Looking for a new travel camera? Get epic shots with a 360 action camera

The right travel camera can make any trip look amazing, whether you’re just taking a weekend trip close to home or checking an international destination off your bucket list. That’s what a 360 camera can deliver.

Check out this video shot by video creator Kyler Holland of his road trip to Utah using the new Insta360 ONE X2 camera. From one-wheeling down mountainous roads to rafting, it’s loads of fun and all shot on a 360 camera.

A 360 camera might seem excessive if you’re not planning to share 360-degree content. But there are a lot of hidden benefits to a 360 action camera compared to a standard action camera or digital camera. Here’s why you should consider picking one up for your next trip.

Shoot first, point later

The best thing about a 360 camera is that you don’t have to point the camera when you’re shooting. Since the camera captures in 360 degrees all around you, everything is caught on camera—no matter what. You never have to worry about whether you caught a special moment of your travels on camera.

You don’t actually have to use a 360 camera to shoot 360-degree content. When you’re settling down at the end of the day, you can “reframe” the video to focus on whatever you want to show. Just swipe around the 360 footage on your phone until you find the best angle and export the video to fit any social media platform.

The Insta360 app makes reframing even easier with “Auto Frame”. This AI algorithm analyzes your footage for you and provides you with a collection of the best angles. Just pick the one you like best and you’re done.

The invisible selfie stick

The most fun part about a 360 camera is hands-down the Invisible Selfie Stick feature. Selfie sticks might get a bad rep, but an invisible one can make any shot look epic.

How does it work? Because a 360 camera has two lenses, the selfie stick falls in the blind spot between them, making the selfie stick appear invisible in your final footage. There aren’t any magic tricks to making it disappear—just shoot with it like you would any other selfie stick. The selfie stick will automatically appear invisible when you look at your footage later.

The result? Mind-blowing aerial and third-person perspectives that look like they were shot on a drone. For solo travelers, it’s like your own personal cameraman. Never worry about asking someone for a photo again.

Unreal stabilization

Most 360 cameras also have advanced electronic image stabilization to keep your videos super steady. 360 cameras often have even better stabilization than many action cameras, because the wider field of view provides more room to stabilize the footage without cropping or losing image quality.

Heading skiing or snowboarding? Just mount the camera to your helmet or on your backpack with the selfie stick. Taking a long bike ride or motorcycle ride? Mount it to your helmet or the handlebars. Even if you’re just walking or hiking, image stabilization will make your shots look super smooth. No extra gimbals or other equipment needed.

Not only do 360 cameras correct shaky camera movements, they also correct unwanted rotations as well. Even if you turn the camera completely upside down, the video will stay upright the whole time with a level horizon.

What to look for in a 360 travel camera

So how do you pick the best 360 camera? Here are a few things to look for when you’re shopping around.

Portability
Like any kind of travel gear, portability is of the essence in a travel camera. Look for a 360 camera that you can hold comfortably in your hand and slip easily in your pocket, like the Insta360 ONE X2.

Durability
Most 360 cameras have two circular lenses on either side of the camera body, which might give you some anxiety about keeping the camera safe while traveling. But these cameras can be tougher than they look.

Insta360 ONE X2 is waterproof to 10 meters, with no exterior case needed. Perfect for a day at the lake, rafting down the river, or even surfing at the beach. There are also lens protectors available to keep the lenses protected while you’re on the go, or a dive case for capturing underwater content. It also boosts a high-performance battery to keep you shooting all day long.

The companion app

The last thing you might want to do after a long day of traveling is sift through all of your footage and edit it before you can share it. A clunky, frustrating editing workflow can really turn a great day into a bad one.

The Insta360 app is packed with AI editing features to make editing easier than ever. Want to just tap once and be done? Look no further than the app’s Shot Lab, which hosts a collection of one-tap templates using the latest and greatest editing techniques. All you need to do is import your footage and then Shot Lab turns it into something epic. And it’s continuously updated with new templates all the time to keep your edits fresh.

Dolly Zoom and Stop Motion templates make cinematic effects as easy as a tap. You can even clone your body with templates like Clone Trail. Or tired of people blocking your shot in crowded tourist traps? The Ghost Town template will take your 360 timelapse and remove the people from it, outputting an unobstructed photo.

It’s all super easy and makes editing super fast when you’re on the go. With a camera like Insta360 ONE X2, you can let the camera do the work and you can just focus on having fun.