It's one thing to be a camera that can capture good footage and sharp images, but it's another to be fun to use. Insta360 has nailed both.

The One RS's modular design improves on many of the unique features of the original One R. It allows the One RS to be more than just your typical action camera, and if you don't mind some of its limitations, including a smaller LCD screen and lacking a second one completely, as well as lacking frame rates like 4K 120fps, then, in turn, you're getting a multipurpose small form factor camera with three available lenses that can achieve so much more.

This is no ordinary action camera. In fact, it's so much more. Just like with the original One R, the new Insta360 One RS looks similar enough to other action cameras from the likes of the GoPros and DJI Osmo, but it stands out with its modular design. The One RS splits into three parts: the touch screen and "brain", the lens, and the battery. It can be reconfigured for a front or rear screen, and the lens swapped out for a different one entirely.

The One RS brings several important updates over the original One R including:

In my video review, I share several video and photo examples shot on the Insta360 One RS Twin Edition. This set comes with the new 4K Boost lens, and the existing 5.7K 360-degree lens. The results you can get are very impressive.

They might not be any better than competing dedicated action cameras or 360 cameras, but how many other cameras can do both? Because of this unique modular lens design, this is one of the few small form factor cameras that I've actually enjoyed using and making lots of content with.

Most importantly, I had a lot of fun filming with this setup, and it actually encouraged me to shoot, edit and post fresh content far more than anything else. This is a great action camera, but that's only half the story.

While the One RS is an action camera first and foremost, it's also a very capable pocket travel camera.

The 4K Edition, which comes with the newly introduced 48MP 4K Boost lens (which is also backward-compatible with the One R), costs just $299, making it one of the cheaper and highest specced "action cameras" available.

The One RS might feel a little limited compared to the latest GoPro Hero 10 and Osmo Action 2—as it lacks 4K@120fps, uses a smaller touch screen, and has somewhat less effective stabilization—but when you take into account that this same camera is also compatible with the Leica 1-inch ultra-wide and 5.7K 360 lens modules, there isn't anything else like it.

For the past few weeks, I've been using the Twin Edition (Get-Set Kit) which comes with both the 4K Boost and the 5.7k 360 lenses, as well as a 120cm Invisible Selfie Stick and 64GB MicroSD card. I tested these two lenses while vlogging and traveling, riding my OneWheel, and some for some more cinematic style shots too.

For more of a point-and-shoot camera, I would use the 4K Boost lens most. I shot most of my clips in LOG with manual settings and was impressed with its dynamic range and ease of color grading to get a custom look. Pan and tilt shots were smooth and very gimbal-like with minimal effort.

The Insta360 One RS can be bought and customized in several bundles which themselves have several variations.

Interestingly, in addition to the $299 4K Edition which comes with the 4K Boost Lens, RS Core, RS Battery Base, and the RS Mounting Bracket, you can also get the $269 Core Bundle. This comes without any lens included, so owners of the previous 1-inch Edition can upgrade the rest of their kit—but for a mere $30 saving, it seems like a bad choice.

For the same price as the $549 Twin Edition (4K Boost + 360), you can alternatively opt for the 1-inch Edition. This comes with only the Leica 1-Inch Wide Angle lens. This should be the better choice if you prioritize low light performance or want that extra wide-angle look and don't mind missing out on 360 footage. I haven't had the chance to try out that lens yet, but I'd be excited to see just how well it performs with the newer One RS.

You save about $50 by getting the two lenses bundled together instead of buying them separately. I personally like being able to switch between action shots and taking 360 videos and feel like that's probably the best combo for most people. If you're certain you won't use the 360 lens, the 4K Edition is for you. Don't get the Core Bundle unless you're upgrading, and even then, it might be worth shelling out the extra $30 to get the 4K Boost anyway.

As much as I love my Sony Alpha 7S iii and Alpha 7 iv, they're bulky, heavy, and not the best when you're just looking to pull it out for a quick shot and then tuck it away again. Especially when you’re walking around all day, in tight crowds, going to events, it’s not always the best choice. It either takes too long to pull out that I miss the shot, or I just figure it's not worth it to get the shot at all.

I needed a camera with decent video quality that could be used anywhere. It should be decent in low-light, stable enough to use without a gimbal, and could take sharp stills too. I’ve been getting more into cinematic-style travel videos and wanted to be able to create them quickly and regularly.

