The tiny vlogging camera you should actually buy

0:00These are two of the smallest 4K vlog cameras that you can buy. The Insta360 Go Ultra and the DJI Osmo Nano. It feels like Insta360 and DJI are in a battle to create the best tiny vlogging camera. And with the popularity of Insta360's Go 3S and Go Ultra cameras, it's no surprise that DJI wanted to release their own mini modular vlog cam. There are some pretty obvious similarities here, but DJI definitely isn't the only brand taking inspiration because Insta360 has a very familiar-looking camera coming out soon. But we'll have to save that for another video. These two cameras are so similar both in features and in price. So, how are you

0:39supposed to decide which one is right for you? I'm going to show you the video quality of each of them side by side so you can decide for yourself and talk you through the biggest differences that actually matter for creators. And by the way, this video isn't sponsored by Insta360 or DJI. These are entirely my own opinions and experiences with the camera. This video does have a sponsor, though. Storyblocks, and I'll tell you more about them in just a bit. Okay, let's start with video quality. Both of these cameras shoot in 4K resolution and

1:06have an incredibly wide field of view. While the Go Ultra technically caps out at 4K [music] 60 frames per second, it can do 120 frames per second but only at 2.7K. The Osmo Nano can shoot at full 4K 120 frames per second, which lets you get incredibly smooth and cinematic slow mo. The sensors in these cameras are both quite small and very similar in size and they both have a fixed aperture of F2.8. Overall, in ideal lighting conditions, I think we're seeing pretty similar results from these cameras, though obviously they both deal with their exposure slightly differently. I think that comes down to a preference thing. I think the quality is quite

1:44comparable. When I test out new cameras, I always like to do what I call the bad lighting test. So, the thing is, in a lot of reviews and stuff, you're going to see cameras used in the most [music] optimal conditions like bright sunny day, you know, outdoors, and obviously that's always going to look really good. To take our bad lighting test a little bit further, let's take a look at what these cameras look like at night. This is where I think the Go Ultra has a noticeable advantage. The Go Ultra has what Insta360 calls Pure Video Mode, where the camera is using AI algorithms to blend frames, reduce noise, and

2:19essentially help you to see in the dark. The DJI Osmo Nano doesn't have an equivalent mode to this, and you can definitely tell. Okay, but what about the color profile options? The Go Ultra has its standard color profile, as well as a variety of presets, basically filters that you can choose from that will alter your final look. That being said, it doesn't have any flat picture profile or log option. The DJI Osmo Nano has a few different film looks to choose from as well, but more importantly it has D-Log M, which if you're not familiar with [music] log footage, basically it's a special type of desaturated video that preserves your

3:00highlights and shadows, and allows for more flexibility in color grading later. If you want to be able to match your footage from one of these cameras to other cameras that you're shooting with, then shooting in log is really really helpful. Cuz if you shoot in log on all of your cameras, you have the ability to adjust the colors to make it look cohesive in the edit. Whereas when you shoot with the Go Ultra, you're kind of locked into whatever the footage looks

3:24like straight out of camera. I would say both of these cameras have excellent stabilization. Insta360 calls theirs FlowState, on the Osmo it's Rocksteady, but it works out pretty well for like just vlogging, walking around. You get quite nice smooth footage, I think. No gimbal needed. Okay, so let's be real for a second. After seeing [music] so much test footage from both of these cameras, you might be asking yourself the same thing I did when I first started testing them out, which is, is this really 4K? Yes, it's pretty decent-looking footage overall, but I think we can be honest and say it does not look like the 4K

3:56video that I film on my phone. And I was curious why that was, so I did a little bit of research, and here's the thing. 4K simply refers to the number of pixels that are captured. It doesn't necessarily represent the quality of those pixels. And iPhones have extremely sophisticated computational photography technology built into them. Like these phones basically have the most powerful tiny computer processing chips on the planet. These little cameras, which you can buy admittedly for a lot less than you could buy a phone for, do not have as impressive of processing. And so even though the sensor size is not all that different, you're going to see a

4:35noticeable difference in the quality of the footage from 4K on an iPhone to 4K on like an action camera. Plus, on your phone, you do have a variety of lenses to choose from, which changes up the focal length. These you're locked into just like [music] one very wide-angle view. I just wanted to acknowledge that because I feel like, yeah, [music] like these are 4K, but it might not be what you're used to expecting from 4K footage, especially if you film on an iPhone. The value add from these action cameras isn't that the quality is so much better than your phone. It's that the usability is a whole different

5:07experience. It gives you the opportunity [music] to get creative angles, mount it to different stuff, take it underwater. So yeah, just something to consider, especially if you are thinking about upgrading from your phone. That's really what these cameras offer you, not necessarily an upgrade in quality. Okay, so who wins the battle on video quality? I think it's a very close race. If you just want great results on auto mode with preset creative looks and really great low-light results, I would go with the Go Ultra. But if you want ultimate flexibility in post and the ability to color grade later, then the DJI Osmo Nano is the obvious choice. A camera is

