In this article, I look at the Insta360 Go 2 as an excellent little camera to use if you want a mini camera for running.
I’d been looking for a camera to run with for quite a while. I’ve looked at various GoPros, the GoPro8, and the GoPro9. And I’ve also looked at the Insta360 X2, And just as I was gonna buy the Insta 360 X2 Insta360 decided to make things even more complicated for me by announcing that they were going to upgrade the Insta 360 Go:)
And that gave me another thing to think about.
In A Hurry ?
So in this review, I look at why I decided to go for the Insta 360 Go 2 and why I found it a good camera to use while running and also share my concerns about certain shortcomings that you might find a reason not to use it while you’re filming your running.
So let’s talk about the specs on the Insta 360. , I’m going to treat this from a runners point of view.
The bottom line is, which is probably something I’m going to say quite a lot. If you’re looking for a camera that’s going to film in 4k- 5k, and you’re going to compare this camera with that, then you’re going to be disappointed, because at the end of the day, it does a certain thing, and it does it really well if you think of it from a marketing perspective, so many things in life cameras included, try to be all things to all people.
My experience with the Insta360 Go 2 is an excellent mini camera for running.
So What Does The Video Resolution Look Like?
So from a video resolution point of view, at the end of the day, you’re going to the best you’re going to get about 2k resolution. Now, for me filming, that’s more than good enough; I see reviews of people saying, well, it’s not as good as this, it doesn’t, do 4k doesn’t do 5k. If you want that kind of resolution and that kind of clarity and that kind of quality, for example, that you want to make a film production, then this isn’t going to be one of the cameras for you for various points I’m going to come to in a moment.
But you what it has got is many options for your filming for such a small camera.
Flowstate Stabilization.
You have flowstate stabilisation, which is absolutely brilliant. And of course, if you’ve ever run with a camera, it makes you seasick watching the video footage, so to have something that evens all that out and makes your footage look ultra-smooth.
The flow state stabilisation is truly outstanding and even more amazing considering the size of the unit. However, it’s only available on Pro video mode.
I think flow state stabilisation can not be understated here if you want to run while filming.
I ran with my iPhone and did some filming. Watching it, playback made me feel almost seasick.
The flowstate stabilization is so smooth it looks really professional.
You get basic stabilisation on video mode. I find that I’m utilising the pro video mode the most.
The problem with that is you’ve only got 32GB of storage. Now actually, only 28GB of that is actually usable.
Run Time And Clip Length
So what is the runtime of the Insta 360 Go 2? it well standalone in basic video mode; it’s 30 minutes or 20 minutes in Pro Mode video mode. In the case, Insta360 say it’s 150 minutes in the video mode and 110 minutes in pro-video mode.
However, you’ve also got a look at the maximum clip length.
So this is a thing that doesn’t impact most runners using the camera for running, but if you were looking at the Insta360 Go 2 as a normal camera. This could be a bit of a deal-breaker. Because for example, the pro video mode is clip duration is only 10 minutes.
The video mode is 15 minutes.
You can adjust the time-lapse, but the two modes you’re going to use probably the most are pro video, 10 minutes, and video mode, which is 15.
So, for those people that want long runs of utilising a video, then you can see why the Insta360 Go 2 wouldn’t be their go-to option.
However, as I’ve said all along, it’s about horses for courses, using it as a small video-camera to run with. That’s perfect because I rarely take a clip that’s longer than five minutes anyway, so when I get back home, I add all the clips together to make my film and footage.
The Storage Of The Insta360 Go 2
So one of the areas that I think many people will find fault with is the storage. It’s 32 GB, and you’ve got no way of adding to that storage. So, if you are looking to run the video for a longer period of time, yet again, that could be a problem, but without sounding like I keep repeating myself as a runner. So far, I have not found this to be a problem for two reasons.
As I’ve said, I usually take short clips when I’m running in Pro Mode or slo-mo mode. When I get back, I process the clips.
Once I processed the clips. I then remove them from the camera, so the camera is never filling up with unwanted footage that will use up the memory.
So for me personally, it has not become a problem.
But I can well understand certain potential buyers. This could be a problem, and if it is, you really got to look at upgrading to something that’s got more storage, or at least something where you can add storage to which you cannot do with the Insta360 Go 2.
So Light I Run With It In My Running Shorts Back Pocket
So what’s the weight of the Insta360 Go 2? Well, it’s just 26.5 grammes. The charging case is 63.5 grammes that’s 90 grams in total.
That is so light. I find that quite often when I go out for a run. Suppose I go out with the camera and no selfie stick. I stick the whole unit in my back pocket of my shorts, and I don’t even know it’s there. The other great thing is the case that the cameras in are pretty tough it’s very similar to an Airpod case, which is robust.
