using the GoPro Media Nod.
Now, yes, this is the old HERO8.
However, the Media Mod is now available
for the GoPro 10.
And quite simply, you have a USB-C charger.
You have a...
I think it's a three mill audio jack right there,
so you can quite easily improve the audio
by mounting something
like this Deity shotgun microphone to it.
Yes, I would recommend something like the Deity
as a great microphone for vloggers,
because you can get the pickup
both at the back using this back microphone
and at the front.
So with one flick of a button,
you are able to use this duo polarity
from recording both and at the front.
So you're not gonna have that problem of
when you do speak to camera
or you turn the camera,
that the audio won't pick up.
To summarize audio,
something that I believe is beneficial
to creating fun content
is the fact that you don't need a setup like this.
The fact that you can just quite simply
pick the camera up and record something awesome
when you are conscious of your environment.
You know the saying,
"The best camera is the one
that is always on you."
Putting this in your pocket is a lot easier
than putting this in your pocket.
So when it comes to audio,
these are my pick over this.
You can check out the full comparison
that we've done up here in the cards.
The audio on both of these in multiple environments
sounds really, really good.
So for those of you that are looking
to do some more active vlogs outside,
this could give you a good indication
of what the wind sounds like.
It's pretty windy.
There's...
Oh, there's a car coming.
And I'm so stoked to see the sun.
It has been a long time without some sun.
It's been like a week or two.
I guess, lastly, let's analyze the creative features.
Each of these products
have their own form of in-camera stability.
All of which I think are amazing for capturing motion.
I would not recommend getting an electronic gimbal
for any of these products.
I think the, in-camera stability,
the electronic image stabilization
paired with post-production software,
like if you were to use a warp stabilizer
in Premiere Pro
or if you were to use something like ReelSteady,
which is a software which can further stabilize
your action camera footage.
That for me, does the job.
I do not use gimbals when it comes to action cameras.
So when it comes to their creative features,
all of these have a range of creative features.
They're all capable of capture timelapses.
They are all capable of capturing hyperlapses.
Something that I would keep in mind
when it comes to these creative features
is really what your use case is.
If you really wanted to focus on timelapse,
then I would probably recommend 1-inch
as it is the biggest sensor
and you would be able to capture better timelapses,
better in terms of picture quality,
maybe not in terms of look
or feel or even style.
When it comes to timelapses on the GoPro
or even the DJI Action 2,
you have a different field of view.
And that field of view,
whether it's 155 degree field of view,
narrow linear, wide, or super view on the GoPro
will have a different impact
on the creative direction of your content.
So in terms of creative features all offer a range.
Here's where I think the cameras differ.
First of all, the GoPro and Insta360
are capable of changing batteries.
Now, if you were to be shooting all day, every day,
these two cameras you can just keep
switching out the batteries.
Whereas with the DJI Action 2,
you have a fixed battery life.
This also means you have this internal storage
which these don't, they have SD cards storage.
And you have the additional storage at the bottom.
So if you were to be shooting a lot of content
and you wanted to really create road trip content,
and I mean, multiple days,
then I would probably steer away from this,
just because you don't have the ability
to switch out the batteries and change the batteries
as much as a pro
or someone professional would be using these cameras.
The very last thing that I'll touch on
in terms of creative features is the screen.
And when it comes to vlogging
I believe the screen is imperative.
All of which give you access
to having a front-facing screen.
So you can frame up your shot
whilst you are trying to take your piece to camera.
However, the DJI and the GoPro
have the two screens, both front and back,
which the Insta360 One R 1-inch doesn't.
Yes, it's modular, so you can change it.
However you have to make that decision
and it is a bit annoying to pull it apart
and flip it around,
just if you wanna change the screen.
So to summarize this video, I guess,
for vloggers I don't recommend
the Insta360 One R 1-inch.
I definitely recommend either the DJI or the GoPro.
And that would really depend
on what your use case is.
The reason why I would probably recommend
the GoPro as the best camera for vlogging
is the fact that, well,
one, you can change the battery,
which you can't do on the DJI.
You have more use cases in terms of digital lenses
and you have more color profiles.
You just have more creative features.
When I go to make a vlog, I will mention
that I don't really like to change the color profile.
I just like to keep it on the normal
or GoPro color profile.
So that mightn't be something
that worries you either.
When it comes to audio,
the audio pickup on GoPro is really great.
If studio recording was something
that you wanted to do,
then I think USB-C input
on the DJI Action 2 is great.
The thing I don't like about the Action 2
in which I think the GoPro wins overall
is the 155 degree field of view.
When it comes to vlogging, I believe
and I think my preference isn't this wide,
super wide field of view.
When it comes to vlogging,
I prefer to use something linear or wide,
as opposed to super view.
And 155 degree field of view
is just simply too wide in my case.
All in all, I hope this video
has given you some insights and information
as to which camera made better suit your needs.
If you have liked the video,
please punch that thumbs up button,
subscribe to the channel,
and check out some other videos
that we've linked on both these products
in the description up here in the cards.
Thanks for sharing the stoke.
And I'll see you guys in the next upload.
JR, peace.
(upbeat music)