While more compact cameras, like the Sony RX100, fit this need a little more, they cost a premium. Similar sized action cameras like the Insta360 One RS might not be able to match the video or photo quality, but in turn, they are significantly cheaper, more rugged, waterproof, and can be mounted more easily to a variety of accessories and used for action sports.

My trip to NYC was the perfect chance to see what the Insta360 One RS could do. This camera actually made me want to capture more throughout my day. Even things that felt more mundane or similar to something I previously shot—like walking or passing by something that wasn’t necessarily that exciting—were so easy and quick to capture, that I would just do so without needing to think about it.

Even better, there were several venues and events I went to where you normally can’t bring a DSLR, but because of how small this is, I was able to film without any issue.

While you can get some great results with editing LOG footage, I encountered a few issues. Unsurprisingly, the video quality quickly falls apart in low light, even with the new 4K Boost lens. Even high contrast scenes in bright daylight suffered from strange artifacting in the shadows and fine details like branches and fences. For better low-light performance, you'll still want to use the old Leica 1-inch lens module, which features twice the sensor size.

The issue is most noticeable when shooting in LOG. As soon as you bring the color back in and boost the contrast, even a little, these issues can become very prominent. While I didn't realize it at the time, when it came to me editing the footage later, I realized I much preferred the Standard or Vivid picture profiles despite the lack of color adjustments in post. Perhaps this can be fixed or improved in a future update.

Because of their small size, I find myself bringing both the 360 and 4K Boost lenses with me everywhere. In many ways, being able to quickly switch over to the 360 lens made it feel like I was using two cameras.

I've owned and used a few dedicated 360 cameras, including the Insta360 One X. I almost exclusively used it for real estate tours and the occasional concert. Aside from that, its clunky interface and of course being "limited" to just 360 shooting, made me never really want to use it beyond just as a tool for work.

360 videos can be really fun, and when it comes to vlogging, it can be an awesome way to show your surroundings, tell a story, or do cool transitions.

That said, it has its place and isn't always the best choice. These lenses aren't the sharpest or best in low light and as such, have drawbacks when you don't want or need to shoot 360 content.

If you're new to 360 filming, 5.7K might seem very impressive, and for something this small, it is.

However, if you're playing back these videos on a larger screen, especially after removing the fisheye distortion and pointing at a subject, you can quickly notice its lack of detail, especially compared to shots on the 4K Boost lens.

The benefit of the Insta360 One RS is that you can easily switch between these two lenses when you want. While vlogging, I found myself being a little more strategic when choosing what I would film with the 360 lens. If I was walking past an interesting spot, or I thought something would make for a cool sequence to edit later, I would swap to the 360 lens. When I was done, I would swap back to the 4K Boost lens for a more traditional perspective and continue shooting away.

Frame rates and shot modes are basically the same compared to the two-year-old One R: both can shoot 4K up to 60fps, slow-motion at 1080p 200 fps, and 2.7K at 100fps. The One RS adds one new resolution: 6K@24/25fps.

The new 4K Boost lens has twice the sensor size of the previous 4K Mod, resulting in better video quality at the same resolution. It can also take 48MP photos rather 12MP.

The 360 lens module is unchanged. You can still shoot 5.7K 30fps and a rather limited 3K resolution at 100 fps (which I would really never use because of the dramatic loss in quality).

It's unfortunate that competing options from DJI and GoPro have been capable of 4K@120fps for some time now while Insta360 still falls behind. I could see this being a potential deal-breaker for those looking for the sharpest slow-motion footage.

On a positive note, however, the Insta360 One RS does bring some very needed and appreciated improvements that make the overall shooting and modular experience much better.

Something that may not seem significant at first, is the new mounting bracket. The One RS is taller because of its beefier battery, so it isn't backward compatible with the One R bracket. But Insta360 took the opportunity to redesign something even better.

Compared to a traditional action camera bracket design, we now have a quick-release button to remove the camera from the side. This helps the process of switching lenses quickly. Compared to the One R, you’ll need less time to swap them out.

I actually keep this installed all the time because of the extra protection it provides and the mounting bracket for accessories at the bottom. I usually had either the invisible selfie stick connected or a helmet attachment. If you want the absolute smoothest possible footage, try using this while riding a bike or OneWheel, and you’ll be very impressed.

On the topic of switching out lenses, it’s easy enough to do, but it does still require some focus and time. I found that I preferred to stop what I was doing and stand still for a few moments to make sure I didn’t drop anything. The 360 lens definitely is not something that you want to drop. Take it from someone who dropped their Insta360 One X. It would’ve been nice for Insta360 to include a dedicated case/cover for the 4K Boost lens as there isn’t anywhere to store this when you’re not using it.

