Insta360 Mic Pro

Yes! I have destroyed several 360 cameras with small falls that wouldn’t have bothered a phone or action camera. Because of how they work, the lenses protrude from the body of the camera. So if it falls on a hard surface, there’s a good chance you’ll crack or scratch the lens, and then that will show up in all your photos and videos as a smudge or dark spot or worse, basically ruining everything you capture. Some models, like the Insta360 X4, offer removable lens protectors. These are well worth it if you want to protect your investment or you’re occasionally clumsy. Most come with soft cases,

Like many products, cameras typically get discounted for Black Friday and Amazon Prime Days (even if you shop at other stores like Walmart and Best Buy). Usually, the cameras get cheaper later in their life too, so six to eight months after release, you’ll start to see deeper discounts. Insta360 also has a history of keeping its older cameras in its lineup at lower prices. For example, the X3 that’s our current budget pick was released in 2023 and is still a great camera at a lower price than when it first came out.

The 360 camera market is very small. There are effectively three main companies: Insta360, KanDao and Ricoh. Ricoh essentially invented the category but has lagged behind Insta360 and KanDao in recent years. KanDao has made some interesting cameras in the last few years, but it wasn’t until the QooCam 3 Ultra recommended above that all the pieces fell into place. Insta360 is by far the category leader and has been for many years. Other companies have dabbled in the space, including Nikon, Kodak and action camera heavyweight GoPro with the Hero Max.

The best 360 camera overall is the Insta360 X5. It has excellent image quality during the day and does better than most 360 (or action cameras) at night. It can take 72-megapixel images and 8K30-resolution spherical video. It's waterproof down to 49 feet and, best of all, has user-replaceable lenses in case you scratch one. Its app is complex, but easy enough to use to get polished and interesting videos and photos. It's not a huge step up from its predecessor, the X4, and is more expensive, but overall it does just about everything right. If you want something a little easier to use, the GoPr