What Products You Need To Start Creating Car Content
Over the past year or so, I’ve been testing out various pieces of hardware from my iPhone to GoPro’s. Truth be told, I’m really not an audio and video person. For my tech company, I do a ton of content, but it’s primarily written or podcasts where I don’t have to control the audio/video outcome.
However, in the car content space, video and audio are far more popular than blogs and articles. Because of that, I wanted to ensure that I had the right gear.
In this blog post, I’ll break down what I tested and how I enjoyed the outcome.
GoPro
I have to say for car content, the GoPro was the least enjoyable for me. It didn’t really bring anything to the table that I didn’t already have with my phone. The original point of the GoPro when I bought it roughly 4 years ago was to take video and some pictures, and although it takes some amazing wide angle pictures and videos, that’s where the “shine” stops. I found myself often pulling out my phone for pictures or videos instead. The GoPro is great for rollers (a type of video that’s taken of a car while driving) though as you tend to want to get more scenery.
The price point for a base GoPro is sitting at roughly $200.00 USD.
Phone
If you decide not to buy anything else, you really can’t go wrong with an iPhone or Android camera. The only thing that’s recommended is ensure that you have a proper mic setup, which you can get for a few hundred dollars and I’ll talk about that in the last section.
The biggest thing to remember with a phone is that if it’s recording in 4K, remember to drop it down to 1080p with either 60 FPS or 30 FPS. One thing that many content creators end up facing is that when they try to edit the 4K video or upload it, the video becomes very choppy due to the upload not being able to be handled because of the resolution.
Insta360
When it comes to recording while you’re driving (not holding the device, that’s illegal…. :)), but hooking the Insta360 to the back of your car (I… hm, is this illegal too?) with the suction cup mount to record while you’re driving is awesome. Whether you’re driving by yourself or with a group of friends, you can get some awesome footage. As the name suggests, you get a 360 degree view. As you’re editing within the Insta360 app, you can move the camera angle to get all aspects of the scenery that you’ve recorded.
You can get the Insta360 with a “content creator bundle” that includes the suction cup mount for the back of your car (but I suggest buying a better build as the mounts usually don’t seem durable) for around $600.00 USD.
DJI Osmo Pocket 3
The Osmo Pocket 3 is the latest device I picked up (bought it March 3rd, 2025), and I’m fairly certain at this point that the Osmo Pocket 3 will replace the other hardware I use other than the Insta360 (although, you can get a mount for the Osmo for the back of your car). I started doing some lite recordings using the Osmo with the DJI wireless mics (more on that in the upcoming section) and I already know that I won’t have to take my phone anymore. You can get all types of accessories like a tripod, suction cup holder for inside the car, and a “selfie-stick” style mount to hold and walk around with. Just remember to pick up an SD card. You can find one around $60.00 dollars for a 500GB disk.
The content creator bundle is $700.00 USD
DJI Wireless Mics
Aside from great video, you need great audio. Devices like the Osmo Pocket 3 actually come with a solid built-in mic, but it’s definitely well worth the few hundred dollars to pick up the DJI wireless mics.
Just remember - you will see two choices for the wireless mics:
DJI Mic 1: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09GYD55JF?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_8
DJI Mic 2: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CFZXQ86Q?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_2&th=1
DJI Mic 1 is great if you’re going to plug into an iPhone or another device. Despite it saying that it’s bluetooth compatible, I’m about 95% sure it’s not because I couldn’t get anything bluetooth-related to turn on. DJI Mic 2, however, is bluetooth compatible and you need bluetooth compatibility for the Osmo Pocket 3. If you buy the Osmo Pocket 3 content creator bundle, it comes with one (1) DJI Mic 2. You can pick up a second one for $99.00 USD.
Here is the bundle I went with: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/dji-osmo-pocket-3-creator-combo-3-axis-stabilized-4k-handheld-camera-with-rotatable-touchscreen-gray/6560934.p?skuId=6560934
Closing Thoughts
If you pick up an Osmo Pocket 3 and the DJI wireless mics that go with it, you’ll be at roughly $800.00 USD and that’s all you’ll need. It’s not only worth the money, but I’d argue you’ll find a rare circumstance where you have to walk around with a DSLR as the Pocket 3 allows for pictures as well as video in 1080p and 4K.
