For any of you who have an interest in action cameras, I just ran the definitive test between a GoPro Hero 13 Black and an Insta 360 MK2 (the action camera, not the actual 360 camera). The image quality is neck and neck, so close that any difference could easily be tweaked in post. The stabilization in teh GoPro is hands down superior to the Insta360. The test consisted of both cameras being mounted side by side on the nose of a Bell 429, the day was a bumpy/pretty much miserable 104 degrees with winds gusting to 19 knots out of the south, a real butt kicking kind of day in the air.
I reviewed and edited the Insta footage first. The clips were 30 minutes long and captured simultaneously. Looking at the Insta footage I had pretty much decided that it was a great test, but the assignment would need to be reflow on a more accommodating day weatherize, then I pulled up the GoPro footage, it was so much better that the difference was obvious in the first minute. The GoPro handled the turbulence without blinking and the stabilization was phenomenal throughout the flight.
Rumor has it that the Hero 14 Black, which will be released next month, is going to have a larger sensor, even better stabilization (don't know how), better low light performance and better ability to deal with heat dissipation. The Hero 13 and the Insta had no overheating issue today, in the sun the whole time at high ambient temps. They both ran for over an hour and still had some battery left.
I used the Insta360 in Florida on the boat and the Speedo's, it did a great job overall, but for the really tough assignments, my money has been and will be on GoPro.
Thanks for posting this review Jim. I have been looking at both of those cameras and could not find what I thought was a true neutral test. Now I know that the GoPro is the way to go.
I tested out the Insta360 X5 360° 8K Camera for a week, a few months ago and sent it back.
Fun camera and great for skiing and biking or walking around but I can see where the GoPro would beat it, those cameras have always been great and keep getting better.
This one is for Ray, Ellington Field in Feb 1987 on my first trip to the US. Being a bit younger I decided to book with a group tour that took in Dayton for the AF museum, Texas, Arizona for AMARC finishing up in SoCal at places like Edwards. We had a few base visits organised for us on the trip including the TX ANG but unfortunately we arrived too late for our escort so had to make do with a look across the ramp from outside, a view you can't get now as it's all built up! I so wish we could have made it out there as the F-4s were in interesting schemes, transiting from ADF gray to the new Egytion-1 gray, and they'd picked up 'new' jets still in Euro-1.
Anyway, I've been scanning slides and thought of Ray when I found these!
Thanks Kevin, I was there then working on the front row. We were transitioning from the F-4C to the F-4D which is why there are so many paint variations. F-4 C 640712 is an air superiority gray livery in a gloss finish, the OD camo jets are probably from Homestead (they were crap, full of corrosion and leaks). In the second photo, 749 probably just came out of a 600 hour depot inspection with the low radar gray paint.
The barn with the numbers on it was our 5 minute alert facility. Spent time in there with F-102s, F-101s and F-4s. The numbers on top are scramble notifications for slots 1-9. Slot 1 and 2 were under the barn, 3-9 were on the front row.
Going back to 64-0712, it is currently on a pedestal at Camp Mabry in Austin which is headquarters for the Texas Army and Air National Guard. The first attempt to transport it to Camp Mabry was via a CH-47 based at Ellington. When the Chinook pulled up the F-4 never stabilized. During several attempts it would continuously spin due to the wash from the twin rotors. A week later they brought in a Sky Crane (CH 54 Tarhe) which had no problem. I always wondered what people were thinking when they saw that CH-54 carrying that F-4 above them.
Brilliant Ray, thanks for explaining, especially the numbers on the barn. The scheme on 712 was the best, the big proud star and bar and 'US AIR FORCE' along with the 'Texans' looked great on the big Phantom.
On that same trip, somewhere in Texas we saw a Chinook with an underslung F-4 and I've got a slide of it somewhere, I'll try to find it and identify the F-4.
The paint scheme on 712 was the paint scheme we used for the 1976 and '78 William Tell competition (which we won) when we were flying the F-101. The scheme included the lightning Texas flag on the tail and scripted "Texans" on the fuselage. TSgt. Kenny Johnson designed the scheme and cut the templates for painting. He was a crew chief. After the '78 William Tell win we added '76 and '78 followed by a red apple before and after Texans used as quotes. We did not add them to the F-4.
Great info! I remember seeing photos of the Voodoo scheme. In the mid 90s I went over for the airshow at Ellington and we had a brief tour of the 111th flightline when they had, I think, ADFs. Will be some time before I get around to scanning those slides as I've still got thousands to go through.
Went up to Illinois last week to photograph this Challenger 300 jet. Nothing but soybean fields and corn fields up there, sure does make for a nice background.
Ray Swindle wrote:
Thanks Kevin, I was there then working on the front row. We were transitioning from the F-4C to the F-4D which is why there are so many paint variations. F-4 C 640712 is an air superiority gray livery in a gloss finish, the OD camo jets are probably from Homestead (they were crap, full of corrosion and leaks). In the second photo, 749 probably just came out of a 600 hour depot inspection with the low radar gray paint.
The barn with the numbers on it was our 5 minute alert facility. Spent time in there with F-102s, F-101s and F-4s. The numbers on top are scramble notifications for slots 1-9. Slot 1 and 2 were under the barn, 3-9 were on the front row.
Going back to 64-0712, it is currently on a pedestal at Camp Mabry in Austin which is headquarters for the Texas Army and Air National Guard. The first attempt to transport it to Camp Mabry was via a CH-47 based at Ellington. When the Chinook pulled up the F-4 never stabilized. During several attempts it would continuously spin due to the wash from the twin rotors. A week later they brought in a Sky Crane (CH 54 Tarhe) which had no problem. I always wondered what people were thinking when they saw that CH-54 carrying that F-4 above them....Show more →
For Ray and Kevin;
I found this link while looking for the F4's that were "stationed" at Andrews AFB in the mid 1970's. You both probably know all this but it peaked my interest.
I have been "glued" to the "Military History" Channels new "Dogfights" The F4+"
Dan https://forgottenjets.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/F-4.html
ADDENDUM...I should have mentioned to Ray and Kevin that the so called "military aircraft historians" the Hist Ch has on are great BUT.....no details like from you guyz! It is a very new "Dogfights" special on the "60 Year Anniv. of Vietnam". My LRRP-SOG teams fighter CAS of F4's came out of Danang or Udorn(Operation Pegasus). "Sandies" out of Pleiku AB or Phu Bai
"They came home without a victory, not because they had been defeated, but because they had been denied permission to win"!
President Ronald Reagan.
Dan
