Insta360 has launched a cheaper Leica pocket camera. The Luna Pro, released globally on 10 September, is a single-lens pocket gimbal camera that records 8K video, and at USD599.99 it is the most affordable model in the Luna range. For creators in Malaysia the question it raises is how it compares with DJI's Osmo Pocket cameras.
The Luna Pro pairs a one-inch sensor with a Leica-branded 20mm-equivalent f/1.8 lens in a body of around 215 grams (218 grams for the Stellar White finish), according to Insta360's launch release and early reviews. It shoots 8K at 30 frames per second in Dolby Vision, 4K slow motion at 120fps, and 10-bit I-Log for grading, with a detachable two-inch OLED touchscreen and built-in timecode. That is a professional feature set in something that fits a jacket pocket.
There is a catch, and it is the price of the model above it. The Luna Pro costs USD599.99. The dual-lens Luna Ultra, which Insta360 released in June, costs around USD170 more, and TechRadar's reviewer concluded they would stretch to the Ultra, with its second Leica telephoto lens and longer zoom, rather than save on the Pro. A cheaper model that makes its dearer sibling look like the better value is an unusual way to launch one.
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What it means for Malaysia
Insta360 runs a Malaysian store alongside its Shopee and Lazada channels, but it has not published a ringgit price for the Luna Pro, so the figures here are US launch numbers. That is worth stating plainly, because DJI's rival has been sold in Malaysia for two years and is quoted in ringgit.
DJI's Osmo Pocket 3, released in late 2023, records up to 4K, so the Luna Pro leads it on resolution, 8K against 4K, and adds a Leica lens. Both shoot 10-bit log. DJI has since released the Osmo Pocket 4, which we have not tested here, so we hold the comparison to the Pocket 3. DJI's real edge, though, is time. Two years of a head start usually buys an accessory range and an editing workflow people already know, and that, more than a spec sheet, is the harder thing to beat.
| Camera | Sensor and lens | Maximum video | Screen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Insta360 Luna Pro | One-inch, single Leica f/1.8 | 8K30 Dolby Vision, 10-bit I-Log | Detachable two-inch OLED |
| Insta360 Luna Ultra | One-inch main plus 1/1.3-inch Leica telephoto | 8K30 Dolby Vision, 10-bit I-Log | Detachable OLED |
| DJI Osmo Pocket 3 | One-inch, single | 4K, up to 120fps, 10-bit D-Log M | Two-inch rotatable |
The two brands are not competing only on specs. DJI and Insta360 are locked in a patent dispute in the United States, where DJI sued and Insta360 countersued over the Luna Ultra. DJI also did not launch its latest Osmo Pocket 4P and Osmo 360 II cameras in the United States, which is part of why the camera aisle there looks nothing like Malaysia's: we set out how creators here can buy DJI and Insta360 gear that Americans cannot. Phones are pushing into the same territory. Apple's new iPhone 18 Pro added a variable aperture and manual camera controls aimed at the very buyer these pocket cameras chase.
Gear is only ever half of it. We recreated a full music video on a phone, on no budget, and it pulled 18,018 views, more than anything we had posted before. The workflow behind that, exposing log on purpose, grading it and getting clean audio, is what our Pocket Cinematic course teaches, and it holds whether you shoot on a Luna Pro or the phone already in your pocket.
Insta360 lists the Luna Pro from 10 September at USD599.99, and had not published a Malaysian ringgit price for it when this went out.
Images courtesy of Anthony Adu and Sergei Bezzubov on Unsplash.
