Insta360 Pro 2 launches with 8K 3D, FlowState stabilization, simplified VR workflow

Insta360 today launched the Insta360 Pro 2, a groundbreaking six-lens professional VR camera. Ready to shoot 8K-per-eye 3D 360 video, the Pro 2 innovates the entire professional VR production workflow – offering effortless FlowState stabilization, long-range live monitoring, simplified post-production in partnership with Adobe, and a new technology that delivers 8K VR to viewers regardless of whether they have high-end playback devices.

Every Detail. From Every Angle.

The Insta360 Pro 2 uses six cameras to capture every angle of a scene at once. The resulting videos or photos are then fused into two 8K 360 images, one per eye, to create immersive, beautifully detailed 3D VR.

Available shooting modes include 8K 3D at 30 FPS, 8K monoscopic at 60 FPS, 6K 3D at 60 FPS, and 4K 3D at 120 FPS, among others. New in-camera HDR keeps lighting natural even when it varies in every direction, and i-Log mode is optimized for maximum flexibility in post-production coloring.

Make Your Move

The Pro 2 features Insta360’s proprietary FlowState stabilization, bringing a high-quality in-camera stabilization system to professional VR for the first time ever. Until now, VR creators have faced a grim choice: Make their audience sick with poorly stabilized footage, or use bulky stabilizing gear that would show up in scene and create a post-production headache.

FlowState solves this, achieving gimbal-level, pro-quality stabilization with no gear necessary. The Pro 2 uses an ultra-precise gyroscope that tracks motion on nine axes, and then – when paired with Insta360’s software innovations – allows creators to stabilize their footage down to a hair, fully automatically.

The dynamic, moving shots that filmmakers rely on to tell good stories are now possible in VR, along with a new language of dynamic 360 shots waiting to be created.

Action at a Distance

VR creators struggle with a fundamental challenge of the medium. How do you direct a shot when you can’t be on-set? The common solution – Wi-Fi monitoring – is notorious for being unreliable, short-range and prone to delay and interference.

The Pro 2 comes paired with all-new Farsight technology, a 360° live monitoring system that offers a high-definition, low-latency video stream that’s optimized for long-distance previewing.

With a transmitter and receiver, creators can effortlessly direct and control their scene from a distance of roughly 300 meters. Transmitting at 5.18Ghz, the Farsight uses smart channel switching to ensure it always cuts through the noise.

“No-Stitch” Editing in Adobe Premiere Pro

The Pro 2 is tailored for convenient stitching and editing using Insta360’s integrated Adobe Premiere Pro workflow. Every time the Pro 2 captures a video, it automatically saves a low-res proxy version in addition to the full-quality footage.

All a creator needs to do when they finish a shoot is directly import their footage into Adobe Premiere Pro.  The proxy files will be automatically recognized and stitched instantly to let creators preview their final project.

This proxy version can be used to edit the project as usual. Then, when users are ready to export, Insta360’s algorithm will take over and stitch together exactly the footage they used in the final project, at full quality. There’s no wasted time, processing power, or effort. Creators stitch only what they use.

Ready for Anything

The Pro 2 weighs in at a handy 3.42 pounds (including a battery and antennae), making it easy to carry on remote shoots or send up on a drone, and its hot-swap battery dock ensures that it stays powered-up out in the field.

It sports four built-in mics for 360 audio, plus a pair of USB and 3.5 mm audio inputs on its top and bottom – allowing creators to add a custom audio setup or other add-ons as their shoots demand.

Six MicroSD card slots, one per each camera, allow the Pro 2 to record at the maximum possible bitrate, ensuring optimal image quality and post-production flexibility. A seventh Full SD card captures stabilization data and low-res proxy files optimized for editing in Adobe Premiere Pro.

Clear as Crystal

There’s a drawback to creating a beautiful, high-res VR project: You have to figure out how to deliver it to an audience — most of whom are going to be using either a smartphone or a popular headset like the Oculus Go or Samsung Gear VR, both of which max out at 4K.

Using Insta360’s proprietary CrystalView technology, Pro 2 content can be quickly converted into a format that’s ready to play back – at full 8K quality – on any mainstream smartphone or headset. Insta360’s free playback apps (such as Insta360 Moment) will dynamically render these files, displaying in full quality the exact segment of a scene that a user is looking at.

Live In the Moment. But Capture It.

The Insta360 supports 360 live-streaming at 4K resolution — in both 3D and monoscopic formats. The best part: Creators can save full-quality 8K footage at the same time that they broadcast in 4K, giving them the flexibility to turn their live recording into a polished edit later on.

