INSTA360 ACE PRO
- Home
- INSTA360 ACE PRO
the end of an era for GoPro and other action cams?
Good morning mates and welcome to this new article! Today we talk about the action camera that is revolutionizing the market, just for being the smartest one being powered by Artificial Intelligence…! I’m talking about the Insta360 Ace Pro!
Insta360 momentarily leaves aside the modularity of the RS version and the 360 recording of the latest X3, to launch itself to fight for the action cam market where its competition is reflected in GoPro, at the moment in its version 12. and DJI Osmo Action, currently in version 4.
They are more or less 6 years that I use the cameras of Insta360 although always in 360 format doing the reframing a posteri to then use the content in traditional formats… and even though I have tried other brands, I still stick with Insta360 for your quality, reliability and ease of use…especially the app.
As for traditional action cams, I also have to say that I’ve been using GoPro for almost 20 years…since version 1 which radically changed my way of recording video and photos in freefall by removing more than 2kg from my head for a few hundred grams.
There is no hiding the fact that GoPro has created and revolutionized a market that has belonged to it for many years… so the question is: has the time finally come for someone to take away the podium in terms of quality and technological innovation? We will see it in the course of the article!
Is it worth buying an insta360 ace pro?
Features main
As I said, on the website of
Insta360
there are all the technical specifications that may interest us so here I simply leave you the most important for the average user:
-
Sensor: 1′ 1/3 co-developed with Leica and 48Mp maximum resolution, double and more respect to GoPro and DJI. Although megapixels are not directly proportional to image quality because the size of the sensor counts more, in this case we have both to guarantee incredible images with a maximum rate of 170mbps.
-
Video resolution: 8K in 16:9 format and 24fps is the maximum recording resolution, crazy… in addition to more “human” resolutions as 4Kbut reaching up to 120fps in 16:9 for cinematic slow motion…! It is also possible to record in the classic full hd 1080p format up to 240 fps, for even more incredible slow motion. In addition, there is the possibility to record in Pure Video mode where hardware and software will express the maximum to guarantee you the best quality shots in low light and night scenarios… in resolution up to 4K and 30fps.
-
Photo resolution: 48MP maximum, with a file size of approx. 8000 x 6000 pixels and the possibility to take them in DNG format, i.e. in RAW, for those who want to save all the captured information without compression for quality editing / post-production.
-
Weight: 180 grams, we are talking about 40 grams less than an iPhone 15 and 30/35 grams more than GoPro and DJI. The weight, while remaining in an absolutely acceptable range, is mainly influenced by three factors: sensor size, lens quality and the presence of the 180-degree tilting and rotating screen. I accept with pleasure those 30 grams more…
-
Dimensions: 71.9 x 52.15 x 38.5. 5 mm deeper than the GoPro 12 and 8 mm higher than DJI.
-
Battery life: 100 minutesin line with GoPro and DJI. DJI talks about 160 but if we are going to read well what is written in small, the duration has been measured recording at 1080…whereas Insta360 and GoPro recording in 4K, and there is a huge difference in sensor utilization.
-
Recharge time: 46 minutes, the fastest but in line with DJI. GoPro the slowest.
-
Waterproof: 10 meters without dive case, 60 with.
-
Screen: 2.4″ touch screen that, and this is one of the features that make the difference, is foldable and adjustable at an angle of 180 degrees.
The subject 8K !
I start directly aggressive answering already to those of the:” and what is the use of recording at 8K if there are almost no screens on which you can enjoy it“. This is what most people think and it is totally understandable because most people do not edit the videos and just trim in-app and save the video or post it on the network as is.
The fact is that pixel density allows curved lines to appear smoother, images to have more depth and colors to be reproduced more realistically thanks to the higher number of pixels.pixels.
But in practical terms, the main advantages are twofold:
- First, it is possible to upsample from 8K to 4K to produce images with more detail and better dynamic range than native 4K since the resolution is 4 times higher, and 16 times that of the classic 1080p format.
- Secondwhich can be trim 4K or 1080 frames of the 8K images to enjoy a more creative freedom during the post-production phase… and this advantage is the one that helps the most in the editing phase… I mean: they allow you to reframe the scene and follow the subjects in the frame digitally or zoom in without moving the camera, and keeping the quality. Zoom that would be the equivalent of a 15x….
