360-degree cameras are very popular these days and I was trying my hands on Insta360 Nano 360-degree camera since last few days. And here I am sharing the detailed review of Insta360 Nano with all readers of Geeky Stuffs.
Insta360 Nano is a unique 360-degree camera as it can be connected to an iPhne to convert the phone into a 360-degree camera. There are also few unique features like live streaming to social media, creating 2D animated videos of 360-degree images etc.
This review is divided in different categories, covering pros and cons of each aspect separately. Hope you will find this review helpful specially if you are planning to buy a 360-degree camera soon.
Insta360 Nano comes with a beautiful white retail box that looks very much like an iPhone box. And once you read the content on Insta360 Nano box, you will find the reason behind it. It is designed for iPhone and it comes with MFA (Made for Apple) certification.
Inside the retail box you will find the Insta360 Nano camera, user manuals, a carry bag and USB cable to charge the device. The retail box comes with lenses in-built, so the box can be converted into a virtual reality viewer just by sliding the phone in the given spot.
You can watch our Insta360 Nano unboxing video below.
The design of Insta360 Nano 360-degree camera is really nice. And it is easy to figure out that it is designed in a way to compliment the design of iPhone once connected.
The body is made of Aluminum that makes it lightweight and durable, both. Insta360 Nano is just 21mm thick and weighs only 70 grams. So it is easy to hold in hand and use it for long.
The front of the device is having one of the lens along with the single multi-functional button on which the Insta360 logo is printed and the brand name in the middle. On the back, there is the second lens at the top and the bottom half part is removed to hold the device and to connect the camera with iPhone using the lightning connector provided.
At the bottom of the Insta360 Nano, there is a microSD card slot that supports up to 64GB of memory card. There is no internal storage in the camera, so you will have to use a memory card in it.
You will also find at the bottom a USB port to charge the device and for transfer between computer and camera. The battery is built-in and non-removable. There is also a tiny hole provided for resetting the phone if it gets stuck or you face any software issues with it.
One drawback of the design of Insta360 Nano is that you will have to remove any case you are using on your iPhone to connect it to the Nano properly. Also because of the round edges of the Nano, not every iPhone model can be connected to it.
Overall the design of Insta360 Nano is really nice. It looks beautiful with smooth edges and feels good in hand to while holding it. It fits perfectly on iPhone and matches with the design of iPhone. And the good thing about the design of Insta360 Nano is that it is unique. Most of the 360-degree cameras are pretty much similar in appearances and features but Insta360 Nano stands apart.
You can use Insta360 Nano in two ways – either with the iPhone or as a standalone 360-degree camera using the physical button that can used to capture images, videos and even set up the timer.
Insta360 Nano comes with dual f/2.0 210-degree fish eye lens. The output of these two lenses stich and overlap together to generate the 360-degree image. Insta360 Nano is capable of recording 3040 x 1520 pixels @30fps videos. So you will get the 360-degree videos in better than 1080p full HD resolution and quality.
The stitching of the images and videos is automatic and instantaneous. So it let user live stream the content without any time delay that usually happens due to processing of the files and this is one of the most highlighted feature of Insta360 Nano as it is not available in any 360-degree cameras yet.
The images captured by Insta360 Nano are not so great in quality but still good enough to serve the purpose of 360-degree imaging as it is more about sharing the surrounding and the moment instead of great quality imaging.
In daylight and good amount of artificial light indoor, pics come out pretty good with good amount of details. Also in low-light situations, pics are good enough actually and better than many other 360-degree cameras surprisingly.
The videos are also nice in quality and with moderate amount of details as Insta360 Nano records videos in higher than full HD resolution but effectively the resolution reduces. In both daylight and low-light, the video output is good enough.
One thing you need to know here is that Insta360 Nano captures the images and videos in its own proprietary format and to share them with other you will have to either use the Insta360 Nano iPhone app to upload the content on social media or export them to your computer or iPhone using the Insta360 Studio software or Insta360 Nano iPhone app first.
