Grass Padrique | The Fabulous Scientist
If you had told me a few years ago that I’d be a vlogger, filming my adventures, and documenting everyday life, I probably would’ve laughed. I’ve never been someone who enjoys being in front of a camera. In fact, I once enrolled in a six-week theater workshop just to overcome my stage fright. I was never confident enough.
But while I’m camera-shy, I’ve always loved telling stories using snapshots and my pen and keyboard. I even consider myself a visual storyteller.
Whether my story for the day would be as simple as a quiet morning with a cup of coffee, painting outdoors, discovering an interesting rock outcrop, feeding a friendly neighborhood cat, hiking through the mountains, or simply writing in my journal with one of my favorite fountain pens, I enjoy capturing moments that make life beautiful. I love sharing these little slices of life because they allow people to experience the world through my eyes.
When My Phone Could No Longer Keep Up
For years, my trusty old Google Pixel 6A was my creative companion.
That little phone surprised me countless times. During my master’s degree in geology, I even used it to capture incredibly detailed photomicrographs of rock thin sections for my thesis. The image quality was so impressive for an old model that I still consider it one of the best smartphones I’ve ever owned.
But time catches up with every gadget.
Its storage was almost full, the battery had started draining rapidly, and I found myself charging it two or even three times a day—especially whenever mobile data was turned on. Recording videos only made things worse.
I realized that if I wanted to continue documenting my hobbies and adventures, I needed another camera. About three months ago I purchased a secondhand Fujifilm XT20 from a colleague as it’s the cheapest way to get a decent camera. Who knew mirrorless cameras would be so pricey?! However, I realized that this camera requires special handling because it’s not weatherproof and because it’s heavy, I can’t bring it around during hikes or treks. I definitely can’t bring with me while swimming or snorkeling. I needed one that will not cost an arm and a leg, compact, and weatherproof.
Searching for the Perfect Storytelling Camera For Outdoors
I initially reached out to the public for recommendations by posting on Threads hoping that vloggers would be able to see it and reply. No one did.
So I did what many of us do these days—I started digging information and reviews myself via YouTube and blogs. I watched countless YouTube reviews, compared different models, read user experiences, and even asked ChatGPT for recommendations based on how I like to tell stories.
Rather than cinematic productions, I wanted something that could naturally capture life from my perspective.
I wanted viewers to see what I was seeing.
The brush strokes while I painted outdoors.
My son playing the piano.
The view from a mountain trail.
My ukulele practice sessions.
The excitement of discovering an interesting tree.
The simple joy of writing with a fountain pen.
Those little moments that often go unnoticed, yet make life meaningful.
Here’s a POV video of my son playing the piano while he wore the Insta360 Go Ultra using the necklace:
Why I Chose the Insta360 GO Ultra
After weeks of comparing cameras, I finally found the one that checked almost every box.
The Insta360 GO Ultra immediately stood out because of its size and the rave that it got from its users.
It’s incredibly tiny—small enough to slip into a pocket or wear around my neck without feeling bulky. That means I can simply press record and continue enjoying the moment instead of worrying about carrying a heavy camera or setting up complicated equipment.
Since there’s an Insta360 store conveniently located near where I live, I decided to visit in person. After listening to how I planned to use the camera, the salesperson recommended the Insta360 GO Ultra and it turned out to be exactly what I was looking for. One of the best features of the camera compared to its predecessor, the Insta360 Go, is that the video quality is better even in low light, take this video of my son during his recital inside a small dark theater:
I was positioned about 10 meters away from him and I had to zoom in 2x but you can see the sound was still clear.
Sometimes the best camera isn’t the one with the biggest sensor or the longest feature list.
It’s the one you’ll actually carry every day and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg to get.
Here’s a video during our fitness walks where we visited and fed our favorite cat in UP Diliman:
Tiny Camera, Big Adventures
Even my son joined in the excitement when it was time to unbox it.
Inside the package were the camera itself, its accessories, and a protective carrying case. Holding it for the first time, I couldn’t believe something so small could produce such impressive videos.
Since then, it has gone almost everywhere with me.
I’ve worn it while walking for fitness in my city, painting outdoors, and while my son play the piano. I even recorded me and my officemates goofing around after a bellydancing session. Because it’s waterproof, I was able to bring it in one of our fitness walk and we got drenched by heavy rain. I plan to bring it with me to the ocean on our next beach trip since I also enjoy snorkeling above colorful coral reefs.
Moments that would have been difficult—or risky—to record with my phone for Fuji camera suddenly became effortless. Below is one of the videos I took of Energy Museum which I previously posted about:
The Good… and One Small Caveat
No gadget is perfect, and the Insta360 GO Ultra is no exception.
The only issue I’ve noticed is that it can become quite warm during extended recording sessions, especially after around 15 minutes of continuous use. Fortunately, giving it a short break solves the problem, and for the type of videos I usually make, it hasn’t been a dealbreaker.
Everything else has been a joy.
The footage is sharp and vibrant, stabilization is remarkably smooth, and because the camera is so lightweight, I often forget I’m even wearing it. I also appreciate its white finish—it makes the camera surprisingly easy to spot whenever I set it down.
An App That Makes Editing Fun
One pleasant surprise was the companion app.
I’ve compared videos recorded on my phone with those edited through the Insta360 app, and I genuinely enjoy using the app’s built-in editing tools. It offers intelligent templates, transitions, filters, and automatic edits that make creating polished videos much faster than starting from scratch.
For someone who prefers spending time exploring rather than editing, that’s a huge advantage.
Final Thoughts
The funniest part of this whole experience is that I originally thought I was buying just another gadget.
Instead, I found a tiny creative companion that has encouraged me to document more of life’s little adventures.
As someone who enjoys writing, painting, hiking, geology, fountain pens, family adventures, and finding beauty in ordinary moments, the Insta360 GO Ultra fits naturally into my everyday life. It lets me capture experiences without getting in the way of actually living them.
And that’s probably why this has become my favorite budol purchase of the year.
Sometimes the best investments aren’t the ones that simply take better photos.
They’re the ones that inspire you to create more stories worth sharing.
If you’ve read this far, thank you. ❤
xoxo,
Grass
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