Insta360 unveils AI-powered 8K action camera – and GoPro should be worried
The action camera market isn’t a two-horse race between GoPro and DJI – Insta360 is also a big player, especially with its latest offering, the Ace Pro. We’ve already had quite a time with the 8K shooter and you can read more in our hands-on Insta360 Ace Pro review. It has a number of unparalleled features that make it possibly one of the best action cameras ever made.
Of course, it’s the 8K video recording that takes center stage – that’s something neither the GoPro Hero 12 Black nor the DJI Osmo Action 4 can do, but the Ace Pro has more to offer than high-resolution video.
It has essentially the same 1/1.3-inch sensor as the Osmo Action 4, which is larger than that of the Hero 12 Black, and takes 48MP photos in JPEG or DNG raw format. If you don’t need 8K video – which will be made available at launch via a firmware update – then the 4K video capabilities are very solid and can record up to 120fps.
Insta360 Ace Pro and Ace: price and availability
The Insta360 Ace Pro is available now and costs $449.99 / £429.99 / AU$729, which is a decent price. There’s also a budget-friendly ‘Ace’ version of the camera with a smaller 1/2-inch sensor and a ‘regular’ lens. List price is $379.99 / £359.99 / $AU609.
Insta360 has also used AI neural networks to de-noise video footage to deliver clear videos in low light in a ‘PureVideo’ mode, and has an active HDR video mode for when the lighting is right. You also get Insta360’s FlowState stabilization for smooth footage and 360-degree horizon lock a la GoPro that keeps your video levels up no matter what action is happening.
Then there’s the brilliant design. Unlike its rivals, the physically larger and heavier Ace Pro has a larger touchscreen and flips up for selfie shots. When taking videos and photos on the go, the easier view from any angle is extremely useful, whether you’re vlogging or shooting sports.
There are also some useful AI-powered video tools, such as gesture controls to activate photo and video recording modes with a timer, plus video editing tools that can pick out the best parts of your clips for you. You also have the choice of quick release magnetic mounts like the Osmo Action 4, plus the standard mount like GoPro on such handlebars and helmets. In addition, the camera is waterproof up to 10 meters.
Analysis: Advantage of Insta360?
On paper, and as our hands-on review shows, the Insta360 Ace Pro is one of the best action cameras out there, even without the 8K video recording available before the announcement. It combines a lot of what we like about the Hero 12 Black and Osmo Action 4 into one package, and adds its own unique features as well.
Surely we have the best action camera in the world on our hands? Well yes and no. There is a balance between quality and quantity with a small sensor as used in these action cameras. The Insta360 is pixel-heavy and at the time of writing there’s no option for the log color profile like in Hero 12 Black, so there’s a limit to the edits you can make to color.
Video quality is very good, but even when shooting with HDR video mode we noticed a difference between photo and video quality, with photos showing visibly more detail. We expect that most users will mainly use a camera like this for video.
Improvements could come in the future via firmware updates, and we’ll be looking at comparisons between the best action cameras, and of course, really testing that 8K feature. For now, Insta360 has shaken things up with the Ace Pro – it really is an excellent action camera.
