myOurReview

Sony ECM-W5: two-minute review Sony’s ECM-W5 is a prosumer wireless microphone system cut from the same cloth as the DJI Mic 3 , Insta360 Mic Pro and Rode Wireless Pro. Like all those, it's available in a package featuring two clip-on transmitters, a receiver that plugs into your camera or phone, and a charging case to keep everything topped up. At £350 for the full kit, however, it costs more than any of them — so it needs to bring something extra to the table. It does just that. The headline feature is in-camera 32-bit float recording, something no other wireless mic I’m aware of can do. Rivals will happily record 32-bit float files to their transmitters' internal storage, but that leaves you syncing separate audio in the edit. With the ECM-W5 mounted on a Multi Interface Shoe camera such as the Sony A7 V, that extra headroom is baked straight into your video files. Most people won’t ...

Insta360 Luna Pro: Two-minute review I'll be honest: my first reaction to the Insta360 Luna Pro wasn't really about the camera itself — more its price tag. At $599.99/£599.99/AU$859.99, it sits close enough to the flagship Luna Ultra model (at least in the USA and UK) that I've been wondering whether Insta360 has left itself room for a proper budget option in this range. The Pro doesn't offer a significant saving over the Ultra, which I suspect will drive many buyers into opting for the latter simply because it features a second lens for a similar price. That's not a knock on the Luna Pro itself, though, because it handles its actual job — smooth, hands-free footage you don't have to think about — with real aplomb. Popping the touchscreen module free from the body and using it as a standalone remote is a neat trick, and it's just as handy here as it was on the Ultra. T...

DJI Osmo 360 II: two-minute review Just a year after launching its debut 360 camera, the Osmo 360 , DJI has delivered a sequel that addresses pretty much every complaint I had with the original — without asking you to pay through the nose for the privilege. The Osmo 360 II looks and feels almost identical to its predecessor: same dimensions, same weight, same general shape. But DJI has used that 12-month gap wisely, fixing the two biggest issues I had with the original Osmo 360 in one swift update. First, the lenses. They're now built with a tougher optical coating, and — far more importantly — they're user-replaceable if you crack or scratch one. For anyone using this camera to capture action sports, that alone might be worth the modest price increase. Second, DJI's approach to underwater shooting has changed. The waterproof rating hasn't budged from 10m, but where DJI once activ...

Insta360 X6: two-minute review 10 years after Insta360 launched its first 360 camera, the X6 arrives as the anniversary flagship — and it arrives in a much, much busier 360 camera market . This time, Insta360 is defending its home turf against a resurgent GoPro Max 2 and a highly capable debut from DJI in the Osmo 360 . There's a feeling, then, that the X6 has to be something more than just an annual refresh. For the most part, it delivers. The squat body houses a pair of larger 1/1.1-inch sensors, and while I wouldn't call the resulting jump in image quality dramatic when set directly against the X5's footage, its effect on where the X6 sits against the wider field is significant. The GoPro Max 2 has owned daylight sharpness in this category since launch, and the Insta360 X5 has owned the night. The X6 is the first small 360 camera I've tested that doesn't ask you to pick o...

Ruko U11Mini 4K: One-minute review DJI's dominance of the consumer drone market is so total that you have to wonder whether any rival can land a meaningful blow. The Ruko U11Mini 4K is the latest contender to step into the ring, and on paper it looks like a credible one: a sub-250g folding quadcopter with a 1/2-inch CMOS sensor, 4K video, and an optional touchscreen controller that's clearly modeled on DJI's own RC series. Unfortunately, the closer I looked, the more the U11Mini 4K's limitations revealed themselves, and the gulf between Ruko and DJI's similarly-priced beginner drones remains huge. In the air, the U11Mini 4K is a mixed bag. Flight is reasonably stable in calm conditions, but it's easily pushed around by wind, and during one flight I experienced an alarming voltage drop that triggered an unscheduled emergency landing. The touchscreen RC3 controller is a soli...