Big cameras may well be what you turn to when it comes time to make a movie, or even your humble smartphone, but these days there are smaller models that can do life justice. Action cameras like the GoPro range have long been one of the dependable options to consider, but lately, there’s more happening, and some of them are getting mighty interesting.
Webcam maker with a few clever accessories, Insta360 has been working in this category to build something different, and a new compact camera certainly feels like it. It’s definitely a lot more portable than what we saw from the company last.
Weighing only 39 grams, the Go 3S is a compact camera that works without a screen and capture 4K video, as well as 12 megapixel images. The camera itself is magnetic and can be mounted to a little pendant easily, or even tied to a strap, but the more interesting side is just how retro Insta360 has gone with its aptly-named Retro Bundle.
While the camera comes with a cute little retro rainbow stripe paint job, it also sits housed in a little magnetic holder complete with an waist-level optical viewfinder, allowing you to use the Go 3S almost like it was an old school compact camera. It’s a distinct shift away from the screen, and isn’t at all like Insta360’s selfie screen which is just a screen.
Rather, like old cameras with a viewfinder, the view you’ll see doesn’t truly represent what the lens sees — it’s off to the right. But it does get close, and looks like a modern interpretation of a compact classic. It’ll even support film styles inside the app, which you’ll need to set the camera app.
Priced from $469.99, the Insta360 Go 3S Retro Bundle is clearly a little different than a standard GoPro or other action camera, focused more on life than sporty activities, but it’s definitely something different and outside the conventional camera box.
On the other side, Insta360’s new microphone might just be a contender for the surprise gadget of the year, bringing an e-ink screen to a mic, a feature we never really knew we needed… and yet want.
The concept is a little crazy, but also a splash of genius, and answers a question no one has ever asked: can you make your microphone look like it belongs on your set?
With fairness to Rode, it has attempted an answer with colours for its Rode Wireless Go Gen 3, though Insta360 goes even further.
The Mic Pro will come with a customisable electronic ink screen to show branding, art, the name of someone, and do it without wasting power, something a regular LCD screen or OLED panel would likely end up doing.
It’s a clever addition that basically adds an in-real-life watermark beyond simply showing the name of the microphone company, while the inside uses three microphones and can be configured from the Insta360 app. That includes cardioid for front sound and voiceover where the mic is on the camera, figure-eight for front and rear capture, and omnidirectional with all three firing.
The hardware also include a neural processor, with AI used to cut back on background noise and wind, automatic gain control with clipping prevention to stop audio from going crazy, while the system uses both a 32-bit recording and 32GB storage to provide a safety net in case anything goes wrong.
Officially, the Mic Pro will pair directly with Insta360 cameras sans-receiver, but it can also play nicely with cameras, using either a 3.5mm cable or a USB-C adaptor. For phones, that means plugging right into the bottom, while cameras have the obvious tether. Sony cameras also have an optional adapter for 24-bit sound across four tracks of recording.
Australians can expect the Insta360 Mic Pro in stores shortly, priced from $529.99 with two mics and one transmitter, though other variations will likely pop up online, as well.
