The ‘Perfect’ Travel Camera Might Not Be One Camera, But Three

For years, my wife and I have been aimlessly stuck in a first-world conundrum. We enjoy traveling, and like most folks, we enjoy capturing photos and videos of our trips as keepsakes that remind us of the tremendous experiences we have been fortunate to have. But whenever we have considered buying a dedicated camera for our travels, we just haven’t been able to pull the trigger.

Despite the abundance of roundups detailing the best compact cameras available, we haven’t found something that reduced the barrier to entry enough for a couple of camera novices to use, enjoy, and still get some good footage and photos from it. We had all but abandoned the idea until our recent trip to the island of Hawaii, where the answer to our travel photography prayers all but fell into our lap.

The answer, at least for us, wasn’t just one, traditional point-and-shoot camera. Instead, it was a trio of devices that sealed the deal: the GoPro Hero 13 (or Insta360 Ace Pro 2, depending on your preference), Insta360 X4, and DJI Neo drone. Each has strong merits to stand on their own but together, they became the perfect combination for each of our travel needs and they did it for about $1,000 total.

For the Adrenaline Junky Shots: GoPro Hero 13 or Insta360 Ace Pro 2

True to their nature as action cameras, the GoPro Hero 13 and Insta360 Ace Pro 2 both excel in situations that lean a little extreme. The GoPro Hero 13 shoots 5.4K footage at 60fps, while the Insta360 Ace Pro 2 is capable of video resolution up to 8K at 30fps.

While the opportunities for high-octane action aren’t as prominent on a Hawaiian vacation, we did embark on a night snorkeling trip to swim with giant manta rays. With both cameras offering waterproof capabilities (up to 33 feet for the Hero 13, and 39 feet for the Ace Pro 2) right out of the box, it was the perfect opportunity for a side-by-side comparison. On paper, the Ace Pro 2 had a slight edge thanks to its Diving preset and Underwater mode feature, meant to stabilize and correct distortion when under water. The Hero 13 didn’t have it spelled out as well, but a quick Google search produced some helpful tips for optimizing its settings for our underwater expedition.

When the time came, we zipped up our wetsuits, joined the rest of our group in the water, and hit record. The result was surprisingly great footage from both cameras, capturing downright massive manta rays swimming mere inches from our faces. I have a personal preference for one of the cameras, and we’ll touch on that shortly. However, in undoubtedly poor video conditions, both the GoPro Hero 13 and Insta360 Ace Pro 2 performed remarkably.

For Couples Photos Without the Personal Photographer: Insta360 Ace Pro 2

The Hero 13 can be a capable camera, with the ability to capture 27MP photos and a collection of modes to shoot in that include Standard Photo, Burst Photo, and Night Photo. But the Insta360 Ace Pro 2 was our clear favorite when it came to taking stills and couple photos on our various adventures. In addition to being able to shoot up to 50MP photos, we took full advantage of the Ace Pro 2’s 2.5-inch flip touchscreen.

In trips past, we had two options for couples shots: try and ask a stranger and hope they are halfway decent at taking photos, or try and set one of our phones up wherever it will stand on its own and cross our fingers that the angle wasn’t absolutely horrible. The Ace Pro 2 became a wonderful solution for our needs, allowing us to set it to an ideal height with a tripod, check how the shot looked with that flip-up screen, and set a timer so we could get ourselves in a good position before the shot. The best part? We didn’t have to worry if the shot stank. We could just take more until we landed on one we were satisfied with.

The picture quality, by the way, isn’t better than one of those point-and-shoot alternatives that we touched on earlier. The bottom line, though, is that it is more than adequate for our needs, and what I suspect to be the needs of most folks. As long as it packs enough detail and clarity, and from the shots we took, the Ace Pro 2 does, then it’s more than suitable for those couples photos on the go. Plus, it’s pretty handy when it comes to shooting in low lighting, as seen in this quick night shot from a rooftop bar.

For Sunset Timelapses: Insta360 Ace Pro 2 or GoPro Hero 13

This is another category that chalks up to your action camera of preference since both the GoPro Hero 13 and Insta360 Ace Pro 2 are more than capable of shooting exceptional time-lapse videos. If we’re putting the cards on the table, we were scrambling to get out the door for our last night on the island, and I just grabbed whatever camera was closest, which happened to be the Ace Pro 2.

