Insta360 Luna Ultra Black

The Insta360 Luna Ultra is a small camera for professional content creation. I film sharp footage in 8K, and thanks to the telephoto lens, I can easily capture subjects in the distance. I view my footage on the detachable screen. If I detach this screen, I operate the Luna Ultra from a distance. However, I do notice that the camera heats up quickly on a summer shooting day.

Content creation I find the Insta360 Luna Ultra to be a nice camera for videos for my social media channels. I am testing the Creator Bundle, which includes handy accessories such as a microphone, battery handle, and wide-angle lens. The microphone records clear sound, and thanks to the battery handle, I can film for longer. I use the Luna Ultra for horizontal YouTube videos as well as vertical videos. I post these as Instagram Reels or on TikTok. I switch recording modes by rotating the screen. The camera responds quickly, allowing me to quickly continue filming in the desired mode. Additionally, the screen is detachable, so I can see from a distance whether I am properly in frame. Below the screen are buttons to adjust the gimbal, zoom in, or quickly start or stop recording. This small remote even features a small built-in microphone, which I use to record sound for my video. Thanks to the built-in gimbal, I film stable footage. This is useful because I mainly film videos where I am on the move. For instance, I film myself during a city walk.

High image quality The camera films in up to 8K, making my videos look sharp and clear. The same applies to 4K resolution. I effortlessly crop them during post-production without any loss of quality. The smallest details come out clearly, such as insects in the air or small flowers in a botanical garden. With the 120mm telephoto lens, I can easily zoom in on the branches of a tree. Even when zoomed in to the maximum, the image remains surprisingly sharp, and I can clearly see the leaves of a tree in my video. The colors in my videos look vibrant and bright. Additionally, the camera has various color filters to choose from, such as a filter with warm or cool colors. This allows me to give my footage a different look in an instant. For extra editing capabilities, I film in the 10-bit I-Log file profile. This allows me to edit the colors even more accurately afterwards. The videos I film in this file profile look flatter, which is why I prefer to use it only for larger projects, such as atmospheric shots in a short film. Therefore, for social media content, I mainly film in the standard file profile.

Various shooting modes The Luna Ultra has various shooting modes, such as timelapse, slow motion, and tracking mode. This makes the camera versatile. The tracking mode is my favorite feature. In this mode, the gimbal rotates with me, which is handy for vlogs. The camera automatically keeps my face in the center of the frame, ensuring I am clearly visible in my videos. I also test the camera while skateboarding. I place it on a sturdy surface, detach the screen, and check from a distance whether I am properly in frame. The Luna Ultra keeps me accurately in view, even when I take a sharp turn.

makes you want to film

I am still in the testing phase, but I notice that the 6x zoom (what they call lossless) is a lot less sharp. The 12x zoom is unusable for me.

The shots are certainly stable and look nice and crisp and sharp. But mainly in 1x and 3x zoom.

I grab it much faster than, for example, my Full-Frame with a tripod. So I also take many more shots.

If you are zoomed in in video mode and you switch to photo mode, you have to zoom in again, which means you might miss that specific shot.

Notifications also often appear on the screen. For example, that you have switched from video to photo. This distracts you from your screen and the frame you want to frame every time. I hope this can be turned off in a software update. Because I know perfectly well myself that I have switched.

I uploaded a few test shots to the stock sites where I sell footage, and they approved them. So that is the ultimate quality check for me. (I didn't upload the 6x and 12x zoom shots because I know for sure they would be rejected.)

I would also like to make a comparison with the DJI Osmo Pocket 4 Pro.

OH YES!! The detachable screen is great for when you film yourself.