Insta360, renowned for its groundbreaking 360-degree cameras and user-friendly AI features facilitating seamless video edits, is diversifying its portfolio with the introduction of GoPro-style action cameras: the Insta360 Ace series. Far from a mere emulation of the competition, these cameras bring a distinctive touch to the realm.
Comprising two models, the $450 Ace Pro (£430, AU$729) and the more budget-friendly $380 Ace (£360, AU$609), each offers a unique blend of features. The primary distinctions lie in sensor size, lens quality, and charging speed. The Ace Pro boasts a larger 1/1.3-inch image sensor, while the Ace opts for a slightly smaller 1/2-inch sensor. Both models sport wide-angle lenses, but the Ace Pro’s lens, co-engineered with Leica, promises an enhanced image quality. Moreover, the Ace Pro boasts an impressive 46-minute full charge time with a 30-watt charger, whereas the Ace takes a still-efficient 70 minutes.
Insta360 Ace Pro Action Cam
The Ace Pro’s image sensor is the same size as DJI’s Osmo Action 4 camera and larger than GoPro’s Hero 12 Black, which is a 1/1.9-inch image sensor. In general, a larger sensor is one way to get better image quality. Although the DJI Action 4 has the same size sensor, its video resolution tops out at 4K, and the Hero 12 Black stops at 5.3K, while the Ace Pro goes up to 8K (7,680×3,272 pixels) at 24 frames per second. But, like the Insta360’s other cameras, the Ace Pro’s extreme resolution is used for much more than just straight video capture.
For example, the camera’s Clarity Zoom allows you to digitally zoom in on a subject with just a double-tap on the rear touchscreen. You can also take frame grabs from your videos at resolutions higher than what you’re shooting resolution. There’s also the option to shoot 48-megapixel photos in JPEG or DNG raw.
Other features include:
- 2.4-inch flip-up touchscreen: Although the Ace and AcePro have small front displays to display settings and other statuses, they aren’t selfie screens like other action cams. Instead, the whole 2.4-inch touchscreen on the back flips up so you can shoot selfies. It also makes it much easier to shoot with the camera above and below your sight line, like when it’s mounted on handlebars.
- Active HDR video: HDR video reveals more details in high-contrast scenes, so you can see things normally lost in bright highlights and dark shadows. Capturing HDR video to demanding to begin with, but if you shoot at a resolution of 4K30 or lower with the Ace Pro, it can automatically turn on HDR and can be used with image stabilization.
- Cancel recording: Ever mess up your first take when recording yourself? You can immediately cancel the recording so they don’t clutter up your microSD card and skip the whole playback-and-delete experience.
- Pause and resume recordings: This basically lets you edit while you’re recording by letting you pause and resume, so you can eliminate uneventful moments in your videos without creating a bunch of clips.
- Apple Watch and Garmin integration: Insta360 says the Ace Pro is the first action cam with dedicated integration with a Garmin device or Apple Watch to attach GPS, speed and other data that can be added to videos.
The Ace and Ace Pro have all the other features that are standard on most of the company’s other cameras. Those include a waterproof body (down to 33 feet, or 10 meters), FlowState image stabilization for shake-free video and AI editing assistance in its mobile app.
