The best 360 cameras are perfect for content creators that need flexibility. With a 360 camera, you don't need to point your camera at what you want to shoot. Instead (as the name suggests), you capture everything around the camera in full 360 degrees and then choose your framing later.
This makes 360 cameras more flexible than traditional action cameras, and they're perfect for motovlogging and other high octane pursuits. 360 cameras also give you access to lots of cool effects, like invisible selfie stick modes to simulate a floating camera, while letting you flick between FoVs, as if you had multiple cameras set up at once.
360 cameras have come a huge way in the last couple of years. So which one is right for you? I've reviewed and/or owned all the cameras below, so I've tested each and every entry personally. Read on to find out my picks.
Pete is a senior editor at Tom's Guide. He heads up the site's reviews team and all cameras coverage here at Tom's Guide. He's the site's expert on action and 360 cameras, testing them constantly and comparing them with one another. Pete tests every single 360 camera that the site covers, and put them through their paces in a range of different scenarios. He loves geeking out about cameras in general, and is passionate about helping you find the right product for you.
The best 360 cameras you can buy today
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These are my picks of the best 360 cameras you can buy right now. We've put all of these cameras through first hand testing, so you can rest assured they come highly recommended.
The best 360 camera overall
The Insta360 X5 is still the best 360 camera you can buy, offering the best all-round array of features right now, with the fewest serious weaknesses.
The X5 can record 360-degree footage in 8K/30p. That means you can reframe in up to 4K at 16:9 aspect rations. 8K is as high res as 360 cameras get right now. The X5 received upgraded sensors versus its predecessor, the X4, which produce a cleaner image in low light. I was very impressed by the cleanliness of the low light picture in testing.
As usual, Insta360's image stabilization does a great job, and footage throughout testing looked smooth and shake-free. Insta360 fitted the X5 with a mesh wind guard, and implemented a new wind reduction algorithm, which works an absolute treat. In testing, it did an incredible job at cleaning up wind buffeting in fast-paced footage — better than a standalone mic.
360 camera lenses are liable to damage, so on previous X-line iterations you had to use lens guards which impacted image quality. Insta360 remedied this with the X5, which features user-replaceable lenses via an affordable kit.
Importantly, the Insta360 app is best in class, making editing 360-footage on-the-fly easy. However, there's no better way to edit 360 footage than via the Insta360 Studio desktop app, which makes the process easy although includes many useful tools for professional-looking results. Both are totally free!
Read more in my full Insta360 X5 review.
How it compares & sample footage
How it compares
The Insta360 X5 has strong competition in the form of the DJI Osmo 360. And indeed, the Osmo pips the X5 in a number of ways. The DJI device offers 8K at a higher 50fps frame rate (although 50fps isn't a particularly usable frame rate for online content creation).
The Osmo 360 also features 105GB internal storage and wireless hookup to DJI devices, while also using the same 1,950mAh batteries as the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro (our favorite action camera). Those last two features might make the Osmo 360 the better choice for people already invested in the DJI ecosystem. The Osmo 360 also features larger sensors than the X5, for theoretically better low light performance. although I actually prefer how the X5's low light footage looks.
While its 30fps maximum frame rate is lower, the X5's stabilization is noticeably better, resulting in nicer looking footage. Very important for motovloggers!
Also very important are internal microphones. You ideally don't want to hook up a wired microphone when shooting 360 footage as the wires intrude into your frame. Totally wireless mics — which the Osmo 360 hooks up to with its OsmoAudio connection to DJI mics — reduce sound quality as they use Bluetooth. The Insta360 X5 has the strongest internal microphones in the game, and honestly, with the wind reduction algorithms, they're better than using an external microphone.
The Osmo 360's microphones, while not awful, are nowhere near as competent, and the DJI camera has no wired microphone interface either, so you can't hook up a high-end wired mic anyway (you can with the X5).
Both cameras have strong battery life at 8K/30p, so it's difficult to put one particularly down on the other.
A big win for the Insta360 X5, though, is it replaceable lenses, which you can swap out yourself using an affordable kit. The Osmo 360 needs to be sent off to DJI for repair if the lenses get damaged. You can purchase a protection plan from DJI to cover you for damages and repairs... only, if you're in the U.S., you can't. The Osmo 360 isn't being sold directly by DJI in the U.S., and direct from DJI is the only way you can buy a protection plan. So that sucks.
