Meet the Insta360 Ace Pro 2, the latest action camera to hit the market. It's the successor to the Ace Pro, boasting an abundance of features including Leica-engineered color profiles, a dedicated Pro imaging chip, 8K video quality, and most importantly, AI processing.
It’s raining actioncams, and the Ace Pro 2 is the latest to launch after heavyweights like the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro and GoPro Hero 13 Black. What sets it apart from its competitors is AI … yes, the same stuff that seems to be everywhere these days, from healthcare to music.
But it’s not just AI. The folks at Insta360 have packed the Pro 2 with superior image quality, better audio, and a more durable build than its predecessor. It's priced rather competitively at an MSRP of US$399 – the same as GoPro Hero 13 Black, while a bit more than the $349 DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro.
Any camera is only as good as its sensor, and Insta360 knows that. The Ace Pro 2 has a Leica Summarit lens and a 1/1.3-inch 8K sensor with a dynamic range of up to 13.5 stops. That enables you to record footage at up to 8K /30fps, 4K/60fps with Active HDR, and 4K/120fps for slow motion – all in a convenient MP4 format. For still photos, it has a 50-megapixel maximum resolution.
In contrast, the GoPro Hero13 Black pushes 240 frames per second at 2.7K and goes up to 5.3K/60fps. To put it simply, the GoPro is preferable if you value the ability to trim and extract both vertical and horizontal sections from a single clip. It also offers a greater frame rate for fluid slow motion, while the Ace Pro 2 captures video at a better resolution and can do 4K/120fps with an SDR color.
The camera’s standout feature is a dedicated shooting mode dubbed PureVideo, which uses an AI neural network to enhance details and cut down on noise in low-light conditions, in real time. There are also what Insta360 calls AI-powered creator-friendly features such as AI Highlights Assistant and Auto Edit, which can be accessed by voice or gesture.
Insta360 has previously been called out by users for its inadequate field of view but thankfully, the brand has listened to those calls. It now features an industry-first 157-degree FOV lens, offering the broadest field of view of any action camera available today. It also gets an interchangeable lens protector while giving you the freedom to add third-party ND filters to the camera.
All of this is made possible via not one but two separate 5-nm processors. One of them is dedicated to image processing, while the other goes to camera performance and further processing.
Speaking of footage, the new Active HDR mode is responsible for efficiently tone-mapping the dynamic range, which the sensor records into a readily usable output. Still, Insta360 also gives producers another choice with i-Log, which is a great tool for post-production grading.
One shortcoming is the fact that the camera still records with 8-bit color instead of the option of 10-bit – something both the GoPro and DJI action cams offer. To make up for that, the Ace Pro 2 has a number of pre-programmed image profiles, including two that Leica designed for users who don't want to get into the messy business of post-grading.
Coming to the hardware, you get a 2.5-inch touchscreen screen that offers 70% higher pixel density, 6% more brightness, and 100% more durability than the one that came before it. There is also a clip-on wind protector to enhance audio quality when recording in windy conditions, which can be pulled off for underwater use. The camera's waterproofing has also been boosted, as it can now withstand depths of up to 12 m (40 ft) without a dive case and up to 60 meters (197 ft) with one.
The Ace Pro 2 can withstand temperatures as low as -20 ºC (-4 ºF), so there's no problem putting it in the freezer overnight. It's powered by a 1,800-mAh battery which takes 18 minutes to charge to 80% and 47 minutes to reach 100%.
The camera also boasts a new Endurance mode that extends its runtime by 50% when recording in 4K/30fps. It additionally comes with an auto-applied 360-degree Horizon Lock and what Insta360 brands FlowState Stabilization for steady footage. The option to shoot with a TOD timecode makes it simple to synchronize numerous cameras.
The Ace Pro 2 is already for sale on the company's website and via retail partners worldwide, costing $399 for the Standard bundle. This includes a USB Type-C cable, a wind guard, a battery, a standard mount, and a microphone cap. There is also a Dual Battery bundle, which includes two batteries in addition to the previously listed accessories, that is priced at $419.
Which one do you prefer – the GoPro, DJI, or the Insta360? You can see footage shot by the latter, in the video below.
Source: Insta360
