Previewed at IFA in Berlin last week, but technically under wraps until now, the new Luna Pro is the little sibling to the dual-lens Luna Ultra I recently reviewed. The short version is this: The new model has just one camera lens and image sensor, making it a slightly smaller but cheaper gimbal camera.

The other important features are the same as the pricier Luna Ultra, namely the removable screen and controls, the mics and the overall ease of use. With just a single lens and sensor, the only zoom on the Pro is digital, cropping in on the sensor and/or reducing resolution.

Hands-on at IFA

The Luna Pro was actually on display at IFA all last week, like a poorly kept secret, so I was able to give it a quick spin. I’ve been using the Luna Ultra a bunch over the last few weeks, and the Pro feels basically the same. It’s easy to line up and frame the shot you want, adjust modes and so on, all quickly with one hand.

The sensor on the Pro is the same as the main sensor on the Ultra. It’s capable of 8K30 video and 37-megapixel (7,040×5,288-pixel) photos. Like the Ultra, most people will likely prefer one of the lower settings, such as 4K60 for smoother video and 12-megapixel photos for faster photo capture. Interestingly, the Pro is capable of 4K vertical video. The Ultra maxes out at 3K. Since these are the same sensor, I wouldn’t be surprised if Insta360 updates the Ultra to match. It would be an odd and frustrating decision to limit 4K vertical to the cheaper camera.

Really, it feels like everything below the gimbal head is the same between the two cameras. I’ve found the zoom to be one of my most-used features of the Ultra, so personally, I’d pay the higher price for that feature. Some “zoom” will be possible with the Pro, but it’s digital. Insta360 describes it as “2x lossless zoom and 4x HighRes Zoom,” which is some strong marketing language. I assume it works the same as the Ultra, in which case it will crop in on the sensor for the 2x zoom, so a slight reduction in quality but not resolution, and then digitally “zoom” for the 4x, which will be softer than nonzoomed captures.

The price will be the biggest factor when deciding between the two; right now, the Pro is $170 cheaper than the Ultra, or a little over 20% less. That seems like a reasonable drop in price for losing a chunk of functionality. I tend to use the zoom a lot, but if you don’t think you will, that’s a fair amount of money to save. Look for my full review of the Luna Pro soon.

Geoffrey Morrison

Contributor

Geoffrey Morrison is a writer/photographer about tech and travel for CNET, The New York Times, and other web and print publications. He’s also the Editor-at-Large for Wirecutter. He is the author of Budget Travel for Dummies as well as the bestselling sci-fi novels Undersea, and Undersea Atrophia. He’s NIST and ISF trained, and has a degree in Audio Production from Ithaca College. He spends most of the year as a digital nomad, living and working while traveling around the world. You can follow his travels at BaldNomad.com and on his Instagram and YouTube channel.

See full bio