There is a dedicated iPhone app for Insta360 Nano that prompts on the screen once you connect the camera to iPhone. The app works as live viewfinder for the camera and let users watch the videos and images on the iPhone. But the most important feature of it is to live stream 360-degree videos on social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube etc.
Once Insta360 Nano is connected with iPhone, the app will be launched itself in inverted view for better handling of the content and controlling the app on the device.
The entire process of live streaming on social media is very easy. User just need to connect their social media account with the app and start live streaming. For Facebook, you can even customize the viewer like public or just friends, Facebook groups etc.
Insta360 Nano iPhone app also let user watch videos and images, change the viewing projection, export the captured 360-degree images and videos to iPhone and upload them to social media.
One issue I have noticed while uploading content to social media directly from the app is that sometimes stitching goes wrong at the dead ends and few parts missing, while the same image comes without any issue while watching it in its original format or exporting manually and then uploading to Facebook.
As mentioned above Insta360 Nano captures the videos and images in its own format. So to watch the content on your iPhone, you need the iPhone app and on your computer you need the Insta360 Player software. You can also watch the content in VR using the VR giggles provided in the box as mentioned above.
Insta360 Player let you watch the content on your computer in different projection, capture the screenshot and launch the Insta360 Studio to edit he images.
Insta360 Studio is a powerful 360-degree video and image editing tool using which user can edit the 360-degree images and videos captured on Insta360 Nano. You can export the images and videos in suitable format to share on social media, put watermark in images and videos, change the video quality and resolution, create 2D videos from 360-degree videos in different projections and more.
Insta360 Nano is one of the best 360-degree camera currently because of its overall performance and features. It is the only 360-degree camera with live streaming feature, the design is very beautiful, you can connect it to iPhone for instant live viewing of content and record them the way you want, image and video quality is good too if not great.
If you are looking for a 360-degree camera to buy then, Insta360 Nano is one of the best option is for you right now.
Insta360 Nano is a unique 360-degree camera as it can be connected to an iPhne to convert the phone into a 360-degree camera. There are also few unique features like live streaming to social media, creating 2D animated videos of 360-degree images etc.
This review is divided in different categories, covering pros and cons of each aspect separately. Hope you will find this review helpful specially if you are planning to buy a 360-degree camera soon.
Insta360 Nano 360-Degree Camera : Detailed Hands-on Review and Features
Retail Box and Unboxing
Insta360 Nano comes with a beautiful white retail box that looks very much like an iPhone box. And once you read the content on Insta360 Nano box, you will find the reason behind it. It is designed for iPhone and it comes with MFA (Made for Apple) certification.
Inside the retail box you will find the Insta360 Nano camera, user manuals, a carry bag and USB cable to charge the device. The retail box comes with lenses in-built, so the box can be converted into a virtual reality viewer just by sliding the phone in the given spot.
You can watch our Insta360 Nano unboxing video below.
Design
The design of Insta360 Nano 360-degree camera is really nice. And it is easy to figure out that it is designed in a way to compliment the design of iPhone once connected.
The body is made of Aluminum that makes it lightweight and durable, both. Insta360 Nano is just 21mm thick and weighs only 70 grams. So it is easy to hold in hand and use it for long.
The front of the device is having one of the lens along with the single multi-functional button on which the Insta360 logo is printed and the brand name in the middle. On the back, there is the second lens at the top and the bottom half part is removed to hold the device and to connect the camera with iPhone using the lightning connector provided.
At the bottom of the Insta360 Nano, there is a microSD card slot that supports up to 64GB of memory card. There is no internal storage in the camera, so you will have to use a memory card in it.
You will also find at the bottom a USB port to charge the device and for transfer between computer and camera. The battery is built-in and non-removable. There is also a tiny hole provided for resetting the phone if it gets stuck or you face any software issues with it.
One drawback of the design of Insta360 Nano is that you will have to remove any case you are using on your iPhone to connect it to the Nano properly. Also because of the round edges of the Nano, not every iPhone model can be connected to it.
