From Digital Camera World · · 3m
Can Leica make an action camera a real camera?
The Insta360 Ace Pro 2 with Leica engineering produces surprisingly good still images that stand up beside traditional cameras.
In brief
The Insta360 Ace Pro 2 with Leica engineering produces surprisingly good still images that stand up beside traditional cameras. Action cameras have evolved so far that the category name no longer fits devices like the Ace Pro 2, which can produce genuinely good photographs alongside 8K video. Originally reported by…
Leica meets action cameras
The Insta360 Ace Pro 2 pairs a 1/1.3-inch sensor with Leica optics, raising the question: can an action camera produce images as good as a traditional camera?
An unusual pairing
Leica represents slow, deliberate photography with expensive glass. Action cameras are tiny boxes strapped to helmets and handlebars. The combination seems contradictory.
The real test
The reviewer took the Ace Pro 2 into the field alongside a Leica M240 to see if an action camera with Leica engineering could produce images worthy of being called photographs.
Not a fair fight
The M240 has a 24MP full-frame sensor while the Ace Pro 2 uses a much smaller 1/1.3-inch sensor producing 50MP stills. The cameras serve completely different purposes.
The grip changes everything
The Xplorer Grip Pro adds a proper shutter button, zoom control, and exposure dial, transforming the Ace Pro 2 from a video device into something that feels like a compact camera.
“Suddenly, this little action cam starts feeling remarkably like a compact camera.”
Leica looks applied instantly
The camera applies Leica-inspired presets like Leica Vivid directly to JPEGs while recording DNG RAW files for later editing, blurring the line between action camera and traditional compact.
Massive resolution for an action cam
The full 4:3 sensor produces 50MP images at 8192 by 6144 pixels. Switching to 16:9 still yields roughly 37MP, giving photographers real freedom to crop and reframe.
Photography is not an afterthought
The Ace Pro 2 treats still images as genuinely developed, not just a side feature. RAW files offer real editing latitude when treated like images from any other camera.
The Leica M240 still wins
The full-frame sensor produces superior depth, tonality, texture, and natural rendering that the tiny Ace Pro 2 cannot replicate. But that was never the real question.
“The larger full-frame sensor produces a completely different quality to the image.”
Ace Pro 2 images hold their own
The Ace Pro 2 images did not fall apart beside M240 photographs. They showed plenty of detail, excellent colors, and the Leica presets deliver polished images ready to share instantly.
“What surprised me was just how good the Insta360 images looked beside it.”
RAW editing gives real control
Taking DNG files into a photo editor provides genuinely useful latitude for adjustments. This editing flexibility is remarkable for a camera that also shoots 8K video.
Action camera label is outdated
The Ace Pro 2 is not replacing the M240, but it proves the term action camera is increasingly restrictive for devices this capable at still photography.
A rugged compact camera
With the Xplorer Grip Pro, the Ace Pro 2 becomes an incredibly capable compact camera that is rugged, tiny, shoots 8K video, and goes places an M camera never would.
Good photographs, period
The Ace Pro 2's still images are not merely good for an action camera. In the right conditions, they are genuinely good photographs.
“Its still images are not merely good because they came from an action camera; in the right conditions, they are genuinely good photographs.”
Leica engineering delivers
Yes, Leica engineering helps make the Ace Pro 2 feel like a proper camera. Insta360 is now leading the pack when it comes to still photography with action cameras.
“So, can Leica engineering help make an action camera feel like a "proper" camera? After using the Ace Pro 2 this way, I think the answer is yes.”
The big picture
Action cameras have evolved so far that the category name no longer fits devices like the Ace Pro 2, which can produce genuinely good photographs alongside 8K video.
