DJI Osmo Pocket 3 or Insta360 X5 – Which Is Better for Travel? - video Dailymotion

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I Replaced DJI Osmo Pocket 3 With Insta360 X5 | Which Is The Best Travel Camera? @PaulAntill  pits the brand-new Insta360 X5 against his longtime favorite, the DJI Osmo Pocket 3, to see which one deserves to be the ultimate travel camera. From low light performance and gimbal smoothness to wild 360 tricks and rugged durability, both of these cams bring something unique to the table.  Filmed across a week in Chengdu, China, this hands-on comparison breaks down real-world use, battery life, editing workflow, and that awkward tariff pricing hike. Whether you’re filming cinematic travel shots or just looking for the most versatile, compact camera for your next trip — this video will help you figure out which travel camera is best in 2025 for your kit.

Transcript

00:00I'm headed to China for the next few weeks and need to pack a small travel camera.

00:03The Insta360 X5 just dropped, but I've also got my trusty DJI Osmo Pocket 3 to pick between.

00:09So which one am I taking with me?

00:12Both, of course. What kind of question is that?

00:13Welcome to Chengdu China and another episode in my replacement series where I pit new gear

00:18against the stuff I already use and love to see if it can earn a place in my kit.

00:22The Osmo Pocket 3 has been my go-to travel camera for years, so the X5 has a lot to prove.

00:26Okay, if I had to narrow it down, here's what my perfect travel camera needs.

00:32It's got to be lightweight and deliver great video quality, but most importantly,

00:36it has to be fun and easy to use. Something that makes me want to keep shooting,

00:40not something that gets in the way. Let's start by looking at design.

00:43While both of these are super compact cameras, they take a totally different approach.

00:47The X5 is a sealed unit, no moving parts, no gimbal, and that means it's IP68 waterproof,

00:53dustproof, and much better suited for taking on an adventure.

00:56Meanwhile, the Pocket 3 is more delicate, and something I wouldn't take to the beach or pool.

01:01I'm not going any further with the Osmo Pocket.

01:04Now, I thought the Pocket 3's 2-inch rotatable touchscreen was already great,

01:08but the X5's larger 2.5-inch screen is even better, making it easier to check for framing

01:13and incredible for filming vertical content, which in my book is a big plus.

01:18Now, I can't talk about cameras without getting into video quality.

01:22On one hand, the Insta360 X5 captures way more, but with the Osmo Pocket 3, it's much tighter.

01:29So, filming videos like this, it can be a little bit difficult.

01:31You have to hold your hand a little bit further out when you want to get more in the scene.

01:35It's a lot easier to use the Insta360 X5 because it's not just capturing me,

01:39it's capturing what's in front of me to my size,

01:41and of course, I can reframe it later in post, so that's really great.

01:45But with the Osmo Pocket 3's 1 perspective, I have to switch between it facing backwards

01:49or selfie mode.

01:52And when there's a lot of action happening quickly,

01:54that could be the difference between getting or missing the shot.

01:57But the benefit, and one of the biggest reasons I love the Osmo Pocket 3 so much,

02:01is that 1-inch sensor.

02:02And that 1-inch sensor unlocks this really nice depth of field,

02:05especially when you get closer to your subject, it blurs out the background really nicely.

02:09The X5, though, everything is in focus all the time,

02:12no matter how close I get.

02:14And that's not very flattering.

02:15The Insta360 X5 can shoot up to 8K 30 frames per second, which sounds impressive,

02:20but the resolution is split between both lenses in 360 mode.

02:24So, really, you're looking at something closer to 4K.

02:27And even though the Pocket 3 tops out at just 4K,

02:30I found that it produces sharper and more natural images straight out of the camera.

02:35You guys work way too hard.

02:37So, when it comes to vlogging with these two cameras,

02:39they trade blows.

02:40But if you add a selfie stick to the mix,

02:42the X5 pulls off one of its greatest invisible party tricks.

02:46Literally.

02:47In a few seconds, you can go from a simple handheld shot

02:49to making it look like you have a drone or even a personal camera operator

02:52following you with no selfie stick in frame.

02:56And this feature unlocks some of the most fun shots I captured on the trip,

03:00especially when I was finding creative angles to move the X5 through.

03:04It's also great to have a small, pocketable camera that offers decent zoom range.

03:10Now, unfortunately, with the Insta360 X5, you're pretty limited in what you can do.

03:14On the other hand, with the DJI Osmo Pocket 3, we got a recent software update,

03:19which brought medium tele-zoom.

03:22So, that's been great for getting closer to the action without losing quality or portability.

03:26But when I'm doing these day-long video shoots, battery life is another really big concern.

03:31With the Insta360, you do have hot, swappable batteries.

03:33So, when one dies and you need to quickly recharge, you're ready to go.

03:36With the Osmo Pocket 3, I do get longer battery life at about two hours,

03:39but the internal battery is not swappable.

03:42But I do have this really nice extended battery grip.

