The Insta360 Ace Pro is a wide-angle action camera with a large 1/1.3” sensor for improved low light performance, up to 8K video resolution, a 2.4” flip screen and some really quite impressive AI features.
I’ve been using the Ace Pro almost non-stop for 3 months now and have recorded hours of footage. I’m going to cover 5 things I like about this camera and 5 things I’m not so keen on, to help you decide if this is the right action camera for you.
Pros
1. Video Quality
The Ace Pro has a large 1/1.3” sensor with an 8K resolution mode and an F2.6 Leica lens. That’s better top-level specs than the current competition. The GoPro’s sensor is 1/1.9” – over 30% smaller and its resolution maxes out at 5.3K. The DJI Osmo Action 4 has the same sensor size, but only shoots at up to 4K. It’s worth noting you are currently limited to 24fps in 8K mode – something I hope Insta360 can improve on in a firmware update.
Even though you’re unlikely to need to play back your clips at 8K, shooting in this mode gives you the option to crop into your footage afterwards. But there’s also a feature Insta360 call Clarity Zoom where you can double tap on the screen, even whilst recording, for an effective 2x zoom.
This only works at 4K resolution and below in Standard and PureVideo mode, but basically uses the full 8K resolution and dynamically crops your footage.
I’ve taken hours of footage with this camera and it all looks very good – at least equal to other action cameras I’ve tested. Where it looks noticeably better than other action cameras is in low light. You need to shoot in the camera’s PureVideo mode, but the combination of the larger sensor and the 5nm AI chip does a good job even stabilising shaky footage – something notoriously difficult when the light level drops.
I also found dynamic range pretty good for an action camera. The camera manages to preserve details in the sky more often than not.
2. LCD Screen
The 2.4” rear screen on the Ace Pro can flip up 180° which is great for selfies but it’s also useful being able to tilt the screen 90° for low angle shots. The GoPro Hero 12 and Osmo Action 4 have small front-facing LCD preview screens but the Insta360’s flip-screen is far larger and much more versatile. There is a similar size front screen on the Ace Pro but it only shows shooting information.
The rear LCD screen is also one of the most responsive screens I’ve tested. It’s about as close as you’ll get to a smartphone screen.
3. Magnetic Mount
The included GoPro style finger uses magnets for alignment and then snaps firmly into place on the base of the camera. You do need to ensure it’s fully engaged with a firm press but you can quickly release the camera to swap mounts or use the camera without a mount.
This standard mount is a little bulky – the fingers don’t fold down, and there’s also no ¼” threaded mount for use with a standard tripod or any of Insta360’s selfie sticks.
This mount is the most secure option and recommended for action sports, but Insta360 also does a less bulky Quick Release mount which does have both folding GoPro style fingers and a ¼” threaded mount. It also comes with an adapter plate for attaching to cameras with a standard ¼” thread.
This mount is far quicker to attach – the magnets both align and snap it securely in place.
I’d love to see this mount included as standard and unfortunately it’s quite pricey compared to other Insta360 accessories – but if you can pick it up on sale I’d highly recommend it. It works brilliantly with Insta360’s flexible and well built Multi Mount – one of my favourite action camera accessories. It’s similar to GoPro’s 3-Way mount but has a little foot that lets you hang it off a tree branch or over a door.
4. Image Stabilisation
Image stabilisation on the current generation of action cameras is superb and the Ace Pro is no exception. In Standard and PureVideo mode, the stabilisation is baked in but you can choose from Low, Medium or High. You’ll get a little more cropping with the higher modes. You can take the files straight off the memory card to share or edit. In FreeFrame mode, you’ll need to process them in the free Insta360 smartphone or desktop app.
But this mode gives you more flexibility. Firstly you can also choose your framing after the fact. It shoots a 4:3 video but in the app you can change this to a 16:9 or 9:16 or a square ratio. There’s a toggle on the LCD screen to turn on framing guides which are useful if you already know the final aspect ratio.
You can also select the amount of stabilisation depending on how shaky your footage is. So if your footage doesn’t need much stabilisation, you won’t lose as much of the frame to cropping.
What’s more, if you shoot in FreeFrame mode you can load the footage into the fantastic GyroFlow app which works on iOS, Android, Windows, Mac and Linux! This app is a professional level stabilisation tool but is easy to use and free to use. You can get even finer control on the amount of stabilisation you want to apply and in most cases I could achieve less cropping with even smoother stabilisation.
5. GPS Remote
Insta360 always has lots of fun accessories but the optional GPS Remote makes shooting action footage just so much easier. It has a full colour touch screen and is similar in size to an Apple Watch Ultra but thicker. It comes with a silicone watch strap and handlebar mount.
In the screen grab of the footage above I have the camera mounted to a chest strap, but I have full control of the camera using the remote. I can select shooting modes and settings, start and stop recordings and most impressively the remote shows a live preview both whilst framing and recording.
None of the current crop of action cameras have GPS built in, but if you control the Ace Pro with this remote you’ll not only get GPS data but you can use this GPS data to overlay various stats using the Stats tab in the smartphone or desktop app. This is a great feature to spice up your videos.
If you don’t have the GPS Remote, thoughtfully Insta360 lets you add GPS data either via a Garmin watch or head unit, or an Apple Watch.
The Ace Pro has plenty of other features I won’t cover in detail but they deserve a mention.
