It might be better known for its impressive 360-degree cameras, but Insta360 has now decided to whip out the Shrink Ray and have a crack at wearable cams with the tiny new Insta360 Go.
Weighing just 18.3g, the waterproof Insta360 Go is designed to be worn or mounted pretty much anywhere you like, thanks to a range of accessories that include clips, pendants and pivot stands.
Naturally, its video quality isn’t quite up to the standard of Insta360’s other cameras – there’s no 5.7K, 360-degree shots here or standard 4K here. Instead, it shoots 2720×2720 or 1600×900 video for up to 30 seconds at a time at 25fps (0r 100fps in slo-mo mode), plus 4.9-megapixel photos.
That means it’s very much designed for the likes of Instagram and Twitter rather than the big screen, particularly with its main shooting tricks being Hyperlapses and Timelapses. Rather than recording away continuously in the background, the idea is that you press the Go’s button once to start recording clips of up to 30 seconds, then again to stop.
A lot of companies have had a crack at the wearable camera, going all the way back to the Autographer in 2013, but Insta360 reckons this one has a special sauce in the form of its FlowState electronic stabilisation.
The trouble with wearable cameras in the past has been the amount of unusable, juddery footage you’d get from simply walking around and turning too quickly.
But we’ve seen FlowState on previous cameras like the Insta360 Evo, and it works brilliantly. If it reaches a similar standard on the Insta360 Go, it could well be the first tiny, wearable camera we’d actually want to use.
There are a couple of other promising features too. Like GoPro’s QuikStories feature, FlashCut auto editing will apparently combine your best shots from the day in a hopefully-not-too-cheesy edit. More advanced editing like transitions and playback speeds will apparently also be possible in the Insta360 Go app too.
And to avoid a mayfly-like battery life, the camera comes with an Airpods-style case to help keep its battery topped up. Insta360 hasn’t provided a precise battery life, but says it’ll last for around 200 clips a day – which is around 90 minutes or so in total.
You can buy the Insta360 Go now for $199.99 (there’s no official UK price yet) and we’re in the process of reviewing it right now, so look out for our verdict here very soon.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.