The best 360 cameras in 2024: shoot panoramas, 360 video, selfies and more (2024)

With the best 360 cameras, you can capture images and videos that are quite unlike anything else. You can capture video which can be explored edited down to "flat" 2D or explored in full by dragging on a screen or deep-diving using AR glasses. Understanding it fully can be a little technical, but you probably won't need to – the best cameras have apps which help you side-step this.

The files created by 360-degree cameras record the whole scene, so it's the camera's job to see everything and, ideally, ignore you and any device you use to hold the camera –this is why selfie sticks are common.

It is also why the positioning of the lenses opposite each other matters in the design, and the camera software's ability to both stitch the image from the two together and, ideally, to compensate for the camera's movement – stabilization, just like other action cameras. This is less relevant in stills, of course!

Atop that there are a lot of cool effects you can apply by changing the framing; zooming in and out beyond common sense to create 'tiny planets' and the like. This is where a good ecosystem – and good apps with AI subject tracking – put some cameras ahead of others. Plugins for leading editing programs can do this too, or separate apps. Ultimately you have tremendous versatility with a 360-degree camera; it almost doesn't matter where you point it.

If you're feeling lost, don't worry – jump to our section on how 360 imaging works, where we've given you the information you need to get your head around the basics, but thankfully several of the cameras have helped out here a lot too, as you'll see. The cost of entry is a lot less than you might expect, too. And on that note, let's dive in and count off the best 360 cameras you can buy right now.

Adam Juniper

Adam has been obsessed with looking at cameras and gadgets for his whole life, and has written several bestselling books including The Drone Pilot's Handbook (he is our resident drone expert too). He owns and travels with a 360-degree camera, and tests as many as he can get his hands on.

Best 360 camera: our top picks

The best 360 camera in 2024

Best overall

When I tried this camera, I knew immediately it would find itself at the top of this buyer's guide. It's a great choice for people like me (owners of the X3 looking for more resolution and processor power) and an equally sensible choice for anyone getting into 360-degree photography for the first time, whether their goals are serious content creation or fun.

A couple of things set the camera apart. A big one is the Insta360 software, which is comfortably ahead of the offerings from others at the moment. As well as an excellent phone app (iOS/Android), there is an Insta360 Studio for Mac/PC and plugins for Premiere and Final Cut Pro so creating content can happen almost immediately for social, or in careful detail later. The AI subject tracking is excellent too, saving hours in manual keyframing compared to GoPro's offering.

That, though, is available with the X3 too. The headline feature here is the 8K resolution, and the processing power which delivers it. The boost makes for significantly better quality, especially when zooming into video in the edit. It also provides a lot of other upgraded resolutions, like single action camera mode at the crucial 4K60fps threshold, as well as features like bullet time now at 5.7k/120fps.

Other refinements exist too, like the removable lens covers which make the device extra rugged and the ability to connect microphones. All seem to result from a company listening to its customers and making improvements over generations. Whenever improvements suit the users like that things are good (and a word to the wise – this camera's 5-star review was earned in 2024, not 2020).

See my full review of the Insta360 X4

Best budget

I'm still working on our full review, but this simplistic-looking 360-degree camera is very appealing because of it's price. The dual 1/1.55-inch sensors and ƒ/1.6 apertures collects a good amount of light and not only captures good-looking 5.7K video but up to 62-megapixel stills, putting it close to the Insta360 X3 or the GoPro Max it seems to draw some appearance cues from.

It looks and feels good, and can be held on a selfie stick for vlogging or capturing immersive panoramas. Hardware quality extends inside too –I have found no issues like early overheating, though admittedly the battery life is surprisingly short, at about 30 minutes.

Compared to the leading brands, though we've not had time to be sure whether Kandao's new software suite quite matches up to the others. There certainly isn't the same level of support – no Mac/PC app – but the phone app connects to the device and allows transfer to social in a way which means you can have fun experiencing 360-degree.

Kandao is clearly on a good trajectory, and it also owns a good chunk of the 360-degree conference room camera market too, so it should not be discounted. Pricing, though, is where this camera really shines. An interesting note for the future is that at CES 2024 Kandao showed the QooCam 3 Ultra, an 8K camera with a similar looking but bigger housing. This suggests a decent level of confidence in the series.

Best for stills

I've got to be clear straight away – this is very much a niche choice, but 360-degree photography serves niches, and virtual tours is an important one.