5:42more than just its video quality though, it's also about the experience of using it. So let's discuss some of the physical features of both of these cameras. They are both incredibly small and light, effectively the same weight. They're both modular, meaning you can disconnect the actual camera from the display and charging case. Insta360 calls this the action pod, and DJI calls this the Vision Dock. They both give their tiny camera a screen and added battery life. You can also use them as separate monitors, which is nice. So, you can place the camera somewhere, separate it from the pod/dock, and then use the screen to check your framing

6:20while you're in the shot, which I personally love. That's a great feature for solo vloggers. And in both cases, the camera is waterproof, but the pod/dock is not. Another thing they have in common, they're both magnetic, which means you can stick these cameras to a lot of places, and it gives you the opportunity for some cool angles. They both also come with a magnetic pendant mount to make use of this feature, so

6:42you can get hands-free POV shots. Overall, these cameras are super similar in their physical attributes. However, there is one obvious difference. The GO 2's action pod has a flip-up screen. So, if you're setting up a shot that you're going to be in, you can frame it up from behind the camera, flip the screen up, and then from in front of the camera, you can double-check that the framing looks good. This is always my process for filming B-roll of myself. The Osmo Nano does have a selfie mode, but instead, you have to detach the Vision Dock from below, flip it around, and then reattach it via the magnetic quick

7:18release. Obviously, it doesn't take that long to do, but in my opinion, it's not quite as efficient as just being able to flip up the screen. Especially when you have the Vision Dock mounted to a tripod, cuz it's like the middle layer, right? So, you've [music] got to detach this, detach this, connect it again, and then connect it again um to double-check your framing, which is really not a a deal, it's just not as easy as that. Okay, so no matter what camera you end up shooting with, we could always use some extra B-roll animations and visual elements to make our videos more engaging. And that's

7:50where Storyblocks, the sponsor of today's video, comes in. Storyblocks is an all-in-one creative resource to help you tell better stories through video. It's got a vast online library of stock footage, animation templates, background music, sound effects, basically everything you need to make your video more dynamic and engaging. I love that everything in the Storyblocks library is 100% human-made. There's never any generative AI content in there. I actually really respect how Storyblocks as a brand has integrated [music] AI into their product because it's not replacing human creativity. It's helping you search better, be more efficient, and ultimately save time when you're creating. But they're still supporting

8:27real artists, which I really appreciate. Everything that you download from Storyblocks is pre-licensed and royalty-free, so you never have to worry about using it in any of your content across social media. You'll never have content ID or copyright strikes. And one last thing, which is really exciting, Storyblocks is offering you guys an exclusive 15% off discount if you sign up using my link. I am told that it is just for a limited time only, so make

8:50sure you check that out while it lasts. I'll have my link in the description, or you can just go to storyblocks.com/katie. And as always, thanks to Storyblocks for sponsoring today's video. Okay, so you already got a little sample earlier of what the audio straight out of camera sounds like when I was at home in the bathroom, but here's what it sounds like just out for a walk along a somewhat busy street. I think there's a lot of background noise, so hopefully this gives you a good sample of like what to expect in a real-world scenario. And I think you can also kind of see the stabilization on these cameras when

9:20you're just walking. I'm just like holding them on a selfie stick, so yeah. This is like kind of what vlogging looks like. Which do you think looks and sounds better? Both of these brands also make wireless microphones that are compatible with their respective cameras. The Osmo Nano allows Bluetooth connection exclusively to DJI brand mics. You can actually connect two at once, which is really great if you're vlogging with a friend. Here is what the audio sounds like with the DJI Mic Mini connected via Bluetooth. It's just your good old reliable DJI mic quality. It sounds great. Ultra allows Bluetooth connection to any wireless microphone in addition to their own. Just recently,

9:59Insta360 released their new Mic Pros, which are pretty fun. They've got this really unique e-ink screen that allows you to display your own logo or whatever you'd like. But there is one catch with these, at least for right now, which we'll get back to in a second. But like I said, you can connect any third-party microphone to the Go Ultra. This is the DJI Mic 2 connected to the Go Ultra, for example. And as you are probably starting to notice, it doesn't sound very good. Like, yes, this is a very high-quality microphone, but because of the Bluetooth connection to this camera, it's kind of giving FM radio vibes. It's

10:36sort of similar to how if you've ever tried recording audio on your iPhone and you're wearing your AirPods, the audio just it doesn't sound very good. It's not the microphone's fault, it's the connection. Now, this is what it sounds like when I'm recording using [music] the Mic Air from Insta360. They first released this little microphone last summer, and I'll be honest, when I first tested it out, it sounded just like the DJI mic just did. Now though, it sounds crisp and clear, definitely an

11:03improvement on the internal microphone. And yeah, it just sounds like a high-quality wireless lav mic. So, here's where the catch is with Insta360's new Mic Pros. I think there must be a firmware update still to come that is going to make these sound just as good as the little Mic Air does with the Go Ultra, because that made all the difference between when I first tested out the Mic Air to now. Like, they released a new firmware update, which I think optimizes the Bluetooth connection between the camera, like it makes the camera better at receiving the signal from the mic, I believe. To make this test fair, though, I did just update all

