Image Source: DJI Official Website

Ownership Leads to Demystification

Written by / Li Xuanqi

Edited by / Li Jinlin

Formatted by / Annalee

In recent years, particularly in 2025, the market for outdoor photography equipment has witnessed a significant surge.

From outdoor sports enthusiasts using Insta360's action cameras to capture cycling and hiking adventures, to Vloggers relying on DJI's Pocket cameras to document daily life, and even ordinary people inadvertently showcasing DJI watermarks in their social media posts, the era of personal outdoor photography has truly arrived.

The data is even more striking. Monitoring from Sandalwood's Chinese e-commerce market reveals that as of October 2025, sales of action cameras reached 4.76 million units, marking a year-on-year increase of over 252%, with sales revenue surging by more than 316%. According to the "2025 China E-commerce Development Report," action camera transaction volumes have soared by 6,191% as of November this year.

Compact, portable, and cost-effective, these devices have become a popular "new toy" among young consumers. However, amidst this buying frenzy, many young people are quietly letting their "Pocket 3" cameras gather dust or listing them on secondhand platforms without much fanfare.

As young consumers demystify outdoor cameras, the question arises: How long can this trend last?

Market Heats Up: A Clash of Titans

Exploring social platforms like Xiaohongshu and Weibo offers a glimpse into what outdoor cameras mean to young people. Among the numerous user-shared posts, DJI's Osmo Pocket, DJI Action series, and Insta360 cameras are frequently associated with themes such as "Vlog," "beautiful life," "travel," and "outdoors." Countless users also label them as "professional," "cinematic," and "photo-taking magic tools."

Some use these cameras to document outdoor sports like hiking, cycling, and skiing, stating, "I bring Insta360 on every hike and water adventure." Others use them to capture concerts and music festivals, declaring, "I announce Pocket 3 as the ultimate concert tool." Some simply use them as a more convenient alternative to digital cameras for daily life recording, saying, "It's not that digital cameras are unaffordable, but action cameras offer better value." In short, for Chinese young people who "must capture every moment," falling in love with action cameras seems effortless.

Some Insta360 Products. Image Source: Insta360 Official Website

After all, the first-person perspective shooting, ultra-wide-angle, 4K+HDR, and other features of action cameras cannot be matched by ordinary smartphones. Their compact and portable design also makes "recording" seem simpler. Additionally, with entry-level action cameras priced between 300 and 800 yuan, mid-range pocket cameras like the DJI Pocket 3 standard set priced below 3,000 yuan, and high-end options keeping budgets under 5,000 yuan, the consumption threshold has significantly decreased.

On the other hand, with DJI watermarks frequently appearing in social media circles and major bloggers on social platforms each owning a DJI or Insta360, in this era where "everyone is a self-media creator," outdoor cameras have undoubtedly gained an additional identity as "social currency." Thus, the outdoor photography craze has emerged.

In reality, action cameras are not a new phenomenon. Once upon a time, the American brand GoPro pioneered the introduction of action cameras to the Chinese market, sparking a buying frenzy upon their debut and driving explosive growth in the sector. However, that initial craze quickly faded. A primary reason was that action cameras at the time were mainly targeted at professional outdoor enthusiasts.

Today, domestic brands like DJI and Insta360 have developed product lines catering to a broader audience, enabling action cameras to transition from "niche toys" to "must-have gadgets."

Consequently, the market continues to heat up, with DJI and Insta360 emerging as the sector's leading contenders. The "Global Panoramic and Action Camera Market Research Report" released by Meridian Consulting shows that in 2022, GoPro dominated the global market with an 84% share. However, by Q1-Q3 2025, DJI took the lead with a 66% share, Insta360 held 13%, and GoPro's share dwindled to 18%. In the panoramic camera segment, from Q3 2024 to Q3 2025, Insta360 maintained a leading position, with GoPro's market share consistently below 5%, significantly lower than Insta360 and new entrant DJI.

Competition has intensified, with the "duo powerhouses" continuously benchmarking against each other. For instance, DJI entered the panoramic camera market in July 2025, targeting Insta360's X5 as a competitor. Within less than three months, DJI's first product, Osmo 360, surpassed its rival, capturing 49% of the Chinese e-commerce market share. Insta360's share in the Chinese e-commerce channel significantly contracted to 47%. Due to DJI Osmo 360's pricing at 2,999 yuan, 800 yuan lower than Insta360 X5's original price, Insta360 swiftly retaliated by reducing the Insta360 X5's price by 500 yuan and launching its second panoramic camera of the year, the "Insta360 X4 Air," in October 2025, featuring 8K video recording and a "lightweight" design as selling points.

