360 cameras were an expensive novelty not that long ago, and you could argue that they’re still a novelty, but at least they’re an affordable one.
The Insta360 Nano S can operate independently as a 360 camera, but it’s really designed to plug into your iPhone’s Lightning port, which allows you to use your big iPhone screen for viewfinding (to the extent that viewfinders are necessary for 360 cameras), editing, and sharing.
The included app lets you apply a ton of unique effects (as detailed by The Verge), and clip out portions of your 4K 360 footage into 20 megapixel stills. A multi-view mode lets you create a grid of different angles on a single video, like a close up of your smiling face as you film from a moving roller coaster in full 360 degrees (please don’t do this). Basically, you’re guaranteed to be showered in Instagram hearts after you buy this thing.
The Nano S launched for $239, but Amazon’s got it marked down to $160 today, so there’s never been a better time to start shooting up, down, and all around.