> These days other brands give better quality video in better quality hardware and more functionality, for cheaper.

I had a GoPro many years ago. Eventually sold it because I needed the money for other things.

Been thinking about buying a new action camera eventually.

Got any recommendations?

The one that interests me the most of the ones I’ve seen is the Insta360 X4 Air plus an underwater case for it.

I want to be able to bring my camera swimming, bicycling, hiking, etc. And I think 360 degree cameras are pretty cool. Hopefully it’s not just a gimmick that loses its appeal after a few hours.

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bartread 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

As someone who watches a reasonable amount of PoV outdoor activity footage shot on helmet cams and the like (base jumping, mountain biking, skiing, snowboarding, etc)… I don’t love watching 360 videos uploaded in the raw because of the perspective distortion.

I’m assuming it must be possible, if the resolution is good enough, to post process a portion of each overall frame into an undistorted 1080p (or better) view of the key view of the action, but a lot of people don’t do this (perhaps it’s much more difficult or time-consuming that I’m imagining, or perhaps many viewers enjoy the distorted 360 view more than I do).

Just my two cents, YMMV, etc.

	▲	rdiddly an hour ago \| parent [-]
		Yes it's possible, and yes it's time-consuming.

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LeifCarrotson 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

If you're willing to put a little time into video editing, a 360 cam is great. The insta360 tools can make that a little easier if you want something simple.

If you just want to store a snapshot of the moment as it was captured, a regular camera that you pointed in the right direction is better.

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Saris 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

The downside is the 360 editing tools are kind of sluggish and not great to work with, and even at 8k res in-camera, the export for a 'normal' looking FoV is pretty low quality compared to a normal action cam recording in 4k.

I have an insta360 X5, it's neat and there's a lot of flexibility, but it does have downsides.

The app is also a pile of crap, it's crammed full of ads, social media junk I don't want, it's slow as molasses, and the size of the app is massive.

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herbst 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

I'd love to film in 3d. But being dependent on a single app of a single company (that is not even a good app right now) is literally the worst feature for a hardware I could imagine.

	▲	dylan604 41 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		Why are you dependent on a single app? Pretty much any NLE has ability to edit 3D footage.