Hello Derek. I bought the Ace Pro 2 and it was delivered just days after its release. While shooting a lengthy video outdoors on a cold day the inside of the lens guard misted over. In my opinion this may be an insulation issue --- as the camera warms up against the cold glass condensation forms. I left a message on the Insta360 forums asking if the Ace pro 2 was still waterproof WITHOUT the lens guard. At my second attempt I was told it is. So I shot a lengthy video on a cold day without the lens guard attached and everything was fine. This solves my problem without the hassle of returning my unit. I use expensive unprotected lenses regularly for my mirrorless cameras without any issues, and my Ace Pro 2 won't be used in rough contexts where its lens would be at risk. I'm just sharing all this in case it's helpful to others. Stated simply, it's the cover that fogs up and not the lens itself. I'm guessing that improved insulation around the sealed lens assembly would prevent the air behind the lens guard glass from warming up and causing condensation. For those who wonder what this looks like, check out the TH-cam video below. Go to 3:28. Is this condensation issue the main reason for the "out of stock" fiasco? Possibly. th-cam.com/video/TLvtTcneALU/w-d-xo.htmlsi=zm8tEslPSXdnGrqr
I think a lot of people would be hesitant to shoot without the lens guard but it would be a viable solution. I have only experienced fogging up (maybe) once so far, but it's the middle of summer here, so definitely not cold. I will monitor this situation. I did a search to see if other action cameras have the same issue. There are some people reporting this with GoPro and Osmo Action but much less commonly than with the AP2. I wonder why this camera seems to be so much more prone to this problem?
@@DerekChaiMedia Yes, you're right. Fortunately my contexts aren't rough and are all hand-held or on a tripod. The condensation issue is a pity because the Ace Pro 2 is a very good camera. For me it has the edge on the Action 5 Pro (which I own) --- better image quality in the standard setting (the DJI has an odd HDR look that can't be turned off); generally the Ace Pro 2 has less distortion, especially in the Mega setting (distortion on the 5 Pro is pretty awful in most settings): and I find the Clarity Zoom an excellent underrated feature in many contexts. If only Insta360 had their own mics, but I use the DJI Mic 2 and post-sync.
@@feetfirstspeks The DJI Mic 2 works really well on the Ace Pro 2. It is a pretty good camera, if not perfect. I'm still hoping that the condensation issue won't be a big issue for me. As they say, time will tell. Enjoy creating!
The mic covers dont make the mic waterproof or not. The only issue with the wind muff is that it soaks up water and makes the audio bad. Normal rain should be ok since the lens acts like a roof.
I think you make a really good point. Having a soggy piece of foam can’t be good. Not only for the sound at the time, but I’m sure it’ll get moldy and yuck in there
Have you found a workaround for the rain audio? Water in the muff completely ruins the audio unlike my old Hero 9 which just sounded a little muffled. Is the only option to remove the wind muff or does turning off wind noise reduction also work? So not only do I have to change camera mode depending on lighting I now have to change mics depending on the weather too 😡
Definitely looking forward to seeing more from your experience with the Ace Pro 2. You're right about most videos being sponsored and that's exactly why I had to post my comparisons with the Action 5. I did notice that when you set an ISO Max, it doesn't hold that setting (even though the camera setting doesn't change) when you turn the camera off and back on. I took mine in a dark room, set the ISO max to 400 and I was underexposed but when I turn the camera off and back on, I'm suddenly exposed much brighter until I toggle the Max ISO setting. Does yours do this? I've contacted their support and they are looking into the issue. I suspect that it's on all AP2's and a firmware update can address it.
Thank you for your comment. I haven’t tinkered with the settings too much on this camera so far. In fact, looking at the footage I’ve take so far, the AP2 seems to do a pretty decent job with exposure (nothing that can’t be fixed in post). Unlike still photography which I only shoot manual with, I tend to just use the camera’s auto settings for video. I’m much less experienced in videography than photography so I’m always learning. I’ll try to see what my camera does when I do my low light test.
im from southeast asia and my ace pro 2 fogged up during a night shoot. never on a daytime shoot. the thing is i've used other cameras for years in the same situation but they never fogged up. only happened on my ace pro 2. at first i didnt mind and thought it was just my ace pro 2 or the weather or the way i used it. but one day i searched youtube and found out that others had a similar experience. i like the ace pro 2 but that kind of defect is a deal breaker. im returning my ace pro 2.