All in all, while the Osmo 360 has a few key advantages over the X5, the Insta360 camera is the better all round 360 camera.
Sample footage
The best 360 camera for existing DJI users
The DJI Osmo 360 is the best 360 camera for existing DJI users. If you already own a DJI camera or microphone, like the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro or DJI Mic 2, then the Osmo 360 will blend in perfectly with your existing gear and workflows.
The Osmo 360 uses the same 1,950mAh battery as the Osmo Action 5 Pro (also compatible with the DJI Osmo Action 4), so you can share batteries between devices and not need to bring/keep track of different power cells.
The Osmo 360 also utilizes OsmoAudio, meaning it can hook up wirelessly to DJI microphones. OsmoAudio isn't ideal for wide dynamic audio ranges and loud environments (like motovlogging) but is excellent for quieter environments and speaking.
Obviously, those aren't the only reasons to buy the Osmo 360. This is a formidable 360 camera in its own right. It shoots 8K 360-degree video at 30p or 50p (although at the latter, battery life is seriously compromised, while 50fps is not a highly used frame rate for online content creation). Footage looks excellent, and the stabilization is fairly decent.
You can also shoot the Osmo 360 in single lens mode at up to 5K/60fps, which is good for oversampling 4K footage, or if you need extra resolution to crop into frame.
The Osmo 360 features 105GB of internal storage, so if you forget your Micro SD card, no worries. You can still shoot.
This camera was DJI's first foray into 360-degree recording and, as starts go, it was a pretty strong one.
Find out more in my full DJI Osmo 360 review.
How it compares and sample footage
How it compares
The DJI Osmo 360 is, of course, competing with the vaunted Insta360 X5, our top pick. As I mentioned already in the X5 entry, the Osmo 360 has a few key advantages over the Insta360 cam.
Firstly, it blends seamlessly into the DJI ecosystem. Now, if you've spent any time at all on social media and YouTube in the last few years, you'll have no doubt noticed that DJI mics are one of the favorite audio devices for content creators. And for good reason. As such, if you're shooting content, there's a high chance you'll use or want to use a DJI mic, and the Osmo 360 hooks up seamlessly. It also uses DJI's standard 1,950mAh battery. If you have a DJI device already and buy the X5, you'll have different batteries rolling around in your bag. Not a death knell, but it could get annoying.
The Osmo 360 also features internal storage, unlike the X5, which is incredibly useful for giving you extra headroom if you fill up a card, or allowing you to shoot at all if you forget your card altogether.
The Osmo 360 also shoots as a higher frame rate than the Insta360 X5. It's not really that usable, as it's 50fps versus 30fps. Who uses 50fps for online content creation? Well, just about nobody. That's who.
In almost every other regard, though, the Insta360 X5 is a better camera. Better stabilization, better low light performance, better mics, better software. And easily replaceable lenses!
The final exception, though, is price. The Osmo 360 is the same price as the X5 in the U.S., although that's primarily due to tariffs. If you're in the U.K. and Europe, the Osmo 360 is a fair bit cheaper, making it a more cost effective solution if you can live with its smattering of flaws.
Sample footage
The best 360 camera under $500
If you can't stretch to an X5 or an Osmo 360, the Insta360 X4 is the next best 360 camera you can buy and can be found for well under $500, making it a much more affordable option.
Like its newer sibling, the X4 offers 8K/30p recording. This is a big step up over previous iterations, which could only shoot at 5.7K. With that 8K max resolution, you can reframe in up to 4K, so this camera will still suit hardcore content creators.
The stablization is fantastic, the internal mic is decent (although not as good as the X5's), build quality is excellent and the X4 has a bigger screen than the X3, which is bright and responsive. Like the X5, it also comes with some nifty features, including MeMode, which allows you to achieve the invisible selfie stick effect in 16:9 at 4K/60p in camera. It's also waterproof down to 33ft (10m) like its predecessor (there's a similar single lens mode on the Osmo 360, too).
The X4 also has an upgraded battery versus the X3, which equates to over 50 minutes longer at 5.7K (135 minutes in total). It shot 8K footage for 73 minutes in testing, which is fairly impressive.
