I really appreciated this video. You put out a lot of great videos visually (as well as your smooth-talking audio), and it's good to see you do a review of equipment, too.

Great video, but why not try using the single lens option on the X3? It won't be as sharp as the GoPro, but you will avoid the stitching issue, and the image will be sharper than the 360 lens.

Hi great video! I'm just trying to figure out which camera to buy for underwater shooting (snorkeling). I understood that the X3 even with the underwater case is not very good, so what do you recommend? Osmo 3? gopro 11? Thank you

Great video. Would interesting to know if the X3 stitching was better underwater with the dive case setting enabled, but with no dive case actually present?

How does the insta360 4K single lens mode in underwater ? Is it at par with gopro 11 ?

Thanks , I bought the dive case and it worked good, but it’s started getting fogged up, it only comes with 5 fog strips, the fogging go so bad I spent a ton of time managing it. No one mentions it’s a hassle to edit , can’t put SIM card in reader has to be done through the app

Great video. Good to see such honesty about the camera, and showing real results! Have you done any testing with the Insta360 One RS 4K boost lens?

In Insta Studio you can correct the stitching, right?

Am in awe of your abilities to use technology, edit, and select music. Bravo.

in my opinion and according to my experience it only works if the object is very close, if you want to shoot objects three metres away or more it doesn't focus, what do you think?

Man I’m happy I came across you page🙌🏾great videos n that’s where I’m from and should be home soon for some vlogging as well.. great work keep it up man 🙏🏾🙌🏾

You may have already done so, but how about a video of how you use the X3 for your (non underwater) travel vlogs. I understand the deficiency you point out in this video and thank you for that. For me, I'm really interested to get proficient at using my X3 (and especially the editing platforms) when we cruise to Iceland & Norway later this year and in Alaska next year. And my output is simply for personal use to archive and share with family & friends.

have you tried turning the x3 on while under water? Seems like the x3, when turned on above the water, sets itself normal mode. Then adjust underwater.

Sadly, I was also a victim of this… had an epic moment with a school of Baraccudas around me in Thailand … but the footage was terrible. Do you think the new clear Dive case makes it better? Or should I just use the larger 1.5 lens and shoot normal mode?

If you use single lense with insta, u get a similar image as a gopro, of course taking 360 video underwater is another story with refraction. That said, even with dive case you need to keep the camera In certain distance to get the best of it. How can you ever expect automatic stitching will work as magic 😃

Thank you for your video. It will hopefully stop a lot of people - like myself - to believe 360 X3 is usefull under water. I used my X3 today in Big Island Hawaii and thought I made a mistake setting up the camera, nope I didn't. Good thing I had my DJI Oslo Action with me giving me some clear shots. I like the X3 for some fun stuff, but I will not waste money for the under water housing. I'll be looking forward to see more of your videos.

So WhT your saying based on the videos the dive case made for good pictures? Thanks for the video I will buy the x3 and the dive case. Cheers Vancouver island Canada

I took my insta360 in the water today for the first time and was really disappointed with the terrible stitching! It’s great out of the water, but GoPro definitely seems the way to go once you get in the water! Reviewers should definitely be highlighting this more! Thanks for your video!

Thank you, you saved me from experiencing a lot of unnecessary frustration 😅 Cheers !

How can i record underwater and keep charging ?

Is this the first diving case or the second ? Did you put the protection lens or not ?

I am literally 2 days away from buying, but I am having a very hard time deciding. Based on reviews and other articles, Insta360 X3 has a lot more features, clearer images and videos (5.7K Insta360 versus 5.3k I think with Go Pro Hero 11). I also find it more aesthetic to be able to use an invisible selfie stick in the Insta360, instead of the Hero 11 which will show a selfie stick when you use it. Another thing I am considering are accessories - The Hero 11 has the accessories included in the bundle here in our country (PHL), while I need to buy the ones for Insta360 separately. Another thing is the frame - Insta360 allows you to select the frame (like orientation or how wide the shot is) after taking the image/video, but the GoPro does not. So feature wise, Insta360 I know wins, but this video just showed how bad it is underwater? This is one of the main reasons why I will be buying an action cam, to use underwater. Hero 11 has less features, but seems to have better underwater shots? So why does it show 5.7K in Insta360 and 5.2k in Hero 11, yet it is bad underwater? Another better thing with Insta360 is the ability to take 360 videos or photos, I believe Hero 11 does not have this? OMG can someone please help me decide!! Also, I believe Insta360 offers free editing apps on a phone without the need to pay, and Hero 11 does not? GoPro subscription is also not available here in the PH. I am so close to going crazy as I do not wish to buy one and then regret it after, so can someone please help me decide! I will mainly use it for underwater and motorcycle shots.

Great video. I do a bunch of water filming. I'd really like to be able to 360. Maybe I'll give that case a go.

all the issues you have mentioned is apparently solved with the announcement of invisible dive case, unfortunately it means you have to buy the new dive case :)

1:50 I think they should put 3 cameras on this device to have more angles to work with when doing the stitching

Will you please record with and without dive case on bike

Have you tried the invisible dive case with the insta360 X3? I wonder if that would be a rubbish too?

