Best gimbal cameras 2026: DJI vs Insta360

2026 has been the defining year for gimbal cameras. DJI’s Pocket 4 and 4P go head to head with Insta360’s Luna Pro and Ultra.

With the holiday season fast approaching, many people's thoughts are turning to new cameras and, this year, more people than most are thinking specifically about a gimbal camera.

2023's DJI Osmo Pocket 3 was the breakthrough camera in this field, but this year has seen a fierce battle waged between DJI itself, the incumbent that pioneered the gimbal camera by adding its drone stabilization technology to what is effectively an action camera on a stick, and newcomer in this arena Insta360.

Both have launched new single-lens models this year, and both have also launched dual-lens models, giving consumers in most countries around the world a choice between four top-class cameras. We say most countries, because regrettably new DJI products are still on the FCC Covered List and not officially available in the US. There are enough grey imports into the country, however, that it is worth talking about them still for our US readers. Prices have been given in US dollars from DJI's Canadian online store.

The launches were a long game of cat and mouse as both DJI and Insta360 alternated between playing tag and chicken with each other. The fact that the companies were targeting film festivals as part of their launch campaigns, though, shows how serious they are both about the market and about their cameras' capabilities.

Full comparison table below.

Single lens: Osmo Pocket 4 vs Luna Pro

The Osmo Pocket 4 is DJI's evolution of the Pocket 3, and the Luna Pro is Insta360's single-lens answer, co-engineered with Leica. The biggest gap is resolution: the Luna Pro records 8K30, while the Pocket 4 tops out at 4K. The Pocket 4 fires back, however, with 4K240 slow motion and more than twice the built-in storage, not to mention a body about 25 g (0.9 oz) lighter.

The Luna Pro's detachable screen is the practical standout, since it lets you frame and start recording from a distance with full access to camera settings.

Dual lens: Osmo Pocket 4P vs Luna Ultra

This is perhaps the more interesting fight, and a more difficult one to referee. The Pocket 4P pairs a 1-inch wide camera with a 60 mm-equivalent 3x telephoto, and the Luna Ultra pairs a 1-inch wide camera with its own 3x telephoto. DJI keeps video to 4K and pushes dynamic range, while Insta360 offers 8K30 and a detachable screen. The 4P undercuts the Luna Ultra by a massive $150 at standard-bundle level in North America.

It's hard not to be seduced by the sheer image quality of the Pocket 4P. D-Log2 and thos claimed 17 stops put it in highly unusual territory for a camera this size. But then, the Luna Ultra's detachable screen and joystick are also seriously useful features, alongside 10-bit I-Log that grades easily and ACES-compatible workflows. 

Which to choose?

Amazon in the US currently lists the Osmo Pocket 3 as its best-selling camcorder, and at around $360 it remains a very capable unit and a bit of a bargain. It is also, crucially, available. For a lot of people, geography will decide their choice of the 2026 crop. DJI’s inability to sell new products in the US is hurting the company to the tune of what it estimates to be $1.56 billion in 2026, and no amount of gray imports is going to make up for being able to pluck a unit off a Walmart shelf. Elsewhere in the world, the price differential between the cheaper DJI gimbals and their Insta360 counterparts is going to be difficult to ignore for many.

But from a purely technical standpoint, you can make compelling arguments for both the latest DJI and Insta360 gimbal cameras. And judging by the legal action between the two companies, which started in the US and before moving to China, the two are closer than either would like.

It will be interesting to see what happens with the next generation, DJI’s fifth and Insta360’s second, and how the differentiators between the two evolve. It was two and a half years between the DJI Osmo Pocket 3 and the Osmo Pocket 4. Given this year’s fevered competition, we will probably be producing a new version of this buyer’s guide well before 2029.

All four gimbal cameras compared

*US dollar price as listed on DJI’s Canadian store. DJI does not officially sell either Pocket 4 model in the US.