GoPro 12 v Insta 360 X3 for windsurfing

Thinking about upgrading my GoPro to either the new GP 12 that came out this week or the Insta 360 X3. They are obviously both great cameras. Trying to decide on which one. Price is fairly similar.

Nice shot! Is that mounted off your back?

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Steve Charles said..
Thinking about upgrading my GoPro to either the new GP 12 that came out this week or the Insta 360 X3. They are obviously both great cameras. Trying to decide on which one. Price is fairly similar.

Depends on what you want to use it for. If it's just for filming yourself windsurfing then yes a 360 makes more sense than a GoPro 12. If you want to film others then a GoPro 12 will give you better results.

Also, Insta360 recommends you use the underwater housing with the 360 X3 while doing action sports. Different reports on how waterproof the camera is without housing. Some people have had zero problems, while others had issues.

Never had in issue with flooding on a GoPro but have lost some after the mount snapped off... now I make sure the camera is tethered with a rope.

I don't think you can compare GoPro 12 to Insta 360. Choice should be whether you want a 360 camera or a regular action camera (or both). i.e. Choice for 360 video is GoPro Max 360 vs Insta 360. Or regular action camera GoPro12 vs 11 vs DJI Osmo action, Akaso Brave 7 etc. Bear in mind Gopro 12 is first Gopro to not have a GPS so you need to have a separate GPS and sync the times if you want to put speed overlays or positional info for the videos/shots. The Gopro 11 offers almost the same specs as 12 + GPS (which you can turn off) at a cheaper price point. If you can live without a screen the GoPro 11 mini is same specs and cheaper still.

Personally I've gone with GoPro Max 360, 11, 9 and 5 (still working) and their subscription (now crazy cheap) as I've smashed a couple of cameras over the last year (free replacements) and you get further discount if you purchase from them. In addition the remote lets you control all the cameras whilst sailing/doing your thing.

Like KA360 I like the 360 as you never miss a shot and can reframe after the fact. The other GoPro's I use for various dedicated POV's (rear, boom, mast, underwater etc). The combo gives more variety and interest IMHO. My journey down this camera route all started after an amazing dolphin encounter whilst sailing at high speed which was nearly impossible to record with a head mounted standard goPro. Then another slow speed dolphin encounter with 2 of them swimming and playing around me at close distance for 500m or so. I had the 360 but had turned it off and couldn't switch it on without stopping (thus the remote). By the time I managed to stop and turn the camera on the dolphins had lost interest and moved on.

I have an x2 insta and have had multiple go pro maxes. I was having quite a bit of reliability issues with gopro and got sick of mailing their stuff back. I think the gopro max user interface is easier to use, but the gopro max has off set lens which will split your head if you mount it on a helmet eg

Also, I suspect the insta has better battery life

can't really go wrong with either one.

As mentioned the 360 cam means you won't have issues missing stuff, but the thing either yourself or your mate needs to be close. with the trad gopro you can set it to zoom for distances a bit better. Also trad gopro is much less time editing

One more thing to consider is file size. Both the GoPro Max and Insta360 X2 / X3 360 video files are massive compared to H.265 files on the GoPro 12. If you edit your files down to just what you want to use and delete the original files this is not a problem but if you plan to keep files from each session it adds up quickly.

One more thing. GoPros customer support is horrendous and I don't say that lightly.

I have their Support subscriptionand the only good thing I can say is that they will provide replacement cameras, albeit refurbished ones.

My first GoPro Max had a scratched lens. They replaced it no questions asked.
The replacement GoPro Maxgot flooded after the door was faulty.It took multiple support requestsbefore theyfinally sent me a new camera.

The replacement camera lasted all of 1 hour before the screen went black. This was three months ago. I have been trying get support since.

Their support system is complete garbage. There is no way to raise a ticket or send an email. Instead you have to use an online chat system which rarely works or request a call back. The call backs can take anywhere from 1 hour to never. They don't leave a message, you can't call them back other than requesting another call back. You can only request call backs during business hours (9-5pm) despite them being a global company.

The cameras are great when they work but don't expect too much help if there is a problem.

I had problems and my gopro 360 failed. I like the view because I didn't have to think about the camera angle but could edit later.

I'd try insta360 to replace it because my gopros will randomly stop recording on a full battery with plenty of card space.

I've personally used the insta360 X3 HEAPS and previously used GoPros.

In my opinion the ability to reframe what you've shot after the fact would outweigh the extra clarity provided by the GoPro... Imagine how cool it would look to launch some epic air, and whilst you're up the camera 'pans' around from the wave, to the board, to you. ???? There's heaps of other cool stuff you can do too of course, although you NEED to use insta360s software to get usable footage, instead of just dragging a .MOV/.MP4 from the GoPros SD card ?????

Also, if you're looking to mount the camera to the top of your mast the X3 just won't have the resolution to crop in on you as tight as the GoPro will, but the *new* insta360 X4 (8K) would handle it just better (not sure on price, it's probably a fair bit more than the others atm unfortunately)

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Gruginator said..
Also, if you're looking to mount the camera to the top of your mast the X3 just won't have the resolution to crop in on you as tight as the GoPro will, but the *new* insta360 X4 (8K) would handle it just better (not sure on price, it's probably a fair bit more than the others atm unfortunately)

I just received one but haven't opened it yet and am now on the fence of just sending it back. Read in a number of places about people having issues with the camera. Main issue I have seen mentioned a number of times is overheating and shutting down after a few minutes in 8k mode.

I had the Insta 360 RS1 for about 3 weeks before sending it back. That was the single worst camera I have ever used. Between overheating issues, the camera randomly stopping mid recording and corrupting SD cards, lenses fogging up and finally the camera getting water logged despite being rated as waterproof it was just a pain to use. And don't even get me started on the software.

The GoPro Max has its faults but I found it was reliable. I had 3 of them getting damaged and GoPro replaced them without questions being asked. It was a bit painful dealing with their support system but in the end they always resolved the issue.

Sadly you can't believe any of the "reviews" on YouTube in regards to the X4 as they are essentially all paid reviews.

Besides clarity - what is the difference between early gopro models and a gopro 12 black? I got given a 12 as a present and to be honest - I can't see a great deal of difference but I'm not very tech savvy either.

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AusMoz said..
Besides clarity - what is the difference between early gopro models and a gopro 12 black? I got given a 12 as a present and to be honest - I can't see a great deal of difference but I'm not very tech savvy either.

11 and 12 have horizon levelling And larger sensor so less noise and more frame. 12 has longer battery life

I bought a GoPro 12 after my GoPro Mini 11 died (battery won't charge past 1%). One of the reasons for getting another GoPro (my fourth) was that I'd bought the Mod Lens 2.0 for the Mini, but then realised that they weren't compatible, it only works with the newer GoPro 12.
Mounted on the same spot on the helmet and it does provide a much wider field of view, allowing you to capture more of the board and surrounds - so far so good:

GoPro Mini 11:


GoPro 12 with Mod Lens 2.0:



Video with the Mod Lens (only light winds, but I think the wider field of view makes it look faster) :-)