This new camera from Insta360 is the best POV shooter I’ve ever used

Right now, content creation is all about letting viewers and users see the world through your eyes, and there’s no better way to do that than through excellent point-of-view, or POV video. The problem with that, though, is that there aren’t that many high-quality options on the market that can be easily run with just one person. Most small cameras either don’t record video at a competitive quality or have user interfaces that don’t easily work with one-person crews. If they do manage all of these things, the camera itself is often too large to be unobtrusive and truly offer a natural POV.

Thankfully, Insta360 recognizes all of these issues, and the company’s latest micro-camera, the Insta360 Go Ultra, topples them all. It’s my favorite recent addition to my camera bag everywhere I go. Recently, I looked at the company’s newest line of high-performance iPhone creator gimbals, and I thought those were stellar, but in terms of build quality and usability, the Go Ultra took my content creation to an entirely different level.

What worked well for me

The way I used the Go Ultra might not be the same way as you, and that’s okay

The trifecta you see pictured here is my absolute favorite combination to use. As a motorsport photographer, this magnetic necklace allows me to stabilize the camera on my chest, below where I would normally hold my camera when shooting, to capture my own viewpoint for any audience. I can then check my shot with the display screen attached to the camera base, which also charges the camera when they’re connected, and then press record, put it in my pocket, and rest easy knowing that whatever I’m seeing, so is my POV camera.

I’ve attached a completely unedited example, which was recorded in 2.7K, to showcase the viewpoint using the magnetic necklace. I’m 6-foot-2, meaning that the camera itself is hanging about 5 feet off the ground around my neck. I set the camera to shoot in vertical mode, as I plan on using these clips for social media content going forward.

While that might focus more on the accessories, the in-camera features are vast as well. The Go Ultra can shoot up to 4K/60fps, which is now the standard among cameras in this range, and can also capture up to 120fps in 2.7K, allowing for high-quality slow motion shooting. Of course, if you want to shoot at 1080p, the Go Ultra can handle up to 240fps, which offers an increased smooth effect.

The focal length is set to 35mm (this is about the same as what the human eye sees), and the aperture is a constant f/2.85. In terms of shooting features outside the standard equipment, the Go Ultra can shoot time lapses and time shifts out of the gate in addition to slow motion, and Insta360’s FlowState internal stabilization ensures that no matter what you’re doing, the shot stays solid. More information can be found on the product page on Insta360’s website, but that information alone was enough to convince me that this camera was a must-have.

The feature list is endless

Goodbye to other competitors I’ve used, this has you beat

While I used this camera for a work event, it’s branded by Insta360 as a true adventure device, and there are some accessories I didn’t get that I now wish I had. For instance, if you’re looking to make fitness or hiking content, Insta360’s headband mount might be for you. With the press of a button, you can record your entire run or hike in a timeshift, have minimal edits to make on the backend, and all of a sudden have high-quality content to post from your day. Additionally, the camera can correct wide FOV distortion in-camera, so that you can maintain a true eye-level perspective of your subject.

Perhaps, though, you’re a diver? The Go Ultra is waterproof down to 33ft. Insta360 recommends using the Aqua lens, which sounds straight out of a Marvel movie, if you’re using it while diving, but the camera will hold up just fine to that depth. If you’re a cyclist, the Go Ultra can overlay an impressive array of stats onto your video as a sort of heads-up display by pairing seamlessly with Garmin, Strava, and Apple Health. The features are endless, and that’s what makes the Ultra Go a perfect all-around content creation beast.

Changes between the new and old platforms

This small change gives users more control over their content

While previous Go platforms stored data in the camera body itself, the Insta360 moves away from that model in this generation, opting instead for MicroSD storage, and I think it’s a good move. Sure, having storage in the body of the system itself might sound convenient, but there’s a reason why every single professional camera on the market utilizes external storage devices as opposed to internal.

It might be convenient, but it isn’t practical. Using the Micro USB storage, a user can instantly swap them out for another SD card and go back to shooting, rather than having to stop what they’re doing, cull videos on the spot, and potentially miss some action. Sound from the onboard microphone isn’t bad, either, with noise-cancelling and voice isolation technology baked into the software. It’s not going to replace a high-quality XLR microphone, but it’s more than enough to get the job done.

The biggest buff, though, is the image sensor itself. If you’re like me and record a lot in low-light settings, you’ll be happy to know that the Go Ultra leaves its ancestors in the dust in that regard, with over 200 percent more sensor area than the Go 3S, along with a 200 percent increase in low-light detail compared to the Go 3S. As I’m sure you noticed, the Go Ultra is also a touch smaller, making it even more portable. The sticky pads and magnetic elements on the back of the camera make it easy to mount just about anywhere, and with the capability to shoot at 4K/60fps, there really isn’t anything you couldn’t shoot, either.

What if I don’t like editing?

Never fear, the Insta360 App is here — and it’s quite good

Arguably, the best thing about Insta360, even taking into account all of these professional tools, is that it’s still incredibly easy to use. I handed this camera to my fiancé, who takes absolutely zero interest in photography or videography, and she had it up and running within just a few seconds. She even played around a bit with her footage in the Insta360 app, which I believe to be the best companion app I’ve seen so far (granted, fall releases are still rolling in, so we’ll have to see on that front).

Using several different AI-assisted features, users can simply pick the videos they like from their current reel, and with just a few clicks, you can have an instantly edited and spliced video that’s ready for socials. Whether you’re looking for the next step in your content creation journey or you simply want to get started with the best tech on the market at a relatively affordable price for the equipment, the Insta360 Go Ultra deserves to be your first look.