Overall the design of Insta360 Nano is really nice. It looks beautiful with smooth edges and feels good in hand to while holding it. It fits perfectly on iPhone and matches with the design of iPhone. And the good thing about the design of Insta360 Nano is that it is unique. Most of the 360-degree cameras are pretty much similar in appearances and features but Insta360 Nano stands apart.
Camera and Imaging
You can use Insta360 Nano in two ways – either with the iPhone or as a standalone 360-degree camera using the physical button that can used to capture images, videos and even set up the timer.
Insta360 Nano comes with dual f/2.0 210-degree fish eye lens. The output of these two lenses stich and overlap together to generate the 360-degree image. Insta360 Nano is capable of recording 3040 x 1520 pixels @30fps videos. So you will get the 360-degree videos in better than 1080p full HD resolution and quality.
The stitching of the images and videos is automatic and instantaneous. So it let user live stream the content without any time delay that usually happens due to processing of the files and this is one of the most highlighted feature of Insta360 Nano as it is not available in any 360-degree cameras yet.
The images captured by Insta360 Nano are not so great in quality but still good enough to serve the purpose of 360-degree imaging as it is more about sharing the surrounding and the moment instead of great quality imaging.
In daylight and good amount of artificial light indoor, pics come out pretty good with good amount of details. Also in low-light situations, pics are good enough actually and better than many other 360-degree cameras surprisingly.
The videos are also nice in quality and with moderate amount of details as Insta360 Nano records videos in higher than full HD resolution but effectively the resolution reduces. In both daylight and low-light, the video output is good enough.
One thing you need to know here is that Insta360 Nano captures the images and videos in its own proprietary format and to share them with other you will have to either use the Insta360 Nano iPhone app to upload the content on social media or export them to your computer or iPhone using the Insta360 Studio software or Insta360 Nano iPhone app first.
Smartphone App
There is a dedicated iPhone app for Insta360 Nano that prompts on the screen once you connect the camera to iPhone. The app works as live viewfinder for the camera and let users watch the videos and images on the iPhone. But the most important feature of it is to live stream 360-degree videos on social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube etc.
Once Insta360 Nano is connected with iPhone, the app will be launched itself in inverted view for better handling of the content and controlling the app on the device.
. @HTC HQ was looking beautiful for sure on the day of #HTCU11 launch 😍 Captured on @insta360 Nano 360-degree camera cc @HTCMEA #tech pic.twitter.com/ueAspiOPMY
— Shaan Haider (@shaanhaider) May 26, 2017
The entire process of live streaming on social media is very easy. User just need to connect their social media account with the app and start live streaming. For Facebook, you can even customize the viewer like public or just friends, Facebook groups etc.
Insta360 Nano iPhone app also let user watch videos and images, change the viewing projection, export the captured 360-degree images and videos to iPhone and upload them to social media.
One issue I have noticed while uploading content to social media directly from the app is that sometimes stitching goes wrong at the dead ends and few parts missing, while the same image comes without any issue while watching it in its original format or exporting manually and then uploading to Facebook.
Viewing and Editing the 360-degree Images and Videos
As mentioned above Insta360 Nano captures the videos and images in its own format. So to watch the content on your iPhone, you need the iPhone app and on your computer you need the Insta360 Player software. You can also watch the content in VR using the VR giggles provided in the box as mentioned above.
Insta360 Player let you watch the content on your computer in different projection, capture the screenshot and launch the Insta360 Studio to edit he images.
Insta360 Studio is a powerful 360-degree video and image editing tool using which user can edit the 360-degree images and videos captured on Insta360 Nano. You can export the images and videos in suitable format to share on social media, put watermark in images and videos, change the video quality and resolution, create 2D videos from 360-degree videos in different projections and more.
Conclusion
Insta360 Nano is one of the best 360-degree camera currently because of its overall performance and features. It is the only 360-degree camera with live streaming feature, the design is very beautiful, you can connect it to iPhone for instant live viewing of content and record them the way you want, image and video quality is good too if not great.
If you are looking for a 360-degree camera to buy then, Insta360 Nano is one of the best option is for you right now.