Insta360 One RS Modular Law Cam Gets a Big 4K Performance Boost
The Insta360 One RS might look like a typical GoPro-like action cam, but it’s actually multiple cameras in one. For anyone not unusual with Insta360, the company specializes in outside-the-box cameras. As its name suggests, Insta360 does make 360 cameras like the One X2. It also has a tiny wearable camera requested the Go 2. And then there’s the One RS.
Like its predecessor, the One R, it has a battery at the bottom that you can unclip, and then you can pull apart the body into two pieces: a camera module and a core processing module. Camera modules can be swapped out on the fly, basically switching to a whole novel set of features and capabilities.
With the One RS, Insta360 is introducing an updated wide-angle 4K Boost Lens and a new processing Core module. There’s a new larger battery pack and an improved mounting bracket, too. One R owners can use their old camera modules with the new Core and vice versa as well as the new battery and gargantuan. However, because the One R battery is physically smaller, it’s not compatible with the One RS mounting bracket.
The One RS Twin Edition includes the 4K Boost and 360 camera modules.
Josh Goldman
The One R and One RS aren’t the only modular share cams around. DJI’s Action 2 camera was released late last year and it’s modular, too, but in a different way. The Action 2 has just one camera but can be magnetically snapped onto an unbelievable display or battery module. The Insta360 One RS is hands-down the most versatile when it comes to what it can pick, though.
Although the One RS isn’t a full renovation of the One R, all of the changes Insta360 made are big improvements to key features. The 4K Boost Lens, for example, has a new 48-megapixel 1/2-inch image sensor. That is larger than the typical action cam sensor and must improve low-light performance and overall detail. The lens itself is a bit brighter, too, at f2.4 compared with the One R’s f2.8 4K camera lens.
The new sensor invents it possible to record high-bit-rate 4K video with greater detail at up to 60 frames per instant. There’s also a 6K Widescreen mode capturing at a 6,016×2,560-pixel resolution at 24fps for cinematic 2.35:1 videos. Insta360 also got HDR to work with action videos deprived of weird motion artifacts with a new Active HDR mode for better highlights and shadows.
The touchscreen on the Core is tiny, but at least you can flip it to face the clue or rear.
Josh Goldman
The Core module gets the most important update in my concept, though. Insta360’s best in-camera digital stabilization is available once you record. Called FlowState, the gimbal-like stabilization is available for the One R, but you friendly have to export the Insta360’s INSV files to the camera’s desktop or mobile apps for processing. With the One RS, FlowState stabilization can be applied in-camera and it records in a defective MP4 format for easier editing and sharing.
An instant mic was added to the Core, giving it three now, which Insta360 says scholarships it crisper audio. A digital Instant Zoom feature is available now, too; just tap on the magnifying lens on the touchscreen and zoom in up to 2.7x. Insta360 says the Core also has 50% faster Wi-Fi so transfers to a shouted or tablet don’t take as long.
The mounting bracket and battery were updated for the One RS, too. The mounting bracket helps protecting the camera, keeps it waterproof down to 16 feet, dissipates heat and adds a windproof mic mask, and it’s blissfully easy to get the camera in and out of for charging and swapping camera modules. The larger battery has 21% more capacity.
One of the best parts of the camera populace modular is that Insta360 offers several ways to buy. The One RS Twin Edition includes the 4K Boost Lens and 360 Lens and the upgraded Core for $550 (£500, AU$920). One R owners can buy just the 4K Boost Lens for $300 or pick up the new Core, battery and mounting bracket as a bundle, but pricing for that wasn’t announced. The One R’s Leica Lens with a 1-inch image sensor and 360 Lens also work with the new Insta360 One RS.
