Insta360 - GO Ultra

The go ultra is the current king of tiny cameras. I like the ace pro 2 but it's a little bigger. But for your battery life requirement you might need the action 5 pro.

**TLDR: 360 camera for the least amount on work in the moment. PM me I can private share you some of the videos I've taken of my kids so you can kind of see what it will be like** I have multiple young kids and am often watching them all by myself. I'm also a gear addict so I've tried all of the types of cameras you are looking at and use them all, but if I were to pick one camera to bring with me it would be the 360 camera. So overall, I recommend the X5 or X4 Air (which is lighter and cheaper, but a little less image quality and less battery life as a tradeoff). While 360 camera, you can kind of set it and forget it and then pull out some moments later on your computer/phone whenever you have time (i.e. when the kids are in bed). Insta360 desktop app offers "deep tracking" which lets you pick a person and it will do all the processing for you, although you need to let it run in real time. The mobile app has something similar and against you just kind of pick a face and let it work on the video. There is a new app that is polarizing, but supposedly you kind of let the app do most of the work for you (again with face tracking). You can either hold the camera on a selfie stick, or set it up on a tripod on a table (that's what I do for birthday song videos), clamp it to your stroller, or even stick it on your backpack and just have it start recording - **because it is recording a spherical 360 video of the entire scene, it will always get something** \- although ideally it is 3-10 feet away from you or your kids otherwise they will be kind of small in the frame. After that at night you can scrub/fast forward through the long video and cut out a few clips that you like. Sometimes if there is a stationary object that changes over time (a birthday cake disappearing as it is eaten or a sand castle being built) and I will turn the video into a timelapse by speeding up the video. If that feels like too much work, the X5 has "Me Mode" and "InstaFrame Mode" which does all of this in camera and gives you are video that is ready to share (although you still might want to trim it a bit). "Me Mode" automatically crops from the spherical to a 16:9 4K video that tracks down the selfie stick which pretty much guarantees you will be in the video (since you are holding the selfie stick). You can also flip the direction so Me Mode so that instead of recording whatever the handle of the stick is pointing at, if records whatever the stick is pointing at (think of it like a magic wand) that makes it very easy to make sure your subject is in the video frame when recording. "Instaframe" basically focuses on the first face it see and keeps tracking that throughout the video. The drawback is that I think the resolution is lower (1080p) - overall, that is one of the major tradeoffs you are doing, the **video quality from a 360 camera is always going to be less than the other types of camera for the flexibility in subject framing.** In terms of gear, just starting need the camera and make the 2-in-1 tripod-selfie stick. Maybe get a clamp mount so you can clip the 360 camera to your stroller (or backpack shoulder strap). So that's the 360 camera. There is also the small POV camera. Those are great for hands free videos, but I ironically find they take more mental work because you need to consciously setup the framing a lot more (i.e. have the camera mounted on your head/chest, turn them on and try not to shake your head or shirt too much and you might point the camera too high/low). They are great for 5-15 second clips though (I record it playing with the kids whether it is tag, frisbee/ball with the kids, or just hugs). There is less battery life though so I am personally more judicious with using them. Between Insta360 Go Ultra and the DJI Nano - I recommend the Ultra because it has a SD card in the camera itself. The DJI Nano stores the video to internal memory, which then you need to manually transfer to the SD card in the docking module because it won't store to the SD card directly (source: http://dji.com/nano/faq). Finally there is the Osmo Pocket 3, that has the best video quality, the best stabilization and pretty good subject tracking... but with it's not so wide angle view I found it require the most fiddling with. It is good if you can set it on a table/tripod at home and then select your crawling baby as a subject and just let it play, but I like the faster option of setting up the 360 camera and just pressing the record button (quickcapture will turn on the camera and start recording in like 2 seconds and then turn off the camera when you press record again).

I have an iPhone 16 pro and have been using it on the daily. But I like the Go for being a little less in-your-face when I'm vlogging in a shop or restaurant. I also like the feature of the Go automatically taking photos in set intervals during the day. It's an easy way to capture a diary of a busy travel day. I just upgraded to the Ultra for the battery life and the removal SD card.

I use an Insta360 Go as I can pop out the tiny camera bit and mount it on my helmet. It only does about 40-45 mins like that but that's enough for my commute or if I'm with others. Really nice quality. For longer rides I mount the whole thing underslung on my handlebars.

Oh agreed on the app, I just use it to export videos and do any editing on my PC. The mounts aren't entirely magnetic on mine, they just help guide either the full unit or just the camera 'puck' into some physical clips on my handlebar mount or my helmet one. Haven't had a crash yet but it happily stayed put on a rugged mtb ride.

