The smartphone accessory live-streams 360-degree video — and snaps stills — using two 220-degree lenses, image stabilization, and integrated stitching software. Plugged into the top of the phone, the camera captures about 3,000 pixels stretched across that 360-degree view for stills, or 2K for videos at 30fps.
The Insta360 Air isn’t the company’s first jaunt with 360. The Insta360 Nano is an iPhone-compatible version. While the two cameras have a completely different look — the Nano sporting a rectangular shape while the Air is a sphere — the company says the quality from the two will be similar. Besides the iOS compatibility, the pricier Nano has a built-in battery, while the Air uses a charge from the smartphone’s battery.
The Insta360 Air uses four different viewing modes: the traditional scrollable 360, the Little Planet, flat mode, and a VR mode for using with goggles. The camera connects to Android smartphones through a Micro USB or Type-C port. The camera can also double as a webcam by connecting the camera to a laptop using an extension arm.
Both lenses are 210 degree fisheyes with a f/2.4 maximum aperture. Insta360 says that both the shutter speed and ISO on the camera are adjustable.
Smaller than a golf ball, the sphere-shaped camera sits about an inch and a half tall, weighing a pocketable .93 ounces (26.5 g).
After only a day of crowd funding, the campaign has already reached over half of its $20,000 goal. The Insta360 Air is selling to early backers for $99 if that campaign reaches full funding over the next month, with retail price expected to sit at $119. Insta360 says it expects the product to ship to backers in March of 2017.
