Happy Forth Of July 2024 and may we all remember and celebrate those great ones whom founded this great country
248 years ago. May we all remain aware there are those whom want to destroy our nation and your freedom, and they are not all in foreign capitals.
Harry Palmer
Happy Forth from Arizona.
NIKON Z 5105mm f/1.8 lens105mmf/1.81/50s200 ISO+0.3 EV
I’m a bit behind the power curve, back to back assignments and a few other challenges has me playing catch up, but that’s a very good thing. I’ve got a few days to play now. And I’m using them to learn and push the limits of some new gear. Anyone who is considering a 360 camera might take a serous look at the Insta360X4. The build quality is outstanding, the capabilities and options are mind boggling. My brush with buyer’s remorse is in the rear view mirror, it’s a keeper. Like every piece of gear , one needs to know where and when to use it, when it’s perfect and when it’s not. There are a few little nuances in the stitching process, and the perfect camera angle to keep the selfie stick out of the image, but given what the camera does, those are not a big deal. 8K/24 produces incredibly saturated imagery that makes my GoPro 360 look like it’s shot through the bottom of a Coke bottle. Been back and forth to the east coast three times in the last week, two for business and the last one to play. Yesterday we were on the Silver River in north central Florida and I really started to get to know the “Insta”. The concept of , just shoot and then pick what you want in post is pretty foreign to most of us, but it’s very cool. Once you shoot with it a bit you begin to learn the compositions that are going to make the camera shine , and then you hone in on those. Due to the nature of the two 180 degree lenses, distant, and I mean 20’ away subjects , lose impact. I’m finding that it is nice to have something in the foreground for those types of compositions.
Post processing has a bit of a learning curve, just because the options are so unlimited and the interface is unlike anything that I’ve worked with. Adam Baker and I are going to stick the camera on his Extra and explore some things. Battery life is a solid 90 minutes , and the camera gets pretty toasty, but shows no signs of giving up. I bought a handful of fast 512 sdxc cards. Even at 8K the 512’s give you plenty of recording head room.
I’ve been working out the R5c in some pretty bumpy conditions and have found that its performance is excellent, even though it is IBIS absent. Panning is vastly superior to the R5 because you don’t have IBIS fighting you in the pan.
Imagery to come, I’ve shot a couple of terabytes so far, but am a bit behind on post. You guys have a great Friday and weekend!
Glad to hear that Jim,
You weren't liking that and had your doubt at first but if anyone can give them a thorough going thru and test, you can. Good luck with editing and all. I used Pinnacle 15+ years ago but not wanting to get into video again, to much for me. Can't wait to see what ya come up with.
Thanks Bill! Lots of people buy these cameras to do virtual real estate tours on a budget. I have zero interest in that market, but I think there are a number of applications in aviation that will be profitable. One assignment and it's more than paid for. I just need to get up to speed with it, which I made a big dent in the last few days.
I’m happy to report that the R5C handled video recording in ridiculously high. Heat and humidity without a hiccup. The camera has performed beautifully for the last several days with continual use in blazing sun and 90% humidity. Every time I use these cameras I learn something new about them. AF tracking was dead on in some of the most challenging scenarios I’ve ever shot in.
