GoPro - MAX2
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Reddit Reviews:
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Based on 1 year's data from Mar 17, 2026 How it works
Liked most:
19
2
"Max2's image quality is insanely good ... in full resolution, the detail is super impressive. ... the quality is great ... the daylight quality is ridiculously sharp. ... the image quality and stabilization are incredible ... nice detail ... The footage looks good"
"I tried to reframe in 4K in Premiere and it does indeed look good. ... Wow, the image quality of the MAX 2 is simply awesome! This is why I usually go with GoPro for cameras!"
"His dog-holding comparison is actually a great example of where MAX2 Shines. The aliasing of the power lines with Osmo 360 and the detail of the fur, in particular. ... Wow, the image quality of the MAX 2 is simply awesome! This is why I usually go with GoPro for cameras!"
5
3
"I’ve been using the Max 2 for the last 2 weekends, mountain biking in BC and have been recording entire shuttle laps without stopping (45+ min runtime in some cases when I forget to turn it off during trail side chats/repairs) and it hasn’t overheated on me yet 🤷🏼♂️. ... Ambient temps the first weekend were about 15-16C and the second weekend about 9C, but no problems with overheating, fogging on the lenses, or anything else."
"Recorded from full battery until 0% with no heat issues (was on a motorcycle)"
"It's an action camera, if you are filming action that you're participating in, you won't have overheating issues. ... Just back from Florida, did hour long drives without any issues."
3
0
"Max2's image quality is insanely good ... in full resolution, the detail is super impressive. ... the quality is great ... the daylight quality is ridiculously sharp. ... the image quality and stabilization are incredible ... nice detail ... The footage looks good"
"it definitely beats the hero for stabilization. ... It used to be that the combo of low light, high ISO and auto shutter speeds pretty much rendered video useless on my old camera because the image stabilization would basically be non existent. Now it’s perfectly smooth on the max 2 because it records 360 and adjusts accordingly."
"it's the only one where you can turn off horizon lock for naturally tilting footage"
5
0
"The features that firmware unlocks (motion detection, sound triggers, gps speed triggers, owner information, custom color curves, overlays, increasing bit rates, disabling mics, increasing gain on mics, the ability to run more complex scripts for custom filming condition needs and much much more). ... This is something that the competition can't even touch. ... You don't need a PC or to do scripting to "change between" (not even sure that that means). All can be set up with a simple QR code via the QRcontrol app available for iOS and Android. You CAN however create advanced scripts on a PC if you want that option (but it's not required). ... Great, install the GoPro labs firmware and adjust the exposure dampening. ... Tell you what, lets create a custom log curve for editing on the Insta360... oh wait.. Well surely you can set which audio channels to use or mute right?"
"the on-camera software (Labs firmware) that lets you insanely customize the camera settings (upping the bitrate and custom log)"
"MAX2 does have Labs FW support and I've filmed videos in 300mb/s with no issue, on a GoPro provided Sandisk extreme card."
8
2
"Honestly even if it's exactly the same quality as my GoPro Max, the durable and replaceable external lenses pushed me over the edge. ... The prior Max would scratch if you looked at it funny and then you had to do the replacement process. ... I'm just saying even if it was the same it'd be worth half it's price just to not have to replace the whole camera every time it's accidentally set down without covers."
"the ability to replace lenses without a tool is amazing for me"
"The replaceable lenses are a huge selling point to me."
Disliked most:
6
10
"Then on low light tests, its like not even close the Max 2 is so bad in comparison. ... I use a 360 camera for kayak fishing it is far behind me on my boat and hard to reach, when I start fishing at 5:30 in the morning it's pretty dark out, I'm not going to be manually changing the settings as the day progresses and it gets bright out. So in my case I would be using auto."
"The fact that they didn't attempt to upgrade the sensor is unacceptable. ... Low light looks horrible. ... It doesn't make up for the small sensor though. ... I dont think I've ever filmed a 360 video at night, but a larger sensor does make a difference in daytime situations."
"x5 has WAY better low light ... Go pro is just limiting as a vlogging camera. ... When i'm going to china next week, i'm using the insta360 x5 to vlog the beautiful night events there. ... I just got back from vacation. Avout half my contents are night time. So yes, the abilities to record at night time is extremely important. ... Not much difference between max 2 vs x2. x5 has a larger image sensor and will give you the expanded option of low light vlogging. I recently shoot videos of the halloween parade."
1
2
"And yes. I did have issue with Max not recording as well. ... But at this point, I don’t really care if it will not record one jump."
"Yeah I wouldn’t record 8K video inside of a car interior for longer than a few minutes at a time."
0
8
"Reframing in general is far easier in the Insta360 software. Going back to the GoPro Player is a self practice in pain and suffering."
"Better software... ... Well your software points is completely null and void. You think the GoPro software is good because it's so old and crap, that's not what most video editors want. Saying a software is better because it's featureless and old makes you sound old and out of touch with current tech."
"With the insta360 desktop software, I can use one keyframe to turn the camera 180 degrees clockwise OR counterclockwise -- my choice. I can't do that with the GoPro Player. It'll decide for me (usually the way I don't want it)."
0
9
"The fact that they didn't attempt to upgrade the sensor is unacceptable. ... Low light looks horrible. ... It doesn't make up for the small sensor though. ... I dont think I've ever filmed a 360 video at night, but a larger sensor does make a difference in daytime situations."
"Regarding this nonsensical 'true 8k' marketing... If you understood cameras, you understand that it's null and void. Given then your packing that small amount of extra 'true (LOL) 8K' into tiny sensors. Both insta360 sensors are almost double the size making the actual real world results way better."
