Construction and Design

The whole thing is essentially built on three components that connect and work as a single functioning action cam: the RS Core (which houses the chipset and screen), the battery base unit, and then a choice of three different lens options to complete the build.

First up, is the 4K ‘Boost’ lens, one which has been upgraded for this year to allow backwards compatibility with the rest of the RS unit. That’s something that will be ideal for vlogging or selfie-style filming when you need to see yourself framed up on the screen. Next up is the iconic 360 lens, the one which put its namesake brand firmly on the actin cam map. Lastly, there’s the 1-Inch Lense from optic masters, Leica, which offers the largest image sensor of any action cam in the world in an impressive wide-angle option.

The benefits of this modular system mean that you can fit the camera with the best possible lens for the kind of footage you’re after. Mobbing trees with your mates in Hokkaido? Go for the 360. Wanting to get some ultra crisp slow-mo through the park? The 4K ‘Boost lens gives you the option to shoot ultra-detailed 4K footage in 25 FPS right up to 60FPS, or 200 FPS in standard HD.

As for capturing stills, you can shoot up to high resolution 8000×6000 in 4:3 and 8000×4500 in 16:9. These images can be captured in either .JPG or .RAW to make full use of editing software. And not that it’s something super relevant to snowboarding (although some spring days can get pretty wet), but the camera continues to work at depths of up to 16ft underwater.

“The whole thing is essentially built on three components that connect and work as a single functioning action cam”

Battery

The battery pack has undergone an upgrade in the One RS unit, with an increased 1445mAh capacity. Filming in sub-zero conditions will always deplete the battery life quicker than in warmer climates, you’re still able to capture up to 75 minutes of continuous recording (tested at 4K, 60fps FlowState mode). Not bad at all, is it?

The App

The essence of an action cam is to make capturing on-the-go, point-and-shoot footage as convenient as possible. Insta360 nail this, not just in terms of the hardware itself, but their super intuitive app. Cutting, editing, reframing and enhancing your footage are all straightforward to do on your phone, and the updated core in the One RS allows for 50% faster WiFi transfers from the camera to your phone.

“Edit your clips together and ping ‘em up onto the Gram or Tik Tok before last lifts”

Roundup

Occasionally, the snowboard market feels saturated with certain products. Camo pants, anyone? How about another 3D profile in the nose and tail of the board? A 16-minute edit of your shaky headcam footage down the Vallee Blanche?

It’s an uncomfortable truth but, for most recreational action cam users, the footage generally comes out looking just a little bit, well, meh. However, Insta360 have struck a great balance with the new One RS action cam. It comes with incredible versatility to capture a variety of professional looking footage while maintaining its user-friendly interface and app to edit your clips together and ping ‘em up onto the Gram or Tik Tok before last lifts.

Pros:

• Modular system allows you to create various different shot types with a single device
• Faster WiFi transfer and intuitive app makes it very easy to edit clips on the go

Cons:

• Small display screen (compared with the GoPro)