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Action camera or 360 for Bali?

Both get the scooter, waterfall and rice-terrace shots. One is less fuss on a one-off trip; the other gets the floating third-person look, if you'll put in the editing. Here's how to pick.

Updated October 2026 · Bali Creator Gear

That shot at the top (you on a scooter, small on the road, no stick in sight) is the one most people come home wishing they had. For a one-off Bali trip the honest answer is simple: an action camera gives you a finished clip the second you stop recording, and a 360 camera gets the floating third-person look but asks for real editing time afterwards. Both handle the scooter, the waterfall and the rice-terrace lane. The choice is less about picture quality and more about how much you want to touch the footage when you get home. Here's how to pick the one that fits your trip.

Action camera or 360: which should you pick?

Start with how you edit. An action camera like the DJI Osmo Action 6 points where you point it, and the clip is done when you stop. You trim it and post it. A 360 camera like the Insta360 X6 films every direction at once, so you choose the angle later by dragging around the sphere on your phone. That's the trick behind the scooter shot, but every clip needs that extra step.

So: pick the action camera if this is your one Bali trip, you want footage you can post from the villa that night, and you mostly film what's in front of you. Pick the 360 if the floating third-person look is the whole reason you're filming, you're happy to reframe clips on your phone, and you'd rather capture everything now and decide the shot later.

Skip the 360 if you know yourself and the footage won't get edited. One reviewer put it plainly: the thing people dread about 360 is the hours of reframing, and the result is fewer videos get finished at all. A great scooter shot you never cut is worth less than a simple clip you actually post.

The shots: scooter, waterfall, rice terrace

Three shots carry most Bali edits, and the two cameras split them cleanly.

The scooter shot. The floating, third-person ride (you on the road, the camera trailing behind with no visible rig) is a 360 on an invisible selfie stick. Nothing else gets it without a second person or a drone. If you only want a straight handlebar or helmet POV looking forward, an action camera on a scooter mount does that with zero editing.

The waterfall. Constant spray is the real problem at Bali's falls, so you want a camera you can wipe and keep rolling. Both cameras are waterproof and shrug it off. An action camera gives you a clean, stable clip of the fall straight away. A 360 lets you stand in the pool and spin the view around you later, which is the shot for a tight canyon where you can't step back. If you're planning a falls day, our Ubud waterfalls guide covers the spots and the light.

The rice-terrace lane. A slow ride down a palm-lined lane between the terraces is a 360 shot every time: you float through the green with the stick invisible. On foot, an action camera on a chest mount walking the terrace path looks like what you saw, and needs no reframe.

When is the extra 360 editing worth it?

The 360's reframing step is real work, so weigh it against what you get back. It's worth it when the moment is one-off and you can't predict the best angle: a scooter ride, kids running, a ceremony, a fast beach session. You film once and pull two or three framed clips out of it afterwards. The Insta360 X6 records native 8K/50 360, so there's room to crop in and still keep a sharp final clip.

It's not worth it for talking to camera, a locked-off waterfall shot, or anything you can simply point at. For those, an action camera's clip is ready to share with nothing but a trim. Be honest about the computer and the hours waiting at home: 360 files are large and take much longer to render than a standard 4K action clip. If editing time is tight, that alone makes the choice.

The specs that actually decide it

Two things stand out. Both cameras reach the same 20m and 60m-with-a-case waterproofing, so neither wins the water day. And the real split is the bottom two rows: the 360 trades home-editing time for the angle you choose later, while the action camera trades that flexibility for a clip that's done. Battery is close enough on a normal day; carry a spare either way, because the heat here drains them faster than you'd think.

The one-camera pick: least fuss on a trip

If you want one camera that covers the whole trip with the least editing, that's the DJI Osmo Action 6. It's waterproof for the falls and the reef, mounts on your scooter, helmet or chest, and the clips are ready to post the same night. The variable aperture helps it hold up when the light drops in a cave or at dusk.

Starting points, to adjust on the day:

• Scooter and helmet POV: 4K 60, wide field of view, stabilisation on. Mount it low on the handlebar or on the helmet chin, not the top, so the horizon sits right.
• Waterfalls: wipe the front glass between takes and keep a dry cloth in a pocket. The spray is the whole battle. A quick clip at 4K 60 beats fiddling with long exposures on wet rock.
• Dusk and caves: open the aperture, keep the shutter sensible, let the camera lift the ISO. The bigger sensor and f/2.0 are there for exactly this.

The floating-shot pick: the 360

If the third-person scooter and rice-terrace shots are why you're filming, that's the Insta360 X6 on its invisible selfie stick. Shoot the whole ride, then pull the floating follow-cam, a selfie angle and a wide reveal out of the one clip at home. It's the same waterproofing as the action camera, so it still covers the falls and the reef.

Starting points for the 360:

• The scooter shot: stick straight up from a secure mount or held behind you, camera set to keep you centred. Tether anything you rig to a moving scooter.
• Film wide, crop later: shoot at the highest resolution you've got so there's room to reframe to a sharp flat clip.
• Plan your edit time: set aside an evening for reframing and rendering, or the footage stacks up. If that sounds like a chore, the action camera is your answer.

Which to take, start to finish

Most people on a one-off trip are happier with the action camera: you ride, hike and swim, and the clips are ready that night. Reach for the 360 when the floating third-person look is the point and you'll sit down to edit. If you can't decide, note that both take the same standard action mounts and the same dive case depth, so a scooter mount and a mount set cover either one. The Monkey Forest is one place to lean action camera: you want a wrist strap and both hands, not a long stick the monkeys can grab.

Whichever you pick, we rent it in Ubud and bring it to your villa with the mounts and spare batteries already in the case. See the full line-up on our action and 360 rental page, and tell us your dates on WhatsApp so we can confirm what's free.

The Go Bag for this dayThe Adventure Creatorfrom Rp 375.000 a day, delivered to your villaAction camera, mounts, scooter mount, dive case and spare batteries in one case. Swap in the Insta360 X6 if you want the 360 shots.See what is inside →

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