Insta360 One RS 1-inch 360 version

As the first major upgrade to Insta360’s One RS Action Camera, the new 1-inch 360 lens marks a huge breakthrough in 360 filmmaking.

Earlier this year, we finally saw the long-awaited follow-up for the Insta360 One R, with a further backwards compatible Insta360 One RS. While that camera has brought linear 4K filming experience and many upgrades to the original processor speed, the 360-lens remains unchanged from the one previously available on the One R.

At the time it seemed strange that the 360 ​​lens was the only component of the One RS that didn’t get an update but it’s now clear that it was because the 1-inch variant was waiting on the wings. So what exactly do you get with this new lens?

Well, as you can imagine, having a large one-inch sensor can cause a serious bump in resolution, the module is capable of capturing 360 footage up to 6K, which marks a huge improvement over the 5.3K cap on a standard 360 lens. In fact, the Insta360 One RS is now on par with the 6K resolution offered by the GoPro Hero Max which has been the top dog in this market for quite some time.

With that resolution bump it is now possible to shoot 360 steels from 18.4MP to 21MP. All of these technologies are co-engineered with Leica, which has already worked with Insta360 for a 1-inch wide angle lens that increases linear imaging in the One R / RS to 5.3K.

In the short time that we’ve had to play with 360 1-inch lenses, I can say that those who are passionate about 360 filmmaking will really get a kick out of what they are capable of with this thing. The footage I’ve captured is lively and poignant, and the amount of detail the camera is able to capture at a distance is really impressive.

While more time is needed to give a full verdict on the new lens, it seems clear that for the existing owners of the Insta360 One RS, the upgrade will seem like a very tempting purchase, it only remains to be seen whether it will come together. With RS’s modular features, GoPro will be enough to keep people away from Hero Max.

One thing to note is that the One RS prides itself on the One R’s components for backwards compatibility, going up to a 1-inch 360 lens is not so seamless. Since the 1-inch lens is held vertically, it requires a vertical battery that is different from the horizontal battery pack included with the One RS.

This is not a huge problem in itself, but the first generation vertical batteries that were built for the One R do not work with this new technology. Insta360 mentions that the updated battery has more capacity and therefore should last longer, but it is important to consider if you are planning to use any existing vertical battery packs that you may have read.