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Insta360 invited me to a hands-on event for its upcoming Luna Pro and Luna Ultra vlogging cameras, during which time I had the opportunity to test the dual-lens Ultra version and speak with the 360 camera manufacturer's co-founder, Max Richter.
I quizzed Max on everything from branching out into a new market dominated by DJI, to what Insta360's competitive advantages are and how a surprising number of Insta360 fans are using their action cams for photography.
There's still a lot we don't know about the Luna cameras ahead of their full unveil, and I'm restricted with what I can share because of a staggered embargo. Nonetheless, my conversation with Max shed a little light on where the innovative camera manufacturer is heading.
Rivalling DJI
Insta360 and DJI are launching new action cameras and compact video cameras at breakneck speed, seemingly leaving the likes of GoPro behind when it comes to innovation, even if GoPro recently announced its trio of Mission 1 cameras.
The 360 camera space is very much dominated by Insta360, which commands almost 70% market share, despite DJI announcing its own Osmo 360, and GoPro, its Max 2.
And the same can be said for DJI and compact vlogging cameras — its Pocket series has sold by the bucketload for years, the latest model being the Pocket 4, with no obvious competition. That was, until the Luna.
I expect the vlogging camera market to be a tough nut to crack for Insta360, but I believe it has the necessary software to give it a go, and now, finally, the hardware with the new Luna Pro and Luna Ultra.
"Luna is a new space for us, because it's going to be the first time and we actually have a real vlogging tool on the market," Max tells me.
"It's going to be seriously considered by prosumers or professional creators. This market category is quite big already, right? But we think there's space that we bring some new things to it. A little bit of competition to it.
"At the same time, though, what we're not going to do is to compete on the price. It's definitely gonna compete more on the on the product itself. It's a higher-end solution. It's not price competition, we really want to compete on the product."
And how will Insta360 compete on product? For one, the Luna seemingly matches the latest DJI Pocket cameras, at least where headline features are concerned.
The single-lens Luna Pro rivals the Pocket 4, while the dual-lens Luna Ultra, which I am testing, squares up to the upcoming Pocket 4P.
Like DJI, both Luna cameras utilize a 1-inch sensor and 10-bit video recording, while the Ultra features a second 3x camera, as the Pocket 4P will. All these cameras are supported with 3-axis gimbal stabilization, too.
And while Insta360 is coming into this space years after DJI, it now has its five-star Mic Pro wireless mic to rival the DJI Mic 3. So far, the Shenzen-based pair looks evenly matched.
Purely matching DJI while not competing on price is clearly not going to cut it, though, especially for an unproven first-generation product. That's where the Luna's neat modular screen gives it the hardware edge.
I've tested the unique feature, and it is truly brilliant. The rotating touchscreen is part of a removable component which also includes the main camera controls; the zoom lever, gimbal joystick, and record button.
You can use the screen to view and control the camera remotely, complete with subject tracking, giving the impression of having a cameraperson. What's more, the unit is fitted with a microphone, meaning you can view, record, track subjects, and present to camera.
That's what 'competing on product' looks like, and this game-changing feature alone could be enough to tempt first-timers and DJI fans to switch.
Powering the hardware
Insta360 is coming into the space fresh, but behind the scenes, it has long made cutting-edge software the foundation of its camera tech, which is crucial, especially in the 360 camera space.
“The new generation of content creators want convenience, ease of use, simple sharing on TikTok, Instagram, and so on, and that’s where Insta360 excels due to the software excellence,” says Max.
"Software is the key reason why you choose our products. Not everybody has the time to go into the mobile app and edit their videos, reframe the moment — that’s an extra step in the workflow that a lot of people are not willing to spend time on. We think AI will ultimately be a solution to that.
“The software or AI can choose the best moment or the best shot, or even be trained to know what is your preference in terms of editing. It’s getting better and better. I recently used it [Insta360's app] for diving videos when I didn’t have time to do a lot of reframing, but it perfectly got me the right frame on the sharks and turtles and on myself, that I couldn’t have done better in this short amount of time.
"On the hardware side, you’re not able to iterate so fast, but on the software side, I think we can play out our advantage; we can move very fast.
"To be honest, I see camera technology going in this direction. In the future, it will be hard to differentiate yourself on the hardware side; you also need to invest in the software, because the software can also balance out a lot of the hardware deficiencies."
I've personally used Insta360's app for videos shot with its 360 cameras, such as the X5, and can testify how much it simplifies the editing process. The same software is being used for the Luna vlogging cameras and might just take out pain points for editing vlogging content.
Max talked up Insta360's software credentials, but in a way, he's also doing the Luna a disservice — my first impressions of the camera itself are very positive, and it's great to see some competition for the DJI Pocket series.
What is currently unknown is pricing — just how uncompetitive will the Luna be? We'll find out soon enough.
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