Because of how small everything is, I usually kept the camera in one pocket, and whichever lens I wasn’t using in my other pocket, with the 360 lens cover protecting it. I would still recommend a small pouch for the 4K Boost to keep debris off the connectors and hopefully not scratch the lens.

The Insta360 One RS is snappy. It turns on quickly and is ready to start recording within a few moments. You can also start a recording while it's off by pressing the record button at the top. There were a few times when the camera wasn’t quite quick enough to catch the action before it passed, but for the most part, it was quick enough.

Photos are good, especially for an action camera, but the downside is the speed at which they're taken. Shooting 48MP Raw DNGs takes several moments from when you hit the shutter button, have to stand still, and then wait for the photo to be processed. If you're just trying to snap away or catch fast action, you'll prefer using your phone.

The Inst360 One RS sports a rather small 1.3-inch display on one side of the Core RS. Because of its modular design, this screen can be flipped for use on either the front or rear. Unlike dual-screen action cameras though, you are of course limited to one side at a time, which can annoying if you're frequently moving from behind to in front of the camera.

Compared to other action cameras with larger 16:9 ratio screens, the 1.3-inch square format provides about 1/3 of the actual playback area. For framing yourself it gets the job done. I watched back some of my recorded clips and scrubbed through them too. The biggest downside of the smaller screen for me was setting proper exposure. Especially when shooting on the fly, it was difficult to tell if I was underexposed or if I had too much noise in my shadows.

The touch screen, while small, is for the most part easy to navigate and very responsive. You can change your shooting modes by swiping left or right from the middle of the screen. Swipe up and you’ll see your recordings. Swipe down and you can change settings. Notable options here include your stabilization level, which I would keep at normal for most users if you want to avoid possible weird jitters, especially in low or mixed lighting.

Swiping left from the right side of the screen gives you manual controls. Color options include Vivid, Standard, and Log. There’s also shutter speed, ISO, EV, White Balance, and exposure compensation. If you have a lot of mixed lighting, going from bright to dark scenes really quickly, or just don’t want to mess with manual settings, Insta360’s auto settings, especially in video HDR (which limits you to only changing white balance), are good. It has room for improvement when it comes to exposing faces a little better, and when it gets dark, it doesn’t hesitate to lower your shutter speed below the recommended twice frame rate, which can be pretty noticeable.

Clicking the Q allows you to select one of your five customizable quick modes. I hardly used this, though, as changing modes and manual settings were fast enough for me. That said, if you're frequently switching between, say, 1080P 120fps and 4K 24fps, I could see this being more useful.

The magnifying glass lets you change your focal length on the 4K Boost lens, but not the 360 lens. You can choose from four presets between 20mm and 29mm. You can manually zoom beyond that to 50mm, but it has a very digital look and I would only use it as last resort if I didn't mind the lack in quality.

Insta360 has always had a good mobile app and powerful cross-platform PC/Mac editor too. Within the app, you can change settings, monitor your camera, remotely start/stop recordings, and use the built-in editor and reframer. I prefer doing all my edits in Premiere Pro, so I didn’t mess with the app all that much. That said, they also include lots of informative tutorials and tips/tricks videos that help you get the most out of the camera, as well as a comprehensive "Shot Lab", where you're guided through producing a stylized video sequence for social media.

Going back to an earlier point, it's worth mentioning again that the Insta360 One RS has less reliance on its companion software as all of the stabilization is done in-camera now (with the exception of 6K where it is not available). HDR photos, however, still need to be processed in the app.

It's one thing to be a camera that can capture good footage and sharp images, but it's another thing to also be a tool that you'll enjoy using to help you quickly shoot and edit content. Especially in good lighting, using Standard, Vivid or HDR picture profiles, the results can be very impressive.

The One RS's modular design improves on many of the unique features of the original One R. It allows the One RS to be more than just your typical action camera, and if you don't mind some of its limitations, including a smaller LCD screen and lacking a second one completely, as well as lacking frame rates like 4K 120fps, then, in turn, you're getting a multipurpose small form factor camera with three available lenses that can achieve so much more.

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Tech reviewer, YouTuber & video producer that specializes in pro camera & audio gear. When he's not out filming or editing, he's usually thinking of creative ideas for his next project. Reach out to say hello or discuss future opportunities!

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