Over the past year and a half I’ve had a front-row seat to witness the intense battle between Insta360 and DJI, two Shenzhen-headquartered tech giants whose previously separate product portfolio began to overlap. In the past year we’ve seen Insta360 launch (under a subsidiary brand) its first drone, and DJI released its first 360 cameras. The two companies also make similar action cameras and smartphone cameras, and now Insta360 is going after arguably DJI’s most popular product, the small gimbal camera.

I’m actually surprised it took this long, because the DJI Pocket 3, released in late 2023, was a clear hit from day one. It was out of stock throughout most of the first year, so much so that I knew multiple content creator/influencer friends who paid above market value to attain one. When I attend major tech events like iPhone launch or Mobile World Congress, I would see literally dozens of Pocket 3s on the demo show floor. Given the rate at which Chinese brands work, I thought we would have seen competitors jump on this category a year ago.

Whatever the case, the first real alternative to the DJI Pocket is here, and it has exceeded all my expectations. This is the rare “copycat product” to not only offer better specs, but new ingenious features than outclass the original.

The Luna Ultra is, just like the DJI Pocket, a camera mounted on a miniature gimbal, connected to a vertical body that is easy to hold and operate with one hand. The in-hand feel, to the way the screen swivels from vertical to landscape orientation, works just like the DJI Pocket 3.

The first noticeable thing about the Luna Ultra is it has a second camera: a 3X zoom lens to compliment the 1-inch wide-angle sensor. This is new, but DJI is also about to release a Pocket 4P that also has the same dual-lens setup. So it’s not here that Insta360 "win" in terms of attention-grabbing feature. Instead, it's the fact that the screen and control panel can detach from the main body, and once detached, it is still fully functional, which allows for easy remote control of the camera. This is a feature the DJI Pocket 4P does not offer (with that camera, if you want to control it remotely, you have to use DJI's companion app).

It is this single feature that has drawn the most of the intigue from social media so far, and for me -- a solo content creator who films most of videos alone without help -- a game-changing killer feature that fundamentally improves my work flow.

Previously, filming myself requires setting up a camera on a tripod, where I first have to estimate framing. Once that is set up, I would move into position on camera and see if framing is correct. If the framing is not -- say the top of my head is too close to the top of the frame, or the camera is a bit too far -- I would have to get up from my seat, walk to the camera, and readjust. This process usually takes a couple of minutes, and since I film outside on public street often, it is a stressful, uncomfortable two minutes of fiddling.

Now with the Luna Ultra, I don't have to worry about that anymore, because I can remote control the camera position -- I can tilt higher, lower, pan left or right -- and control zoom level.

And because the Luna Ultra is so small, I have carried this with me everywhere instead of my "real" camera the past month.

In fact, my last few YouTube videos were already shot with the Insta360 Luna Ultra, it has mostly replaced the need to use my $3,700 "real" camera setup (Sony ZV-E1 plus a Sigma 28-70mm lens).

I wouldn't have bee able to do that if the optics aren't good, and the Luna Ultra optics are near top of the line for any small pocketable camera. The main camera is a 1-inch sensor with f/1.8 aperture and shoots wide 20mm shots, which makes it easy for hand-held vlog style videos and landscape shots. But the true gamechanger fo rme is the second camera, a 60mm telephoto lens (about 3X zoom) with a sensor size of 1/1.3-inch and f/2 aperture. In terms of sensor size and f-stop -- two attributes that determine light intake and bokeh level -- they are bigger and faster than any other zoom lens in any pocketable camera right now, incuding the best Chinese Ultra phones whose zoom lenses I've been raving about for a few years. Technically speaking, the Luna Ultra zoom lens is superior to even the Vivo X300 Ultra, which is in my opinion the best mobile camera out there.

The zoom lens is needed for me, because I film a lot of product shots, and a zoom lens produces stronger background compression and natural bokeh than a 20mm wide lens.

Insta360 also partnered with Leica (just as Xiaomi did) so the images and videos can have these Leica-inspired colors with darker shadows and more contrast. These are all optional of course, as they’re essentially filters that you select before you shoot.

Personally, I prefer filming video in LOG, afterwhich I can color grade myself, and the Luna Ultra can shoot 10-bit LOG video too. Video clips below are all Luna Ultra LOG footage, after I’ve color graded it.

Now, the elephant in the room, DJI is also set to launch soon a similar camera with two lenses, and I have that camera too. But the Pocket 4P is still under embargo and I’m not allowed to share full specs, so I cannot quite compare footage or declare which one shoots better footage right now, but let's just say it's close, and the Insta360 having a detachable screen (while DJI does not) is going to be a difference maker for a lot of solo shooters.

The Luna Ultra retails for $760. I know this price may seem high to a casual reader, but for people who enjoys filming video everywhere they go, or people who makes videos for a living, I think this price is absolutely fair, and not considered expensive. As I said, I stopped using my $3,700 camera after I got the Luna Ultra in for review.

Now of course the "real" camera will still produce higher quality visuals in specific instances, but for every day shoot, I want to argue it's close enough. Professional video makers who charge thousands of dollars per job will still use a "real" camera, but for everyone else who's filming Reels for Instagram, or vlogs on YouTube, the Luna Ultra is more than good enough, and it's significantly lighter and easier to carry around.