Perfect Sense of Direction

The Insta360 Pro 2 sports a built-in GPS module, enhanced with a top-mounted antenna to improve signal strength. Creators can automatically append GPS data to their captures, allowing for easy contributions to Google Maps Street View and other precision-mapping projects.

Tools for Any Job

Insta360 Pro 2 customers will also have access to some of the premiere post-production tools in the VR industry. Included in the purchase of the Pro 2 is a 3-month license to Mistika VR Professional Edition ($236 USD value), offering customizable stitching controls, integrated with Insta360’s official stitching libraries. Also included is a 3-month subscription to Blend Media’s 360 Stories Pro software ($745 USD value), offering intuitive creation and publication of virtual tours and other interactive 360 experiences.

Preorder Open

Preorders for the Insta360 Pro 2 are open now via Insta360 Store, B&H Photo Video and select retailers worldwide. It’s priced at $4999.95 USD, and includes the Farsight transmitter system, plus one battery.

Specifications
Weight 3.42 pounds (1.55 kg) (with battery antennas)
Dimensions φ5.63 inches (φ143 mm)
Material Aluminum alloy
Lenses 200° 6 x F2.4 fisheye lenses
Photo Real-time Stitching:

7680*7680 (3D)

7680*3840 (2D)

 

Post-Processing Stitching:

7680*7680 (3D)

7680*3840 (2D)

12000*12000 12K Super High-Res (Multi-Photo Composite) (2D/3D)

Video Real-time Stitching:

3840*3840@30fps (3D)

3840*1920@30fps (2D)

 

Post-processing Stitching:

7680*3840@30fps HDR (8K 2D)

7680*7680@30fps (8K 3D)

7680*3840@60fps (8K 2D)

6400*6400@60fps (6K 2D/3D)

3840*3840@120fps (4K 2D/3D Binning)

Photo Format JPEG / DNG
Video Format mp4
Video Color Space YUVJ420P, with a wider color range
Video Coding H264 in-camera, H265 available when post stitching
Live-streaming Protocol rtsp, rtmp, hls
Storage 6 MicroSD Card + 1 SD Card
Proxy File Six low-res proxy files (one per lens) automatically saved in video mode; tailored for smooth editing in Adobe Premiere Pro
ISO Range 100-6400
Bitrate per lens Up to 120Mbps
Exposure Mode Auto

Manual

Lens-by-lens auto

Shutter Priority (photo only)

ISO priority (photo only)

ISO limit can be set in video shooting mode

White Balance Auto, Manual
Photo Modes Single shot

Burst (10 continuous shots)

AEB (Auto Exposure Bracket, optional 3, 5, 7, and 9 photos for in-camera HDR photos)

Time-lapse

 

Note: Raw and JPG are both available in all modes

Video Modes Standard

High FPS (Binning)

 

Note: i-Log is available for all shooting modes; HDR is available for some resolutions in Standard mode

Live-streaming Modes Built-in server

Custom server

HDMI output

 

3840*1920@30fps (4K2D, 8K 2D can be saved at the same time)

3840*3840@30fps (4K3D, 6K 3D@30fps can be saved at the same time)

 

Note: Simultaneous live-streaming + recording is supported.

Power Supply 12V 5A
Battery 5100mAh
Working Temperature 0-40℃
Storage Temperature -20~40℃
WiFi Specifications 802.11 b/g/n, 2.4GHz. Signal range is about 20 meters in open space. Max preview frame rate of 30 FPS, supported in roughly 5-meter range.
Antennae GPS signal antenna + WiFi signal antenna
GPS Built-in module
Ethernet Port Yes
Video Transmission Insta360 Farsight provides ground-to-ground range of up to 300 meters, with 30 FPS preview.
Audio 4x Mono Mic
Audio Coding Format AAC
Spatial Audio Ambisonic
GyroScope 9-axis gyro
Image Stabilization FlowState stabilization
Stitching Optical Flow / Template
Exposure Range 12 stops
Control software Windows / Mac / iOS / Android

About Insta360

Established in 2014, Insta360 creates the world’s most advanced and accessible 360-degree cameras. Lightweight and portable, Insta360’s products can be used for tourism, real estate, journalism, events and conferences, and by intrepid storytellers everywhere. Insta360 empowers users to create virtual-reality (VR) content and broadcast immersive experiences to the world with 360 live-streaming.