Insta360 and Leica Team Up for the Luna Ultra, an 8K Handheld Gimbal Camera Now Available in the US

Insta360 has brought its first dedicated handheld gimbal camera to market with the Luna Ultra. The device packs dual Leica lenses, an 8K main sensor, three-axis mechanical stabilization, and a detachable wireless screen into a body that slips easily into a jacket pocket or small bag. US customers can buy it starting today. Pricing begins at $769.99 through the Insta360 online store, Amazon, Best Buy, B&H Photo, and other retailers.

Creatives who like to work alone or value freedom will significantly benefit from the 2-inch OLED touchscreen that clips straight to the main device. It serves as both a preview monitor and a remote control, projecting a brilliant HD image to a display up to 65 feet away. This enables you to manage the camera from a tripod, a low angle, or across the room while viewing exactly what the lenses see. Insta360 has managed to keep the entire device exceedingly compact and lightweight, at just over 200 grams. The grip has a few physical buttons and a tiny joystick that handle the basics like starting and stopping recording, triggering tracking, and adjusting the zoom without having to navigate menus, as well as a built-in wind guard to protect the internal microphone from being knocked by gusts during outdoor shoots.

The front of the camera contains two different imaging streams. The main lens shoots 8K video at 30 frames per second with a 1-inch sensor and a Leica Summicron optic. A second telephoto lens, this time with a 1/1.3-inch sensor and an f/2.0 aperture, gives you a little more reach, with 6x lossless zoom and up to 12x total zoom for tighter shots of distant things or more detail without having to get much closer. If you want a still photo, you can choose between 37-megapixel UltraPhotos for everyday photos and 200-megapixel Scenic Panoramas for enormous, high-resolution landscapes and group shots that demand a little more detail. Both ways benefit from Leica’s color science, which is used when taking the photograph.

When it comes to video, it supports Dolby Vision high dynamic range, 10-bit I-Log capture for expanded post-production options, and up to 14 stops of dynamic range to adjust highlights and shadows. Slow-motion resolution can be up to 4K at 120 frames per second or 1080p at 240 frames per second. There’s even a PureVideo option that can help you improve your low-light performance and take clean footage up to 4K at 60 frames per second. The built-in three-axis gimbal and electronic image stabilisation work together to keep your footage stable even whether you’re walking, running, or driving while recording.

There’s more to Leica’s involvement here than just the glass; you can choose between Leica Natural, Leica Vivid, and Leica Chrome styles, as well as some additional cinematic filters, right in the camera. You will now receive support for ACES color workflows, making it easier to integrate into bigger professional projects. To increase audio quality, the built-in mic comes with a wind guard, and if you need clearer voice or want to record from several sources, you can attach Insta360’s wireless Mic Pro or Mic Air devices.

The camera is powered by a 1550mAh battery that should last up to four hours, however this will vary widely depending on what you’re using it for and the resolution you’ve set. A 23-minute fast charge should restore 80% of the battery, which is great for a quick boost. The onboard storage is a decent 47GB of actual space, and you can always add a microSD card for up to 1TB more capacity. Oh, and there are lots of accessories that enhance the device’s capabilities, such as magnetic wide-angle adapters that enable 108-degree vision. Then there are ND filters for achieving the desired motion blur in your photos, as well as the black mist filter, which adds a very subtle diffusion to your movie. If you prefer POV recordings, an optional head tracker allows you to control the camera simply by moving your head, which is ideal for sports or generating very dynamic vlog-style videos.

The Insta360 software makes quick work of editing, leveraging sophisticated AI to locate the most interesting bits and connect them into neat little movies to share with others. Simply scanning a QR code will transfer all of your color settings to your phone or other device. Then there’s the built-in timecode, which makes it easy to sync several cameras in applications like Final Cut Pro or Premiere Pro.
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