Transcription
[Music] Hi, how are you? Yeah, me too. Let's not talk about that. Let's talk about camera gear.
So, if you know me and you know what kind of camera I like, you will know that I have a soft spot for small cameras. I don't know what exactly it is, but for some reason it has always fascinated me to get the maximum capabilities to size ratio in a camera. And while I think that I have that figured out in my main camera setup, I have been on a hunt for a while now for a sort of small sidekick type of camera, and I think that I found it.
Enter the Insta 360 Ace Pro 2 with the Explorer kit. Now, full transparency, this video is indeed sponsored by Insta 360 and they have provided me with this camera free of charge so that I could give it a go and see what it's all about. And since the day that I have received the Ace Pro 2 with this kit, I have taken it just about everywhere with me. From sunset walks through Frankfurt to a motorcycle and photography trip over the Swiss Alps to Lake Ko and yes, even in my living room. I have taken this guy absolutely everywhere.
Now, I assume that you have already heard about the Ace Pro 2 itself at some point. So, with that, let's talk about the Explorer Grip because with it, you get this sick case/grip which is made by Tilta. Now, the good folks over at Tilta are making a bit of a name for themselves because they've been busy creating some of the greatest accessories for all kinds of cameras out on the market. And this kit is certainly no exception, either.
The kit consists of a few parts that are easy to put together, mostly the cage for the SPro 2 and a detachable grip. There is even a sort of screw plate that magnetically sits in a slot at the bottom of the grip if you need to readjust something on the go. As always, Tilta has really done their homework and thought this through. Once you've assembled the cage, you can easily pop your Ace Pro 2 in it, close it, and you are good to go. Want to do something without the case? Fine. Push that button, pop it right open, and you can remove your camera. The magnetic mounting points at the bottom are also still fully accessible, as is the side door for your SD card and USBC charging port. And if you need to get to your battery, which by the way, you won't have to do very often because battery life is actually great on this camera. But if you do have to switch batteries, just slide out the shutter actuator and flip the switch to the side to open the cage to allow for direct access to the battery door. On top of all that, you do get a hot shoe mount. And if you remove the grip and just use the cage itself, you also get a quarter-inch tripod mount as well as another set of mounting points for your magnetic mounting plates to allow for easy peasy vertical shooting.
By far my favorite feature of the setup though is for sure the shutter actuator itself. Listen to this. It is addictive. With the camera in the cage, the Ace Pro 2 feels completely transformed. First of all, just ergonomically speaking, this is now very close to, if not better than most point-and-shoot cameras on the market. Like for example, this Sony ZV1 Mark II. Only that aside from just the ergonomics, this Explorer kit just feels a lot more solid because it is. And it also has a bit of weight and heft to it. It's a bit of a beefy boy. And you might think, well, yeah, but the ZV1 is a completely different beast when it comes to photography overall because it features a 20-megapixel 1-inch sensor, a flip screen, and so on. And sure, no doubt that this setup is not made to compete with something like a ZV1 on an eye-to-eye level, let alone something like a full-on mirrorless system. But even so, it's got a lot more going for it than you might realize.
Think about it. The Ace Pro 2 features a 1 over 1.3-inch sensor, which really isn't that much smaller compared to a 1-inch sensor. And it is in fact a good bit bigger than the sensor for the ultra-wide camera that I got on my iPhone 15 Pro. It also features an f/2.6 ultra-wide angle lens that has been co-engineered with Leica. And so with that, you get great optics as well as those Leica looks in the software of the SPro 2 for your photos. On top of that, the sensor puts out 50-megapixel files even in DNG if you like. But mind you, those files are massive, around 100 megabytes a pop. They are well worth the extra storage though and honestly give you a lot more room to push and pull your files than I would have expected from a camera like this. And I was particularly impressed by how much I was able to recover highlights from some photos that I completely blew out by accident.
Other than that, the SPro 2 also features a flip-up screen which locks in place if you're not using it, and it feels rock solid. And it also makes shooting from low angles or taking selfies easier than ever. And of course, last but not least, but this camera will work in any and all conditions. With this being an action cam, it is probably more water resistant than just about any point-and-shoot camera that you can find. And so it doesn't really matter if it's bucketing it down outside. If you want to go out and shoot, you can do so with this camera without any hesitation.
Now, sadly for me, during the time that I've had this camera so far, the weather has been for the most part really nice and lovely here in southern Germany. Shame, I know, but I know that the next few weeks of constant rain and downpours are probably just around the corner. And so I'm very much looking forward to using this for some rainy outdoor street photography or maybe even some nature photography. I might take this on a couple of hikes and I'm certainly looking forward to using it in the rain in a larger city like Frankfurt, for example.