When used as a 4K single lens action camera, I got over 110 minutes at 4K/60p, which is really very respectable. So if you're producing a lot of typical action camera-style footage but also need the flexibility of a 360 camera (without spending more than $500), this could be the ideal camera for you.
Read more in our full Insta360 X4 review.
How it compares and sample footage
How it compares
Look, I won't beat around the bush here: the X4 is nowhere near as complete a package as the X5. The X5 has larger sensors for better low light and improved stabilization. Its battery like at 8K is better. Its microphones are in a different league. It has replaceable lenses (which the X4 doesn't). It's simply a holistic improvement of the X4, so if you can stretch to that camera, I really would advise doing so.
The X4 is more fairly compared with the Osmo 360. Each of them offers similar stabilization and audio recording, while both have non-user-replaceable lenses, requring lens guards.
The X4 actually has a couple of advantages over the Osmo 360, though. Firstly, there's price! In the U.S., the Omso 360 costs quite a bit more, so if you're restricted to $500, the X4 is a better buy.
The X4 also benefits from the Insta360 desktop and mobile apps. Don't get me wrong, DJI's Mimo desktop and mobile apps are good... it's just that Insta360's are way better, with more intuitive controls and a wider array of features and effects.
The X4 can also support wired microphones, which is important given that both it and the Osmo 360 are down in this department compared to the X5.
Overall, while it may not have some of the top line figures of the Osmo 360, the X4 is not at all far behind the DJI, and still a fantastic camera for the money.
Sample footage
The best budget 360 camera
The Insta360 X3 is ageing now, but still offers decent specs for those on a budget. Importantly, this camera can be found for under $300, which is about as cheap as good 360 cameras come.
With its 5.7K max resolution, you can reframe in up to 2.7K. It has strong image stabilization that will make even the bumpiest videos look smooth, and can capture 4K single lens video at up to 60 fps. A TimeShift feature also lets you slow down or speed up specific segments of your videos.
As an Insta360 camera, the X3 uses the best companion app in the game: the Insta360 app, which makes it easy to edit 360 footage on the go. Alternatively you can reframe in the Insta360 Studio desktop app, which is my favorite way of editing 360 footage, hands down.
The X3 is water resistant to 10 meters (33 feet), and has a much larger touchscreen display than its predecessor, which makes previewing video and changing settings on the fly easy. It also has a decent battery life of up to 80 minutes when shooting at 5.7K.
While I didn't review this camera personally, I actually owned the X3 for around 2 years, so you can rest assured that I have spent a considerable amount of time using and testing this camera.
Read our full Insta360 X3 review.
How it compares and sample footage
So, when looking at how this camera compares to the others in this list, you gotta keep budget in mind. The X4, X5 and Osmo 360 are much newer cameras with much, much beefier specs.
The X3 is never going to be able to compete with those cameras on image quality, battery, stabilization, audio or features. It simply can't. It's too old. Its 5.7K max resolution won't net you 4K 16:9 output, which you'll get from all those other cameras.
The X3 these days is all about saving money. If you need the flexibility of a 360 camera on a tight budget, there really isn't any competition.
The only other camera I'd compare the X3 to in this arena is the GoPro Max, which also shoots at 5.7K for a maximum 2.7K output when reframed in 16:9. And I'd recommend the Insta360 over the GoPro any day — primarily for the software. Insta360's mobile and desktop apps are much better than GoPro's Quik apps for editing 360 footage.
As I said above, while the X3 won't compete with its bigger siblings on features, if budget is your main concern, it's the only 360 camera I'd recommend.
Sample footage
FAQs
Here are some answers to the most frequently asked questions about 360 cameras. Hopefully you can find the answers
What is a 360 camera?
Simply put, a 360 camera records a full 360-degree field of view, meaning it captures everything around the camera, rather than the restricted fields of view of, say, a traditional single-lens action camera.
The best action cameras with single lenses have a fixed field of view and will only capture what you point it at. A 360-degree camera will capture everything around it in full 360 degrees.
The benefit of that is flexibility. You don't have to point a 360 camera at what you want to shoot. You film first and then frame later!
How do 360 cameras work?
By having more than one lens, with a wide field of view, a 360 camera can "see" in 360 degrees. If each of those lenses targeted onto a sensor, you then have a recordable 360-degree view!
