Insta360’s modular One R can transform into a GoPro competitor or a 360 camera

One of the camera modules co-engineered with Leica has a 1-inch sensor for better low-light photos

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So long as you have the core and the battery base, you can swap in any of the three mods. (Picture: Insta360)

Published: 10:00pm, 7 Jan 2020Updated: 10:04pm, 16 Feb 2020

This article originally appeared on ABACUS

If you’re still on the fence about getting a 360-degree camera because you find possible uses limited, Insta360 might have a solution for you. The Shenzhen-based company’s new Insta360 One R has interchangeable lenses, allowing it to function as both a traditional action camera and a 360-degree camera.

The latest Insta360 camera achieves this by using swappable camera modules that connect to the core of the device and a battery base. If you want it to take 360-degree photos or videos, you mount the dual-lens 360 mod that has lenses on the front and the back. As you film, the device stitches together the images from the two lenses for a full 360-degree image.

But if you don’t want to be bothered with 360-degree footage, you can switch out that mod with the 4K wide-angle mod. This allows the camera to take crisp wide-angle photos and videos in 4K resolution. And if you don’t trust the lenses Insta360 engineered on its own, you can connect the more premium 1-inch wide-angle mod that was co-engineered with Leica.

The One R was launched at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and it’s now available to order online and at select retailers like Best Buy. At US$479.99, the Insta360 One R Twin Edition – which includes the dual-lens and the 4K wide-angle mods – undercuts the GoPro Max by US$20. But the Insta360 One R 1-Inch Edition that includes the lens from Leica will set you back US$549.99. (We have a full review coming soon, so stay tuned!)

As Insta360’s name suggests, the five-year-old startup made a name for itself by producing 360-degree cameras. The company’s first camera without 360-degree video was the Insta360 Go, which the company called the smallest stabilised camera. The flagship Insta360 One and the subsequent One X have been praised by YouTubers like iJustine and Peter McKinnon for giving 360-degree videos mass appeal thanks to their ease of use and impressive image stabilisation.

But the challenge for Insta360 is that many people still consider 360-degree cameras to be a gimmick. Without many use cases, many users prefer hardcore action cameras like the GoPro Hero series or DJI’s Osmo Action.