Whether the Ricoh Theta X is going to appeal to you will depend on what kind of content creator you are. If you're looking at this 360° camera as an alternative to an action camera like the Insta360 X series, then bear in mind that its image stabilization just isn’t as good. Vloggers should also look at the Theta X with suspicion purely because you can’t use an external microphone with it.

So who is the Theta X actually for? It's for people who need to shoot a virtual tours fast. It can be placed on a monopod with tripod feet in its automated HDR mode and capture a 62 megapixel image which can be placed into a tool like Matterport to create a virtual tour – handy for realtors.

This is a feature that put it along way ahead of the competition when it launched, but to be fair its pricing and limited powers in the broader feature scope do put it at a bit of a disadvantage; for many virtual tours it is possible to use the technically slightly higher resolution images from an Insta360 X3 or X4.

When combined with its excellent coloring and low-light abilities, though, the Theta X’s abilities do look good even in average looking appartments. Its lack of RAW capture slightly undermines that option for some, but the realtor on the go may feel this is a wise choice.

Read our full Ricoh Theta X review for more details

Best for beginners

The Insta360 X3 was the ultimate immersive and versatile video camera until the X4 came out, trumping the X3's 5.7K capture with 8K. Nevertheless the camera still captures everything around you, enabling you to create 3D VR content easily or use its software-based reframing tools to edit your scenes as regular ‘flat’ video, where you can track subjects, create panning shots, and basically point the camera where you like AFTER you’ve shot your video, albeit at slightly lower resolution.

For most quick action shots, and things you throw onto social, you will likely find the extra resolution isn't essential, while the lower price of this now older model is appealing – and it's still newer and more powerful than the GoPro Max!

The Insta360 X3 itself was an evolution of the concept (yep, it was called the X2) rather than a giant leap forward, so it already has some improvements that makes it user friendly. It can be held in one hand, though I usually prefer to user it on a selfie stick – which becomes an 'invisible selfie stick'. thanks to the device. All the key features are available via the touchscreen, and the device is waterproof for a few meters even without a housing.

At the moment, Insta360 seems to be leading the game, and that is evidenced by their software –just about the best, friendliest, and most exciting on the market, and the software tools on phone, Mac & PC (as well as plugins for the likes of FCPX and Premier Pro) have come a long way.

I tried the X3 on a real vacation successfully, and another benefit of this camera's dominance is the range of accessories, including dive cases and more.

Read our full Insta360 X3 review

Best GoPro for 360

There's no denying that my colleague who reviewed the this 360-degree action camera was impressed –rightly given the fact it harks from 2019 and remains an impressive piece of hardware. The image and video quality of the GoPro Max are good enough to make this list, and in some aspects can compete with the Insta360 X3 even now, though that device (let alone the X4) are definitely more advanced in many respects.

GoPro fans, however, can still enjoy the swathe of intuitive features that mean pretty much anyone can gets loads out of it, even if they have little interest in 360-degree imaging. GoPro have also gone to a good deal of effort to create an editing app to allow easy "Shoot first, frame later" editing, but it relys on keyframing rather than automated subject tracking.

The Max does boast an excellent six-mic setup, making it a highly credible vlogging camera, and the 1600mAh battery means you'll have enough charge for a day's shooting.

On the other hand, it's a fairly pricey option and lacks a dedicated 4K video capture that you'll find on some rivals like those from Insta360. If you like the GoPro 'feel' then while I'd still urge you to try Insta360 Studio before you make your mind up, you'll certainly find the polish you like here.

Our advice, though, for devoted GoPro fans unable to convert to the clearly better alternatives on this list is to wait a little longer –there have been rumors of a Max 2.

Read our full GoPro Max review for more details

Best for sensor size

The Insta360 ONE RS 1-inch 360 edition is aimed at the serious filmmaker who is after the best image quality and low-light performance. It might be twice the price of the regular Insta360 One X2 but we think considering how much better it is in terms of low-light performance, dynamic range, and clarity it's definitely worth it.

As we noted in our hands-on review, It feels very well made, uses a 6-gyro FlowState stabilization for super-smooth video, and has a touchscreen which is great for previewing footage but not so easy to use if you have big hands. It's considerably cheaper than the Ricoh Theta Z1 and offers a big step-up in quality so perfect for those needing really professional-looking content.