DJI's Osmo Action Series

Furthermore, both Insta360 and DJI strengthened their "thumb camera" offerings in 2025, launching the Insta Go Ultra and OSMO Nano, respectively, further focusing on everyday shooting.

Of course, with the market heating up, more players have entered the fray. At the IFA Berlin Consumer Electronics Show in September 2025, Dreame Technology's smart imaging brand "Photon Leap" debuted its first action camera. Additionally, domestic smartphone manufacturers like Honor, OPPO, Vivo, and Xiaomi have been reported to frequently release new Pocket-shaped products.

Will this bring about new changes?

From Buying to Renting: A Consumption Craze Destined to Fade?

The market continues to heat up, but consumers are beginning to "demystify" these products.

"I've become disillusioned with action cameras," wrote many consumers on social platforms like Xiaohongshu, stating that action cameras are not as practical as imagined. One user mentioned, "Achieving a truly unobtrusive first-person perspective is impossible; each mounting method has its issues. For example, chest straps interfere with breathing and are unusable during sports. Head or neck mounts are even more uncomfortable... Not as practical as a smartphone; the first-person perspective is not as great as it seems." This post received over 500 likes, with many comments pointing out other issues. Another user admitted, "Actually, ordinary people like us don't really need action cameras; there's not much worth recording."

Image Source: Xiaohongshu

The feelings mentioned by the above user are not isolated cases. Another consumer who purchased the Insta360 pointed out, "I've tried many methods to secure the camera, but using more brackets doesn't align with daily shooting needs. Wearing a hat with a bracket on top is extremely embarrassing for an introvert like me."

If the mounting methods of action cameras already deter many introverts, then the shooting experience of DJI's popular Pocket series seems equally inconvenient and unfriendly to ordinary users.

On social platforms, numerous "deter" posts about DJI's Pocket series have emerged. One user bluntly stated, "I advise impatient people not to buy... Pocket 3 makes shooting convenient, and the photos are beautiful, but exporting them is too troublesome. Everyone's been tight-lipped about this."

In fact, searching for "Pocket 3 export" on social platforms reveals numerous complaints: "The export process is maddening. The Mimo software is particularly criticized for its slow Bluetooth transfer speeds. Transferring 30 videos took an hour and crashed 10 times—who can relate?" "DJI's built-in beauty feature can only be imported via Bluetooth. Using a data cable is faster but only allows downloading original videos." These posts have received tens of thousands of likes, with many users in the comment section saying, "I completely agree" and "You spoke for me"...

Besides image export issues, many users have also mentioned product quality problems on consumer complaint platforms. On the Heimao Complaints Platform, a consumer filed a complaint stating: "I purchased a camera from Insta360's Taobao flagship store in September 2025. On September 13, I contacted customer service about a delay issue with the expansion dock's display. The merchant apologized and stated that a firmware update would improve the situation. However, I recently discovered that the issue remains prominent.

Another consumer filed a complaint in December 2025, stating, "I purchased an 'Insta360 Ace Pro 2 Dual Battery Edition' action camera on November 26, 2025." However, during normal use, the user discovered, "The camera cannot shoot long videos due to abnormal overheating, automatic shutdown, and even crashes. Automatic shutdown has led to the loss of already shot video data, completely failing to guarantee the product's core functionality."

With the increasing number of "avoid" and "deter" posts, consumers have become more rational. Many young people interested in action cameras have spurred another business—rental services for action and pocket cameras.

Zinc Scale noticed that rental merchants for DJI and Insta360 products have emerged on social platforms like Xiaohongshu, secondhand trading platforms like Xianyu, and Alipay, with prices as low as "9.9 yuan for 3 days." "I was planning to buy one, but a sister advised me to rent one first," said one netizen.

Another netizen commented, "For ordinary people, renting is far more cost-effective than buying. Renting occasionally during travels eliminates the worry of buying one that will gather dust."

Looking back ten years ago, outdoor enthusiasts pointed out on "ZOL.com.cn" that for many users, purchasing action cameras was merely a temporary novelty and impulse buy. Consequently, the action camera consumption market found itself in an awkward position. On one hand, consumers were curious about these products, making the market seem vibrant. On the other hand, consumers lacked the likelihood of long-term use or upgrading, often resulting in one-time purchases.

A decade later, DJI and Insta360 now face similar questions: How can they transition their products from "novelty toys" to indispensable creative tools in daily life? Perhaps only by deeply understanding ordinary people's genuine recording needs and achieving breakthroughs in usability, ecological integration, and scenario innovation can the "cinematic feel" captured by their lenses transcend being a passing trend.