NCD...

 

New Camera Day.

I was considering another camera before we left home.  I was thinking an Insta360 Go 2.  It is a little action camera.  Yes, I know what you are thinking: don't you have to do something to have some action?  Funny.  But, we all digress.  I was hearing rumors that Insta was going to be releasing a new model to update the Go 2.

Lo and behold, last week Insta360 announced the new Go 3.  Even though it has "360" in their name, this is not a 360 camera.  It is a significant update from their Go 2, due mainly to the "Action Pod" that the camera fits into... it turns the very small camera into a more typical action camera with some new features.

We picked up the box today from an Amazon Locker/Counter in Rapid City.  Then had lunch.  Then came back to the motorhome.  Then, opened the box...

I'm not one to do "an unboxing video," but I'm not above taking some unboxing photos.  That little thing in the middle of the opened box is the actual camera.  How small is it?  Thanks for asking - it is being described as "the size of your thumb"...

Yes, we all have different size thumbs, but you get the idea.  It comes with several accessories to allow for different mounting options...

That thing in the middle of the above photo is the "action pod," that turns this into something beyond a small camera.  It more than triples the battery life of the camera.  It has a color touch screen on the back that allows you to switch between photo and video, and to adjust the different settings of each, as well as being a viewfinder.  I've been watching videos this past week (lots of YouTubers that received these cameras ahead of the actual release to drum up even more interest in the camera... no, I am not an "influencer" so they didn't send me a camera).

Here's another size comparison, this time with the case for my AirPod Pro earbuds...

And, a shot of the camera on one of the accessories...

Sitting on my MacBook Pro.  Of course, the first thing you have to do with almost every new tech item: update the firmware and software.  It's a brand new release - you'd think it would have the latest firmware in it... but, no.  Insta360 is known for regularly updating and adding new features to its current lineup.  After doing that updating, I am now letting the camera and action pod get a full charge before putting this camera through some testing.

Well, I couldn't resist trying a quick photo...

That is on "ultra wide" setting - the coach isn't that spacious.  And, of course, me being shy: "No photos, please"...

Yes, that is a big hand.  You know what they say: "Big hands... big gloves."  What?  No, it didn't come with gloves.  It came with that little stand you see in the photo on my laptop, along with a clip mount that allows you to clip it to the brim of a cap (or on a backpack strap, etc), and a pendant mount.  The pendant mount is like a necklace that has a flat metal part that you put under your shirt; the camera is magnetized on the back, so it will stick to the pendant, through your shirt (to keep it from swinging).  That short stand has a sticky mount (reusable) on the bottom, so it will stick to your windshield or other flat surface.  Unscrew the sticky mount and there is a 1/4" tripod mount to use that on a tripod, a selfie stick, or one of the several mounts I have on my motorcycle.

Speaking of motorcycle, I did get out on my e-bike this morning (chilly), then geared up and went out on the motorcycle for a very pleasant run down Hwy 79, west to Custer State Park, then north on Iron Mountain Road.  Nice way to start the day.  No, I didn't take any photos or videos of that ride... but you can be sure I will put this new camera to work soon.  After it gets a full charge on it.  And when Mother Nature allows... yes, more thunderstorms are coming late this afternoon and through the night.  It may be a day or two before I get to really check out the new camera on the bike.

How is this camera different from the 360 cameras I usually use?  Again, thanks for asking - I appreciate these thoughtful questions.  This camera has a single lens on it - it sees straight forward, much like any other typical camera.  Think of this more along the lines of a GoPro.  "Wait a minute - don't you intensely dislike GoPro cameras?"  Why, yes I do.  But, if this is like the rest of the Insta360 cameras I've used, it will be more intuitive, easier to use, and have more editing options.  And speaking of editing options, there is one video mode that shoots typical video: you don't have to edit it with Insta's outstanding software... and switch video modes, and you can have the option of vertical, horizontal, or square format, horizon leveling, and cropping (similar to the 360 videos, but faster to edit... and no fast panning from front to back, because the 360 cameras have two lenses on them that allows them to see "all around."

As with any new camera, it will take some usage to find how it fits in with what I like to shoot.  If it is as easy to use as it is promoted, it is what the GoPro cameras should have been a decade ago.  Technology marches on.

Time for me to go do some testing with the Go 3.

So, New Camera Day... not as much fun as New Guitar Day or New Bike Day.  But, it should be interesting.

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The first of the threatening looking clouds moving in...

We were all sitting out on the patio.  When the rumble of thunder started, Joan got up to unlock and put up the awning.  I did a video test of that...

That wasn't just a video of what was happening - I was testing one of the functions of the camera, to see what happens when you rotate the camera - notice the lean.  There is another setting for shooting video where it keeps the horizon level, no matter how much you rotate the camera...

On this second video, I rotated it the same, tilting the camera to "lean" the horizon, but that does not show.  You can see some camera movement, as it moves a bit left/right/up/down while I'm tilting it, but the level of the horizon doesn't change.  Interesting software built into the camera.  If that works like I'm thinking it should, it should make for an interesting perspective when "wearing" the camera on the bike.  We'll see.  At some point.

"Some point" because the next round of weather has begun to move in.  We are inside the coach and have pulled the slide-outs in... just in case.  The weather weasels are calling it a "2 out of 5 chance of getting quarter size or larger hail" and a 100% chance that thunderstorms will move over us at some point during the night.  So, that's fun.