"Max 2 is arriving 6 years after Max 1 and more than a year later than promised by GoPro initially yet lacks a sensor that delivers better low light performance and dynamic range that their competitors have had for multiple years now."
0
5
"The one thing that I'm not happy about with this camera is the stitching issues it constantly throws up. ... Whatever position I film in, I can see the bad stitching when I go to reframe footage. ... BUT.....I will not put up with the crappy in camera stitching on display in most of the videos I've shot...PLEASE FIX IT NOW GOPRO."
"When your dog runs close to the camera, there's a bit of warping happening on the ground and the foliage due to the stitching I guess. Was your dog very close to the camera at this point (ie, less than 0.5 meters)?"
"When your dog runs close to the camera, there's a bit of warping happening on the ground and the foliage due to the stitching I guess. Was your dog very close to the camera at this point (ie, less than 0.5 meters)? ... She was indeed like 20-30cm from the camera."
2point58 0.5Lol, scratched if you look at it, funny. Yeah and another thing is I’m still going to use my 11 and to have all the footage in the same place will be so convenient. Lastly, people that for some reason or another really don’t wanna like the max two, that are very high on the 360 and Osmo are acting like the gap is huge. Not leaving the ecosystem is an easier choice.
That’s what I think for low light I can work around it
I hear you, but I feel like all three are essentially equal and the max keeps me in the GoPro ecosystem. I’m game!
Absolutely, if you mount it on the back you’d see more of the rear and front more your son. Just more detailed
Don’t scratch it lol I looked at it hard but waited
I’d sell you mine! It’s a cool device but I’m still reaching for my GoPro 11 more. I sometimes don’t know what I should capture with the Max 2 I’m into photography so naturally I thought adding a 360 becomes necessary but, 360 for me is too niche it’s part of my bag though
3L54 0.5GoPro hero 13. Best image quality of any action camera. Max 2, fairly good image wuality for a 360 camera but comes with 360 video workflow which is very tasking in comparison. If you dont need 360 camera, get a the GoPro 13.
7_87 0.5Insta360 X5 4k@120fps vs Max 2 4k@100fps / 72mp still camera vs 29mp still camera / Both sensors on the X5 are almost double the size of Max2 / Deeper water resistance / Bigger battery / Longer battery life / Removed lenses / Better software...
Before I do, I'm not just listing off specs. I'm giving a true representation of both units. You just lied about saying some software features don't exist, even though they do, you just don't know how to use them. You then listed off your opinion with 1 spec that doesn't actually affect any outcome of use. Well your software points is completely null and void. You think the GoPro software is good because it's so old and crap, that's not what most video editors want. Saying a software is better because it's featureless and old makes you sound old and out of touch with current tech. Regarding this nonsensical 'true 8k' marketing... If you understood cameras, you understand that it's null and void. Given then your packing that small amount of extra 'true (LOL) 8K' into tiny sensors. Both insta360 sensors are almost double the size making the actual real world results way better.
AaronTrent- 0.5Right cause the max 2 blows insta x5 out of the embarrassing water
abadidol 0.5The real answer you are looking for is the GoPro Hero 2024 (maybe it’s called the LIT Hero now) it’s super simple, cheap (compared to normal GoPro) shoots video, exports to phone/pc and is much lighter/smaller than the others. Edit: MAX2 is the best camera. Not best bang for buck.
abekislevitz 0.5I use max2 for all my stuff. Works great. https://www.instagram.com/abekislevitz?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
You’re confusing flat/rectangular pixel count with spherical mapping. Pixels are redistributed and in an equirectangular you have a lot of duplicated pixels at the poles. This is why max2 uses eac projection to compress data, because it’s more efficient than adding unnecessary pixels either encoded full circles like the competition or even in equirectangular. Basically because flat 8K is technically 29M pixels, doesn’t mean max2 isn’t 8K because you’re adding circles that don’t add to 29M.
Accomplished-Two-662 0.5Thank you all very much for the responses! Without a doubt, I think the Max 2 is a great option for me. I don't edit in Adobe Premiere, mainly for my videos I use my cell phone and occasionally the PC but it is not my profession, just a hobby. In terms of form factor, it seems to me by far the best, and at night it is not going to be my use. Diving is not a use for me either, although I know that I cannot use it (at least for the moment) in case I ever do snorkeling or some underwater activity, but I think that as a color and image it is the best. I will definitely choose Max 2. Thank you so much!
Advanced_Seesaw_3007 0.5Got tired of GoPro and bought x5 with discount with Dell via Amex. Yes, the camera looks good, menu and screen (with the 360 preview) are definitely better than GoPro. In addition, while owning Max 1, I really envy the software and editing tools of Insta360. However, my concern is that the color of x5 looks unrealistic even with the normal color profile. When GoPro released Max 2, I was a bit skeptical but for the most part, I really like the video quality output. I don't see myself shooting 8k but with the log video that I can color grade, I was sold. Sold the x5 for $20 less vs brand new (because Amex had offers with Dell before). Yes, Max 2 performs poorly at night time. But honestly, do most people shoot 360 videos at night time? I suppose most people would take a 360 camera to shoot at night in bright places (eg Times Square, Shibuya crossing).
Agile_Cloud930 0.5Gopro max or max2 or insta360. The 360 cameras are awesome as hell for snowboarding.
allmywhat 0.5Because in non low light situations the colour and quality of the max 2 is a lot better. So if you don’t need low light capabilities then the max 2 is the way to go