Insta360 Ace Pro review: Action camera all-star
Insta360’s first true action camera makes it mark as yet another alternative to GoPro’s dominance in the market. While not flawless, the Insta360 Ace Pro has quickly become one of the most fun things to shoot with.
I am not an “action sports” kind of guy. I don’t even know how to ride a bike. While you won’t see any gnarly tricks, the Ace Pro still has appeal: Even if you’re not scuba-diving or rock-climbing your way toward a perfect TikTok video.
Key specs
- Dimensions: 71.9×52.15×38.5mm (L×W×H)
- Weight: 179.8g
- Sensor: 1 1/3-inch
- Aperture: F2.6
- Video resolution: Up to 8K24fps
- ActiveHDR up to 4K30fps
- Slow motion up to 4K120fps
- Photo resolution: Up to 48MP
- Battery: 1650mAh
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Durable and compact | Slow-mo videos can look crunchy |
| Great picture quality | Just a bit too slow to boot-and-shoot |
| Magnetic grip |
Design
If you’ve seen a GoPro or any action camera in the last decade, it’s probably looked like Insta360’s. It’s the perfect form factor for the intended use. It’s small, lightweight – but dense – and durable. These are all ideal for the trials and tribulations of the elements that any action camera might face.
I’ve dunked it in the bath, dropped it, and handed it to a six-year-old. It has lasted all this time, without even a minor scratch on the lens.
It also has this great stiffness to it. The flip-out screen has no signs of looseness. Two flaps cover the battery and connection ports are also still nice and tight, as if new out of the box, even after months of use.
I’m also a huge fan of the small information screen embedded on the front. It immediately displays all you need to know about the current shoot.
Insta360 has ensured that regardless of what you’re capturing, you’ll have access to full information about the video. Whether with the flip screen itself or just swinging the camera around to quickly glance at the status screen.
Even with the competition providing a front viewfinder, I never felt left in the dark while I was shooting.
Features
Insta360 has installed a magnetic mount on the bottom. On a GoPro, you still have to unscrew whatever is mounted, which works for securing in wild shoots. Here, the Ace Pro simply snaps onto two incredibly strong magnets.
This makes swapping between mounts and tripods incredibly easy – especially if you’re in a rush to move on.
The 1 ⅓ -inch sensor produces some fantastic visuals, but I still found photos to be a slight disappointment. There’s a smartphone-like sharpness to stills, and in low light, it can struggle to handle color and light.
Thankfully, it also shoots in DNG RAW files for some proper editing in Capture One or Lightroom.
This can’t be said for the video output of the Insta360 Ace Pro, while it’s not picture-perfect, is incredibly impressive. I’ve used Insta360’s 360 cameras before, and the built-in stabilization is always great.
Here, the Ace Pro continues that legacy as shaky running videos still look viewable. Everything it packs in, like slow motion and timelapses, look great.
It truly does shine when you’re out and about though. I did find that slow motion – which I used a fair bit – can get crunchy if the lighting conditions aren’t perfect.
However, for things like social media posts, it’ll perform just fine. When I uploaded these to YouTube and Instagram, they came out looking good. Any blemishes were only noticeable to keen-eyed viewers.
However, the Ace Pro is a bit too slow for quick reactivity. Unless you keep the battery draining on standby, the camera takes about three seconds to boot. Three seconds is incredibly short, but excruciatingly long as you see something zip past that you want to capture.
Where some of the magic might happen is in the app. This not only handles updates and retrieving your footage but also as a fairly complete video editor. The editor baked into the app is very similar to CapCut or TikTok’s offering.
It’s meant for quick clips and exporting something finished to your camera roll and works well in a pinch.
The stock songs it pulls from are all atrocious though. Just ping it into another social media app and use the licensed songs there, instead.
Insta360 also sent over the Pgytech multi-mount tripod. This goes from selfie stick to tripod to taller tripod. It’s compact, and I’ve found it excellent for handheld shots. I fully recommend grabbing this, it’s provided a tonne of flexibility in how I shoot video with the Ace Pro.
Should you go GoPro, Insta360, or DJI?
All three major brands’ action camera fare produce functionally similar results. Whether you go for the tried-and-true with GoPro, or try DJI’s option, you’re going to notice a lot of similarities.
All three, in some fashion, support the same accessories as each other. The video quality has hit a plateau. It’s hard to recommend one over the other, but I believe that Insta360’s software is the best offering out of the lot.
However, GoPro and DJI’s decision to keep the screens locked down feels more secure. Those skeptical of the Ace Pro’s durability with the potential breaking point might not want that hanging over their head.
Verdict – 4/5
Insta360’s first stab at a non-360 action camera is a resounding success. The Ace Pro regularly steps up to the plate and manages to impress each time.
It just feels like a genuine, smart iteration of a proven concept. The magnetic mount isn’t a new concept, but baking it into the device makes setting up so much easier. Even the app is a refreshing surprise in a sea of poor software for cameras. Insta360’s offering isn’t just passable, it’s actually good.
The main thing though, is that using the Insta360 Ace Pro is an absolute blast. Its compact size and durability allowed me to get a little more dangerous with various video projects. The ideas I’ve got were fully testable, especially with its waterproofing capabilities.
The Insta360 Ace Pro isn’t just good, it’s great, and I can feel my own creativity flourishing thanks to having it by my side.
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