I have more cameras than I can count (5D2, 7D, M, M2, S100, GoPro4S, to name a few), yet I decided to purchase a Insta360 Nano for my business trip to London this summer. I even paid extra to purchase from a 3rd party just so I could have it in time. After spending a week in London with it, my verdict is this - this is probably the best $240 for camera equipment I've spent!

Insta360 Nano is so easy to use - basically one button operation. Easier than GoPro. Once you put in MicroSD card (I use a 64GB), you can shoot without it being attached to your iPhone. It uses 2x 210-degree lenses to stick together a 360-degree image, almost magic-like. I could not imagine it worked better. When I walked around London with it taking photos and video, I was stopped several times with people asking me what this is. When I showed them the 360 images, I can see their jaws drop!

Once Insta360 is connected to my iPhone 6 Plus, it automatically downloads the images to your phone. You can then export / post the 360 picture to Facebook. Facebook automatically detects this being a 360-degree image, and activates the 360 viewer where your friends can turn their phones and see your environment. It's just like they are there with me! (well almost). Many friends asked me how I did it. Between Facebook and ad-hoc demos in London, I think I sold more than 10 Insta360s to my friends and random people.

After coming home I attached the phone to my VR goggle (basically a plastic Google Cardboard) and here I am, in my kitchen, reliving London in all its 360-degree glory!!! I was amazing how much I would have missed taking a picture from just one angle, even though I also have my EOS M2 with a 11mm lens on it. However, I did still take many hundreds of pics on the M2 (great camera btw) just because the Insta360 image quality just isn't as good as M2 with its APS-C sensor. But for what it does, it does so well.

I'm so glad I purchased it for the trip because now I have memories of London - Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, British Museum, Buckingham Palace - all in 360.

I can't remember the last time I spent about $200 for a lens or an accessory and had as much fun with it. Get it as soon as you can!!

(My sample images doesn't do the 360 pictures justice, but trust me, when posted onto FB it takes on a whole new dimension.)

Gets the job done for a decent price.

I got the Insta 360 Nano as a gift from a relative, and I have some general impressions on the camera after using it for several days now. It’s my first 360 camera but I’ve looked at reviews and image/video samples from other 360 cameras, and in general it’s been pretty fun to use. Here are some of my thoughts:

Packaging
• Liked the creative packaging: the box it comes in is a Google Cardboard-esque VR viewer
• It holds iPhone securely, but it is optimal for the 6S+/6+ because the 6S/6 has some bezel showing when the goggles are on

HARDWARE

Ergonomics
• Rounded edges, fits well in the hand
• Some awkwardness with having to hold the phone upside down but I got used to it quickly
• Most useful when attached with phone: with no monitor, one notification light, and a single button, using standalone isn’t convenient

Build Quality
• Surprisingly good build quality for this price and for a 1st gen. product (made from aluminum)
• The industrial design is consistent with iPhone: matches texture and color matches that of the iPhone
• The aluminum build makes it pretty rigid (less bendable than the iPhone :D); area around lightning port is structurally sound, but the power/shutter button might be made out of plastic, and shows a few scratches from dropping the camera
• Some concern with regards to protruding lens elements getting scratched/cracked
• When resting the phone on table (esp. face down) the front element is the first to make contact with the table
• Although a soft carrying pouch is provided, it can’t be used while the Nano is attached to your iPhone. A smaller clip-on or some other form of protection for the lenses that you could use while attached to the iPhone would be nice

Image quality
• Higher resolution than the other 360 camera in this price bracket (LG 360 Cam) at 3K (can’t find sensor size anywhere)
• Images generally come out with decent color, and though sharpness isn’t fantastic, it’s on par with its competitors in same or higher price bracket
• It has a fast aperture f2.0, but I saw some noise in low light (in doors and night time) and in the shadows (it's probably the image processing so it might be improved through software updates)
• The app lets you turn off or on compensation for the distortion from the wide-angle lenses and it’s helpful in making people’s faces less stretched in selfies/portraits
• I noticed some chromatic aberration around highlights/bright objects, and saw some artifacts where the image was stitched, but this is not uncommon among most 360 cameras

