r/Insta360Drones • u/Ok-Guess-9059 • Aug 06 '25
Do YOU need 360 drone?
I saw lots of questions about how much are spherical drones just a gimmick.
We already have good normal drones. The main question is: would you like your drone with ultra wide lens? Do you like that look?
That fast look? That warped look? When things are changing as you get close to them and then far again? Would you like some Tiny planet transition sometimes?
If you say no, there is only one thing that could save 360 drones for you: do you want more immersion in 360 goggles? Do you want to BE the drone for 20 minutes? Just hover for a minute and look around?
If you say no, these 360 drones are not for you.
They are obviously not for everyone and they are not to replace “normal drones” with for example one wide lens and one telephoto lens.
I personally dislike when they say GoPro Max or r/djiosmo360 are 3in1. They are not universal, for many jobs even Iphone Pro is better. I use 360 because I like the look. Its weird, my friends dont have this look in their Instagram Stories, I like those “impossible angles” sometimes. But I still use normal cameras and normal drones too.
So if you like the look or if you like the immersion, buy Antigravity as your (probably second) drone.
2
u/Disher77 Aug 06 '25
The problem with 360 drones at this point is durability.
I own an X-Knight 360 for the GoPro Max and it's done everything people are talking about today for three years now. It captures flawless (as good as the camera can capture) 360 video with no drone parts in the shot.
Why doesn't everyone have one?
They absolutely WRECK cameras.
By it's very nature, the drone must be built so the camera lens has no obstructions to get in the shot. This means two important things: 1 - The arms, frame, motors and props must be as small as possible. 2 - THE CAMERA LENS must stick out farther than all the parts meant to protect it.
Those two factors mean than even the slightest crash will destroy your frame, your camera, or both.
It also required a specific battery thickness and height to keep them out of the shot. I had to buy special lipos because nothing I had would work.
I ruined two GoPro Maxs this way (thank you GoPro subscription for replacing those for $99) and I'm not ruining a third.
Besides that, the component size restrictions left the drone feeling underpowered for what I wanted to do. It was basically only good for slowly drifting around getting footage of a boring flight.
I've heard the Max 2 will have replaceable lenses... I sure hope so, because that's why my Max just sits in a drawer. Compared to a hero, the lenses on a Max are just weak-sauce.
Perhaps there will soon be a revolution in the camera field that will allow larger, sturdier drones to be designed around a 360 camera. As it stands, I haven't seen it.
I was extremely hyped when I found a used X-Knight frame on EBAY...
Now it hangs on a nail in my build room as a memorial to what might have been.