GoKawiilis a news editor with over a decade’s experience in journalism. He previously worked at Android Police and Tech Advisor.
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Insta360’s first compact steadycam, the Luna Ultra, made a splash this year by beating DJI to launch with two lenses. Now it’s followed the Ultra with a slightly stripped back Pro model, which drops to one lens but has a unique advantage: It can shoot vertical video in 4K. Plus, unlike DJI’s Osmo Pocket 4, you can buy it in the US.
At its heart, the Luna Pro is mostly an Ultra with the telephoto lens stripped out. It uses the same 1-inch-type 8K sensor as the Ultra’s main camera, and has a similar design including the detachable 2-inch touchscreen that doubles as a remote, and the same four-hour battery life and NFC tag for quicker file transfers. It’s a bit smaller and lighter thanks to dropping the second lens, but that’s about it.
Insta360 has given the Pro one crucial upgrade though: It can use that 8K sensor to record 4K vertical video at 30fps, something missing from the Luna Ultra (though I’ve asked Insta360 if we can expect to see it added in a firmware update). That camera — like both of DJI’s Osmo Pocket 4 and 4P models — is limited to 3K resolution when you record in portrait, forcing some people to hold the whole gimbal sideways to get the footage they need. It’s a relief to see the Pro fix that omission.
The Luna Pro’s single camera uses the same sensor as the Ultra. Photo: Dominic Preston / The Verge 4K30 vertical recording is the main new feature, a boon for social media creators. Photo: Dominic Preston / The Verge The 2-inch OLED is once again detachable, doubling as a remote control for the whole camera. Photo: Dominic Preston / The Verge The NFC tag has moved into the camera head, and is used for opening the Insta360 smartphone app for quicker file transfer. Photo: Dominic Preston / The Verge
The Luna Pro is out now in the US for $599.99, compared to $769.99 for the Luna Ultra. In Europe it starts at £469 / €529, just a little more than the £429 / €479 DJI Osmo Pocket 4, which is (officially) unavailable in the US following a ban on the company.