Insta360, known for creating innovative action cameras, released the Insta360 Sphere. Compatible with DJI’s Mavic Air 2 and Air 2S drones, it allows users to instantly create 360º aerial footage without having to fly an FPV (first-person-view) quadcopter or spend hours in post-production creating special effects and editing out parts of the drone while it was filming. The Sphere is made up of two Insta360 cameras that attach to a Mavic Air 2 or 2S with an ultra-secure locking mechanism. Insta360 says the Sphere system has no impact on the drone’s structural integrity and does not impede the GPS signal or the remote control system.

“Sphere represents a continuation of Insta360’s mission to help people capture and share their lives better, making Insta360’s industry-leading 360 reframing and editing software accessible to a wider range of creators,” the company says. “Sphere users can edit their videos using the same AI-powered features as the Insta360 ONE Series in the Insta360 app. Creative effects like barrel rolls and dolly zooms are as easy as a tap.”

The Insta360 Sphere is basically the ONE X / ONE X2 in a different form factor. The camera sports the same sensors and lenses that can produce 360 still images in up to 6080×3040 (2x 1:1 circles in either insp or DNG raw format). In video mode, the Insta360 Sphere tops at 5.7K (5760×2880) 30/25/24 fps in 360 footage. Lower resolutions are available in 50fps (3840×1920) or 100fps (3008×1504). The videos are captured in the INSV format to be further processed in one of Insta360’s apps.

Just like with other Insta360 cameras – there are three picture profiles: standard, vivid, or log. The video bitrate maxes out at 100Mbps. The Sphere, of course, utilizes the FlowState stabilization for horizon-leveled clips. The stitching algorithm automatically erases the drone including its propellers from the image which results in an easily achieved “invisible drone” 360 clips.