• 3 min read
Insta360's $69.99 tracker follows your gaze
Insta360's $69.99 POV Head Tracker aims to keep Luna Ultra footage aligned with the creator’s gaze, though Bluetooth and sync limits remain.
Image: TechRadar
Insta360's new POV Head Tracker is designed to solve a persistent problem with first-person video: keeping the camera pointed at the same thing the creator is looking at. The $69.99 / £67.99 / AU$115.99 accessory connects to the company’s Luna Ultra compact vlogging camera over Bluetooth and synchronizes its direction with the user’s head movements in real time.
“Immersive POV footage.”
The coin-sized tracker weighs 0.2oz / 6.4g. Worn in an ear mount and paired with the Luna Ultra on a neck mount, it is intended to free both hands while making framing a matter of looking at the subject rather than manually repositioning the camera.
How the POV Head Tracker works
The IPX4-certified device measures 1.0 x 1.0 x 0.5 inches and ships with a hard-shell USB-C battery case, an ear mount, strap, clip, adhesive mount and motion adapter. Insta360 rates its battery life at seven hours, which the company says is enough for a full day of shooting.
Setup takes a few seconds. After pairing, the user looks straight ahead for three seconds, then straight down for three seconds to calibrate the system. From there, looking left, right or down directs the camera toward that part of the scene.
That makes the setup useful for hands-on reviews, travel vlogs and other solo shoots where the creator needs to keep both hands available. Insta360 also supplied a neck mount for the Luna Ultra, which costs $24.99 / £23.99 / AU$39.99 separately.
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Testing the Luna Ultra setup
TechRadar’s Tim Coleman tested the tracker with the Luna Ultra mounted on his chest and the tracker fitted to its supplied right-ear-only mount. He found that the camera generally behaved like a second pair of eyes, pointing where he looked without requiring manual framing.
The Luna Ultra’s detachable LCD screen was useful during the test. The camera could remain on the chest strap while the detached screen showed its view, allowing the user to check the framing, zoom or recalibrate without removing the camera.
The system is not flawless. Coleman found that the tracker occasionally drifted slightly out of sync, a problem that was more noticeable when using the Luna Ultra’s tighter 3x telephoto camera rather than its ultra-wide camera. He also had to recalibrate from time to time.
Recalibration can be performed by looking straight ahead and then double-tapping the Luna Ultra’s button to recenter the camera. The source also reports that the Insta360 Mic Pro apparently cannot be used simultaneously over Bluetooth, although it does not provide further detail about that limitation.
Pricing and limitations
The POV Head Tracker costs $69.99 / £67.99 / AU$115.99, while the Luna Ultra Neck Mount is priced at $24.99 / £23.99 / AU$39.99. The source does not state whether the tracker is compatible with any camera other than the Luna Ultra.
Coleman described the combination as feeling like “a camera setup from the future,” while also pointing to its more practical role: combining head-controlled framing with the Luna Ultra’s subject-tracking capabilities and detachable display can make solo production simpler and enable shots that would otherwise require another person behind the camera.
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via TechRadar