It's actually for me. I love Ray Maker's reviews but I think he is looking at this from his perspective (naturally) but not what many users may have. Ray is a full time reviewer of tech equipment and a growing YouTuber so he is willing and able to use larger cameras to get exactly the quality he wants and is also willing to own extra smaller cameras just for behinds the scenes B roll footage. On the other hand I'm just a middle aged guy documenting my travels and "adventures" that I use the term loosely. I very much want a small POV camera that doesn't draw too much attention from others (ok maybe my wife who will think I'm ridiculous lol) but still has all the features of a regular mainstream action camera and the quality of it too. You might see in side by side images that the Ace Pro 2 (and I'm sure even more so in the coming Ace Pro 3) that it still has the edge but after looking at countless examples side by side in 4K now it sure looks like the Ultra is 95% the same image and I'd never be able to tell if not side by side. Swapping batteries for a regular guy like me isn't a big deal because I'll likely never film more that a couple hours in a day and if I do the fact this can charge via a power bank to 80% in under 15 minutes makes it for me a non factor. You could argue the answer is to own both a regular action camera AND a smaller GO camera but I don't want to bring multiple cameras on a trip etc. I feel finally with the GO Ultra I have fun POV and magnetic mounting options built in and when I want I can use it as a conventional action camera and all with no real noticeable loss in quality vs the big boys.

The Go Ultra is exactly what you want.

Absolutely you can use it 200 minutes non stop in the hub as a more conventional action camera.

Purchased it and most of the accessories. This will be my primary action camera replacing the Ace Pro 2 (which I'll sell). The smaller size and ability to get even smaller with the camera pod yet maintain excellent image quality is the reason for the purchase. I do have a 3S I likely will also sell but I have to admit I'm tempted to keep it just for running bill of the cap uses since it is much lower profile (doesn't look like a headlamp) but I suspect I'll still sell it and embrace the bigger size on my hat. The size elsewhere is not a factor for my use cases and being thinner than the 3S things like wearing it on my shirt etc I think look actually better.

I bought Go Ultra yesterday... Have a bikepark trip this weekend, couldn't wait longer so pulled a trigger I will report here with any "issues" I come across (hopefully not many) As for privacy, ah well... I know what you mean, but IDK if there's such outside main brands and offering decent quality.

Thanks for reminding me to leave a comment! Initial impressions when I just opened the box was: "Wow, that small?!" How the hell? What? Sooo small. Even to this date I am amazed by the size. The magnet is very strong. It helps with slotting it in to the pod, also to hold on the pendant. Video quality more than sufficient for what I will use it for. A lot of recording modes and manual settings. Settings are all laid out super easy and screen is very responsive. Button control easy as well. Now on to actual recording: you need some time to get used to the chimes (sounds) and what which means if you camera is mounted on helmet. If camera is 'sleeping' and you start recording you need to realize when it finishes it goes back to sleep so you cannot 'talk to her' (to stop/start). The battery life of camera is not long. You need to keep that in mind and occasionally check battery level. In bikepark this wasn't a problem while on lift. You need more %%, pop it in to the pod. Few things what Internet does not say: Studio 360 (PC app) does not have AI help. Studio 360+ the Cloud storage - does not have AI help Only Mobile app has ability to compile you videos and it does it quite fast and results are good. When it does that you go in and edit further to your liking. To me biggest dissapointment is that PC application does not have AI as Mobile app has. Imho, its ridiculous. Adding speed (and other stats) overlay is very easy, albeit I already found 1 bug and reported to them (on PC Studio 360 it does not display Speed data). Overall 9/10 happy with the camera. I wont post any links to video as internet is full of the quality of it already :) (I recorded always with a recommended Biking preset 4k30fps Action FOV). Hope this helps, if you have ANY questions, hit me up.

That's a valid concern for sure! This Go Ultra looks to have 'protective' lens over the main one. Hopefully I never need to experience it's toughness

I have a GoPro and use it nearly every ride. I only notice the extra drag when I turn my head to the side. If you care about image quality, chin-mounted is the way to go. A camera inside the shield will catch glare. Also, the Insta 360 Go does not have a removable battery. You want removable batteries so you can easily swap them instead of having to carry an external battery pack. Safety-wise, my opinion isn't based on any hard facts, so take it with a grain of salt. I don't think action camera compromise the safety of the helmet as long as you use an adhesive bonded mount. These mounts are not designed to sustain an impact. It would easily tear or break away in a before it does any damage to head or neck. They also have the added benefit of recording evidence in case you're in an accident with another driver. Motorcycles are the striking vehicle more than 9 times out of 10. Without video or witnesses, it's your word against theirs. You'll want footage to prove your innocence.

I'm a Photographer who recently got into videos. I have to point out that the Insta 360 video quality is nowhere like the mirrorless cameras I've had, BUT, it's really about the spontaneous moment captured with it and not the quality that I'm impressed of. I've found footages of myself in the moments of serendipity that I know I will never achieve with any of my mirrorless camera unless somebody is following me around with it. I also tried the Osmo Pocket but I certainly love the convenience of the Insta 360 more because you can choose which frame, back, front, up or down you want to finally edit for posting. Really helpful the 360 view.