Insta360 Luna Ultra dual-lens 8K gimbal camera released worldwide at $769.99

Insta360's Luna Ultra is available now, priced at $769.99. The Leica co-engineered dual-lens gimbal shoots 8K Dolby Vision, offers a detachable OLED touchscreen, and lands ahead of DJI's still-unannounced Osmo Pocket 4P.

Insta360 has finally officially launched the much-anticipated Luna Ultra, its first entry into the gimbal camera space. It’s a dual-lens unit co-engineered with Leica and is available today via the Insta360 Store, Amazon, Best Buy, and select retailers worldwide at a price of $769.99 or local equivalent.

The release caught many people in the industry by surprise. Insta360 was originally targeting next week for the official launch but, with stock already in at retailers and DJI looking to whip the covers off the Osmo Pocket 4P imminently, effectively it blinked first.

That probably won’t do it any harm, though, as the camera is very well specced indeed. Our review will be available soon (we’re not rushing it just to meet the new unveil date), and Simon Wyndham reports that it’s a big step up for the company. Unlike the Pocket 4P, the Luna will also be available in the US where DJI is still bound by the FCC ban.

Leica lenses and more

The Insta360/Leica partnesrhip is now in its sixth year

So, what do you get? The main lens is a Leica Summicron optic with a 1" sensor, f/1.8 aperture, and 20 mm equivalent focal length, recording up to 8K30 with Dolby Vision. This is actually the fifth co-engineered product released by the two companies across a six-year relationship.

A secondary telephoto lens pairs a 1/1.3" sensor with f/2.0 and a 60 mm equivalent focal length, enabling natural subject separation across five focal lengths and up to 12x total zoom with 6x lossless. A Triple AI Chip handles processing across both lenses.

Ten-bit I-Log with up to 14 stops of dynamic range is on board, alongside Leica's own color profiles (Leica Natural, Leica Vivid, and Leica Chrome) and ACES support. Slow-motion reaches 4K120 and 1080p240. PureVideo mode reduces noise up to 4K60. Stills top out at 37 MP UltraPhoto and 200 MP Scenic Panorama, with RAW capture available.

Stabilization comes from a 3-axis mechanical gimbal combined with electronic image stabilization. Deep Track 5.0 covers Auto Tracking, Active Zoom Tracking, Group Tracking, and Smart Framing.

Detachable touchscreen

The Luna Ultra's detachable 2" OLED touchscreen operates as a wireless remote with HD transmission

The 2" OLED touchscreen detaches to work as a wireless monitor and remote, with HD transmission up to 20 m (65 ft). The detached unit has its own microphone, while three further mics sit on the main gimbal, giving four in total. This is a pretty unique feature on an integrated gimbal camera and one we expect to see reverse engineered fairly rapidly by competitors.

Built-in timecode enables multi-camera sync and compatibility with Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere Pro. The Luna Ultra supports the Insta360 Mic Air and Mic Pro wirelessly, and includes a wind guard for outdoor recording.

Internal storage is 47 GB, with microSD support up to 1 TB. The 1550 mAh battery charges to 80% in approximately 23 minutes via a 45W USB-C charger, rated at 4 hours.

The camera weighs 233 g (8.2 oz) and is available in Cosmic Black or Stellar White, which adds a whole 2 g.

How does this compare to the DJI Pocket 4P?

Much about the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P remains under wraps. DJI has only confirmed two things so far: D-Log 2 support and 17 stops of dynamic range, the latter having seemed optimistic until it was locked in. Against that, the Luna Ultra offers 14 stops, Leica color profiles, 8K capture, and the detachable OLED screen, a feature with no equivalent on the DJI side. Pricing and availability for the Pocket 4P remain unannounced too, making a direct value comparison impossible for now. But with the Luna Ultra already on shelves at $769 and available through the US, unlike its DJI rival, Insta360 seems to have set the opening terms of the contest.

Pricing and availability

The Luna Ultra is available worldwide priced at $769. Now wrinkle: German availability will follow at a later date, which is perhaps slightly strange given that the camera was unveiled at Leica's headquarters in Wetzlar.