So you always feel the actual camera, when not in use, is well protected.
So How Much Does The Insta360 Go 2 Cost and Is It a Value For Money Mini Camera For Running
So, is the Insta360 Go 2 to value for money? This is a hard one in my books because you’re looking at
$299, or £294, or in Australia, 479 Australian dollars. I think the original, Go, was $200. There’s been a big increase in price, which puts it much nearer to the GoPro8 or 9. It’s still cheaper, but not by a significant amount.
So, for example, the Hero black 9 at the moment is £329. In the UK, so there’s not a significant price difference. And there is quite a significant difference in options on the cameras.
The GoPro can film in much higher resolutions. And basically, you can add storage to the GoPro. So in lots of ways, the Insta360 Go 2 is on the higher price side. If it had been priced more around £225, I think it would have been a killer product based on that price point.
However, I still ended up purchasing because even though all those things are true that I’ve just said. It gave me something that the other cameras couldn’t give me, which was convenience, and the realisation that having a camera this small would mean that I’d be more likely to take my camera out with me on runs.
I have to say; if I weren’t predominantly using the camera for running, then there would have been a strong case for me, looking at a GoPro or perhaps the Insta 360 x two, but because of the running. I was happy or reasonably happy to pay the premium price for the Insta360 Go 2.
Conclusion The Pros And Cons Of The Insta360 Go 2 As A Small Camera You Can Run With .
Size Does Matter If You Are A Runner
For me, it has to be the sheer size of the camera. Being a runner has to be the biggest asset; it’s got because if the cameras are too big or bulky or too heavy to carry on my runs. The fact is that it’s going to go out with me on fewer runs.
I’ve tended to find with the Insta360 Go 2 that I sometimes take my selfie stick with me, or on my longer runs, I put it in a backpack. However, quite often, I will go out running with the unit, as it is, and put it in my back pocket of my shorts, and then bring it out and do my running footage or talking to the camera via arm’s length, and that works really well as well.
This is something I couldn’t really do very easily with really any other camera; even some of the smaller cameras in the GoPro range or even the Insta 360 X2 would still be slightly too big to put in the back of my running shorts and zip it up and run.
So really, the size is a massive, massive asset to this camera if you want something that you can run with. And not feel weighed down.
The Sheer Amount Of Features In This Little Camera
The other plus for me is just the sheer choice you get with features for such a small camera; you’ve got flowstate stabilisation of a fantastic quality; it’s almost like you’ve got a drone with you half the time.
You’ve got the ability to utilise the holding unit as a hands-free remote control. You can mount the camera in all kinds of different areas. So that if you want some footage of you doing something pre-run, for example, making yourself a shake or something like that. It’s it’s fantastic.
It’s also waterproof. Now, that’s something that I don’t do is swimming, but it rains a lot in the UK.
So the fact that it’s water-resistant to four metres which is 13 foot is fantastic.
You’ve got great editing features. The app. I’d only thing I’d say, as I’ve said before about the app, is to make sure your phone is up to date, and the Insta360 studio 2021 is brilliant for getting that film footage onto your desktop.
You’ve got things like Hyperlapse, slow motion, which will make your video look even better and have a higher quality feel, and no one really guesses that it’s coming from a camera of this size.
Great Quality Footage
Another plus is the quality of footage you get from such a small camera now; as I’ve said, some cameras will give you 4k 5k. You get in pro mode, 2560×1440@50fps, 30fps /1920×1080@50fps, 30fps2k…
However, if your goal is to use the footage to go on social media or YouTube, this is pretty good and weighed out with the fact, like I’ve said that you can get out and run with this camera without it feeling like you’re carrying loads of luggage with you. That’s fantastic, I think.
When I’ve shown the footage to family, they have said how fantastic the quality of the video is.
All I would say is, you do see a slight difference when you’ve got darker light, so I’ve tried it sometimes indoors with not as good light. Yeah, it shows itself up a little bit up against some other cameras there, but running in the daylight, even in good old British cloudy weather, the quality of the video is still excellent. When you particularly consider the camera’s size, the quality of the video is actually coming from.
So What Could Be Better About The Insta360 Go 2?
Hmmm, Support.
Got to be completely honest. I think Insta360 is an incredible camera. However, I was unfortunate enough to fault my camera when I originally bought it, and it had no audio when I was recording video. So I had to contact Insta360 support.
To be fair, Insta360 fixed the issue with a software update that I applied to the camera. So there was a good outcome. However, dealing with the support over about four days was very, very frustrating.
Now part of that frustration is due to time differences. I live in the UK. And I think the support is in Beijing or Hong Kong.
