Insta360 Go 2 is the simplest way to get great action footage

While cameras keep getting better and more powerful, many are also getting smaller and easier to use. Action cameras have always been a great option to quickly grab some beautiful footage, and the Insta360 Go 2 combines an incredibly small form factor with a variety of mounting options to make capturing a moment effortless. Be sure to hit the video below and check out all of the features of the Insta360 Go 2. 

Insta 360 Go 2: What’s in the box?

One of the best things about the Go 2 is how easy and versatile mounting is with all of the included accessories. As soon as the box is opened, Insta360 has the Go 2 mounted with a magnet that helps to give you an idea of what is possible. Diving further into the box, you see that the camera was attached to the pendant mount – a necklace that can securely hold the camera through articles of clothing. 

Also included are a quick-start guide and some documentation, the charging case, which can also control the camera, a USB-C to USB-A cable, and more mounting options. The easy clip is great for mounting to hats, and the pivoting stand can be used as a grip for the camera but also has a sleeve that covers a bit of a sticky surface that makes mounting to flat surfaces simple. I was able to attach it to the tank of my motorcycle and it easily held on without any worry of it falling off. 

Thumb-sized design 

Of course, the most notable feature of the Insa360 Go 2 is the small form factor. About the size of my thumb, and also lightweight, it doesn’t take up much room and it’s easy to forget that you’re even using the camera. It also won’t draw nearly much attention as a GoPro mounted to a head strap or chest mount when shooting in public.

A large lens with a replaceable cover sits on the front of the camera with a single tactile button hidden under the Insta360 logo near the bottom of the camera. By using different combinations of presses and holds, you can start different recording modes. 

For more control, though, the charging case opens up to reveal a screen and two buttons – one with a red record logo and another blank menu button. On the bottom is a threaded mount for tripods as well as a USB-C port for charging. 

Insta360 Go 2: Video

The case itself only measures about 2.75 x 2 inches, making it easy to throw in a pocket or bag. Insta360 has said that the final production version will have a bit of a different finish than the flat white color of this pre-production model. 

Additionally, the case has two feet on the back that can be extended to turn the case into a tripod. Once again, there is a great variety of mounting options for using the Go 2. 

A waterproof rating IPX8 up to 13 feet means you can take the camera pretty much anywhere, but the charging case is not waterproof. 

Setting up the Insta360 Go 2

While the camera can be controlled manually with the button the camera or from the controls in the case, connecting it to the Insta360 is the best way to take full advantage of everything the camera can do. Using the Insta360 app is easy to get connected to the Go 2 and see a preview of what you’re shooting as well as make changes to the image.

Shooting modes

A wide variety of shooting modes and FOV options makes getting creative content simple. With the charging case or app, it’s easy to toggle through different settings like basic video, pro video, time-lapse, hyper-lapse, and slow-mo. 

Shooting in pro video mode unlocks some great features. First is the Go 2’s Flowstate stabilization. Like other impressive stabilization features found on action cameras like the GoPro Hero9, Flowstate does a great job of removing movements to help make a smooth video. It did have some issues handling the vibrations from my motorcycle when mounted to the tank (it’s a single-cylinder that has quite a bit of vibration), but when giving the camera to my kids and having them run around, the Go 2 was able to keep the footage smooth and usable. 

Additionally, the pro mode also enables horizon lock that keeps the camera angle straight no matter how the camera is angled. You can do a 360-degree barrel roll and it will keep the horizon even. This is great because sometimes with the clip you can’t get it mounted straight vertically or horizontally. So having the horizon lock makes getting good-looking footage even easier. 

Editing

Hand-in-hand with the controls for Flowstate and Horizon lock are some other great editing features in the Insta360 app. You can also adjust the aspect ratio, FOV, and make a ton of color tweaks from inside the app. You can upload to social accounts directly from the app or export to your device and take the files from there. 

The Insta 360 also has some AI-enabled auto-editing features. Just select the clips you want, the duration, and the app will put together a cut and add music. You can also edit clips together manually, but it’s nice to have a quick-cut option like the AI-powered FlashCut edit. 

Additionally, you can also plug the Insta360 Go 2 into a computer and access the video files there, but without editing them inside of the Insta360 app, they will need quite a bit of additional processing to get a normal-looking image. The raw files are like one-half of a 360-degree video with a large round fisheye-style image. 

Image quality

Despite the small size, the Go 2 packs an impressive sensor to handle footage up to 1440p. From my experience, it also handles light and exposure very well. Most of the testing I did was outside, but I was impressed at how it could handle shadowed objects when shooting toward the sun. 

For example, my daughter was wearing the camera and following her brother to pick up some icicles, and his face was well exposed even though the camera was facing directly into the sun. For the size, I was very impressed. 

In-use

This might be the easiest-to-use action camera that I’ve tried. My kids and I have thoroughly enjoyed using the camera to capture some outdoor adventures around our home. Now, is it perfect for everything? Definitely not. Battery life will get you about 30 minutes of run time, and without a swappable battery or even a charging port to plug in an external battery on the camera itself, that can be pretty limiting. When shooting with the camera in the charging case, that time extends up to around 150 minutes, but then you are limited on mounting options. 

As the camera’s storage starts to fill up, the best way I’ve found to manage media is to download it on my iPhone in the app into the local storage album, and then delete the files from the camera. A 9:19 pro video clip takes up about 5.5GB of the 28GB of usable storage on the Insta 360 Go 2.

9to5Toys’ Take

Overall, the Insta360 Go 2 is a great way to capture adventures effortlessly. I can see it being my main choice for family vacations. Keep the battery topped up, and it’s never been easier to keep a camera in your pocket, attach it with the necklace pendant, and capture great POV footage. At $300, you do get into the GoPro range, but those are different cameras with different uses. 

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