360

[Bolo]

It's always fun for me to combine both of my passions, sailing and photography and so my latest YouTube video is all about my new 360 degree camera and a daysail. I've been a professional commercial (Not weddings, never!) photographer for over 40 years and so it's always great fun to find a new cool camera. Check it out!

 

[Loren Beach]

Amazing! The observation point seems to be remote - as tho the cam is taking images of itself.

 

[Christian Williams]

My wife's new car has a 360 camera on the dashboard which presents the car as viewed (impossibly) from 20 feet directly overhead.

Stitches together the car's many safety cameras with some magic program. Really useful in tight parking situations.

 

[Bolo]

Amazing! The observation point seems to be remote - as tho the cam is taking images of itself.

That’s because it is taking images of itself and if you look carefully in some of the scenes you can see the camera mount clamped to the dodger but you can’t see the camera. It basically “stitches” the scene around it to eliminate the camera. Stitching was available on even some of the earliest digital cameras to merge landscape images together to make one wider image. You cell phone can probably do it. I used the process about ten years ago to stitch together three images of the Harrisburg PA capital area from a bridge to produce a single long image that was used as an interior mural except I used a Hasselblad camera. But stitching like the 360 software does in video form is amazing. One of my photographer friends who saw the video said that it was, “Indistinguishable from magic.”

 

[Loren Beach]

But stitching like the 360 software does in video form is amazing. One of my photographer friends who saw the video said that it was, “Indistinguishable from magic.”

Much like the prescient quote from Arthur C Clarke...! Oh so true.

 

[jtsai]

Bob, what is the camera mount like? Was the camera mounted vertically or horizontally? Did you use the Insta 360 editing software? I am very interested in purchasing a unit.

 

[Bolo]

Bob, what is the camera mount like? Was the camera mounted vertically or horizontally? Did you use the Insta 360 editing software? I am very interested in purchasing a unit.

I happen to have a camera mount for an iPhone on board. It consisted of an adjustable grip that you tighten up around the phone. This portion is tapped with a 1/4-20 thread that screws into a 1/4-20 stud that sticks out of an adjustable "claw" that grips the 1 inch SS tubing that is the frame for the dodger. I unscrewed the iPhone "gripper" part and screw on the Insta360 camera which has a 1/4-20 internal thread at one end of the camera. You could purchase something like this "Super Clamp" which I used many times as a full time working photographer or something like it.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1383470-REG/impact_super_clamp_with_5_8.html

The camera was mounted sticking out from the dodger but to be honest it doesn't matter which way it faces since it records practically anything around it now matter where the two lenses are facing. I say practically because it dose not record where it's connected...sort of. If you look at some the video that shows the dodger you'll see the clamp holding the camera but not the camera itself because it "stitches' that part out. Real Magic.

As for software, after you buy the camera ($500) you'll need to download the Insta360 Studio software which allows you to do many things but mostly to select what part of the 360 degree view you want to see and when. Then you can produce a video file after you make your adjustments. Besides Insta360, GoPro also offers the MAX 360 Action Camera which is a 360 degree video camera but after reviewing specs and reviews I thought that the Insta360 was better. Here's a video about the camera which I found on B&H photo.

 

[frick]

What Fun

 

[southofvictor]

That is so cool!

 

[jtsai]

Bob, after over a year of use, is the Insta360 your top choice for action camera for your YouTube channel, or does another camera still hold that title? I am interested to hear your experience. Thanks.

 

[Bolo]

Bob, after over a year of use, is the Insta360 your top choice for action camera for your YouTube channel, or does another camera still hold that title? I am interested to hear your experience. Thanks.

The Insta360 is an amazing camera but like any camera, or any sailboat for that matter, it doesn’t do a great job in every situation. For instance, when my hands are full with steering the boat, docking, dropping anchor and there is no one to “film” (its digital of course) in those situations the 360 is ideal because it captures the scene all around itself that can be selected and adjusted later using the proprietary software. It’s like having another person onboard doing the filming. The camera is temporarily mounted in a particular location to cover the action but it can cover a lot. For filming a particular detail, like weighing anchor or interviewing someone (or myself) then I use my GoPro. When the action is unexpected and the 360 or GoPro are not handy I’ll grab my iPhone but it’s my least favorite choice because the screen is hard to see sometimes in bright sun and I’m not crazy about the video quality of my iPhone 13 (Don’t laugh, it still works for me).

I’ve even tried using my professional Canon R5 camera that also does great video, but it’s heavy and takes up a lot of room. I recently purchased a Canon R6 Mark II as a backup for my R5. It also does video of course but is much lighter and so I may start using it more because a zoom lens can be attached making image composition much better and easier. For now I’d say that most of my filming is divided equally between the 360 and the GoPro but if I only had the 360 then the results would be satisfactory. My biggest complaint with the 360 is image distortion that is correctable to a point in “post production” (the time spent editing) but it can’t be eliminated like a GoPro (with the correct lens setting) or a larger camera like the Canon R6. However the 360 camera “on a stick” can film some amazing views as you saw in my “360” video. My brother asked me recently when I bought the drone for my YouTube channel. I don’t own one but he thought the views I was getting with the 360 on a stick were drone shots!

 

[jtsai]

Thank you for the feedback, Bob. It is good to know the Insta360 has met your needs. My aging iPhone 13 Pro is meeting most of my needs except when I want to hang it off the railing when sailing. The Insta360 would be an interesting tool to record my pickleball matches!