Insta360 One - Flite Test Review

The One is a self-proclaimed 'camera crew in your hand', but what is it like on an aircraft?

There's no denying that 360-degree cameras are gaining in popularity right now. Many big names, like the struggling GoPro, are jumping onboard the hype train by bringing out shiny new products that describe themselves as being revolutionary to video. I, for one, am slightly skeptical that these new cameras will truly change the way videos are shot. However, with Insta360, it seems this company is really doing something completely different. Here's their new camera, the One.

Video

To show you what this camera is like to use, how the footage looks and more, here's a video where we put the One to the test.

Design

The design of the One is really quite clever. Inside its modest shell, the camera packs in two Sony CMOS sensors that work together to capture crisp 4K video and 24mp still photos.

The casing is small and elegant, housing a foldable lightning connector to be used with Apple iPhones and iPads. This allows you to use the One as your phone's camera, panning around you, capturing video wherever you go. You can also do things like streaming 360-degree videos live. Impressive.

When it comes to drones, the One seems to have been designed with an aerial application in mind. Insta360 sell a Mavic Pro kit that allows you to either perch your camera above the drone or swing it below.

Experiencing the One

One of the most impressive and immersive features of this 360-degree camera is the way you can rotate the video around in post-production. You can simply look around the scene and choose your angle. This was handy for our video editors at Flite Test to use to find that perfect shot.

The camera is fully stabilized meaning that, on an aircraft like this rather sketchy DIY ultralight, the video of Coco the Gorilla turned out nice and smooth. Without jerks and sudden movements, the video gives the illusion of actually being there whilst seeing through your own eyes.

One of the coolest things you can do with the One involves a pair of VR goggles. Using these, you can look about your captured scene in all angles. Imagine riding on the wing of your full-scale airplane, or slung beneath your Mavic Pro.

It's safe to say that, if you want to capture a stuffed toy guerrilla riding a foam board RC ultralight, the Insta360 One is a great piece of kit to use. Of course, if you have another more conventional application in mind, it would be just great at that too.

If you're after a unique perspective from your drones and RC airplanes, it might be worth picking one of these up. They come in at a reasonable £299, the same as a GoPro Hero 5 at the moment, can capture 4K and be used in a number of applications. Let us know what you do with yours!