Thank you. I’m just trying to approach this from the viewpoint of somebody who is excited about this camera but on the other hand, don’t want to waste money on a dud
I ordered mine on 26th October and had several interactions with them while waiting for the camera to arrive with them apologizing and telling me that it would ship as soon as it was back in stock.On 6th December I emailed them again telling them that I was cancelling the order and would be contacting PayPal for a refund.The very next day I received the news that it was back in stock and that my order had shipped!! Hopefully I'll get it in the next day or two.I'm watching the tracking on Fedex very carefully. :) I'm in USA btw
I hope you enjoy your camera when it arrives. It really is a great action cam. I’ve not found any issues so far (I didn’t get time to use it last week). I’ll give it a good test over the holidays.
I purchased this camera for a trip to Japan, expecting great performance, but I was disappointed with its low-light capabilities for both videos and photos. Both had significant noise, contrary to the quality advertised in many promotional videos. Surprisingly, the Samsung S24 Ultra outperformed this camera in low-light video quality, despite the larger sensor in the Ace Pro 2. Additionally, I noticed the product name fading on the device-not a critical issue but disappointing for a premium product. While I generally love Insta360 products, the Ace Pro 2 fell short of expectations. I plan to upload comparison videos to my channel later as a reference for others considering this camera.
That is disappointing that a phone did better than this camera in your experience. Maybe this camera has been overhyped as the best camera ever. I haven’t don’t any low light shooting yet but I have been super disappointed with every camera in low light. I just have very low expectations in these scenarios
I have had my Ace Pro 2 on order for 3 weeks now with no indication of when it will ship. I guess that if it is dispatched from China then it may take another week to reach the UK. I was hoping to be able to use it today as I needed to film all the Christmas lights and decorations inside Blenheim Palace in the UK, which obviously was a low light scenario. My Pixel phone did a reasonable job except for some flickering due to not being able to set the video frame rate to 25fps, as in Europe the electricity supply is 50Hz not 60Hz like in the Americas. I hope that they have fixed any hardware problems before they ship my camera.
I reckon the mic on the ace pro 2 sounds much better than the dji mic. The latter sounded a bit muddied. The footage looks great. It’d be cool to see what it’s like in low light.
I agree with you. The internal mic is actually really good. I will do some low light shooting as soon as I can. I’m very happy with the video quality so far, but I need to test out different scenarios
I love the camera so far too. In my limited experience so far, the sound (without a lot of ambient noise to be fair) is better with the built in mic compared to the Mic2. Maybe it’s something I haven’t set correctly.
@DerekChaiMedia I think the Mic Mini is a better mic, and it's half the cost with better battery life. Sounds a bit better. Just have to tweak it for better sound depending on what you need. All in all, very good camera
About the Sony overheating. You have to turn on High Temp mode. I've not looked into if this camera has it, but my a7iv has it. That camera also works in sub zero temps.
@@DerekChaiMedia There actually is. Power Settings Option>Auto Power Off Temp> switch form Standard to High>select High Now you can record as long as you want without it shutting off.
@@DerekChaiMedia If one wants to be kind to the camera, one can use an external battery, so one has a fake battery adapter inside just connecting the external battery. that's what people use when they shoot for hours. I've not tried it on my a7IV.
That is true. These days I’m into a very minimalistic approach to creating. I’ve spent too long lugging around big backpacks full of gear doing weddings. I’m trying to focus on creating the content these days rather than fancy gear. With that said i do want things that work well straight out of the box.