But anyway, with the basics out of the way, what do we use this camera for exactly? Well, with it being an action cam, I mostly use it for stuff like capturing POV footage when taking photos with other cameras or riding my Triumph motorcycle. By the way, the Ace Pro 2 features an integrated wind muff for the microphone, meaning that you can get clean audio when riding your motorcycle straight out of your camera. No need to f around with external mics. No sir. At least when you're going at sort of regular in-town speeds, it's of course a bit of a different story when you hit the autobahn.
Other than that, it is just a full-fledged state-of-the-art flagship action camera. It can shoot in 8K at up to 30 frames per second or in 4K at up to 120 frames per second. It also shoots in log at up to 4K 60fps. And you can set up custom profiles for all your different activities. And that flip screen is way more useful than those front-facing screens that you get on other action cams. By the way, for those of you who enjoy capturing the motorcycle adventures as well, I would absolutely recommend you to also get a set of ND filters, which will allow you to use a lower shutter speed for a bit of that motion blur. And I think these shots speak for themselves.
In terms of photography though, there are two main use cases for this setup. The first one being just straight-up ultra-wide angle photography, especially indoors, finding those visually interesting angles in tight spaces and finding that symmetry. For some reason, that stuff is just addictive to me. However, this camera also sports a 12.5-megapixel mode which you can use with a two times crop and that will give you roughly the equivalent of a 30-millimeterish field of view. And a 30-millimeter equivalent field of view is obviously perfect for all kinds of things from everyday documentary photography to lifestyle photography, street photography, travel photography. You name it, you can do it. 30 millimeters is almost just about perfect, I would say.
Now, some folks might scoff at the idea of shooting in just 12 and a half megapixels, and I do get that. Trust me, I am a bit of a resolution snob myself. But mind you, this video is filmed and published in 4K, which is just 8 megapixels. And even my full-frame Sony ZV1 has just a 12-megapixel sensor, and nobody ever seems to complain about the photos or the footage that I get out of that camera. And so 12 and a half megapixels might not sound like all that much, but it's actually plenty, at least if you just want to upload your images to say Instagram or send them to friends. And so yeah, I think that using that resolution if it means that you can have a 30-millimeterish equivalent field of view is well worth it.
With that being said, once again, this setup is not about all-out image quality. This is not here to replace my full-frame 60 MP Leica M11P, but this camera can be used in sustained downpours. It can be used underwater or at the beach where honestly I would not use my Leica M11P. And so this is a very durable alternative that fits a different purpose in my camera bag. And so with that, I think that having that 12-megapixel mode that allows me to shoot with the field of view of a 30-millimeterish lens is quite nice. As I said earlier, you also get those Leica looks for your straight-out-of-camera JPEGs and they do look nice, but me personally, I prefer shooting in DNG.
With all that being said, there are also a few things that I do not like as much with this setup and that I want to tell you about in order to avoid buyer's remorse should you decide to get yourself one of these bad boys. And the first thing is the fact that there is a very slight delay between the moment you press the shutter actuator and the camera actually fires off the shot. Now, it's just a split second, but I did not know that at first. And so, when I got home after the first few outings and took a look at the images that I had shot, I noticed that there were quite a few images where apparently I had taken the image and just immediately put my camera away. And so I got a number of like wonky shots because again the camera fired just about a split second after I pressed that trigger. So if you know that, it's easy enough to account for that, but it's something that you should certainly be aware of.
And the second sort of drawback, if you like, that you should be aware of is that especially when you shoot in full resolution at 50 megapixels and in DNG, this camera can take a moment to buffer between shots. Now, that is not too surprising considering the file sizes we are talking about here, but it's something to be aware of when timing your shots simply because you cannot just spray and pray. So, if you ever are in a situation where you want to capture some action and fire off a number of shots in a row, just remember to switch to burst mode first. This mode won't allow you to shoot in DNG, and it will limit you to 12.5 megapixels, which again is probably plenty for most occasions, but this mode will allow you to fire off up to 30 frames for up to 10 seconds. If that's not enough for you to get the shot, you probably have other issues.
Anyway, even despite those drawbacks, I think that this makes for a great sidekick camera. Again, it's certainly not here to replace any of my other big cameras or even my point-and-shoot cameras, but it still adds a lot of capabilities to the mix just because of how rugged it is and because of all of the technical features that it brings to the table. And with this Explorer pack, it's no longer just an action cam. It's both a tiny video capturing monster as well as a sidekick camera with great ergonomics for photography.
So, if you are interested in maybe checking out current prices on the SPRO 2 or this Explorer kit, if you already have the AP Pro 2, feel free to use the affiliate links down in the description below. And if you decide to get yourselves one of these cameras or just the grip kit, uh, that would help out the channel. So, thank you so much if you decide to do that. But anyway, that's all I got for you today now. I hope this was interesting to you. Thank you so much for watching and I see you in another one. Until then, take care. Bye.
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