Snowfun Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 I need an action camera - to shoot skiing and snowboarding. Short sequences in cold weather wearing gloves. So ease of operation is an absolute priority. Simple on/off. Simple start/stop. Simple to pop into a jacket pocket. A wrist loop is essential - I don't want to drop it from a chair lift. 4k @ 60fps would be useful (especially for some re-framing) albeit 1080 @ 60fps is realistically adequate. Currently thinking about: Osmo Pocket 3 (mechanical stabilisation and what seems to be a very simple start/stop button). Possibly the preferred option but open to ideas. Insta360 (the 1" version - no need to frame, slightly more creative options (?)) GoPro 12 (I really don't know too much about ease of use never having used one) I accept the footage from all three will be relatively poor (cf braw etc.) but it is what it is. Image quality isn't the driver here - ease of use is. I used to have the original Insta360 but ease of use was pathetic. Most of the time I didn't know if it was on or off - I have hours of "inside-of-pocket" footage if anyone is interested. Thoughts and informed opinion? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronFilm Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 Personally, I'd be going for a Sony RX0mk2 for that big 1" sensor. And slog compatibility with other Sony cameras. But that might not be the same priorities you seek. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowfun Posted February 26 Author Share Posted February 26 I do have 2 RX0s - one mk1 (in the Sony “dive” case) and one mk2. They are super little cameras. But - the single AF can be tricky and the lack of stabilisation is an issue. I agree, they would certainly be the better option if I could resolve those problems. IronFilm 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kye Posted February 26 Share Posted February 26 Not an informed opinion, but I would have thought that the Osmo Pocket would be a bit physically vulnerable for this situation. It would suck if you veered into a snow bank (or 1000 other ways to crash) and killed the gimbal mechanism. I'd suggest watching "how to" videos for each of the action camera and looking specifically for a setting that enables easy on / off / recording / stop functionality. IIRC early GoPro models had a feature where you could press (or hold?) the power button and it would turn on and start recording straight away. I'd be surprised if the competitors didn't have an equivalent mode too, as operating a camera in gloves while being "busy" with other things is pretty much the situation they're designed for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gt3rs Posted February 27 Share Posted February 27 I do tons of snowboard and ski videos but the first key question do you want to film yourself (helmet, selfistick, etc) or film others (follow cam) ? Btw all insta360 cameras have a single button mode, one long press it turns on and record, one long press again stop recording and shuts down. If I recall correctly gopros have it too. kye 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowfun Posted February 28 Author Share Posted February 28 On 2/27/2024 at 1:18 AM, gt3rs said: do you want to film yourself (helmet, selfistick, etc) or film others (follow cam) ? Good question! A bit of both. It’s more to capture the essence and atmosphere of the resort (in Lapland) rather than super gnarly tricks (by myself or others!) Some boot mount shots, some rails, some lift shots and some scenery. Nothing too preplanned or set up - if it’s looking good, whip the camera out and shoot. I’ve already damaged fingers with frostbite so my hands get very cold very quickly hence the need to emphasise ease of use. Beginning to think more along GoPro lines (agree with @kyethat Osmo might be too fragile). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kye Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 11 hours ago, Snowfun said: Good question! A bit of both. It’s more to capture the essence and atmosphere of the resort (in Lapland) rather than super gnarly tricks (by myself or others!) Some boot mount shots, some rails, some lift shots and some scenery. Nothing too preplanned or set up - if it’s looking good, whip the camera out and shoot. I’ve already damaged fingers with frostbite so my hands get very cold very quickly hence the need to emphasise ease of use. Beginning to think more along GoPro lines (agree with @kyethat Osmo might be too fragile). I shoot family travel videos, where you shoot what is happening and you have to shoot quickly to keep up, and I ran into the issue that I wasn't capturing establishing shots or getting any shots of moving between locations, so in the footage we'd just sort of teleport from one location to the next, starting with when we'd gotten into the venue and I could then take out the 'big camera' and start shooting again. I resolved to try and get a setup that I could shoot with while we were getting in and out of vehicles, walking to and from venues, buying tickets on entry, etc. I had an old GoPro and did a test of shooting a random outing when my wife and I went to get coffee by the beach. Predictably, I found that it was super easy and fast to shoot while walking down stairs, thinking about other things like navigating and reading signs, getting selfies, etc. What I didn't expect was that it was actually really easy and fun to get a large variety of shots too. High-angles, low-angles, detail shots (while remembering the fixed focus has a minimum distance) etc, and these were both fun to shoot and super useful in the edit. I personally like to shoot when I'm out doing things, I find it adds to the experience both in terms of giving me a toy to play with and a challenge of finding creative compositions but also training me to really look at the world and appreciate the beauty of everyday things. Now I have mostly replaced that role with my phone or a smaller camera like my GX85, but if I could only shoot something with an action camera then I think it's a really useful tool to make you focus on the creative aspects of film-making like subject and composition and movement and variety and sequences and editing style and sound design etc, rather than the technicalities of the image. Snowfun 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kye Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 Just thinking about this more, and I recall that testing the GoPro on that little outing was actually really illuminating. I have always shot video in uncontrolled conditions, so never seriously studied coverage or blocking or sequences etc. What I found was: I shot everything I could see (which was really fun because I didn't have to wait for the camera) Not being able to see (the GoPro I had didn't have a screen) eliminated all aspects of chimping Pulling everything into the edit, I realised that I had so many different options, and make it a more whimsical edit with little sequences of fast-cuts like when getting seated at the cafe, and then again for standing up and walking out The success of those fast-cut transitions made me realise the value in having lots of shots to cut up, but also made me realise things like you can cut faster if you keep the compositions similar between shots so that the subject doesn't move, etc I made several videos with it, essentially going through a learning process each time, understanding more about how you can push the edit pretty hard without it seeming odd, realising where the barriers were in the edit and how I might solve them when shooting, shooting with that in mind, pushing further in the edit, etc I highly recommend shooting a few test videos like this, literally of anything, just to get a sense of the possibilities. Also, it's good to specifically test: How long it takes from hitting the button to the first frame, and how much it chops the ends off clips (the clip may end before you hit the stop button) How far off-centre you can put a subject before the wide-angle lens starts becoming unflattering or straight-up odd How active you can be in shooting and how much motion that creates in the frame (knowing you can run and get usable footage for example might open up possibilities) How far you can go in low-light before it's no good (for example, it might be ok indoors during the day in rooms with windows but not ok if there aren't any, etc) You probably know all this, but in case you don't, or the lurkers don't, this stuff is invaluable. Unfortunately, despite me shooting little tests quite frequently, I always learn things on trips that I wish I'd learned before and come away basically thinking I've screwed up each one. Snowfun 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gt3rs Posted March 1 Share Posted March 1 I was in Lapland 2 weeks ago and I'm now in Alaska. If you don't have them yet buy a great pair of glows with inner glows so you can take out the first layer without exposing your bare skin to the helmets. Filming yourself -> Insta360 One X3 Filming others -> Gopro Hero 12 or Insta360 Ace Pro kye 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kye Posted March 2 Share Posted March 2 Nice images @gt3rs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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