Insta360 - One RS - Rental

ADD TO CART

---

Design

The 1-inch 360 Edition comes pre-assembled with the battery and One RS core contained within a bracket, on top of which the 1-inch 360 camera itself is clipped. Ergonomically, it’s comfortable and convenient to hold, and the controls will instantly be familiar to anyone using the One RS system. Even if not, it’s very straightforward, with simple touchscreen controls alongside a power and record button.

A sealed power port is located near the bottom of the camera, and there’s a screw mount on the base where you can mount it to a tripod or a selfie stick. The 1-inch 360 is compatible with Insta360’s invisible selfie stick, which works as advertised and is very high quality. The power port is USB-C and can also be used to transfer data or plug in an external microphone. If the microphone is small enough, it will even be invisible to the camera.

While the 1-inch 360 edition is larger than Insta360s other cameras, the form factor is actually really nice. I didn’t find it to be too big or heavy. 

Image quality

A good example of where these improvements are significant is in a deep, dark forest on a sunny day. You’re filming in a dim environment, but the tree tops and sky overhead are very bright, and there are a lot of intricate, fine details in the scenery around you. The 1-inch 360 handles these challenging conditions well and produces good-looking video.

Another example of where the 1-inch sensor shines is at night, recording star lapses. In all honesty, this might be the best camera available for easily capturing the night sky. It delivers truly spectacular results that can be tweaked and customized in post-processing. Astrophotography is a tricky business since it takes so long to capture even a short time-lapse. However, with the 1-inch 360, you can create half a dozen different shots from the same clip and have each appear unique by applying different effects and choosing various angles and zooms.

Durability and waterproofing

If there’s one thing I don’t like about the 1-inch 360 camera, it’s that it’s not fully waterproof unless you also put it in an optional diving case. This is a very minor gripe, as the camera is water-resistant and can easily withstand damp conditions so long as you don’t try dunking it in the ocean.

It’s also quite rugged, something I accidentally put to the test in the early morning hours while recording a star lapse. A bird decided to use it as perch and ended up tipping the tripod over onto the sand and pebbles. It came through in perfect working order aside from a few minor scratches on the lens. These scratches didn’t affect image quality in any noticeable way. However, it is worth noting that those great big lenses are more likely to incur accidental scratches in scenarios such as this due to their sheer size.

Software and connectivity

I’ve long been a fan of Insta360’s comprehensive and intuitive approach to enabling you to connect your camera to just about any device and edit footage. The Android and iOS apps are excellent, as are Insta360’s desktop application and Adobe Premiere Pro plugin. I used all these platforms while testing the 1-inch 360 and have no complaints about the experience. The Bluetooth and Wi-Fi system in the 1-inch 360 makes it effortless to connect to your phone or tablet.

Performance

Insta360 rates the battery life of the 1-inch 360 camera at 62 minutes of 6K 30 fps recording time. I found this to be roughly accurate, and while I wouldn’t say the battery life is particularly impressive, it is quite adequate. Star lapses use up the battery after approximately three hours, so if you plan on filming more than one star lapse per night, you’ll want to carry several spare batteries.

Great low light performance

6K high resolution sensor
Part of the One RS modular camera system
Rugged and water resistant
Reasonably lightweight and portable

Not fully waterproof without a dive case