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The Best 360 Camera for Most PeopleGoPro Max 2 360 Camera

$500 $419 (16% off) Amazon

The Best Low Light 360 CameraInsta360 X5 360 Camera

$550 $465 (15% off) Amazon

Best Beginner 360 CameraInsta360 X4 Air

$400 $300 (25% off) Amazon

The Camera With the Best Audio AccessoriesDJI Osmo 360

$550 $357 (35% off) Amazon

What if you could capture everything around you all the time? That's the promise of the best 360 cameras, which use two lenses to simultaneously record everything in a scene, stitching it together in software. The big advantage of 360 cameras over traditional action cameras is that you don't miss anything. Remember that time you were carving the fresh powder with a GoPro on your head and you missed the grizzly bear that lunged at you from the side? You would have had the shot if you'd been using a 360 camera.

Unedited 360 footage can be used in a VR headset, but for most of us, 360 footage will end up edited down to a traditional “flat” video. This is the primary scenario we've considered in testing and selecting these cameras. Be sure to check out our other camera buying guides, including the Best Action Cameras, Best Drones, Best Compact Cameras, Best GoPro, Best Mirrorless Cameras, and Best Camera Bags.

Updated March 2026: After months of testing, we've replaced the Insta360 X4 with the Insta360 X4 Air and updated prices and links throughout.

- The Best 360 Camera for Most People

Photograph: Scott Gilbertson

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GoPro

Max 2 360 Camera

$500 $419 (16% off) Amazon

$500 $400 (20% off) GoPro

GoPro's Max 2 is the best 360 camera for most people. The dual 14 mm (35 mm equivalent) lenses of the Max 2 each record to a 1/2.3-inch chip, yielding what GoPro calls “True 8K” (10-bit) video. The short story is that GoPro's larger sensors mean more pixels are used for the actual image than competitors. The result is sharper, clearer footage. Couple this with support for 10-bit color in Log files and you have footage that the competition just can't match. If you don't want to post-process your videos to color Log files, fear not, GoPro's natural-looking color rendition in the default profile is the best I've tested. (Note that this is subjective, but I find DJI and Insta360's colors to hyper-saturated and unrealistic, particularly the sky on bright sunny days).

The triple mounting system of folding fingers, tripod hole, and magnetic system mean you can mount the Max 2 pretty much anywhere. Another big bonus: the lens covers are simple to replace—just twist them off with your fingers and pop new ones on. You get all the usual GoPro video modes here, including HyperSmooth video stabilization, horizon leveling, timewarp, and more. You can also activate single lens mode and it turns into a 4K Hero-style action camera with all the same features.

As good as the Max 2 is, there are a couple of issues. The big one in my opinion is the audio quality, which is not great. Luckily you can pair this with any Bluetooth mic and that problem is solved. The other issues are low light performance, which is not good—if low light video is on your list of must-haves, see the Insta360 X5 below —and finally, the video reframing workflow is very mobile-first. At the moment all the automated tracking and reframing tools (which are excellent) are limited to the mobile version of the Quik app. Hopefully GoPro will bring these to the desktop version in a future update.

SpecsVideo Resolution8K: (7680x3840) @ 30/25/24 fpsSingle-Lens: 4K: (16:9) (3840x2160) @ 60/50/30/25/24 fpsStill Image Resolution360: 29MP (7680x3840) Single-Lens: 12MP (4000x3000) (RAW) 12MP from 4K (4:3) VideoBattery Life55-60 minutes at 8K, more at lower resolutions.Weight6.87 ounces (195 grams)StorageMicroSD class A2 V30 or higher

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WIRED

- Sharper, clearer footage

- Natural-looking color rendition

- Great accessories

TIRED

- Audio is not so great

- The Best Low Light 360 Camera

Photograph: Scott Gilbertson

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Insta360

X5 360 Camera

$550 $465 (15% off) Amazon

$550 $465 (15% off) Adorama

$550 $465 (15% off) B&H Photo

Our former top pick, the Insta360 X5, is an excellent 360 camera. It uses twin 1/1.28" sensors to capture very near 8K video. The dynamic range is impressive, and the color science here is very good though it does tend toward the oversaturated. Skin tones on the other hand are very good, making it excellent for point-of-view shots. Insta360's PureVideo mode delivers very usable video in low-light situations. The image stabilizat

Best 360 Cameras (2026): DJI, Insta360, GoPro | WIRED