So while not 100% confirmed it seems like there was a batch issue with the camera as some have the issue and some don't. My guess is that is the reason insta360 hasn't really been shipping any out from their website and temporarily stopped taking orders. That said i do believe they're aware of it. They haven't come out and said anything however which is admittedly annoying but have been replacing cameras for anyone affected by the issue. I have one on order and im fairly certain the issue will be resolved or even has been resolved by the time it ships. They've got a huge backlog of orders to fulfill
I think you are quite correct. Without those concerns, the Ace Pro 2 is really a nice camera. I've not had issues with Insta360 in the past. This time, the communication just wasn't great. If they are replacing affected cameras, that would be amazing. I hope you get yours soon.
In humid conditions is impossible for any camera lens to not fog up. But if it fogs up tope easily I guess this could be an issue. Which I experienced in foggy conditions, and winter too on 4 Session, but I can't use my Hero 7 in winter cus batteries can't handle the sub zero temps. My main gripes with newer Gopro is they still don't have different beep for turning off and on. And bad low light performance. I see DJI Action 5 proand Acep Pro2 do better rin low light. But as you say it won't be great ieth such small camera.
When I went to Taiwan, I came out of the hotel onto the street and my lens was so fogged up I freaked out for a second. Humidity and cameras in general don’t go well together. But it is a bit of a nuisance tho
@@DerekChaiMedia Only way to know if ti's unusually fogging up is to test it and other cameras at the same time. but keep in mind if you have it in a backpack or bag the moisture collects and doesn't go away.
That’s true. We might be blaming everything on the AP2 when all the other cameras would have done the same. I did have one episode where I noticed some fogging the other day. Bear in mind it’s the middle of Summer here. I was in a school hall with no AC and it wasn’t overly humid. Hopefully it’s a once off
@@DerekChaiMedia Maybe a lens cover issue. I've not heard about the fogging issues. But I'm interested in the results. If it's an one off issue or happens every time.
1/ 14'11" the nightmare of all action cam heavily processing front from background; look at your top head hair transition to the background.... :( i don't mean to get a bokeh of 50 mm f1.2 lens but this cartoon rendering/juxtaposition is a bit annoying. Ok, , they use to to manage backlight, low light noise, and effects, etc.. But it is too much now.... 2/ still fish eye head and wax skin texture
I think action cameras and other small sensored cameras have that as their main trade-off. These days I use small cameras as a matter of convenience, because I don't want to lug around big units. I've done that in the past, took 2 bodies and 3 lenses on a US vacation, wedding photography etc, and I'm kind of over it. This is an acceptable compromise for me right now, but each creator will have different needs and expectations. Thanks for watching and commenting
@@DerekChaiMediaI have my lot of photo and video gears too. But small Panasonic camcorder, ok 3 times bigger, makes 30 times better job. Except what they are made for : " action cam" as even 5 axis stab is not enough.... But best gear is the one you have in you when needed ;) for that they are a winner... But for vlog, I still don t get it, no fish face, true skin color, bokeh, real lens, zoom and reverse LCD to see you vlogging...
The bokeh and all those nice features just doesn’t come on cameras that are so tiny. That’s definitely a trade off. The fact that everything behind you when you vlog is in focus too. But for a lot of people, they also get very self conscious with holding a giant camera in front of them in public so the smaller cameras are less of an issue because they don’t draw so much attention. Some of the other stuff can be reduced in post. So many choices right?
Hello Derek. I bought the Ace Pro 2 and it was delivered just days after its release. While shooting a lengthy video outdoors on a cold day the inside of the lens guard misted over. In my opinion this may be an insulation issue --- as the camera warms up against the cold glass condensation forms.
I left a message on the Insta360 forums asking if the Ace pro 2 was still waterproof WITHOUT the lens guard. At my second attempt I was told it is. So I shot a lengthy video on a cold day without the lens guard attached and everything was fine. This solves my problem without the hassle of returning my unit. I use expensive unprotected lenses regularly for my mirrorless cameras without any issues, and my Ace Pro 2 won't be used in rough contexts where its lens would be at risk.