But the time differences can’t really be helped. With that, the glacially slow response you tend to get makes a very frustrating experience. And if I had have had to send my Go 2 back, it would have been a long time till I’ve got a replacement.
So if you’re anxious about that, then you might want to consider purchasing on Amazon. I didn’t have that option because the Insta360 Go 2 was very new when I first bought it, so that wasn’t an option.
It may be an option for you. I have to say the likelihood of you having to deal with their support is slight because I think the actual cameras themselves are well made, but I wouldn’t be candid with you on this if I didn’t tell you in my experience with their support.
You Can’t See What You Are Videoing.
Now the other thing is you’ve got no viewer on the camera so of course, you know once you’ve chosen what format you want to use the camera even if it’s still in its case, you can’t see what you’re videoing and if you take the camera out of its case and have it placed somewhere else. You can’t see either.
The only workaround with that is you’ve got a Wi-Fi option, which you can see on your phone, but this is not something that works for me as a runner, and I don’t think it would work for many runners, but that is an option.
So you’ve got the scenario where you’re pointing at something, and you can’t actually see how that shots looking.
The only thing I would add is the view that the camera works on is about 180 degrees, so it’s basically half of what a 360 camera would take in. So, it is a pretty wide view. So if you’re pointing something, the camera at something, you’re pretty sure that you’re going to get it in shot. Then it really comes down to editing that shot when you get back if you want to cut it in to be less wide, so you do have that scenario, but I have to say that obviously not having a screen is a downside; however, it’s also an understandable downside, considering the minute size of the camera in the first place.
Video Format Changes
Sometimes when I’m filming, I will close the camera case up carrying on running, then open it up again and say I’ve been filming in Pro Mode. For some reason, the camera has changed over to another mode, perhaps, normal video mode.
So if you want to be continuous with your filming, say in Pro Mode, you do have to be aware that if you’re taking a lot of clips on their own, make sure that it’s still in the same mode you want it to be in.
I don’t know why it changes. I can’t make it out because sometimes it doesn’t do it and sometimes it does.
So it’s not even a consistent thing, so hopefully, it might be changed with further updates in the future, but at the moment, it’s just something to be aware of.
Small Screen (Old Person Tip)
When I’m out running. If I open up the case, to make a video. The screen is tiny. So, I have to say, I’m 57 years old, and I tend to wear glasses for reading.
I can make out what I’m seeing on the screen, but it is very very small.
For some people, That could be a bit of a problem, not being able to make out what the screen actually says and add to this when you’re running, sometimes you’re a bit tired. Your eyes don’t work so well. So, this might be an issue for some people.
I Want A Red Light….
You can get the button on the camera if you take it out of the actual case in your recording. If you press it, the light on it isn’t obvious that it’s recording.
I think every other thing we know, in the world, uses a red light. If it says it’s recording.
For some weird reason, Insta360 have decided that red is not their favourite colour, and you have this l flashing light.
I will say if you’re wearing the camera. It does vibrate when you start recording, and it vibrates when you stop. So that’s pretty good, but having a red light would be handy to give you that confidence that it is recording.
The Downside Of The Brilliant Insta360 App
This is a weird one because this is actually made into the pro section and the cons section, and it is the Insta 360 app.
The app itself is incredible and is always being updated. And I think there will be even more for the Insta360 Go 2 as time goes by. The only reason for the cons is that you’ve just got to be aware that if your phone is like mine, ancient, you will have much luck with the app; it will keep crashing. To be fair to Insta360, They do state this on their website; it does specify, I think, anything below a seven iPhone will possibly have problems.
The other area you really got to look at which seems to come up is if you’ve got Android phones because Android is such a wide structure and less restricted than Apple is. From a phone to phone basis, you could find that there are problems with the app.
I think the bottom line is that the more up to date your phone is, the more likely the app will run smoothly.
So consider this because, at the moment, I can’t really use the app; I can only really use the desktop software, which is fine. And I am looking to upgrade my very ancient iPhone 6, but just something to be aware of, because you don’t want that frustration of not being able to use the app, because the app is great fun and is a big part of the Insta 360 universe.
Resources To Buy The Insta360 Go 2.
Below are places to buy the Insta360 Go 2. Please be aware these are my affiliate links, and I get a payment if you purchase.
It does not cost you any more, but I get a commission. I want to be clear and upfront with you.
Buy Direct From Insta360
Buy From Amazon-Insta360 Go 2- PRESENTLY NOT AVAILABLE
Some Alternative Cameras To Consider.
As mentioned in the article
Hero Gopro Hero8 Black From Amazon
Hero Gopro Hero9 Black From Amazon
Insta360 X2 ( a 360 camera) Direct from Insta360
Get Insta360 X2 From Amazon
Got any questions? Just pop them in the comments.