Modes of video recording
Currently the Ace Pro can record in 9 different modes which we will look at in more detail.
- First of all, there is the standard recording in “video” mode that already incorporates active HDR, which allows us to have a wide dynamic range between light and shadow. Where can we enjoy HDR? For example when recording inside a house or a car, it allows us not to see white outside (burning lights) or very dark inside (closing shadows) or when recording against the light… In practice it helps us in all those situations where there is a big difference between light and shadow. Video mode is the only mode with which you can record in 8K.
- Second, the Free Frame modeThe most interesting especially for the creators of “multi-platform” content because it takes away a lot of work. What it means: if you already come from the Insta360 world you know what I’m talking about, and it is the possibility to change the format of the video directly in-app in an instant by choosing between the classic formats 1:1, 16:9, 5:4, 4:3… You mean? So I can edit the same video and then export it in portrait and landscape in any format in an instant so that I can upload it for example on youtube in landscape and on instagram in portrait! It is also possible to choose the FOV, i.e. how much to open the wide angle and whether or not to block the horizon, at the time of recording but also later through the app, superb. The only limitation of Free Frame mode is that the maximum resolution drops to 4K and 60fps, still more than enough for most users.
- Third mode, the “Pure Video” mode, where the sensor and the quality of the components are squeezed to the maximum. This mode is the key choice for night shots and low-light scenes. The Ace Pro ‘s outstanding performance in Pure Video mode is thanks to the AI chip that uses a neural network to intelligently remove noise from images. Limits? Resolution back down to 4K and 30fps.
In these recording modes, there will also be face recognition so that the exposure is always perfectly focused on the face, although it is possible through the menu to switch to Matrix mode for a calculation that includes the entire scene.
Now we enter what Insta360 calls the “creative area”, where we find ourselves:
-
The “Slow Motion” mode, i.e. in slow motion. It allows us to slow down a video up to 8 times while maintaining fluidity, recording in 1080p at 240 fps. Or 4 times recording in 4K at 120fps. Being an action cam, the ability to create quality slow motion is a must and with these values it is impossible not to get amazing shots!
-
We arrive at the “starlapse” mode, which allows us to record the movement of the stars at night creating videos of impact. Of course, it is a mode that needs hours to get a value shot because the camera will take 30-second photos in continuous and automatic mode, which translates into 300 photos for a 10-second video…that is 150 minutes of recording. It is therefore normal to attach a battery pack to the camera so that the battery does not run out. It is also possible to leave the settings on automatic or set them to manual. In this sense My optimum values are 30 seconds, 400 iso max and 5500k temperature.
-
Sister of the starlapse mode, the “timelapse” mode. To explain it in the simplest way, it is the same as the starlapse mode but for a wider use during the day and at night, and not only focused on stars. In fact, it is a sequence of photographs taken with a time interval between each other, joined together to create a final video in which the action takes place at a higher speed. Of course, since there is more light in the daytime, it usually takes much less time to obtain a recording.
-
Another sibling, the “Time Shift” mode. The main difference between the “starlapse” and “timelapse” modes…and the “time shift” mode…is the positioning of the camera itself: in the first two, the camera has to be immobile for the whole time needed for the shot, while with the “time shift” the effect comes to life by moving the camera and even walking with it! Depending on the situation and the context, the effect is brutal! And with the Motion Blur option now present, where moving parts are “blurred” creating even more motion and speed effect, the possibilities are many. Motion blur is present even in other modes.
And to help us not to miss any moment, Insta360 brings us two more modes:
-
The “pre-recording“, where the camera will save the 15 or 30 seconds of recording prior to when we press record. It is a mode that can help us when we do not want to lose any moment without keeping the camera on all the time.
-
The “loop recording” mode, which turns our action cam into a dash cam… i.e. a security camera that constantly records in loops of a few selectable minutes after which it writes back to the same file to save space. In case something happens that we want to save, we will only have to press the button to get the last minutes on our card. It is even possible to configure it to turn on and start recording automatically when we connect it to a cable or turn on the car, motorcycle or whatever.
Modes of photo recording
As for the photo modes, we have
-
The standard “photo” mode, with which it is possible to take photos manually by choosing resolution, format, timer and adjusting the parameters or letting the camera do it.