When I got to grips with it myself, what I noticed was that it still feels like a consumer product, but there is something magical about the size of the image sensors. Having more recently reviewed the X4, I do realise that this camera is now in a very small niche; you need to want less noise in lower light or the X4 will seem a more obvious choice.

To be honest I also found the 1-inch display a little compact compared with newer devices like the X3 and X4.

Read our hands-on Insta360 ONE RS 1-inch 360 Edition review for more details

Best single-lens

Designed for businesses that have a need to produce a lot of static virtual tours, the Trisio Lite2 is a very simple device that’s incredibly easy to use. Its 360º photos are excellent and easily good enough for use on virtual tours and for showing off event spaces and hotel rooms online.

The 8K boast is less impressive than its ability with HDR, which helps create vibrant and dynamic spherical images that excel in high contrast environments, but also in low light.

It’s no 360º action camera, with VR-style video off the table. Patience is required, too, since it takes the Trisio Lite2 30 seconds just to light-meter and take a single 360º photo. However, used slowly and carefully the Trisio Lite2 is one of the most limited, and yet the most capable, 360º cameras around that does one thing very well indeed.

Read our full Trisio Lite2 review for more details

8K alternative

The QooCam 8K is one of the best 360 cameras right now for image quality. A massive (by 360 standards) 1/1.7-inch CMOS sensor, 10-bit color, and, of course, that 8K resolution makes sure of that. Photos have plenty of colors and contrast – it was like nothing we’ve seen before from a camera like this when the camera was launched.

Read our full Kandao QooCam 8K 360 camera review for more details

How we test cameras

How we test 360-degree cameras

We test cameras both in real-world shooting scenarios and in carefully controlled lab conditions. Our lab tests measure resolution, dynamic range, and signal-to-noise ratio.

Resolution is measured using ISO resolution charts and quoted in line widths/picture height, which is independent of sensor size. Dynamic range is measured using DxO Analyzer test equipment and the results are expressed as EV values. DxO Analyzer is also used for noise analysis across the camera's ISO range, with results quoted as a signal-to-noise ratio. We typically choose three competing cameras to offer a performance comparison and some context.

More importantly, we get out there in the world and shoot some 360-degree video. This gives us the opportunity to experience the stitching – do the lenses line up and create a spherical view, or are there lens problems? Is it easy to manipulate the preview?

It is also the only way to experience a type of cameras which depend, as 360-degree photography does, so heavily on software to offer the best feature set. Effects which might seem a novelty can actually be the basis of great social video (not to mention the beginning of a whole world of goggles-friendly AR content.

We also test significant accessories –for example 360-degree cameras require special cases for underwater photography, so we did a full real-world review on the Insta360 X3 Insvisible Dive Case.

FAQs

How 360 imaging works

When visualizing how 360-degree images are captured, imagine someone photographing a sphere from the inside, making sure they get every contour of its inner surface. That’s essentially what 360-degree cameras do – place you in the centre of a sphere, and use extremely wide-angle lenses to capture everything around that point.

The sensors are ordinary ‘flat’ types, but the key is in the lenses, which are extreme fisheyes capable of capturing a 180-degree view, placed back to back. This captures two hemispherical images, which are then merged to produce the final 360-degree image. A viewer can then explore this image with a mouse, touchpad, touchscreen, or VR headset, depending on how they’re viewing the image.

Taking 360-degree videos is, naturally, more complex than stills, as the action all around the viewer will continue even if they’re not looking at the portion of the image where it’s happening. As streaming platforms get more sophisticated, live 360-degree broadcasts are also becoming more common, which is an unparalleled way to immerse yourself in an unfolding event (short of, y’know, actually being there).

Editing 360-degree imagery can be a daunting task, though it is possible to divide them up into smaller ‘windows’ to handle individually, giving yourself a bit more control. In stills, you can crop out one of these windows entirely and export it as a ‘flat’ image. In the video, this flexibility allows you to essentially simulate camera movements like tracking, panning, and zooming, even though your shot was captured from a fixed position. Handy!

There is one thing to be aware of when dealing with 360-degree imagery, which specifically is resolution. As the surface area of a 360 image is much larger than a conventional one, 12MP on a 360-degree camera means something pretty different than 12MP does on a DSLR, and you can’t crop in as close expecting the same level of detail.

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