Insta360 GO review: A tiny camera in the word of drones

Insta360 GO camera review

The Insta360 GO is a twenty-gram steady camera which you can love or hate from the first usage. Maybe you could feel restrained by its limited features but, if you learn how to use it, it will be a great companion for lots of activities.

Doing some research about Insta360’s product range and who they are, I found out the “We make boldly innovative cameras that help people capture and share their lives” tagline on their website, which I think it perfectly describes their goal. Firstly, Insta360 has been known for making clip-on smartphone 360 degree cameras. Now, besides a wide range of consumer action cams including the One R with interchangeable lenses, they have an impressive portfolio of professional 8K panoramic and VR cameras.

The tiny “GO” is the company’s first non-360 camera. Designed to be worn all day long, it’s small and light enough for you to forget about it. These two aspects are also essential when it comes to installing it on a micro size drone.

Introduction

Insta360 GO review, rating, and samples

Disclosure: I received this tiny action cam as part of a product review collaboration with Insta360. Although the product was offered for free, all the opinions in this review remain my own!

Sent from European store, the camera arrived quick and smooth without any additional taxes. When you pay 200 bucks for such a tiny camera, you expect to receive at least a few accessories with it and the Insta360 GO will not disappoint you at all. It’s packed with a bunch of mounting options including a magnetic pendant.

Insta360 GO camera review: Accessories

At a glance

Featuring an Apple AirPods style charging case with a lighting connector, it is obvious that Insta360 is mainly targeting iPhone owners.

The GO is only a bit bigger than a AA battery. Roughly measures 1.9 x 0.8 x 0.58 inches and weighs a bit less than 20 grams. The charging case provides additional power on the field and protection during transportation. The lightning connector is built-in (can not be replaced) and it is covered by a rubber guard which pops-out easily, unfortunately. There is included a short micro USB – Type C cable which allows connecting the case to Android phones as well.

Insta360 GO camera review: Size

The back of the Insta360 GO is magnetic, allowing easy attaching to metal surfaces. All the mounting accessories are also magnetic in order the allow strong and easy hassle-free attaching. In case you want to use your selfie stick or tripod, there is also a tripod mount included as well.

When you load the GO into the case, it automatically starts to charge (make sure you line up the charging point). The case has a charging level indicator: Green for 80%+, Yellow for 20-80%, and red for less than 20% remaining power.

Insta360 GO charging case

Through the case, you can download your footage to your phone or computer. Unfortunately, it uses some proprietary video format and needs converting before you can watch it or upload it to YouTube. The Insta360 Studio 2020 editing and converting software can be downloaded for free for Windows and Mac computers. You can save your footage into 16:9 (horizontal), 9:16 (vertical) or 1:1 (full size) aspect ratio.

Price and availability

The GO is available for orders since August 2019 at most online retailers. Now, you can order it directly from Insta360 for $199.99. I know, it isn’t exactly cheap, but it does not have any real contender in its weight. For an extra 20 bucks, you can opt for premium care services that give you one free repair or replacement in case any accident happens with your GO. Also, for an extra $10 you can opt to personalize your camera, labeling it with your Instagram account for example. Premium GO Accessory Kit for an extra $29.99 includes Carry Case, Case Cover, Ring Grip, Easy Grip, and Mount Adapter.

Insta360 GO camera review: Price

Insta360 GO highlights

  • Ultra light (only 0.65 ounces \ 18.3 grams) and super compact (1.9 x 0.8 x 0.58 “);
  • IPX4 rated water-resistant (can be immersed in water for up to 1 min);
  • Built-in 8GB storage (~6.7G usable);
  • Gimbal-like 6-axis gyroscopic FlowState stabilization;
  • Slo-mo, Hyperlapse and Timelapse modes;
  • 2720 x 2720@25fps with up 40Mbps (captured);
  • Up to 60 minutes of battery life.

Insta360 Go review: Controls

All the tasks are made through the “Action” button on the back of the GO. To activate the camera you need to press it till you feel two short vibrations. By default, tapping once will take a photo, press twice for a hyper-lapse and three times for 100 fps slow-mo. In standby mode press once to record standard video (15/30/60 seconds). Those who are familiarized with touch-screen controls will take a little time getting used to this kind of operation. Luckily, the button’s actions can be re-configured according to your needs through the mobile APP.

In case needed, a factory reset can be performed by long-pressing for at least 20 seconds.

Insta360 GO button settings

On the front, under the lens, there is an indicator LED which has the following states:

  • Solid white: in standby mode (not charging);
  • White light flashes: Recording;
  • Blue light slowly flashes: Low battery;
  • Solid red: Charging when the camera is off;
  • Blue light rapidly flashes 3 times: Not enough storage;
  • Blue light slowly flashes during a firmware upgrade.

When you connect the Insta360 GO over Bluetooth it can be controlled entirely from the APP, which is available for both mobile OS (Android and iOS). There is no live-view, so framing your shoot is some king of guessing. Anyways, the wide-angle lens will help you catch most of the predicted view.

Insta360 GO is better or worse than an action cam?

Honestly, it is a tricky question because actually I think that is both. In some cases, its small size and low weight could be a huge advantage over any GoPro size action camera, but its pros I think stops here. Lack of WiFi connectivity makes it impossible to have a real-time image view on your phone’s screen. In terms of image quality and low light performance it also fails against top-end action cams.