I'm just sharing all this in case it's helpful to others. Stated simply, it's the cover that fogs up and not the lens itself. I'm guessing that improved insulation around the sealed lens assembly would prevent the air behind the lens guard glass from warming up and causing condensation. For those who wonder what this looks like, check out the TH-cam video below. Go to 3:28.
Is this condensation issue the main reason for the "out of stock" fiasco? Possibly.
th-cam.com/video/TLvtTcneALU/w-d-xo.htmlsi=zm8tEslPSXdnGrqr
I think a lot of people would be hesitant to shoot without the lens guard but it would be a viable solution. I have only experienced fogging up (maybe) once so far, but it's the middle of summer here, so definitely not cold. I will monitor this situation. I did a search to see if other action cameras have the same issue. There are some people reporting this with GoPro and Osmo Action but much less commonly than with the AP2. I wonder why this camera seems to be so much more prone to this problem?
@@DerekChaiMedia Yes, you're right. Fortunately my contexts aren't rough and are all hand-held or on a tripod. The condensation issue is a pity because the Ace Pro 2 is a very good camera. For me it has the edge on the Action 5 Pro (which I own) --- better image quality in the standard setting (the DJI has an odd HDR look that can't be turned off); generally the Ace Pro 2 has less distortion, especially in the Mega setting (distortion on the 5 Pro is pretty awful in most settings): and I find the Clarity Zoom an excellent underrated feature in many contexts. If only Insta360 had their own mics, but I use the DJI Mic 2 and post-sync.
@@feetfirstspeks The DJI Mic 2 works really well on the Ace Pro 2. It is a pretty good camera, if not perfect. I'm still hoping that the condensation issue won't be a big issue for me. As they say, time will tell. Enjoy creating!
Sounds like the fogging issue is happening in colder climates. When the camera heats up, the fogging occurs .
Definitely it cold where I live atm. Will keep a close on eye on this. I’m not sure why it’s a thing with this camera
The mic covers dont make the mic waterproof or not. The only issue with the wind muff is that it soaks up water and makes the audio bad. Normal rain should be ok since the lens acts like a roof.
I think you make a really good point. Having a soggy piece of foam can’t be good. Not only for the sound at the time, but I’m sure it’ll get moldy and yuck in there
Have you found a workaround for the rain audio? Water in the muff completely ruins the audio unlike my old Hero 9 which just sounded a little muffled. Is the only option to remove the wind muff or does turning off wind noise reduction also work? So not only do I have to change camera mode depending on lighting I now have to change mics depending on the weather too 😡
Definitely looking forward to seeing more from your experience with the Ace Pro 2. You're right about most videos being sponsored and that's exactly why I had to post my comparisons with the Action 5. I did notice that when you set an ISO Max, it doesn't hold that setting (even though the camera setting doesn't change) when you turn the camera off and back on. I took mine in a dark room, set the ISO max to 400 and I was underexposed but when I turn the camera off and back on, I'm suddenly exposed much brighter until I toggle the Max ISO setting. Does yours do this? I've contacted their support and they are looking into the issue. I suspect that it's on all AP2's and a firmware update can address it.
Thank you for your comment. I haven’t tinkered with the settings too much on this camera so far. In fact, looking at the footage I’ve take so far, the AP2 seems to do a pretty decent job with exposure (nothing that can’t be fixed in post). Unlike still photography which I only shoot manual with, I tend to just use the camera’s auto settings for video. I’m much less experienced in videography than photography so I’m always learning. I’ll try to see what my camera does when I do my low light test.
@DerekChaiMedia Im seeing noise above 1600. I want to set it at 800 and when underexposed switch to Pure video. Done. Simple.
im from southeast asia and my ace pro 2 fogged up during a night shoot. never on a daytime shoot. the thing is i've used other cameras for years in the same situation but they never fogged up. only happened on my ace pro 2. at first i didnt mind and thought it was just my ace pro 2 or the weather or the way i used it. but one day i searched youtube and found out that others had a similar experience. i like the ace pro 2 but that kind of defect is a deal breaker. im returning my ace pro 2.
