The last part of 2018 saw the release of many new small and portable cameras that are perfect for travel and adventuring, most notably the GoPro Hero 7 Black, the DJI Osmo Pocket and the Insta360 One X. These cameras are all quite different and take a different approach to capturing footage. I have used all 3 cameras extensively in my personal life and in reviews and testing for my YouTube channel. I think all 3 cameras are very impressive and can capture beautiful content, they all have their advantages and disadvantages. But if I had to make a recommendation to someone who was in the market to purchase just one of these cameras for capturing their travels the choice for me is pretty easy.

I recently was able to test all 3 cameras out in a travel situation as I took my family on holidays to the Dominican Republic to get some fun in the sun and a break from the harsh Canadian winter. I took all the 3 cameras with me in my Minimalist Camera Travel Kit and used them all to capture memories of our trip. To cut to the chase I would definitely recommend if you want to purchase one small camera to capture your holidays when traveling the GoPro Hero 7 Black is still your best choice and there are several reasons why.

The first reason is its waterproof capabilities right out of the box. The GoPro Hero 7 Black is waterproof up to 33 feet as is without any additional housing. For most of us, this is more than enough. If you are a diver you can purchase a waterproof casing that lets you go even deeper. Both the Insta360 One X and the DJI Osmo Pocket are not waterproof and require additional housing. This can add cost to your setup not to mention more time to set up as well as more gear to carry. With The Hero 7 Black it is quick and easy to use in the water, just power on and go. Paired with the GoPro floating hand grip you have a camera with a comfortable handle that can be used in or out of the water. The handle also has a built-in wrist strap which is also important if your doing activities and you don’t want to chance accidentally dropping your camera.

The second reason is durability, the GoPro Hero 7 Black is built like a tank. This can be very important when traveling. If you are adventurous you may be in situations where your camera may be in a questionable situation and taking a few knocks, with the Hero 7 Black you don’t have to worry about it, it is designed to take some abuse. The insta360 One X has protruding lenses that can be damaged very easily and you always have to take care. I will say the DJI Osmo Pocket is built well and durable to a point. It has a mechanical gimbal that can capture some really nice buttery smooth video, but due to being a mechanical gimbal it does make it a little more delicate. In many ways, the footage for the Osmo Pocket can be smoother than that of the Hero 7 Black that uses electronic image stabilization, even though it’s quite good, in low light situations you can still get some unstable footage. At the end of the day when out adventuring I prefer the durability than extra worry about breaking my camera.

When it comes to durability this can be important especially if you let your kids use your camera when on holidays. Sometimes when trying to capture family moments of your kids it can feel staged, so what I like to do is hand my GoPro to them and let them have fun, the videos captured are more natural and due to the rugged build of the GoPro you don’t have to worry about them breaking it. I would be nervous about handing over my Osmo Pocket to my 1o-year-old.

Now when comparing the DJI Osmo Pocket to the GoPro Hero 7 Black, another important thing to consider is batteries. The Osmo Pocket has a built-in battery and they can not be replaced, were as the Hero 7 Black has batteries that can be swapped out when they are getting low. This is super important when traveling. You need a camera that can capture what you need throughout the day without having to stop every few hours to recharge it.

Now the GoPro Hero 7 Black does have some disadvantages over the Osmo Pocket, first off your footage will have that GoPro look, meaning the photos and videos will have a slight fisheye look. This is due to the extremely wide angle lens of the GoPro. The wide angle is nice when capturing footage but if this can be an issue for some. The Osmo Pocket also has many intelligent shooting modes such as tracking a face detection. It also can shoot stunning panoramas which the Hero 7 Black is not capable of.

At the end of the day no matter which camera you choose you will be happy. All three cameras are excellent and well worth the money.  I just find the Hero 7 Black is a good and affordable all in one camera that can help you capture your memories with little effort or worry.

Hero 7 Black: https://amzn.to/2H2M9qw
GoPro Floating Grip: https://amzn.to/2EzxTSx
Insta360 One X: https://amzn.to/2EMx0rl
DJI Osmo Pocket (DJI Website) http://bit.ly/2RU7iVT
DJI Osmo Pocket (Amazon) https://amzn.to/2XDRI3R