One of the main attractions of shooting with a 360-degree camera is the ability to capture a scene without the need to stitch multiple shots from my DSLR camera and make it into a photo format that can be read as a spherical image.

The 360-degree GoPro Max camera promises an easier, more streamlined workflow than last year's Fusion, but has more niche appeal than the less expensive Hero8 Black.

360-degree capture; Also works as a single-lens camera; Intuitive software tools; Strong stabilization; Good in-camera audio; Waterproof without a case; Integrated mounting clips

Effective resolution is really 1080p; Single-lens capture tops out at 60fps; Requires more editing time to get the best results from spherical footage

GoPro has given 360-degree video capture a long overdue shake up with the Max, adding an action camera element to the Insta 360 mix. There’s no denying it won’t match the vanilla Hero8 Black for action cam quality, and the app could do with some improvements. That said, as far as 360 footage capture goes, the GoPro Max is an excellent tool for creators and anyone who wants to change the way they capture content.

Easy to edit 360-degree video; Easy to edit 360-degree video; Decent audio capture;

16:9 video caps out at 2.6K; Seam lines noticeable ; No 360-degree editor for Windows;

GoPro’s new Max 360-degree action camera is hell-bent on bringing spherical video to the masses. A new suite of on-camera processing removes the major pain-points from 360-video production, and integrates editing and reframing tools into the GoPro smartphone apps. It also bumps up the spherical resolution to 5.6K, offers flat 16:9 digital shooting lenses and will even live-stream in Full HD. Unfortunately, the limited 2D shooting modes are still a long way off competing with single lens action cameras. That said, the GoPro Max makes it easy to capture compelling and immersive reframed and 360-degree shots that are fundamentally impossible on traditional action cameras.

5.6K 360 video; 360 video reframing; On-camera stitching; Digital stabilization; Fits on existing mounts;

Limited shooting modes; Low-res 2D footage; Poor in low light/ underwater

Don't buy the GoPro Max if you want the very best 4K action camera footage around. Don't buy one if you want to shoot underwater, either. Do buy a GoPro Max if you want to have creative fun with an action camera. Its 360-degree editing is super-easy, it makes some wild-looking effects possible; and the "Warp" time-lapse video is great. This feels like a real 2-in-1 action camera.

Easy to use; Simple editing; Good environmental audio capture; Multiple fields of view;

Non-360-degree video quality not near Hero 8 Black level; Cheaper alternatives are now plentiful;

The GoPro Max completely rethinks how to shoot and edit 360-degree video compared to the company's last attempt, the GoPro Fusion. It makes working with 360-degree footage a breeze and doubles as a capable GoPro Hero action cam too, boasting astounding image stabilisation and great versatility across its feature-set and shooting modes. Better colour science, low-light performance, image fidelity and UI stability are all areas to work on but the issues in their current guise are minor when you look at the overall offering provided by the Max.

One of the most versatile cameras to date, thanks to its dual-cameras setup and 360-degree footage possibilities. It's easy to use and easy to edit footage afterwards. But if you want 'normal' video then the Hero 8 is your better bet.

Really simple to shoot with; Editing from the mobile app is easy; Durable build; Fits most existing mounts and handles;

It's not cheap; Video captured in Hero mode isn't as good as an actual Hero; Sometimes struggles with exposure and shadows;

Its an awesome camera with multiple opposition to choose from when either taking a happy snap or filming amazing quality and easy to use

Extremely happu

Have the Go Pro 5 and was looking for an upgrade to 360. Strapped this to a drag car and loved how smooth the footage was and how easy it was to operate from my phone. Only downfall I have is that I can't use the app features properly to edit videos - but slowly learning from utube videos.