11:37the firmware on these microphones on the Go Ultra just yesterday, and this is still what the result is sounding like. So, I think we're still awaiting further updates for these mics to be a good pair with the Go Ultra. [music] To be fair, I received the Mic Pros pre-release, and normally I would reserve my judgment on early glitches cuz I know they're usually working out the kinks before, you know, the public release. But, the Mic Pros are now available for purchase, but clearly the firmware update has not yet been released that is actually going to make

12:08these mics sound good with the Go Ultra. I also tested these out on my Ace Pro 2, and it was a similar result. If I were to guess, I think that by the time the new camera from Insta360 is released, that these are going to be sounding crisp cuz I think these are kind of meant to be released in tandem with the new camera. But, at least for now, if you did want to go the Go Ultra route and you care about having an external microphone, then I would go with the Mic Air that's been out for a while cuz like I showed you, this guy sounds really

12:36good. However, all of that stuff aside, the main downside is the Go Ultra only allows you to connect to one mic at a time. So, if it's really important to you that you can connect to, you'll want to go with the Nano. So, who wins the audio competition? Overall, I think their internal microphones are pretty similar. But, when you start looking at the external microphone options, I think

12:58the Osmo Nano is the obvious choice. You're not waiting on any firmware updates, you can connect two microphones, and it's just your reliable, good-quality DJI audio. DJI has been in the wireless microphone game for a long while now, and I think Insta360 is working on catching up. So, I'm sure in time, it'll be, you know, the same. But, at least for right now, I do think DJI is ahead of the game. File storage is a category where these

13:22cameras differ quite a bit, actually. The Osmo Nano comes with internal storage with options for 64 GB or 128 GB, whereas the Go Ultra is microSD card only. Both of these approaches have their pros and cons. I've always been an SD card person. That's been my preference for file transfer and organization, but I'll admit that lately I've been getting really used to these mini cameras having internal storage because if you forget your SD card, no worries, you can still film. That being said, you are locked into whatever storage size you bought at the beginning. And if you run out of space, you then have to transfer all of your

13:57files off the camera to your computer or to an SD card that you can put into the Osmo Nano, and that takes time. It's not nearly as quick as just swapping out for a new SD card. So, especially if you're traveling or you're in a moment that you really want to capture, it could end up being a big pain. [music] When it comes down to the winner for this, I really do think it's personal preference. If you like an SD card workflow and it's important to you to be able to quickly put in new memory, then the Go Ultra is going to win it for you. But, if you

14:23love the convenience of internal storage, it's the Nano. If you're someone who creates for YouTube and short-form social media content, then you're going to want to know how these cameras deal with vertical footage. Of course, with both of them, you can simply rotate the camera 90° and you'll get the exact same quality footage, but

14:41just [music] in a vertical aspect ratio. So, that's great. The cool part though that I think you'll really be interested in is that they both offer a 4x3 aspect ratio video. This lets you film in [music] like almost a square, which means later on you can use the same footage and crop it horizontally and vertically. That's really nice because it allows you to shoot for both formats at once without losing quality later. On the Go Ultra, this is a completely separate mode called free frame video. I really like the UI they have for this because it lets you frame your shots for vertical and horizontal. Like it shows you really

15:14helpful guidelines so you know where the crop will be. On the Osmo Nano, you can just change this in your video resolution settings. You just choose 4x3, and ultimately you get the same aspect [music] ratio in the end, but you just don't see the guides on screen while you're shooting. They're both very similar in this regard, so I don't think there's a true winner for vertical content. However, I really do like Insta360's free frame video mode. I think it's really helpful when it comes to framing your shots for both. [music] These cameras really are so similar that it's impossible to say definitively which is objectively best. It really

15:48comes down to what your priorities are. If you want to just get great results straight out of camera, no editing required, and you're probably going to be shooting in some challenging lighting situations like at night quite often, then I would say the Go Ultra is your best choice. But if being able to color grade is important to you and you need that Dlog 10-bit, then you're going to want to go with the Osmo Nano. And if you want to be able to connect two microphones to your vlog camera because you always film with a friend for example, then you're also going to want to go with a Nano. But if you film by

16:17yourself all the time and you want to be able to easily check your framing from behind the camera and in front of the camera, the Go Ultra's definitely easier to film with. And if none of those things are a deal breaker for you, then congratulations, there is no [music] wrong decision here. Both of these cameras have impressive video quality for their size, they're truly pocketable, and they're easy for beginners to use. And I know you can

16:38make great content with either of them. Okay, I hope this was a helpful breakdown for you. Let me know in the comments which cameras you'd like to see me compare next. And also make sure you're subscribed if you're curious about that new Insta360 camera because I'll be doing an in-depth video on it as soon as they let me talk about it

16:53publicly. As always, I hope that you're having adventures and following your dreams, and I'll see you in the next one. Bye.