Why do so many only use ancient "Hero mode" action cams?

[edt]

It takes me about 10 hours of editing for every minute of video so a 3-5 minute video will be 30-50 hours. If I feel lazy and want to make slop I'll find a decent clip and post it but keep the length under 15 seconds. Only my mom tells me that she watches me mow the grass for five minutes and even she is lying. The good thing for lazy people is that the long form (over 3 minutes) is dying out so it's ok to have a 15 second clip with just one pov and one single trick or a single wave and that's apparently what the TikTok generation wants.

My feeling is that you don't have to be Kevin Langeree to make awesome videos but if you want to make something that stands out don't expect to do it the lazy way. Those pro video guys spend hours on every minute that eventually ends up online they don't just copy paste and cross their fingers.

Amateurs have a different feel for kiting from the pros and I think we can capture this feeling and make videos that are just as good as theirs but different.

I think if you want to up your video game it makes sense to buy both the 360 and the regular GoPro. Lot of work though and in the end you just have to make sure you enjoy the process and like editing

Instead of another woo save up so you can buy a 360 in addition to your gopro

[sflinux]

Have seen sooooo many videos, taken either with a classic GoPro of some kind, or other brands, NON 360 cams.
Almost never see 360 degree cams, which are in every way SO much better.
Often you see a chest or helmet cam, pointed at a narrow angle forward - and you can not see your board, nor the kite, only in short glimpses...
The worst possible videotakes IMO.
With any 360 degree cam you can make way better videos - just saying.

I agree that POV is key, but I don't like the images of 360 cams. They have a kaleidoscope effect. If you watch the images in slow motion, the background images are shaky giving you the motion sickness effect. I also don't like how the background images are blurry and jumpy.
The ideal action cam for me would be comparable to a 1998 3-chip CCD, without a fisheye lens, with a Hero form factor, a super long battery life, at a disposable price point.
I like this POV:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0TvVwOQfIY
For kiting, TopHat's POV is still my favorite:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpTV4vBMn8k

[Slappysan]

You say it takes 2 hours instead of 1 hour, to edit the same video?
Isnt that the same as a bit more?

It's already very tedious at an hour, often I have to do it in 2 sittings because I fall asleep doing it.
Doubling the time it takes to do something is more than "a bit more".

[Kamikuza]

$1,000 for the new one I'd want, $20 for new batteries for my old one. Not a priority, and I'd rather have a new kite/bar/board...

[windsuks]

I've had the Insta X3 just over a week and whilst it is very impressive for other stuff I'm not so convinced for kiting. For one thing the domed lenses don't shed the water as well as the standard flat lens..or at least droplets show up more with the 360.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKe9oi ... QMcmflueTw

[Peter_Frank]

Your link does not lead to a video?

An ad for a bar and a snow/dog video but no water.

[Peter_Frank]

I posted the question, with a deliberately provocative title

To be real, I use "Hero" mode the most, it is excellent quality and stability and even full horizon levelling if wanted, nowadays (well, 6-7-8-9-10-11 since GoPro 6 and forward when no casing), has never ever stopped recording, and they can take some beating too, and the remote controls are making them excellent

My point with this thread, was to share with those NOT having a 360 cam, that there are big advantages.

If you use it as a helmet or chestcam, you can edit and get a shot of the kite you are reviewing, it can be kept in focus so we can see how it behaves, without distortion.
And you can also pan around to show the water or others or you or the board or whatever.
Can give a lot better video, than the (huge) number of videos where a cam can not see the board, can not see the rider, and only in short glimpses will the kite fly through the view.
THAT was my point, sometimes it can work, but most often not good.

Then you can have other scenarioes like wingfoil when mounted at the wingtip, where you can actually solely use a 360 cam, because the view angle changes so much when you jibe or when you surf with the wing flagged.

At other times it can be used as a linecam, to get an exiting different angle, and view the rider, or the kite, or even both (but WITH distortion in the last case of course)

So my reason for posting was to share the advantages with 360 cams, regarding keeping the object in focus at all times

I am actually not dissing the Hero cams at all, they are excellent - but for some purposes they are rubbish IMO.

Having both, and using them for specific purposes, is great.

Peter

[rnelias]

I've had the Insta X3 just over a week and whilst it is very impressive for other stuff I'm not so convinced for kiting. For one thing the domed lenses don't shed the water as well as the standard flat lens..or at least droplets show up more with the 360.

Same impression I had about the lenses. In fact, I've stopped using the max lens mod on my GoPro also due to the water drops sticking to the lens. Since it's semi spherical, any tiny drop appears bigger in the image.