Insta360 Go Ultra: On-the-Bike Video Gets an Upgrade

The Insta360 Go Ultra is still a tiny magnetic mount camera, but now it’s easier to use and with better quality.

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(Photo Josh Ross/Velo)

Insta360 has launched the new Go Ultra camera as a play for better on-the-bike video. It follows in the footsteps of earlier Insta360 models offering impossibly small footprints, but now with some additional capability.

The basic premise of the Insta360 Go Ultra

First person point of view is one of the most compelling pieces of video footage to mix into a larger road or gravel video. It’s a great way to let the viewer really connect with the action on screen but it’s not easy to actually capture. Traditionally you’d need to mount a DJI Osmo Action, GoPro Hero 13 (or earlier model), or a Insta 360 Ace 2 into a chest mount harness. Alternatively helmet mounts, mouth mounts, and handlebar mounts are all options.

Unfortunately each of those options represents some drawbacks. Chest and helmet mounts work great but require a fair bit of setup and you have to be wearing a bulky mount. Handlebar mounts work well but don’t actually show a true first person point of view. Many creators choose mouth mounts as a solution to these issues but you do have to put something in your mouth for the duration of that footage.

Which leaves exactly one current camera to solve this puzzle. The Insta360 Go 3S is about the size of your thumb and it mounts to a magnetic necklace. It weighs practically nothing and you can easily use it for a ride without thinking about it until you press it to start recording.

It’s worth noting that the GoPro Hero (without a number) is also an attempt at something along these lines but there’s no magnetic mount for it. GoPro sticks to the typical GoPro finger mount so even though it’s small you still have to use it like a larger GoPro.

Insta360 Go Ultra builds on the existing premise

While the Insta360 Go 3S is the only existing camera in this category, it still has drawbacks. The Insta360 Go Ultra looks to build on the basic premise but with an eye on more capability.

What that means is a little more size and a different shape. Instead of the rectangular shape of the 3S, the Go Ultra shifts to a 1.8×1.8×0.7in footprint with the lens sitting an additional 2mm proud of the rest of the camera.

On the inside of the new camera you’ll find additional updates. The sensor is a 1/1.28″ unit that offers as high as 4k resolution at 60fps and a max 4k at 30 fps when using the Insta360 low light PureVideo mode. If you are looking for slower motion you can also move down to 2.7k resolution for 120 fps of HD at 240 fps.

There are also updates to the lens, battery, and storage. For the f/2.85 lens there’s a little bit of a wider point of view moving from 150 degrees to 156 degrees with a 35mm equivalent of  14.27 mm. Then there’s a near doubling of the run time with 70 minutes now on tap for the camera alone or 180 minutes if the action pod is (more on that below) part of the calculation. The headline update though is a move from internal storage to micro SD cards as large as 2TB. This is more space but it’s also removing one of the big limits to professional workflows.

Looked at in comparison to the previous, and still available for purchase, Insta360 Go 3S, the basic formula hasn’t changed too much but the important features all get an update.

There’s a camera and an action pod

This is once again the same basic premise as before and it’s a feature that helps make sure you aren’t completely locked into the first person point of view.

The way this works is that the action pod is something akin to a dock. So far the discussion has centered around the camera itself and its ability to provide a perspective that includes the handlebars while riding but there is extra functionality.

Simply snap the camera into the action pod and you’ll now have something that looks almost exactly like a slightly smaller Ace 2 Pro. The rear is a 2.5” touch screen that flips up and allows for first person filming plus there’s the already mentioned additional battery life as well as charging and data access through the USB-C port.

You can also use the action pod while it’s wireless separated from the Go Ultra camera. This is a great way to double check framing before using the camera on its own.

The video below is cued up to show footage from the Insta360 Go Ultra when you press play.

Using the Insta360 Go Ultra

This is not a full review as a camera like this deserves time to really integrate into a camera bag. That said, I did sneak use of the Go Ultra into my Campagnolo Super Record 13 review. At 14:59 when I test the power meter I’m using the Go Ultra with the included magnetic pendant.

Although I tested it a number of other times as well this particular use is exactly the way I see it integrating into a camera kit. If you only want, or need, a single action camera then a 360 camera is what you want. I’ve used the Insta360 X5 the most although there is also a recently launched DJI option and in both cases you don’t have to worry about framing at all as you can adjust later. In the case of the Go Ultra your framing is quite fixed.

It’s certainly possible to mount the camera in a number of ways but the reason you’d buy this one is so that you can chest mount it with only the magnetic pendant. Once you set that up, it’s secure enough for gravel riding and you don’t ever have to think about it.

It’s incredibly simple and the quality matches bigger action cameras. A single press on the button turns it on and starts recording and another stops it and turns it off. That makes it viable but, although the pendant has a bit of adjustability for angle, it’s not possible on an aggressive road bike to place the handle bar in the bottom third of the frame. The audio quality, or better said the ability to deal with wind noise, is also not quite on par with the X5.

I would call both limitations rather than true negatives. You’ll have to decide if you agree but this is not the perfect camera for every situation. You could likely use it for first person vlogging without issue and it’s also perfect for unique shots. On a road and gravel bike that means first person perspectives that draw attention to the bars and top tube or you could explore accessories for mounting to get other unique angles.

Pricing and availability

The Insta360 Go Ultra is available worldwide starting today. The Standard Bundle is priced at US $449.99 and includes GO Ultra (Standalone Camera and Action Pod) in either Midnight Black or Arctic White, a Quick Release Safety Cord, Magnetic Easy Clip, Magnet Pendant, USB-C cable, and a Lens Guard.

For more information and purchase visit the Insta360 website.