Tag Archives: VR

Insta360 One X Breaks the 3k 100fps barrier!

Insta360 One X

The Insta360 seems to be on a roll by delivering several products this year in quick succession. They want to own the 360-degree video market and they have no plans of letting go of that goal by making some very cool new features available to the masses.  The new Insta360 One X camera is able to stabilize the footage on the fly with incredible accuracy and steady-cam like feel without gimbals with its high-resolution capture and by using cropping along with telemetry data and a proprietary algorithm they are able to deliver rock-solid imagery in heavy motion environments.

The small camera is also able to shoot 100fps at 3k which is a first in the segment will let you crop if needed to get a better frame of the action.  There is also a very clever rubber housing that is designed to be thrown aerodynamically  “Drift Shot” while leaving the camera well protected on impact. This revolutionary technique is really something out of the box and what this camera will probably be known for. Expect to see an explosion of these shots in TV and film pretty soon as others copy the technique. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Are Slow Motion Camera Days Numbered?

Slow Motion Camera Days Numbered

Recent advances in computation, simulation, and real-time rendering have become so advanced that some visual effects artists are opting for rendering everything with CGI instead of filming it outright.  In making-off featurettes, we have seen the VFX teams scrap explosions, fluids, car crashes and actor stunts with CGI inserts that offer precise control over lighting, debris, motion, and quality which are all a crap shoot when filming with a real camera.

NVIDIA just released some demos of real-time ray tracing that surpass the best quality renderers of the 1990s with playable frame rates and ambient occlusion that in the right hands could be indistinguishable from many special effects in a film. The new RTX technology in their Volta architecture GPUs can do area shadows, true multi-level depth reflections, refraction and global illumination in real time 30+fps on a personal computer. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Slow Motion Videos of the Week!

Slow Motion Videos of the Week

We have seen quite a lot of new slow motion footage inundate the Intertubes this week.  The amount and quality of the footage seem to have exploded recently with more and more cameras able to shoot at higher frame rates and at qualities that make it bearable to watch. Of course, there is also the occasional professional high speed camera shot i.e Phantom Flex 4k, which makes it the icing on the cake.

It is also time to get inspired by looking at the work of others to better your own shooting and gather new ideas or inspiration.  It is time to lay back and relax while you watch some extremely cool slow motion footage. And as always remember to be safe if you attempt any of the stunts or experiments shot.  Take Care! → Continue Reading Full Post ←

GoPro Trade Up Program Worth it?

GoPro Trade Up Program

GoPro has instituted for a limited time a Trade Up program to get a brand spanking new Hero 5 Black or a Hero 5 Session by turning in your old GoPro Hero camera all the way back to Version #1 to the Hero 4.  The program will shave off $100 off a GoPro Hero 5 Black or $50 of a GoPro Hero Session.  It can also be traded in if it’s dented, damaged, not working, destroyed or fried.  They will pay for shipping both ways.

So does it make sense to do it? Depends on which GoPro you wan’t to exchange in return for a new 5 model.   We believe you should look for any GoPro you have around and the older the better as newer models will still be in our view as valuable or more so than the trade in. We analyze if it make sense to do it. The Hero 5 Black is a pretty good slow motion camera on a budget that just works! → Continue Reading Full Post ←

GoPro Hero 6 What will it Take?

GoPro Hero 6

It is no secret that GoPro had a pretty bad 2016 in terms of sales performance and the Karma Gate battery off incident. The company is loosing money but still shows signs of life. In the 4th quarter of 2016 GoPro was profitable on a non-GAAP basis with income of $42 million.  With the stock closing price today of $8.90, a far cry from the nearly $90 it was worth in October 2014, there needs to be a change of epic proportions if the company is expected to remain viable.

There are threats from new technologies like AR, VR and Snapchat Glasses among others that threaten to impede the company going forward. How can a camera company evolve overnight to survive in such a market.  We believe the answer is by innovating it’s way out of the whirlpool that it finds itself in. → Continue Reading Full Post ←

Insta360 Pro VR Camera 100fps at 4k!

Insta360 Pro VR Camera

Like coming out of a science fiction movie like Oblivion; the Insta360 Pro VR Camera with it’s six independent cameras and futuristic spherical design creates an immediate reaction to anyone that sees it. This is a real product not a concept and can record 8k at 30fps with post processing stitching required but full 4k 3D 360º degree footage at 30fps or 25fps with real time hardware stitching ready to post the end footage on the web.

The slow motion component comes at 4k where the camera can shoot 4k at up to 100fps for a slow motion result or super life like motion.  The Slow Motion mode lacks real time stitching but you can use post production to merge the final footage on your PC or Mac. → Continue Reading Full Post ←