As we get older the appeal of the lighter camera becomes far greater. I produced my first wedding video after a break of nine years during August 2025 the last being my son Scott’s wedding during 2016. Then I had a Sony FS7, Carbon fibre Miller Tripod and all the kits plus a Panasonic GH4.

My Arran wedding for my good friend Allan was a delightful wedding using the DJI Pocket 3 in 4K 50p on an HD timeline. My wife Susan filmed people arriving with a DJI Action 5 at 4K 50p. No cumbersome kit to lug around and no heavy tripod needed, all handheld and as steady as a rock.

The interesting part isn’t just the hardware battle between DJI and Insta360—it’s that market access suddenly became a competitive advantage. DJI’s new dual-lens pocket camera, the Osmo Pocket 4P, launched in China but remains effectively unavailable through normal U.S. retail channels because of the FCC situation surrounding newer DJI products. That created a window that Insta360 exploited very effectively with the launch of the Leica co-engineered Luna Ultra. 

On the optics side, Leica’s involvement appears to be more than marketing. The Luna Ultra uses Leica Summicron-branded optics and Leica colour profiles, continuing a partnership that has already produced several successful cameras. Early reviews and user impressions frequently mention the colour rendering and telephoto image quality as standout features. 

The strategic move from Insta360 was clever because they didn’t simply copy the Pocket formula. They differentiated with:

• Leica co-engineered dual-lens system.
• 8K 25p recording capability.
• Detachable OLED touchscreen that doubles as a wireless monitor/controller.
• Strong emphasis on creator workflows and remote operation. 

Back to my account of day one and two with the Insta 360 Luna Ultra. It’s not a quick point and shoot as many people would have you believe. There is a bit of setting up and its easy to get your exposure wrong.

In fact, early Luna Ultra reviewers and users have specifically complained about the lack of exposure-monitoring tools:

Multiple Luna Ultra users have commented that there are currently no zebras, false colour, or exposure histogram on the camera itself, making exposure more difficult especially when shooting I-Log, not a feature I use myself. One reviewer noted that the histogram is only available through the phone app, not directly on the camera screen. I can confirm this but it’s so small it’s practically useless. I think zebras would have been better as most cameras like the Panasonic GH series have them and 99% of pro camcorders. This has been a serious omission from this camera from a professional standpoint, especially when their rival the DJI Pocket 4 & 3 both have overexposure warnings in PRO mode.

The addition of the remote screen was another feature I was looking forward to using for someone like myself who is a self shooter I thought this feature would be very useful rather than using the app on my iPhone. Sadly this feature is very limited I had screen pixelation from less than 4 feet from the camera which is the signal having problems keeping up with the camera.

Don’t get me wrong I have seen some spectacular footage out of the Luna and having the ability to “change” your focal point from the standard 20mm wide shot is fantastic.

The standard (1×) lens on the Insta360 Luna Ultra is a 20mm full-frame equivalent focal length with an f/1.8 aperture. The camera also includes a dedicated telephoto lens at 60mm equivalent (3×) with an f/2.0 aperture. 

Obviously this is version one and as like other handheld cameras of this type various firmwares will be added. 8K 25p is also stunning and unlike other users I have not had any overheating issues. I will post some footage in due course.

I thought this was quite genius at first, making a temporary tripod from the inbuilt wire frame only to be compared to three wire frames that look as if they were made from paperclips. Very flimsy in my opinion.

Take away the anxiety of placing the Luna on a flat surface by adding a quick release Arca-Swiss plate and you open up many options to mount the Luna.