Is a new Leica action camera coming? Insta360 and Leica are already working on 'exciting developments'
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The partnership that resulted in cameras like the Insta360 Ace Pro 2 is expanding: on March 12, Insta360 announced that its collaboration with Leica has been extended. The action and 360 camera brand says the evolving partnership means that 'exciting developments are already on the horizon.' While the brands didn't divulge specifics, the announcement makes it clear that some sort of Leica-Insta360 camera is under development.
Insta360 and Leica's relationship has already resulted in the Insta360 Ace Pro 2, an action camera equipped with a Leica lens as well as Leica color profiles. But the expanded agreement will lead to more similar collaborations. 'With this partnership evolving, exciting developments are already on the horizon,' Insta360 wrote in a press release. 'While we can't share specifics just yet, creators can expect more cutting-edge imaging solutions across new product lines in the near future.'
While Insta360 and Leica have already worked on action cameras together, the allusion towards 'new product lines' piqued my interest. The existing Ace Pro 2's low-light performance and 8K capabilities have put the camera on the list of the best action cameras, so another collaborating camera could have potential right out of the starting gate.
Naturally, Insta360 and Leica have stayed quiet on what, exactly, the two brands are developing together, although the announcement seems to focus on the action camera genre.
"For over a century, Leica has stood at the forefront of optical innovation, and our partnership with Insta360 allows us to continue this legacy in the dynamic world of action cameras,' Marius Eschweiler, vice president of Business Unit Mobile at Leica Camera AG, said in a press release. 'Together, we strive to push the boundaries of imaging excellence, offering creators tools that inspire their creative journeys."
Insta360 says that 'the next generation of cameras will continue to set new benchmarks in performance and creativity,' so I'm hoping that the collaboration will result in more action cameras that prioritize features like low light performance.
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They are the most interesting thing about the keyboard — the whole reason I wanted to test it. They're phenomenal. The switches are a riff on the Topre capacitive dome design (most famously found in the Happy Hacking Keyboard), but they're smoother and less wobbly, with a deeper sound. Unlike every other Topre-style switch, they're designed around MX-style keycaps from the start, so the housings don't interfere with Cherry-profile keycaps. (This is a bigger deal than it may sound; it means the Seneca works with thousands of aftermarket keycap sets, instead of the bare handful that work with Topre boards). The stabilizers, like the switches, took years to develop. They're hideously complicated and overengineered, finicky to put together, and they're without a doubt the best stabilizers in the world. There's no rattle or tick in any of the stabilized keys, and although the spacebar has a deeper thunk than the rest of the keys, it's not much louder to my ears. 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