How is quality in other places not under water? Is the quality similar to gopro? Or we need to buy both

This is great info! I am totally a “get the shot and fix it in post” person.

wish i had come across this video before buying an x3, the x4 might be good enough for underwater. I had trouble deciding but ended up getting both a gopro12 and the x3 for different activities. insta 360 underwater quality sux looks blurry, stitching is not great but its practical to use the 360 to pan through the scenery.

there is a new invisble under water housing avaible from insta hope it will do better

I just bought the 360x3 to go on shark diving so far I can't even get decent footage on dry land its absolutely awful no matter what I try footage is always blurry and I only have my phone to edit

I have a Hawaii Channel and I was looking into the Insta360. It's a good looking camera but thanks to your video I know I will need a case or another camera for underwater shots. Mahalo!

Hey I've experienced this with the first 360 Camera I've ever purchased it was a Nikon. Key mission 360! I think the light quality is what t makes this occur try it in good lighting ,it may do the trick! Also as another person mentioned try in Me mode :)

Thanks for the video!

I’ve been on the lookout for a quality GoPro, so this review is most helpful. I know it’s from LAST April, but if I can avoid buying BRAND new when quality is still fetch, I will.

Thanks for your video. Nobody says about it. I hated my footage without the case. I am going to buy this dive case

i found this out for myself this weekend.

Thank you for this video!

The GoPro definitely gives a much better-quality image with or without color correction for underwater video. Insta 360 X3 might be better in other situations, as with a selfie stick while skiing/snowboarding.

Thanks a lot for pointing out this flaw which would otherwise definitely have been swept under the rug by others.

Spot on video. Unfortunately just back from the Galapagos with my InstaX3 and while I got some decent videos def wish I had brought a GoPro instead. The Insta is rubbish underwater indeed and no other reviewers are saying that.

Disagree. I used my Insta360 in the 11 trips taken since December (24 trips in 2024) to snorkel AND dive, but you need the dive case for great footage. No complaints here. And YES,I also have a GoPro 4 years now and prefer my Insta360 x3

Do we need waterproof case for go pro?

You should compare insta 360 with gopro max 360.

cool review man

I think most of you are expecting too much from a $400 action camera.

Latest invisible dive housing for X3 is far better than the original dive housing in this video and removes all stitching superbly. Basic understanding of refraction of light underwater will obviously cause problems with any form of unprotected lense and stitching. GoPro will invariably be a better single lense solution and much easier to process and edit the films.

I wish I had seen this before my last trip, I was in the Philippines and we went to see the Dugong. I had forgotten the selfie stick to dive case adaptor so, because it was going to be shallow, I dove with the selfie stick and no dive case. I was almost sick when I got back to my hotel and reviewed the footage, absolutely horrible!! So dissapointing !!

I caught this video after watching iJustine's rave over the X3 w/UW housing! She did not mention the problem you pointedly hi-lighted, but I think she didn't even try to shoot without the housing. I would tend to think her omission an innocent one, as. she appeared to be excitedly promoting the housing! It's hard to imagine anyone deliberately omitting the "flaw" once it is noticed. On the other hand the problem appears to be a software issue, something that could be corrected soon, making your critique moot. But comparing the Insta360Xn with any other camera is not a valid concept, as they occupy their own perhaps even unique niche that no other camera has considered doing, that of taking 360º vids & shots, mostly meant to include the creator. One would not buy this tool to the exclusion of a GoPro or an Olympus TG-x, but in addition, no different than one might buy a bicycle in addition to a motor bike and not think to compare them as options for the same role.

I've been trying to get surf footage with the insta360 x3 and the quality is terrible. I will keep trying with different configurations but, aside from the stitching issues (no dive case) the variation in colour and exposure in log, it is near impossible to keep water drops of the lens when you go from under a wave to above and the fact the quality is way too low to pull decent stills makes it a brick in the surf. Fortunately I bought it more for work on dry land and in that respect it is sensational. I will stick to putting the Sony mirrorless in a water housing for water shots. I'm not giving up on the 360 as I'd like to have it on the water housing to capture some video so maybe resort to single lens shooting.

I agree the GoPro has better quality but the insta360 is better for getting the things you wouldn't have seen behind you

I was about to make a big mistake. I was ready to buy an Insta360 X3. Fortunately, I watched your underwater camera test of the GoPro Hero11 and Insta360 X3 before I made my purchase. I would have made a big mistake if I had I bought an Insta360 X3, with or without a dive case! Since I live in Florida, I regularly go snorkeling on the coral reefs in the Florida Keys and in Florida’s many spring-feed rivers. (During the winter months, it’s exciting to go snorkeling in Crystal River where there’s one of the world’s largest gatherings of West Indian manatees, from 800 to 1,000.) I have taken a lot of underwater pictures using my GoPro Hero8. I decided to upgrade my GoPro and was ready to purchase an Insta360 X3 based on the many KZfaq reviews I’d watched. I thought I’d get great underwater shots. Boy, was I mistaken. Your video tells an important underwater story that no one is talking about. (I guess KZfaqrs don’t like getting wet when they do their camera reviews.) Since the GoPro Hero11 is the clear winner in an underwater competition, this is the new camera I purchased to replace my Hero8.

tq for doing this video . I totally agree with you. I came back and purchased gopro 12 now. I think insta 360 is worth above water.

