Insta360 One Hands-On Review: A 4K 360 Panoramic Camera That will Leave you Amazed

When we want to buy a 360 degree camera , many times we look for a model that is capable of covering many needs at the same time and that is just what the Insta360 ONE offers us, a VR camera that is on offer and is capable of recording in 4K so you can use it as a camera to make video blogs, retransmit live through social networks or as a sports camera thanks to its image stabilizer.

The Insta360 One 4K is a 360º camera that records aa 4K. It is also capable of transmitting 360º video in 4K. The quality in which he records video and takes pictures is excellent. You can also see a great quality in the materials that make it up. It is a premium quality camera with great possibilities.

Here we tell you all the secrets of the Insta360 ONE camera with our in-depth Review.

Specifications

Unboxing

The Insta360 ONE does not come as complete as her little sister  Insta360 Nano S. In this case, the box comes only with a plastic handle that acts as a sheath, a USB charging cable, a cord for making Bullet Time shots at 240fps and a microfiber cloth to clean the lenses.

We would have liked a cloth to cover to take the camera in the pocket of the pants more comfortably since the plastic is quite bulky and does not cover the camera completely, protruding slightly at the top and being exposed to possible hits.

Design

The design of the Insta360 ONE I will value from two different points of view: the aesthetic and practical. From the purely aesthetic point of view, it seems to me one of the most beautiful VR cameras on the market. Its design is very elegant and features eye-catching details such as the bevelling that covers the optics or the shiny finish of the front and back.

The finishes are very good and there is no crunch on the casing, something that denotes quality and good adjustments by the manufacturer.

Another curious detail is the retractable Lightning connector that turns 90º when we slide a small tab that is in the lower part. When we no longer need the connector, we return it to its original position and it remains hidden until the next time.

From a practical point of view, the design of the Insta360 ONE has lights and shadows. Its design does not end up conforming to the shape of our hand and feels slippery in prolonged use. The manufacturer himself has realized this detail and therefore comes standard with a rigid plastic case that makes the function of grip and support.

Fortunately, we have at our disposal a classic 1/4 “and 20mm thread to use any tripod or stand. On the Insta360 website, we can see that there are accessories to practice a lot of sports such as surfing, snowboarding, cycling, skateboarding, climbing … there is even a harness to put it on our pet. If we are going to be in contact with the water, there is also a cover that allows us to dive to a depth of up to 30 meters. For us, it is an essential accessory that you can not miss if you are buying the Insta360 ONE.

Our Impressions

Now that we know more about the Insta360 ONE, try to try it. As I have an iPhone, I connect the camera directly to mobile and automatically I get a message to me that you download the official app that will allow me to make the most of. In less than 1 minute the camera is working and without needing to inform me absolutely nothing about how it works.

The advantage is that as comes with an 8GB microSD memory from the first moment we can take pictures and videos that will be stored on the card without taking phone memory. In this aspect, we must recognize the good work of Insta360 so that any user can use the VR camera with ease.

Another detail that I have noticed and that I like is that the Lightning connector for the iPhone is quite long and that means that we do not have to remove the phone case if we are going to use the camera.

Image quality

It is important to see in depth how the Insta360 ONE behaves by, taking pictures and recording video. As I said before, the sensors with which the camera is equipped to enjoy a high dynamic range that works fairly well the mid-tones of the image as well as the shadow areas or more intensely illuminated.

The final result of the above is translated into a balanced image that collects everything that happens around us with good quality but with a level of detail that does not stand out, something that is usually a limitation imposed when using fisheye lenses so that is not something specific to the Insta360 ONE.

It is true that in comparison with other cameras of the competition, the Insta360 ONE is a step above, both in image quality and in stabilization that is one of the highlights of the model.

If you like to make videos practicing activities or walking down the street, the stabilization offered by the Insta360 ONE is one of the best in the segment. Its 6-axis gyroscope does a fantastic job, even in the most compromised situations.

If we use the 360 cameras in conjunction with the iPhone, we will have access to manual adjustments of the image such as ISO sensitivity, aperture speed or white balance. This allows us to play a little more with the image, something that will give us many creative possibilities in night videos.

Oh, we can not forget about your Bluetooth connectivity. Using a remote shutter is very simple and will allow us to take photos remotely using our mobile or a third-party controller compatible with this wireless protocol. If we do not have the option to use available Bluetooth, we can always define a timer so that the photo is taken once the time indicated in the app has elapsed.

For the time with the bullet time

The result is spectacular but requires practice to achieve results like those in the example. For this, it is essential that there is good lighting because otherwise, the image will be very dark and you will hardly see anything, so it is not advisable to try the option indoors with artificial light of low intensity.

If we fulfill the requirement of lighting, now we have to tie a string that comes as standard to the camera that comes standard and for which you have to use the tripod thread. Once placed, we have to rotate the camera around us with a frequency of one revolution per second. In the beginning, it will give us some fear and the result may not be as expected, but with a little practice we will get it fast and the final result is very worthwhile.

Conclusions

The VR Insta360 ONE camera is one of the best options we have today for those who want to record videos in 360 degrees. Its image stabilizer places it at the top of its segment and the image quality is remarkable, both for its 4K resolution and in the range of colors.

It is noted that it is the flagship product (with the permission of the Insta360 Pro) aimed at the majority audience that looks for an all in one, easy to use, very complete and with a wide range of possibilities.