The US market for compact gimbal cameras has a new leader, partly because the usual leader is missing. DJI's Osmo Pocket 4 and 4 Pro, the natural rivals to Insta360's Luna series, are not currently available in the US because of a legal dispute between the two companies. That leaves Insta360's Luna Ultra and Luna Pro as, in WIRED's assessment, probably the best gimbal cameras US buyers can purchase right now.
Insta360 launched the Luna Ultra in June and the Luna Pro in September. Both models share a 1-inch main sensor, a 20mm-equivalent f/1.8 Leica lens, three-axis gimbal stabilization, auto-tracking, 4K/120fps video, and a detachable OLED screen with recording controls. The Ultra adds a second telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom and up to 15x digital zoom, while the Pro drops that lens to appeal to budget-conscious buyers. WIRED rates both cameras 7/10.
The review's main praises go to stable footage, strong subject tracking, and video quality that is significantly better than action cameras and smartphones. The drawbacks are a small screen that makes advanced settings fiddly and a non-replaceable battery. Since only one source was used, there are no differing findings to reconcile; the article presents a single consistent assessment of the two cameras.