Insta360 dual-sensor camera uses AI to make video editing easy

Insta360 partnered with Leica in 2020 for the launch of the One R 1-inch Edition. Earlier this summer the company announced another product that was co-engineered with Leica, the One RS 1-Inch 360 Edition. This new camera can shoot 6K 360-degree footage and 21MP 360 photos with dual 1-inch sensors offering outstanding performance in low-light conditions.

Just before starting to test the One RS 1-inch 360 Edition, I had the pleasure of trying out the Insta360 One RS, which provides a modular camera setup with the ability to change out the lenses that work with the Core. This new model uses that same Core to power the new battery and large dual 1-inch CMOS sensors.

Review: Insta360 One RS review: 1 compelling action cam, 3 swappable lenses

The modular camera system separates into three primary pieces: the core, the lens, and the battery/mount. It’s a brilliant innovation and because I’ve only had it for a couple of weeks I need more time to develop my in-depth review as I continue capturing the world around me with two of the three available lenses. Thankfully, Insta360 built the new One RS to be compatible with the previous One R camera system so that you can upgrade pieces when you want and also trust that future updates will also likely support the system you purchase today.

Dual 1-inch lenses

The Core of the 1-inch 360 Edition is the same as the Core unit found on the One RS camera. The battery is different since it has a new vertical design with a 1,350-mAh capacity to power the camera. You will be able to purchase an extra vertical battery base, but they are shown as coming soon at the time of this review.

The differentiator between this camera and the current One RS camera is the dual 1-inch CMOS sensors that were co-engineered with Leica. The sizable sensors help you capture high-quality content in various lighting conditions, and the power of Insta360 cameras in general is the ability to film all of the content you want in 360 format and then later edit it down to exactly what you want to share with the world. You don’t have to worry about changing modes or perspectives, so you can shoot video once and then edit it in multiple ways to satisfy your needs.

Also: Insta360’s X3 360-degree action cam will blow you away

The camera supports a still photo resolution of 6,528 x 3,264 pixels with various video resolutions. These include 5,888 x 2,944 at 30 frames per second, 6,144 x 3,072 at 25/24 fps, 3,840 x 1,920 at 30/25/24fps, and 3,040 x 1,520 at 50 fps. Shooting modes are standard, HDR, interval, starlapse, burst, PureShot, video, timelapse, TimeShift, and loop recording. With 6K at 30 fps, you can expect about an hour of recording with the included vertical battery base.

The invisible selfie stick that Insta360 supports is also an option for use with this new large lens camera. Other accessories can be quite useful too; I find the Quick Reader to be a very useful tool for getting content quickly from the camera to the smartphone without burning battery capacity on the phone or camera.

Camera software

You can charge up the Insta360 One RS 1-inch 360 Edition, insert a microSD card (up to 1TB), and start recording or capturing still images without any smartphone connection. The square LCD touchscreen supports taps and swipes. When it first turns on it shows the current views of the cameras; tap once to pop up various status indicators. With these indicators shown, swipe from the top and swipe left and right to view all of the controls, including voice control, Bluetooth remote, and AirPods connectivity.

From the main viewfinder, swipe up from the bottom to view images and videos that you have previously captured. Swipe from left to right to move between all of the available shooting modes associated with the lens you have attached to the base. The number and type of available shooting modes will vary with the three optional lenses. Swipe from right to left to access specific settings for the selected camera mode, such as format, ISO, and white balance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKbh4pYCbJo

Insta360 smartphone software

The free Insta360 smartphone software is very well done and one of the best apps I have used for a camera experience on a phone. When you first launch the app you can set up an account and then connect the camera. The camera connects via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for content transfer and camera control functions. In my experience, the connection between camera and phone was consistently quick and reliable.

The software has tutorials to help you get the most out of your new camera, as well as submitted content from other users so you can be inspired to capture your world too.

In album view you can see what has been captured on your camera and then select content to download to your phone for further editing and use. There are a host of viewing and editing tools available: You can change the aspect ratio and speed and apply different types of enhancements. Multiview is a cool option that supports showing, for example, reactions to your video in a second window. FlashCut uses AI to find the best moments in your clips and edits them together with music so you can quickly create and share interesting content with little effort on your part, which has always been one of the major challenges with capturing lots of video.

The One RS 1-inch 360 Edition can also be used as a webcam or livestreaming camera when connected to your smartphone or computer. You can also download and install the Insta360 Studio desktop software if you want to view and edit your content on your computer instead of your phone.

Bottom line

The Insta360 One RS 1-inch 360 Edition is available as a $799.99 package that gets you the 1-Inch 360 Lens and cap, One RS Core, vertical mounting bracket for 1-Inch 360 lens, and vertical battery base. If you already have a One RS Core unit then you can save $150 and purchase the lens upgrade bundle for $649.99 instead. Insta360 also has two bundle options for $30 and $60 more that include other accessories.

I took the One RS 1-inch 360 Edition along on the streets of New York, to a local state fair to capture the sights and sounds of rides and food, out on a hike in the mountains of Colorado, and to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. It has been great for sharing moments of these trips with family members who could not be there with me and they enjoyed the 360-degree video. The camera has an IPX3 water resistance rating too, so you can even use it in imperfect weather conditions.

The camera did a fantastic job of capturing clear video and still images in every situation and at this price it may be a good option for businesses with use cases in mind such as monitoring construction sites or providing virtual tours for customers. The powerful editing software is a major benefit, with AI making editing easier. I don’t have much free time, so having capable software that can do the work for me is wonderful.

Alternatives to consider

The Insta360 One RS 1-inch 360 Edition may be one of the best 360 cameras available, but there are other options on the market.