Video quality
• By default it will record only for a few seconds, but the app gives you the option to record for longer if you want
• Generally didn’t have a problem recording video, process was smooth and simple
• The video quality is decent and viewing it on the iPhone I didn’t see any big issues
• The menus let you decide video resolution and other options, and is generally pretty useful in letting you choose what you want to get out of the camera
• The Insta360 has a built in microphone and the audio quality is decent as far as built-in mics go

SOFTWARE

Ease of use
o The app will always be upside down when you use it, regardless of whether the camera is attached, but it’s not that inconvenient and you get used to it
o It took a little while to figure out how to get to the view in the app to get live-view for the camera because the instructions skip over some steps and the yellow highlighting on the camera icon suggests that you’re already on the viewfinder/camera view
o I liked that they have live-streaming built in: you can share live 360 video on Facebook, Youtube or WeChat

Controlling camera
o Some manual controls like shutter speed and ISO would be nice, but this product isn’t marketed towards more technical users
o I liked how the live-view page shows you a preview of the whole stitched image so you can get a good idea on composition
o Would be nice if you could use the insta360 separately w/ the phone as a remote viewfinder

Gallery/viewing
o I had fun with the several different view modes, and they give you some nice looks for your photos
• “Tiny planet”, a flat “perspective” view, and a stretched “fisheye” view are the ones available and their website has decent video/photo samples for what they look like
o There was a horizon adjustment option and that’s nice when you’re not paying attention to keeping the camera perfectly level

GENERAL IMPRESSIONS

What I liked
• The integration with iPhone over lightning (Apple MFi certified)
• The build quality (aluminum) was great, especially for a 1st generation product and the low price point
• Image quality is okay, on par with some higher priced competitors, and this is good enough considering this is part of the first wave of decent 360 cameras and is reasonably affordable.
• Again, the pricing is competitive, and undercuts most of its competitors like the Gear 360.
• It’s useful in that it supplants the need for a selfie stick and gives you a lot more options in terms of the look of your photo: with the fisheye and tiny planet views you can get some pretty cool effects, and in the perspective and fisheye view, you can move around the image until you get the composition you want. (Basically really flexible cropping)
• the ability to live stream to Facebook, Youtube, or WeChat is great for sharing
• The VR goggles being included as the box
• Generally smooth operation; I didn't notice significant lag or hitches in using the app and the camera
• Having a SD card slot built into the camera is nice since you won't be filling up all the space on your iPhone

What should be changed/fixed in the 2nd gen. product
• If possible, compatibility with Android (Though made for iPhone 6, it’s still compatible with other Apple devices given they have a lightning connector and you have an extension cable)
• Ability to use it remotely/wirelessly on your phone with WiFi (would understandably need to sacrifice some portability for longer battery life and having wireless radios on board)
• More buttons and viewable information on the camera like a dedicated shutter or more notification lights that communicate better what the camera is doing; this would make using the camera a lot easier as a standalone
• Some redesigns to the UI on the app: e.g. the confusing highlighted camera icon, making the dropdown/swipe down menu for view modes more visible, giving more manual controls for the camera

I would recommend the Insta360 Nano to anyone with an iPhone and an interest in photography, VR or 360 video/photo. It’s priced competitively at $199, and has a lot of features that you can find on a much more expensive 360 camera. It’s pretty convenient to use with your iPhone, and it’s portable and built sturdily enough that you can carry it around with you all day. The app took a little bit of time to get used to, but once you’ve got a grasp on operating the camera, it’s quite easy and fun to use. With its lower pricing, fun features, and straightforward operation, the 360 Nano makes good 360 video/photo accessible to a lot more people, and I’m looking forward to what Insta360 puts out in the future!

Just opened the phone to down load the app. I-Phone refuses to allow the phone access the App. Says it doesn't trust security. I read more reviews and they are horrible. Quality terrible. Can't share with out using their site. I'm returning mine immeadiately.

The manual instructions and customer support are not very good. I used the camera a couple of times, put it away and let it sit for a few months. Now it won't charge, power up while attached to the phone or on a charger. Tried all the resets that they suggest. This was a waste of money. Unreliable.