Seven years. That is how long it has been since my Sony FDR 3000X action camera was released and, despite the LCD watch failing a year ago, it still records decent video footage with still unique optical image stabilisation (OIS).
Quite why Sony never bothered with a follow-up is unclear. Simple unpopularity perhaps. Whatever the reason, numerous considerably more advanced options have appeared since then such as the GoPro Hero 12 and the Insta360 Ace Pro.
Released alongside the cheaper and less fancy Insta360 Ace, the Ace Pro boasts a Leica Summarit lens with a 16mm focal length. Factoring in its DSJ Osmo Action 4-rivalling 1/1.3-inch sensor, that equates to a photographically popular 35mm view at F2.6.
For the sake of comparison, the Insta360 Ace has a 0.5-inch sensor with an F2.4 aperture. A notably small size for the price that makes it seem a bit pointless alongside its sibling and competitors.
Not only that, the Ace Pro has a flip-around 2.4-inch touchscreen with a brightness of 850-nits and a resolution of 240×400 pixels. Enough to see if your shot is lined up correctly and, based on reviews, snappier to use than its GoPro Hero 12 rival. A 5Nm AI chip is to thank for that.
Despite the fact Insta360 is famous for its 3D cameras (hence the name), the Ace and Ace Pro are for standard video and photography. Up to 8K (7,680×4,320) at 24 frames per second or 7,680×3,272 if you want filmic black bars. At least, when the option is released to consumers.
Those who would prefer the more versatile 30 frames per second or beyond, that is possible too at 4K. Either in a 16:9 (3,840×2,160 at 120/100/60/50/48/30/25/24FPS) or 4:3 (4032×3024 at 60/50/48/30/25/24FPS) ratios.
Yes, the Insta360 Ace Pro is capable of 120 or 100FPS slow-motion so you can considerably reduce the playback speed of footage. Suddenly, the 4K30 of the Sony FDR 3000X seems annoyingly outdated.
Weirdly though given its clear aim at capturing vlogging, there appears to be no 9:16 format for portrait social media stuff such as TikTok reels or Instagram stories.
As for photos, it can shoot at a resolution of 48 megapixels (8,064×6,048) so it rivals some far bigger cameras though here you obviously cannot change the lens. Or add a wide-angle as you can with the Hero 12. At least, not yet.
You can even take the Insta360 Ace Pro swimming up to 10 metres (33ft) deep or 60 metres (196ft) with the optional dive case. Or go somewhere as cold as -20° Celsius (-4°F) though I suspect the battery life will suffer greatly.
Then there is the active HDR, Free-Frame Video for applying image stabilisation, horizon lock and adjustable aspect ratio in post-production, and PureVideo, which removes noise in real-time to improve low-light prowess.
You can even use gestures to start recording or take a photo. Clarity Zoom, meanwhile, lets you zoom in 2x without losing any resolution.
As for battery life, its 1,650mAh offering (1,700mAh for the Ace) is said to be good for 90 minutes of video recording at 4K60 or 120 minutes at 1080p. Recharging 80 per cent takes 20 minutes or 46 minutes for 100 per cent.
At this point in my research the Ace Pro became annoyingly high up on my list of things I want to empty my bank account on. Yet upon further investigation, there are some issues that could keep it from greatness.
For starters, the Insta360 Ace Pro is pretty well priced when compared with the GoPro Hero 12. Yet it needs quite a few accessories to really shine, including the headphone adapter for a 3.5mm jack and a cold-shoe mount for sideways mounting, say, an aftermarket microphone.
If you want to shoot photos in portrait mode, useful for certain social media formats, well that means another accessory. Then there is the ND filter and LCD screen protector.
Oh and skiiers may want the optional quick release mount, as the standard system is probably going to be quite fiddly with gloves or in the cold.
For the basic £430 standalone kit, you get one 1650mAh battery, one standard mount, one flexible adhesive mount and one type-C to C cable. Only the creator kit eases beneath £500, with its extra multi-mount and 128GB memory card.
Everything else, whether for a motorcycle, winter, diving or endurance costs more. Just over £600, in fact, if you want the GPS preview remote. Quite the chunk of change, especially compared with its competitors.
If you think you can get away without at least the protective dive case, you might want to rethink. Though review samples have a removable lens in case it breaks, the consumer version does not.
So if that gets damaged, which there is a good chance with an action camera, that will hurt. Hence why paying extra for the two years of accidental coverage from Insta360 may not be the worst idea.
Another issue for those who want all the colours, the Insta360 Ace Pro can only capture in 8-bit. Not 10-bit as seen on the DJI Osmo Action 4. It also lacks a LOG profile though a lesser level of grading can be done via the ‘flat’ colour profile.
Both issues may not be affect many users, but keen colourists and grade-happy users could be put off by the reduced lack of flexibility offered elsewhere.
Then there is the lack of a standard tripod mount, which again is not the end of the world for many people given the accessories in the box. However, it is a luxury I got rather used to with my Sony FDR 3000X.
Without testing the Insta360 Ace Pro, it is impossible to tell you whether that larger sensor and other fancy features make a difference. In theory, they really should.
Yet the true test will be how long it lasts, how robust it is with that flippy screen and lack of a changeable lens, and whether the dive case inhibits screen use. If not, it seems like a no-brainer to me if you can afford it.
Unless you need the 360 degrees of its siblings, then, or trust the seemingly as capable GoPro Hero 12 or DJI Osmo Action 4 more, the Ace Pro and its high-resolution video and photography could be worth a look.
Video formats
FreeFrame
PureVideo
Slow Motion
Photography resolution
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