That’s disappointing. I’ve not yet used it at night 😬. Has Insta360 addressed this issue at all? I haven’t read anything
@DerekChaiMedia i dont know about insta360's response to this. but the camera store where i bought it from will refund or replace my ace pro 2.
I think that’s the right move if you’re not happy with it. It will always be on your mind
Thank you for the video. Very practical commentaries.
Thank you. I’m just trying to approach this from the viewpoint of somebody who is excited about this camera but on the other hand, don’t want to waste money on a dud
I ordered mine on 26th October and had several interactions with them while waiting for the camera to arrive with them apologizing and telling me that it would ship as soon as it was back in stock.On 6th December I emailed them again telling them that I was cancelling the order and would be contacting PayPal for a refund.The very next day I received the news that it was back in stock and that my order had shipped!! Hopefully I'll get it in the next day or two.I'm watching the tracking on Fedex very carefully. :) I'm in USA btw
I hope you enjoy your camera when it arrives. It really is a great action cam. I’ve not found any issues so far (I didn’t get time to use it last week). I’ll give it a good test over the holidays.
You probably have your camera now right? Mine shipped at the same time and took like 3 days to make it to Georgia.
@@johnd9357yes I got mine two days ago
Have you experienced fogging?
I have the camera. I’ve used it a bit to vlog. Haven’t used it in low light yet
I purchased this camera for a trip to Japan, expecting great performance, but I was disappointed with its low-light capabilities for both videos and photos. Both had significant noise, contrary to the quality advertised in many promotional videos. Surprisingly, the Samsung S24 Ultra outperformed this camera in low-light video quality, despite the larger sensor in the Ace Pro 2. Additionally, I noticed the product name fading on the device-not a critical issue but disappointing for a premium product. While I generally love Insta360 products, the Ace Pro 2 fell short of expectations. I plan to upload comparison videos to my channel later as a reference for others considering this camera.
That is disappointing that a phone did better than this camera in your experience. Maybe this camera has been overhyped as the best camera ever. I haven’t don’t any low light shooting yet but I have been super disappointed with every camera in low light. I just have very low expectations in these scenarios
I have had my Ace Pro 2 on order for 3 weeks now with no indication of when it will ship. I guess that if it is dispatched from China then it may take another week to reach the UK.
I was hoping to be able to use it today as I needed to film all the Christmas lights and decorations inside Blenheim Palace in the UK, which obviously was a low light scenario.
My Pixel phone did a reasonable job except for some flickering due to not being able to set the video frame rate to 25fps, as in Europe the electricity supply is 50Hz not 60Hz like in the Americas.
I hope that they have fixed any hardware problems before they ship my camera.
Hopefully you’ll get your camera soon. It really is a very nice camera
I reckon the mic on the ace pro 2 sounds much better than the dji mic. The latter sounded a bit muddied.
The footage looks great. It’d be cool to see what it’s like in low light.
I agree with you. The internal mic is actually really good. I will do some low light shooting as soon as I can. I’m very happy with the video quality so far, but I need to test out different scenarios
I love the AP2. No problems at all. Hooks up the DJI Mic2 and the Mic Mini with no issues
I love the camera so far too. In my limited experience so far, the sound (without a lot of ambient noise to be fair) is better with the built in mic compared to the Mic2. Maybe it’s something I haven’t set correctly.
@DerekChaiMedia I think the Mic Mini is a better mic, and it's half the cost with better battery life. Sounds a bit better. Just have to tweak it for better sound depending on what you need. All in all, very good camera
Yes it is. And I’m happy that the Mic Mini is good. It’s so small
About the Sony overheating. You have to turn on High Temp mode. I've not looked into if this camera has it, but my a7iv has it. That camera also works in sub zero temps.
I don’t think there was a high temp mode on my ZV1
@@DerekChaiMedia There actually is. Power Settings Option>Auto Power Off Temp> switch form Standard to High>select High
Now you can record as long as you want without it shutting off.
That’s cool. Thanks for the great tip 👍🏻
@@DerekChaiMedia If one wants to be kind to the camera, one can use an external battery, so one has a fake battery adapter inside just connecting the external battery. that's what people use when they shoot for hours. I've not tried it on my a7IV.