03:45It nearly doubles battery life to about four hours,

03:47but it does make things a little bit less pocketable.

03:49Okay, it was this next day that I really wished the X5 had some kind of similar extended battery grip.

03:57Yeah, it's only 3 p.m.

03:58I've only been shooting a mix of shorter to medium-length clips in the battery on this.

04:04It's already pretty low.

04:05I have to plug it in in order to get more charge.

04:08So, I had the X5 plugged into that power bank that you just saw,

04:11and everything was going fine until the charging cable got onto something,

04:14and then this happened.

04:16Did it break?

04:17No.

04:17Oh, thank God.

04:18I think it may have scratched a little bit, but...

04:20Oh, Lord.

04:21Yeah, it scratched just a little bit.

04:23I don't know how noticeable that is.

04:25I wish that was recording, though.

04:26Yep, I dropped the camera.

04:28It took a full fall right to the concrete from, like, five feet up,

04:31but amazingly, it only got scratched up a little bit.

04:35Yeah, you hate to see it, but that little scratch was enough to show up on video.

04:39Not too noticeable, but maybe enough that it's worth swapping this out.

04:43Hey, it's featured me back from the trip, and it's time to get this lens cover fixed.

04:47Since the 360's cried out, the new X5's cover is more durable and scratch-resistant,

04:51but if you're ever unlucky and you do need to have one replaced,

04:54they sell these kits for $30 that do include one replacement lens.

04:58We've got the lens guard off now.

05:01Hiya.

05:01I'm going to take the replacement lens.

05:04Carefully place it in the middle here.

05:07Boop.

05:09Yeah, that's looking a lot better.

05:11I just need one for the front lens now, but until then, back to the video.

05:14The X5 gets a decent bump to low light quality thanks to its new 1 over 1.28 inch sensor,

05:20which is 140% larger than its predecessor.

05:23But as I found out, at night, it still can struggle.

05:25Even with lots of light coming from the buildings, the fountain,

05:31the video quality on the X5 just doesn't hold a torch to the Osmo Pocket's 1 inch sensor.

05:37With the X5, Insta360 has introduced a new pure video mode,

05:42which is basically their version of night mode that boosts exposure without making the image grainy.

05:46But overall, there's a lot of smoothing and denoising that I don't really like.

05:50Especially in the details of the sky, the trees, things start to look a little bit mushy.

05:57You can tell that there's a lot of processing happening to clean up the image.

06:00Don't get me wrong, the Insta360 can still get you good shots when you're in a pinch,

06:04but if I have the choice between these two cameras, I'm always going to pick.

06:07The Osmo Pocket 3.

06:09Now, here's the part I was really dreading, editing this video.

06:13Getting those cool reframing shots is a chore, even when using the app.

06:17Now, for my editing workflow specifically,

06:19I first have to import all the footage into the Insta360 app,

06:23export it as a flat video, which, even with my powerful M1 Max MacBook Pro,

06:27takes a lot of time.

06:28So by the time everything's processed and ready for me to finally start editing,

06:32I've already checked out.

06:33For shorter videos with just a few 360 clips, yeah, not a big deal.

06:37But for something longer like this, it adds up fast and makes me think twice about shooting in 360.

06:43So let's address the elephant in the room.

06:46Pricing.

06:46The Insta360 X5 starts at $550.

06:49Not bad, given all its upgrades and everything that it can do.

06:52The Pocket 3, it used to start at $520.

06:54But thanks to tariffs, it now costs $800.

06:58That's a 54% price hike.

07:01And when you jump up to the creator combo that you've seen me use with the battery grip and the mic,

07:05that's $950.

07:07Yikes!

07:08If you're in a country like China where the price bump hasn't hit you,

07:11Pocket 3 is a killer value.

07:12But for everyone else, it makes this camera much harder to recommend.

07:16And suddenly, the X5 is looking like it could be the smarter buy for a lot of people,

07:20especially if you're on a tighter budget.

07:24So, this wasn't like my usual replacement videos where one device clearly outshines the other.

07:29Both of these are super compact travel cameras, but with a totally different twist on things.

07:33The X5 unlocked the creative freedom I was looking for,

07:36especially for just being able to hit record and figure out how I wanted the shot to look later.

07:40But, like I said, it comes with that extra cost.

07:43With the Pocket 3, I'm still getting that high-quality footage I know and love.

07:46But it doesn't always deliver that wow factor that I'm craving.

07:49And so, getting to use these two cameras for the past couple weeks,

07:52what I ultimately found is that they complement each other really well,

07:55and I'm super glad that I brought both with me.

07:57But what do you guys think?

07:58If you like these kinds of no-fluff side-by-side comparisons,

08:01be sure to subscribe for my other replacement series-style videos.

08:04And until the next one, I'll catch you later.

08:10Penis!

08:13Boop!

DJI Osmo Pocket 3 or Insta360 X5 – Which Is Better for Travel?

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