-
The “HDR” mode, which follows the same principle as HDR video by extending the dynamic range and improving situations where there is a large difference between light and shadow.
-
The “interval” mode, with which we can choose how many photos and at what temporal distance from each other the camera will start taking them.
-
And the “burst” mode, where instead of taking just one photo when pressing the record button, the camera will take multiple photos in a short period of time.
Now let’s take a look at other interesting things about this camera that has many surprises in store for every use.
The screen adjustable
By the way, this is something that sets it apart from the competition and is very useful if we use the camera for all types of recording, from action shots to video logging…
The screen can be adjusted to a 180-degree tilt so you can always see what you are recording in any position, whether you are indoors or outdoors.
The 2.4″ size and its brightness make it possible to see the content well in any lighting conditions.
The screen front
It gives us the information we need at all times and is nothing more or less than the competition but it should be noted that the recording light is very comfortable compared to other cameras because it is no longer a point light but a very visible line, which depending on the situation we can deactivate.
The selfie stick
Insta360 has revolutionized the market with its 360 cameras also by leaving mouths open. people (and it still happens to me…) because they don’t understand who or what is recording and usually think it is a drone… In a 360 camera the concept is easy but very strong to see: they are two lenses that record at 180 degrees so everything between them is “cut” from the image. The selfie stick fits exactly in this “no man’s land”.
But, with the Ace Pro we are talking about an action cam with a single front lens… so kudos to the work of the engineers from Insta360 who have developed, through artificial intelligence, an algorithm to make the selfie stick literally disappear at the software level through the function present in the app. The only “negative” note is that the export format is 1080 even if a 4K video is used.
The function AI WARP
Through the app and in a simple way it is possible to select a part of the video we want and create, partially or totally, in the format we want, a completely redrawn and fantacientific version, futuristic… artificial… choosing between some pre-sets already ready in the app or using all our fantasy through what is called “prompt”: we write to the app what we want to see until whatever madness comes to our mind and there’ we will find a unique and spectacular video.
With the AI Warp function it is even possible to select a part of the video to be modified, like for example the subject of the video leaving everything else real… or modify everything. The only limitation, apart from the fantasy, is 3 videos per day because of the huge computational power needed… and it’s something normal of every AI video application.
Recording Audio
As for audio recording, the Ace Pro has 3 microphones positioned front, top and side to keep the audio level. Of course, as for every camera, if we need to record quality audio, remotely or while riding a motorcycle for example, it will be necessary to buy a adapter that plugs into the same usb-c jack replicating it and adding an audio jack with 3.5mm jack to connect any wired or wireless microphone such as the Rhode Go.
Also, and it’s amazing, we can connect AirPods…even just one…and record with it with quality and simplicity…! Bravo!
Control gestural
Another very interesting function is the possibility of taking photos and video through gesture control… I explain: I position myself in front of the camera on and if I make this gesture with my hand…the camera will be turned on. Ace Pro will take a picture with a timer of 3 seconds. While if I do this gesture, it will start recording a video. Useful function, especially for the photo, when we are alone… In the control menu there are some videos that remind you how it works.
Control vowel
It is also possible to control the camera with our voice through a few key words, at the moment only in English…and Chinese… which will facilitate the work although it is not a very exploited function.
now the question I'm sure you're asking yourselves. . .
WHY ?
Why would I have to buy the Ace Pro, or its little sister Ace over the competition?
To each his own, of course…and being a competitor, we always talk about high level and quality cameras.
But, personally at the moment I find in the AcePro the maximum expression of technology, quality, ease of use and potential of the market…all at a price in line with the other cameras. And if we talk about the little sister Ace, even at a lower price.
ACE o ACE PRO ???
In short: Ace Pro if you are passionate about video recording and editing, if you are professionals or high level content creators and you want/need the best in any condition or context.
Ace, for everyone else remembering that we are always talking about a high quality camera with maximum resolution superior to the competition!
in short . . .
If you liked the article…and the video…, leave me a comment and tell me if you want another one about some specific functions or how to get certain results… And don’t forget to “subscribe” and follow me on other social media.
Also here is a link where you can view and buy the camera at the best price. Of course it’s an affiliate link so if you plan to buy it and you like my content, through it you can give me a hand because Insta360 will give me 5% of the price. So’ for transparency.
See you soon and gas to life!