That is true. These days I’m into a very minimalistic approach to creating. I’ve spent too long lugging around big backpacks full of gear doing weddings. I’m trying to focus on creating the content these days rather than fancy gear. With that said i do want things that work well straight out of the box.
So while not 100% confirmed it seems like there was a batch issue with the camera as some have the issue and some don't. My guess is that is the reason insta360 hasn't really been shipping any out from their website and temporarily stopped taking orders. That said i do believe they're aware of it. They haven't come out and said anything however which is admittedly annoying but have been replacing cameras for anyone affected by the issue. I have one on order and im fairly certain the issue will be resolved or even has been resolved by the time it ships. They've got a huge backlog of orders to fulfill
I think you are quite correct. Without those concerns, the Ace Pro 2 is really a nice camera. I've not had issues with Insta360 in the past. This time, the communication just wasn't great. If they are replacing affected cameras, that would be amazing. I hope you get yours soon.
In humid conditions is impossible for any camera lens to not fog up. But if it fogs up tope easily I guess this could be an issue. Which I experienced in foggy conditions, and winter too on 4 Session, but I can't use my Hero 7 in winter cus batteries can't handle the sub zero temps.
My main gripes with newer Gopro is they still don't have different beep for turning off and on.
And bad low light performance. I see DJI Action 5 proand Acep Pro2 do better rin low light. But as you say it won't be great ieth such small camera.
When I went to Taiwan, I came out of the hotel onto the street and my lens was so fogged up I freaked out for a second. Humidity and cameras in general don’t go well together. But it is a bit of a nuisance tho
@@DerekChaiMedia Only way to know if ti's unusually fogging up is to test it and other cameras at the same time. but keep in mind if you have it in a backpack or bag the moisture collects and doesn't go away.
That’s true. We might be blaming everything on the AP2 when all the other cameras would have done the same. I did have one episode where I noticed some fogging the other day. Bear in mind it’s the middle of Summer here. I was in a school hall with no AC and it wasn’t overly humid. Hopefully it’s a once off
@@DerekChaiMedia Maybe a lens cover issue. I've not heard about the fogging issues. But I'm interested in the results. If it's an one off issue or happens every time.
Nice thanks 🙏
Thank you. Do you have one?
Il y a un problème, aucun magasin dans le monde ne vend cette camera ²...🙃
There are quite a few stores in Sydney that have this camera in stock. Just not the creator combo
I have one and I want to sell it 😭😭
1/ 14'11" the nightmare of all action cam heavily processing front from background; look at your top head hair transition to the background.... :( i don't mean to get a bokeh of 50 mm f1.2 lens but this cartoon rendering/juxtaposition is a bit annoying. Ok, , they use to to manage backlight, low light noise, and effects, etc.. But it is too much now....
2/ still fish eye head and wax skin texture
I think action cameras and other small sensored cameras have that as their main trade-off. These days I use small cameras as a matter of convenience, because I don't want to lug around big units. I've done that in the past, took 2 bodies and 3 lenses on a US vacation, wedding photography etc, and I'm kind of over it. This is an acceptable compromise for me right now, but each creator will have different needs and expectations. Thanks for watching and commenting
@@DerekChaiMediaI have my lot of photo and video gears too. But small Panasonic camcorder, ok 3 times bigger, makes 30 times better job. Except what they are made for : " action cam" as even 5 axis stab is not enough.... But best gear is the one you have in you when needed ;) for that they are a winner... But for vlog, I still don t get it, no fish face, true skin color, bokeh, real lens, zoom and reverse LCD to see you vlogging...
The bokeh and all those nice features just doesn’t come on cameras that are so tiny. That’s definitely a trade off. The fact that everything behind you when you vlog is in focus too. But for a lot of people, they also get very self conscious with holding a giant camera in front of them in public so the smaller cameras are less of an issue because they don’t draw so much attention. Some of the other stuff can be reduced in post. So many choices right?