This often involves placing the lenses opposite one another, though, as you'll see with the Insta360 X4, so most 360 cameras use more than one sensor (one per lens usually). The camera then stitches together the images from each lens (so 180-degrees per lens on a two-lens camera) to create a 360-degree FoV. This often results in "stitching" lines being visible in footage, where the fields of view haven't met up perfectly, overlapping or missing small slivers instead.
Here's where things get interesting. The maximum resolution of the camera (i.e. 8K for the Insta360 X4) is for all the sensors combined, so that full 360-degree FoV. If you then want to export in 16:9 for people to watch on YouTube, you'll need to crop into that image and will lose resolution.
How much resolution you lose depends on your reframing FoV, or essentially how wide of an angle you take. Reframing at a very wide FoV like 170-degrees will allow you to keep lots of resolution, but your video will suffer from wide angle barrel distortion (fish eye effect). Reframing at a narrower FoV like 110-degrees will give your footage a more linear/less distorted look, but will lose a lot more resolution.
As a rough guide, on the 8K Insta360 X5, you can reframe in 4K at the widest MegaView 170° FoV, and 2.5K/1440P in the narrowest Linear 110° FoV.
Meanwhile, on the 5.7K Insta360 X3 or the 5.6K GoPro Max, you're looking at around 2.7K in the widest MegaView 170° FoV and 1080P in the narrowest Linear 110° FoV.
Which is better: Insta360, DJI or GoPro?
That depends what you want! Insta360 is, generally speaking, making the best 360 cameras right now. That's why three of the entries above are Insta360. The X5 is simply the best blend of features and performance.
DJI is hot on Insta360's heels, though, and while the Osmo 360 is not quite as capable as the X5, it could be the better choice for existing DJI users thanks to integration within the constantly-expanding DJI ecosystem.
GoPro is way, way behind. Its only offering in the 360 world as I write this is the GoPro Max, which is ageing, with similar features to our top budget pick, the Insta360 X3. GoPro has been losing ground to Insta360 and DJI for a while now, not just here but in the action cameras world, too. Its failure to innovate for many years has let its rivals gain ground. Although with a roster of competitive GoPro cameras rumored for release soon, that may yet change!
What should you look for when buying a 360 camera?
The main factor to consider, as long as you have the budget, is maximum resolution. Above, I explained how 360 cameras work and that if you want to reframe your footage to 16:9 to actually view it (you can't view 360 degrees on a screen), you're going to be losing lots of resolution.
You want as much resolution as possible, so that when you reframe, you have more flexibility over camera angles while keeping image quality. The Insta360 X5 is currently the highest res camera, at 8K, which means you can reframe 16:9 footage in 4K at a 170-degree FoV.
You'll also find that 360 cameras tend to fall into two camps: small, pocketable stick-style devices, and larger squarish (or circular) cameras. The former tend to be less expensive, and are designed for more casual and impromptu shooting. In the second category are cameras such as the Insta360 X5, which are larger and more expensive, but tend to produce higher-quality video. Generally, the design of the latter type of 360 camera also means you'll have to attach it to a tripod or some other mount if you want to capture good footage.
Be sure to think about how you plan to use a 360 camera before you purchase it; if you want to get some fun selfies with friends, then the stick-style cameras will fit your needs well. If you want to capture hair-raising exploits when you go skydiving or skiing, then a larger camera may be the better option.
How I test 360 cameras
As reviews and cameras editor here at Tom's Guide, I test all the latest 360 camera releases in the same way. Now, there's only one real way to test 360 cameras, and that's to strap them to yourself or something else and get shooting! Before I do that, though, I subject each camera to our usual evaluations: price, build quality, styling and overall design, number of ports, etc.
I then shoot footage in each camera's full 360-degree FoV mode. While I'm shooting, I'm analyzing each camera to see how they perform: do they overheat? How long is the battery life? How easy is the camera to control and change settings on while I'm shooting? How many recording features are available to me? And more.
I then always analyze the footage in whatever companion software the camera comes with, looking at image quality, contrast, lens artefacts, and stitching. Naturally, I also test how many features the companion software offers, and how easy it is to use (360 footage needs lots of tweaking and adjusting in software).
Finally, I reframe the footage to 16:9 to get an idea of how sharp the final footage looks.
