Review | Insta360 One R action camera review: capable, clever – like having your own film crew
- The Insta360 One R has a modular design that allows the user to choose the type of footage to shoot
- With excellent software and a host of features, it will take a week to discover just how versatile it is
Shenzhen-based Insta360 is back with another clever and capable camera. The One R is a modular action camera that can take standard 4K wide-angle like a GoPro or 5.7k-res 360 footage with the swap of a lens.
Design and hardware
It separates into three pieces: a battery base; the core “body” with a one-inch touch screen, shutter button, and housing for microSD card and USB-C charging port; and the lens section.
The parts are connected via prongs and are waterproof up to five metres (16 feet).
However, because you must remove the battery every time you swap lenses, the camera must also reboot every time. It would have been nice to be able to hot-swap the lenses with the camera still running.
The package I’m reviewing, which includes the battery, core, and both the 4K action mod and 360 lens mods, retails for US$479.99 in the US and HK$3,798 in Hong Kong.
Software and features
Insta360’s software support is excellent. The companion app lets users use their phone screen as a viewfinder and control the camera remotely.
Finished videos can be previewed right away on the app, and full-scale edits from colour grading to tweaking the exposure can be applied after the fact.
Insta360’s software automatically detects and erases the selfie stick.
Other features include auto tracking, auto framing, and digital de-noising. There are so many features, beginners will be a bit overwhelmed.
Performance and battery life
As an action camera, the One R mostly keeps up with GoPro’s and DJI’s best. Stabilisation is fine without much digital cropping, but the colour seems a bit muted. Insta360 says this was by design, and encourages users to colour-grade the footage, but I don’t want to colour grade 17 different three-second clips to make one Instagram video.
The One R is excellent for vloggers who like to shoot themselves as they walk and talk. The screen can face the same side as the lens, and the field of vision is equivalent to a 16mm lens, wide enough to fit a user’s upper body into frame using the extended arm.
Use a selfie stick, however, and the immersion improves dramatically. The combination of the ‘invisible’ selfie stick and fluid stabilisation makes it appear as if I have a camera crew filming me as I walk.
Insta360 says the battery is enough to shoot continuously for 65 minutes, but this varies, depending on the temperature and the type of footage being shot. When shooting in 10 to 30 second bursts and shutting off the camera when not in use, a single battery base is enough to last an entire day. The good news is charging is done via USB-C.
Conclusion
