The final exposure control feature is one I use a lot, and it’s exposure compensation. This works with the auto exposure and can be used to combat the tendency to go too slow with the shutter speed be forcing the Ace Pro 2 to underexpose the image. The exposure comp here is the best among action cameras, running from –4 stops to + 4 stops in ⅓-stop increments. I set the Xplorer Grip to control EV, so when I am in auto mode, the dial is an exposure comp dial just like “real” camera. (The dial can also be set to control ISO, shutter speed, shooting mode, filter selection, and white balance.)
Even better, if you’re in manual mode and you want to go back to auto, the first click of the dial will open the side panel, the second will switch from manual to auto, the third will start adjusting your exposure value. This is a really fast way to get from a carefully composed exposure back to full auto without needing to get into the touchscreen menus.
The final thing worth mentioning is the included Leica color profiles. If you haven’t updated your firmware recently, you should. Insta360 has added a few more of these. Because I shoot RAW, I don’t use these much, but as color profiles go these are great, especially the new Leica high-contrast black and white, which is what I’ve been using most of the time. This way I get a black-and-white JPG and a full-color RAW file.
To be honest, I did not have high hopes for the Xplorer Grip Pro Kit. For me, action cameras have primarily been for shooting around water, and while that still works with the bare camera, it doesn’t with the grip. However, I was pleasantly surprised using the Ace Pro 2 with the Xplorer grip as an everyday camera.
I would say it’s best thought of as a compliment to your existing “real” camera. It’s not going to replace your interchangeable lens camera. It could replace your point-and-shoot, but I haven’t done that, because sometimes I want a pocket camera with a 28mm lens. Instead, the Ace Pro 2 with the grip has become an extra camera that I bring along when I want a wide angle or fisheye look and don’t feel like lugging a big, heavy, fast, full-frame, ultrawide lens.