While enjoying a Mai Tai (or two) and watching the sunset, we set up the Ace Pro 2 on a tripod, toggled over to the time-lapse feature, and let the camera go to work. This feature isn’t a vacation necessity by any means, but it did make for a nice addition to our camera roll at the end of the trip.

For Quick, Cinematic Aerial Shots: DJI Neo

I’ve historically had no experience with drones, but have been constantly using the DJI Neo on the mainland since it was released earlier this year. The drone is DJI’s cheapest in its vast lineup, and ultimately pays the price when it comes to video quality. But it still shoots 4K (technically), and makes fun, creative drone shots accessible to almost everyone thanks to its collection of preset flying modes.

We didn’t have many opportunities to pull the pocket-sized Neo out on vacation (more on that in a moment). But we had a few, and thankfully the Neo did all of the heavy lifting. For the above, I simply set the Neo to Dronie mode and let it fly independently as it captured my wife and I in front of a rather picturesque backdrop. I also flew the Neo shortly via the DJI Fly app, which despite being a little more choppy as I tried to navigate the controls on my smartphone, still produced some neat video that can be dropped in our Hawaii album.

For Every Place Drones Can’t Go: Insta360 X4

Your mileage may vary for your own vacation destinations, of course. But Hawaii in particular was extremely anti-drone, with signs at almost every beach, waterfall or landmark we visited expressly outlawing the flying of such personal aircraft.

Rather than rebel, I turned to the next best thing in my arsenal, the Insta360 X4. As an 8K, 360-degree action camera, the X4 is fully capable of simulating drone-style videos, especially when paired with Insta360’s extended selfie stick. I pulled out the X4 for strictly video purposes at each waterfall we visited on the Hilo side of the Big Island, and aside from some mist that my lens found entirely unavoidable, the X4 shot some remarkable footage of majestic sights like Akaka Falls, pictured above.

We also visited Papakolea Green Sand Beach on our trip, one of four green sand beaches in the entire world. While the beach didn’t have any laws in place against drones, I had the Neo out for about half a minute before I deemed it far too windy to risk. The X4 pinch hit once again, adding some much-needed depth to our climb up from the beautiful destination.

For Snapchats, Selfies, and Everything Else: Smartphone

It should go without saying that today’s smartphone cameras are still very good options for quick shots on the go. Even with the deep repertoire of options that came along with us to every stop, we still pulled out the smartphone to snap something for the family back home, or to take a mouth-watering shot of all the incredible food we enjoyed.

To that end, I want to point out that you don’t necessarily need a brand-new smartphone to get good stuff, either. Sure, my wife’s iPhone 16 Pro captured some really stunning scenery as we were making our way through places like Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. But I shot the above on my ancient Google Pixel 6a and its 12MP camera, and it still turned out reasonably well all things considered.

The Caveat

I can’t sit here and tell you it was all roses and dandelions. This trio that I assembled, while each being compact and space-saving respectively, took up way more space than anticipated after factoring in mounts, tripods, cases, and batteries. What’s more, fumbling through my backpack each time I wanted to use a specific camera for a certain shot or video became a bit of a hassle, especially because everything had to go back in a predetermined order to make sure it all fit. At one waterfall visit in particular, I had to hike back to the car because I forgot a camera that I needed to get a shot I was desperate for. The more components you have to deal with, the more room for error there is.

I also want to be clear that the devices themselves add up to just a hair under (or over, depending on where you’re shopping) $1,000. But you still need to add in the cost of tripods, extra batteries, and selfie sticks (floating and otherwise) to make this a complete package. You can definitely make a significantly larger investment by opting for a great compact camera, but make no mistake: creativity comes at a cost.

Should You Try The Travel Trifecta?

My ragtag team of action cameras and drones made sense for us, and it will make sense for a lot of people. You don’t have to incorporate an incredible knowledge of cameras to use any of these options, and more often than not they’re going to produce something that looks great without having to invest time into editing or camera settings. If you do have a working knowledge of cameras and time to spare, though, this kit is packed with everything you might need to get creative and come away with something truly spectacular.

There is a place for compact, point-and-shoot cameras for travelers. They capture the superior shot, and they tend to be accompanied by far fewer moving parts to help streamline photography and videography on the go. But I know there’s a world of people out there just like me, with a desire to save great memories of vacations without having to dive into learning about cameras in order to do so. For those folks, try a GoPro, pepper in the DJI Neo, and top things off with the Insta360 X4. Traveling will never look the same.