Insta360 has confirmed it is developing mirrorless cameras — two of them, with what the company describes as completely different characteristics. The confirmation came from chief executive JK Liu in an interview with Japanese publication Mynavi, and was picked up by Mirrorless Rumors. Insta360’s current range is at insta360.com.
Why this is more interesting than it sounds
Plenty of companies talk vaguely about future products. A chief executive stating on the record that development is underway on two distinct models is a different order of statement, and it moves this from persistent social-media rumour to something approaching a plan.
Insta360 is also not a company you would bet against lightly. It has gone from a niche 360 camera maker to a genuine force in a decade, and it did so by identifying things the established manufacturers were not doing — invisible selfie sticks, reframing in software, the Ace Pro’s flip screen, the X-series’ whole approach to shooting first and framing later. Whatever it builds is unlikely to be a conventional camera with an Insta360 badge on it.
The “completely different characteristics” phrasing is the part we would dwell on. It suggests two products aimed at genuinely different users rather than a good-better pair — perhaps one leaning on the computational and reframing strengths Insta360 has built, and another more conventional. That would be a sensible way to enter a market where you cannot out-Sony Sony.
The obvious question: what mount?
Nothing has been said about lens mounts, sensor sizes, or when any of this might appear, and that is where the real difficulty lies. Building a camera is achievable; building a lens system is a decade-long commitment. The alternatives are licensing an existing mount — L-Mount and Micro Four Thirds are both open to partners — or designing something new and accepting a thin lens range at launch.
GoPro has just taken the licensing route with the MISSION 1 PRO ILS and its Micro Four Thirds mount, which suggests the established action camera players see interchangeable lenses as the logical next step. Insta360 moving the same way would make competitive sense.
For now this is confirmation of intent rather than a product, and we would not expect to see anything imminently. But an action camera company with a strong record of unconventional thinking entering the mirrorless market is a genuinely interesting prospect — and the market could do with someone asking different questions.
Insta360 mirrorless: what has been confirmed
Status: Insta360 chief executive JK Liu has confirmed to Mynavi that development of mirrorless cameras is currently underway. Number of models: two, described as having completely different characteristics. Not disclosed: lens mount, sensor size, specifications, pricing or timescale. Note: this is a statement of development, not a product announcement, and no launch date has been indicated.