The AI chip has a few clever tricks. It can automatically flag highlights in the video which can be exported to separate video files for quick editing.
It can attempt to remove the selfie stick like in your 360 footage with the Selfie Stick Eraser, and finally there’s AI Warp which can apply some impressive post-processing to sections of your videos.
There’s the usual voice control which isn’t always very reliable but you also now have gesture control which works surprisingly well. You can hold up your hand to start and stop recordings or a victory sign to take a photo.
The power button doubles as a quick mode select with the camera on. You can configure which modes or customisable presets it cycles between, which I use all the time.
There’s also a battery zapping pre-recording mode which continuously records and captures 15 seconds prior to you pressing the shutter button, a timed capture mode and the ability to use your AirPods as well as various helmet headsets as a wireless microphone.
Finally there’s Power Delivery fast charging which charges the battery to 80% in just 22 minutes and only 46 minutes for a full charge. For me this is a super useful feature – if you leave your battery in any action camera it does tend to deplete over time. It’s great being able to almost completely charge the battery in the time it takes to get out the door.
The Osmo Action 4 also supports fast charging, but the GoPro Hero 12 takes 2-3 hours to fully charge its battery.
So let’s move onto 5 things I’m not so keen on although none of these are show stoppers.
Cons
1. Non-removable Lens
Officially the lens is not user replaceable on the Ace Pro. Insta360 will let you send it back to them for a free replacement within one year of purchase. But beyond that you’re stuck.
I’ve not done it myself but it looks like the lens does twist off either by hand or with a special tool that comes with replacement lenses on Aliexpress, or you can 3D print one.
Insta360 warns against this, citing possible fogging, hence the repair policy, and there are some mixed reports on the quality of the third party replaceable lenses if you do try this yourself.
I really hope Insta360 decides to offer a user replaceable lens option outside of warranty.
2. Minimum focus distance
Partly Due to the large sensor size you can’t get too close with the Ace Pro. The minimum focus distance is 40cm so unless you fully extend your arm or use something like the Multi-Mount, selfie shots look a little blurry. It would be great if Insta360 offered a close-up lens accessory but again 3rd party options are available on Aliexpress.
I used one of these adapters with a cheap 49mm +4 diopter lens off Amazon screwed in – it works very well! I can get closer than I’d want to for selfies – and there’s even some background blur.
You could 3D print your own adapter but the Aliexpress adapter was only a few pounds and arrived within a week – and it’s made of aluminium with fine threads you wouldn’t be able to print, with non-scratching soft rubber for the interface to the Ace Pro lens.
You will notice a yellow rectangle that tracks your face. This looks like auto-focus but it’s not – the lens is fixed. It’s Face Priority exposure metering. You can switch this to Matrix metering if you want a more even exposure.
3. AI charges
The AI Warp feature is impressive but since this uses cloud processing you’re only allowed 3 uses per day. Beyond then there’s a charge – around 50 pence per use in the UK currently. I’m not sure many people are going to need more than 3 goes a day, but I’d like to see some clearer information on pricing outside of this free trial.
4. No HDR above 30 fps
Active HDR improves dynamic range in Standard and FreeFrame video modes, but it only works at frame rates up to 30 fps, regardless of resolution. The Ace Pro makes an excellent dash cam in Loop Recording mode. There’s even a sticky car mount included in the box.
And you can enable Charge and Record in Power-off Charging in the camera’s settings. So the camera will turn on and start recording whenever you turn on the engine, and stop recording and switch itself off when you turn off the engine, so long as it’s powered via your car outlet.
But this is one use case where you want both higher frame rate and HDR. Maybe that’s something that can be added in a firmware update.
As a side note, until a recent firmware update you couldn’t actually turn HDR off in the lower framerates , but now there is an option in mode settings.
5. Price
You can check the current price, but the Ace Pro is not cheap. You are getting a fair bit for your money, but there’s no hiding the fact that the GoPro Hero 12 and Osmo Action 4 are cheaper. And GoPro offers their tempting subscription service with unlimited backup of all your footage – something I’d like to see Insta360 introduce.
Conclusion
Overall I’d say the pros heavily outweigh the cons and this is a camera I’d have no trouble recommending. Particularly for someone who isn’t sure they specifically need an action camera. You could just as easily use this camera as a general purpose, small, take anywhere rugged camera – it’d be perfect for travel.
Don’t forget to take a look at my YouTube video at the top of the page, and subscribe to my YouTube channel where I’m releasing videos every week on the latest technology and how to get the most out of it. If you tap the bell icon when you subscribe you’ll get a notification as soon as I release a video, and there’ll be a link to my site here for the written article. YouTube is also the best place to leave a comment. I read all of them and respond to as many as I can!
Purchase directly from Insta360 (Spring Sale now on):
Insta360 Ace Pro: https://www.insta360.com/sal/ace-pro?utm_term=INRT7JX
(If you use my link above, I get a small commission which helps the channel and you get a free accessory to boot!)
Lens Filter Holder (AliExpress): https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DmYdEeD
Mini hard case Ace Pro (AliExpress): https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DcvjH6d
As an Amazon affiliate, I get a small commission from purchases made via any Amazon links:
Insta360 Ace Pro: https://amzn.to/49jrBD8
Neewer 49mm Macro Close Up Kit (use with AliExpress filter holder above): https://amzn.to/3xrVqnr
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