360-degree cameras felt like a gimmick a few years back, but as the technology has evolved, they have unlocked a whole new perspective to photography by letting you record everything around you in video or still format. The footage lets you explore multiple angles in post-production. However, recording 360-degree videos is not an everyday thing for causal photographers. These cameras also tend to be expensive, so most of us refrain from buying them.
That’s where action cameras like the Insta360 One R stand out. This camera is based on a modular platform, allowing you to swap out the 360-degree lens for a traditional wide-angle lens. There is also a Leica-branded 1-inch lens for capturing better low-light shots. It aims to be the action camera that brings you the best of two worlds. So, should you be considering the Insta 360 One R over the other prominent action camera brands?
This camera has three parts – the battery, a block for the controls and screen and the lens. Assembling it is much like playing a Lego game, with fewer parts. When you need to switch lenses, just unclip the battery, pull the lens off and slip in another one. Despite its modular design, the Insta360 R One maintains the size and shape of traditional action cameras. It is compact and lightweight, so you can easily mount it to your helmet, bicycle handle or surfboard.
This camera also meets the IPX8 standard and is resistant to water up to five meters. This means you can use it while cycling in the rains or surface-level swimming on beaches. For activities like deep-sea diving, Insta360 offers One R diving cases, making the camera resistant to water up to 60 meters.
The Insta360 One R ships with a 12MP 4K lens, offering an f/2.8 aperture. It is capable of recording 4K videos up to 60 fps. You can also record full HD videos at 200 fps that can be used to create slow motion outputs. This lens offers a wide-angle field of view, which makes it perfect for recording travel videos and clicking landscape photos. You can also capture HDR photos and create 4K time-lapses with this lens.
The camera’s 360-degree module starts the real magic. It lets you shoot up to 5.7K videos (5,760 x 2,880) at 30 fps in a 360-degree field of view. Insta360 says this lens provides excellent stabilisation. The camera also automatically stitches 360-degree photos and videos without leaving any blurry details. You can record 360-degree travel vlogs, where your audience can zoom in to explore everything around the frame. Your audience can also experience videos from your point of view using VR headsets.
Insta360 has also introduced an Invisible Selfie Stick that lets you capture drone-like aerial shots with this 360-degree mod. This camera mod also supports 360-degree live streaming and features such as FreeCapture Live, where users can manually control the visual perspective. The Insta360 One R Twin Edition camera bundles the 4K lens and 360-mod lens together.
The third camera mod unlocks professional photography. Its 1-inch sensor gathers in more light for better low-light photography and shallower depth of field. This Leica-designed mod can shoot 5K videos at 30 fps and 4K videos at 60 fps. It supports a wide-angle field of view, allowing you to pack more action in a frame. Insta360 has also introduced a dedicated Night Shot mode for this mod for clicking crisp low night images. There is also a Starlapse Mode for recording dark skies.
All camera mods support the Insta360’s FlowState stabilisation feature for smooth video recording. The videos are recorded in the company’s INSV format, and it has its benefits. For example, you can record a video in the linear field of view using any other action camera. Once the video is recorded; you can’t change its field of view later. However, the One R stores everything in metadata, so a video recorded in a video in the linear field of view can be changed to wide-angle in the app.
The Insta360 One R comes with a 1.5-inch touch screen. The screen can be pointed facing the front or the back. This means you can see yourself in front of the lens or watch the screen while filming their subject. The screen is handy for changing modes and settings. The One R camera is even compatible with an Apple Watch app for remote shooting. You can gain deeper control over the camera settings by using the Insta360 companion app. The app works both on Android and iOS and opens up a long list of options, including manual exposure and RAW photos. There are also tutorials for both shooting and editing.
The app supports a Deep Track feature that helps keep the subject or person in the centre while recording 360-degree videos. There is also a Colour Plus feature that automatically colour corrects your images and videos. You can also try the FlashCut feature within the app to turn multiple videos into a single edited clip. The app has some in-built royalty-free music and also gives you an option to import locally saved music.
The Insta360 One R comes with dual mics for audio recording and you can plug in an external microphone using the Insta360 One R Audio Adaptor. The camera is also compatible with Apple AirPods, so you can wirelessly record audio while shooting vlogs and interviews. The camera ships with a 1190 mAh battery that claims to record 5.7K videos for up to 70 minutes. The device can be charged using your smartphone’s Type-C cable, which means fewer cables while travelling.
The Insta360 One R can be the perfect action camera for everyone from adrenaline junkies to casual videographers. You can begin with the standard 4K and 360-mod lens and add the 1-inch lens mod later as you progress. There is no compulsion of buying every mod, so you get way more flexibility over other action cameras. The Insta360 One R and all its accessories are now available at www.reliancedigital.in. You can also ask for a hands-on experience of the camera by visiting your nearest Reliance Digital store.