Insta360 Go vs Action camera

While the GO features only splash resistance, the GoPro Hero 7, 8, and Osmo Action are waterproof down to 33ft (10m) without a dedicated case. The Insta360 GO is perfect to record our everyday lives, but not for surfing, snorkeling, or other water sports activities.

Insta360’s FlowState stabilization works similar to GoPro’s HyperSmooth and DJI’s RockSteady by cropping in slightly on the image and warping the edges to compensate for shake.

Is it good for drones?

Originally the Insta360 GO was designed to be your personal everyday camera. In order to avoid over-heating, its recording time was limited to 60 seconds, which was not so great. After FPV community’s demand, they extended this time to 5 minutes, with the mention that external cooling is required in FPV mode.

Insta360 GO review: Drone install

The good

Over the last few years, I tested many drone camera’s and the Insta360GO is far the lightest among them. It is suitable to be used as main DVR camera on FPV drones as well as second view camera. It is so light that can be installed on most micro-class brushless drones. There are multiple ways to install this little baby on top of your kwad, from horizontal/vertical orientation to top, bottom, front or tail position. Furthermore, using a piece of ~25 x 2cm fiber carbon attached to the top plate you can capture cool footage outside of your drone. Also, there are lots of free to download 3D printable designs that allow you to print your 7-10 grams dedicated Insta360 GO mount.

Insta360 GO FPV mode settings

In addition to the extended recording time, with the latest APP version, there is “FPV stabilization” function available. This feature was specially developed for aerial footage.

My 6-year-old Syma X5C drone came back to life with the Insta360 Go. It was finally able to capture some decent stabilized videos. With its stock camera, the results were shaky and totally disappointing.

The Insta360 GO is perfect for FPV players who don’t need super high-quality footage but want to record the journey of their flights without adding much weight. With less than 20 grams it can be virtually installed on any 2″+ racing quad.

Insta360 GO review: Camera for micro FPV drones

The bad

Unfortunately, the built-in storage comes with limited recording time. During my tests, I managed to have only 5 flights until internal memory became full. Another drawback is that sometimes AI tries to correct power-loops which kills all the fun of your freestyle footage.

Lastly, in case your drone has a compass sensor, you should avoid using the magnetic mounts. You should also avoid using them near/over GPS antennas.

Verdict

REVIEW OVERVIEW
Price/performance ratio
Design and build quality
Image quality
Video Stabilization
Battery life
Connectivity
Senior editor and co-founder of FirstQuadcopter.com. Everything started about 4 years ago when I purchased my first drone. I still own that Syma X5C . Since then I have had the luck to review and test more than 100 drones.
insta360-go-reviewThe Insta360 Go may not be a GoPro, but its small size and wide range of mounting options make it a great choice for many applications. The FPV mode makes it suitable to be used installed on small drones as well. <br> What I liked<br> +Light as a feather;<br> +Tiny form-factor;<br> +Comes with lots of mount options;<br> +Solid image quality in good light conditions;<br> +FlowState stabilization does a good job;<br> +Easy-to-use mobile app.<br> <br> What I didn’t like<br> -Pretty expensive for its limited features;<br> -Internal memory is enough for only 4-6 flights (~20 min);<br> -Doesn’t handle well the low or super bright light.<br>

44 COMMENTS

  1. Looking to get the best micro Whoop for the tiny Insta360GO. Here are my options: BetaFpv 95x, 85x, iflight protek 25, and wingsuit s

    What are everyone’s opinions?

  2. How many times you can use your 5mins fpv mode in one charge? Also, how long you need to recharge for another 5mins fpv mode? Based on my calculations battery can last for 10 minutes in total…

  3. Does anyone else have problems with the Insta 360 APP on Android? I have a Samsung S9 and the app constantly freezes/crashes. I can’t even transfer the footage from the GO camera to my phone. Very frustrating!

  4. I’m new to the Insta360 Go. After I transfer the footage from camera to my phone they won’t play and I get an error message.
    What can I do to fix this? Thanks

  5. I have an insta360 GO and was considering attaching it to my Tiny Whoop. Reading all of the posts about broken/scratched lenses, should I reconsider using this cam on my quadcopter?

    • I am sorry to say that Insta360 does not sell the lens separately for the GO. My lens broke from dropping and I paid US$99 for the repair + $49 for shipping. I think is better to buy a new camera…

    • Same boat as you. I scratched my lens too. Is there a way to fix a scratched or chipped lens? Some kind of glue?

  6. It love this little wearable camera. Been using this for a month now, always carrying it in my pocket :). Can’t wait to use it more after pandemic during holiday vacations.

  7. I’m faced with a tough decision, do I buy the insta360 go or make a naked GoPro 7? I plan to film cinematic style indoor and outdoor on a micro CineWhoop

  8. I lost my camera, but I have all the accessories. Can I purchase a bare (without charging base and mounting accessories) Insta360 GO camera?

  9. It really shouldn’t be compared to a GoPro or anything else that is 4k or 2.7k imo. The Insta360 GO has only full HD (1920×1080) max resolution with 30 fps! Worst resolution in its price ta

    • A GP8 costs about $300 and it will become unusable for other purposes after you remove its “skin”. Instead, the Insta360 GO is cheaper (only $200) and you can use it without any modding.

  10. Nice detailed review! Maybe you should also mention, that the GO is made for instant recording and it is always powered ON. Therefore the battery drain-off by itself in a few days…

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here