You'd think that you should get a GoPro, because that's what everyone you know will call this, but the One R is a versatile bit of camera kit that'll do what you want, and a few things you weren't expecting - but you'll get the best results from buying all of the optional extras and that gets a little pricy. |You'd think that you should get a GoPro, because that's what everyone you know will call this, but the One R is a versatile bit of camera kit that'll do what you want, and a few things you weren't expecting - but you'll get the best results from buying all of the optional extras and that gets a little pricy. |You'd think that you should get a GoPro, because that's what everyone you know will call this, but the One R is a versatile bit of camera kit that'll do what you want, and a few things you weren't expecting - but you'll get the best results from buying all of the optional extras and that gets a little pricy.
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Every action camera, whether it’s made by the company or not, tends to be referred to as a GoPro by people who don’t know any better. But if Insta360’s star had risen a little sooner, we might have started referring to them as Ones. Maybe? If the Insta360 One R is any indication of the company’s quality (and it is), the Chinese outfit is a strong contender for dislodging the market leader from its perch.
The One R is a versatile piece of camera hardware that serves up excellent software, fantastic image stabilisation and up to three modules (you’ll pay more for the privilege of owning them) that really level up the idea of versatility of these cameras feature. But, just like how every tablet is an iPad, your folks will probably still end up calling it a GoPro.
A modular device that works
There’s a very specific design for the Insta360 One R — the camera is divided into three sections — a core (which has the touch display, memory card slot and USB-C charge port), a camera module (this is where your three options come in) and then the battery base. These all connect to each other and make up the One R.
No matter which of the available modes you own, the One R is a lightweight little pocket-wonder that’ll all but disappear when you’re lugging it around. There’s a cage and mount adapter included in the box, so you can use GoPro mounts and harnesses, should you already have some gear lying around. If you’re feeling froggy, you can also purchase an additional adaptor that will let you connect the camera to a DJI Mavic 2 or Mavic Pro drone.
It’s a sturdy little creature, waterproof up to five metres and resistant to impact. Two of its camera modules include built-in lens covers while the third is supplied with a lens cover. There’s also a transparent cover that does the same, but it messes with image quality a little too much for our liking.
Jack of all trades
The Insta360 One R’s got a massive list of features, so much so that you’ll wonder where to start. The company leverages a lot of AI, basically asking you to follow certain parameters so that it can make you look as good as possible. The software tries to take as much out of your hands as you’d like it to. Either you follow the instructions or you know what you’re doing. Either way, footage looks good.
But there’s also voice control, 5G WiFi (which works to link the camera to your phone and the app), a microSD slot (that supports up to 256GB cards) and USB-C for charging and image transfer (if you’re a fan of the wires). The included battery lasts about an hour at max resolution before conking out — but you can always just clip on a spare battery and just keep on filming.
The three musketeers
And you’ll want to keep filming. There are three camera modules — either a 4K wide-angle which makes up the very base model, a dual-lens 360° camera (known as the Twin Edition) and there’s also a Leica-made 1in wide-angle sensor that’ll give you some impressive video in low-light settings. All of them are locally available but not as a bundle. Buy the 4K standard model and you’ll spend an extra R12,100 buying the 360 and 1in Leica lens mods.
There are a range of resolutions and frame rates available, depending on which mod you’re using. You can go up to 5.7K for the 360-cam (which is normal for video shot in all directions and isn’t as high-res as it sounds.) You can get the 360-cam to 100fps, but will need to drop resolution to attain that target.
The 4K camera looks sharper overall, because it’s not trying to look everywhere at once. Its frame-rate maxes out at 200fps, but you’ll also need a lower resolution to hit that upper limit. Image stabilisation is excellent and auto-stitching for the 360° module is also competent — provided your target isn’t too close to the lens, after which it gets wonky. If you’re using a stick to wave your camera about, it’ll remove the prop and give you video with little effort on your part. Just show it what you want to film, really.
What a looker
Image quality is decent — it doesn’t quite jump the fence to being mind-blowing — which is what we’d expect from an action-cam (before we run the footage through post-processing.) There are HDR and Night modes to play with, if you’re looking for new ways to use your modular hardware, which add in their own processing during filming to improve your results in those conditions.
Each of Insta360’s modules has their place, with the 1in Leica module (obviously) providing the best image quality. But for standard action footage the 4K module is plenty and you’ll be well-impressed with the capability of the 360° module as well (even if image quality takes a bit of a dip. You’ll find that images can be edited the way you like, with RAW stills and flat video logs being a feature.
Insta360 One R Verdict
The Insta360 One R starts, here in South Africa, at around R7,600 for the base model of the camera, but with pricier versions to explore and several mods and extras to add to your shopping cart, owning one could get mighty expensive. As such, it’ll keep you busy for absolutely ages.
It’s hugely versatile, extremely easy to use and the parent company is constantly working on improvements to its app and device firmware. You’re buying into an evolving product lineup, which could be a good thing. It could also be terrible but we’ve seen no evidence of that here. A One R will get you recording action footage for less than the price of a top-end GoPro and choosing to expand your investment will just improve what you’re able to capture. Is it a GoPro? Nah. But it’s mighty close to one, and it’s an essential if you’re after 360° footage.