You are comparing two different tools here and try to mimic the gopro with the 360. Sure you can correct and use a 4k image with the insta 360. But it's really meant to be used as a creative tool. Not take ultra sharp videos in normal format. In that respect the gopro will win every time. Appreciate the video in that you actually need the dive case to film under water. I am considering getting it just to use it on my motorcycle. Simply because a crushed insect somewhere on the camera is bad news in highway speeds.

I agree with You. I have X2 and case, and results are very mediocre in comparison with X3000 with case or similar cam. I hate Gopro colors, but underwater is very good too.

It would of been interesting if you had the go pro max

Thank sir

This would have made way more sense comparing against gopro max. 🤦‍♂️

Não aconselho a meter na água sem capa na primeira vez que meti a minha uns 20 segundos debaixo de água não ligou mais vou enviar pá garantia 10 metros mas deve ser nos sonhos deles nem um metro.

You need the waterproof case and that changes everything. Others have already spoken about that.

if i were to pick just 1 camera, i would pick X3 all the time. in the water ill just use single lens mode.out of the water then i can use 360 mode which hero 11 cant do, not to mention all other hero 11 problems😅

what is going on with your audio? are you eating your mic

I had the same issue. My insta360 x 3 failed me on my first day of a 5 week island tour in asia!!!. On the very first dip underwater at one foot deep. Water went into the unit. It was defective . ANd to make matter worse, i didnt have a gopro as back up. Ended up using my iphone the whole trip. If only i saw this video before purchasing my insta360. Guess i can say charge to experience

I am so sorry but you missed like 2 years, almost three, of comments all over the world talking about this issue. NEVER use it underwater without the dive case. I accept you don't understand about optics underwater, nor have to... but there are MILLUONS OF DISCUSSIONS about this in foruns, facebook and all around. Always use a dome to shoot underwater if you want to have the full FOV of the camera, otherwise you will lose about 33% of it. So, if you lose it there is no way the stitch would work, right? But try the 360 with only one lens. And try a dome with gopro. You will see the difference. Just don't say it isn't a well known fact. Thanks.

If I was buying a camera for "all shots" I'd choose that little GoPro. It was the clearest and best quality in my opinion. No fuss, no muss... just good clear shots like you want.

To be honest waterproof untill 10 meters says enough... designed to jump into water and survive but hardly to use as 360 dive camera... an avarage dive (scuba or freedive) is around 15 to 20 meters at least. (50 to 65 ft)

Still not sure why 99% of the videos uploaded for this are not in the 360 format just to see for our selves.

Two very different cameras for very different uses. I don't really think of any 360 camera as an "action" camera because they are fragile. That's the reason I carry the Max, the 11, the 7 and the Olympus Tough whenever I shoot "action" shots. Already well known that 360 camera will not shoot underwater shots among the Max community.

Dive Case Not worth??

So, the I sta 396 without the Invisible case it should NOT be used for 360 underwear. It says that actually. So let's make your video real and if u going to do 360 underwear use the correct case and set the camera in the case mode. Now do me a 360 video with the gopro. ....

This is the perfect video for me I’m looking for a good action camera for my trip to the Bahamas

I hope you got your money back 😂😂😂😂

It didn’t die under water to me that’s water profe

You are not supposed to use the Insta360 x3 underwater without the a case- which is way they make an underwater case. Of course it's going to be "rubbish".

Just found your video. Wish I would have found it sooner. I tested my X3 underwater yesterday without the dive case and using the Single Lens Mode to more closely mimic a GoPro, and *in single lens mode everything is still a blurry, unusable crappy mess.* Above the water it's ok. As soon as it enters the water everything sucks. You can't even use it to film static coral up close. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/fraAmbWq3664ioU.html&feature=share9 So the 10m waterproofness rating is only for splashes, because you can't use any underwater footage from it *anyway* because the quality is so bad 🤦

Naah. The 360 does great for myself and so many others underwater. I'll just go with the 360.

TFS

When you go to Antarctica and plan on getting underwater footage, you do not bring a TOY camera! And you learn about refraction and optics AHEAD OF TIME, Instead of blaming the toy camera, blame your lack of prior educating yourself about underwater optics. You get what you pay for. These cameras are for partygoers, social media etc. You were privileged enough to have an encounter with an amazing creature and you brought a toy? Somehow you can post on the web it is rubbish. I would say a 4K or 5.7K gopro would suffice in a pinch much better than this but even then, hopefully this was a learning experience. If you want to get Blue Planet stuff, make sure the sensor on your camera is huge, not the size of your pinky fingernail and then stretched out over a 360 degree space.

Absolute rubbish! I just tried 360 x3 underwater and the footage was worst than iPhone 3... It was like nothing in common with GoPro 11.

Im so sorry.. u are so bad at educating urself on the usage of the 360 x3😂😂😂.. u just have no idea how to use it. Ur comparing 360 view with a gopro single lens? Try comparing both on single lens mode, old man