#and having quite a lot of photos and some quality footage available despite being from 2004 and poland

[per-the-jellicle-magician]

One day I'll write down all the similarities between Warsaw and Gothenburg designs cuz yeah I'm not saying someone got inspired but when your Tugger looks like an emo version of my Tugger I think the inspiration was there XD

[newsnigeria]

DJI Mavic 2 Pro: Review

DJI Mavic 2 Pro; DJI's Mavic family has all but replaced its Phantom series for consumer drone use. Mavic drones are smaller throughout, and foldable for easier storage and transport. The top-end model, the Mavic 2 Pro ($1,729), has the biggest image sensor we've observed in a drone this size. Which means images and video both look much better than other drones, like the Pro's near twin sibling, the Mavic 2 Zoom.

The Pro is a bit more expensive, by $250, but we think the upgrade in image and quality may be worth the added cost. The Mavic 2 Pro is the greatest drone for enthusiast pilots, and our Editors'Choice. Editors' Note: The price of the DJI Mavic 2 Pro reduced from $1,729 to $1,599 in 2020. amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true"; amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "odu05-20"; amzn_assoc_search_bar_position = "bottom"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "search"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_title = "Shop Related Products"; amzn_assoc_default_search_phrase = "dji mavic pro 2"; amzn_assoc_default_category = "All"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "8de64b15379846bf66a5bb3f87784e56"; The Best Folding Drone The DJI Mavic 2 Pro takes its design cues from the original Mavic Pro, but is really a little bigger all around. It measures 3.3 by 3.6 by 8.4 inches (HWD) folded and 3.3 by 9.5 by 12.7 inches with it arms extended. Unfolding the drone is pretty easy, you have to make sure to swing the leading arms out before the underside ones. The aircraft weighs about 2 pounds, heavy enough to require FAA registration when flying recreationally in the US.

Despite being truly a bit bigger compared to the original Mavic and the more recent Mavic Air, the Mavic 2 Pro remains quite portable. It fits nicely in a camera bag, taking on a comparable space as a normal 70-200mm f/2.8 zoom lens. You will have to create a bit more space for the handy remote control, charger, and any extra batteries you get, however you won't need to dedicate a backpack to the Mavic as you do with the Phantom design. DJI is splitting the Mavic 2 line into two models—the Pro, which we're reviewing here—and the Zoom, that includes a 2x optical contact, but a smartphone-sized 1/2.3-inch, 12MP image sensor. Dji Mavic 2 Pro leaps ahead with a 1-inch sensor, about four times how big the imager behind the Mavic 2 Zoom's lens. The more bigger area enables more image resolution (20MP), and higher-quality video. The included handheld remote control resembles what you get with other Mavic models. It's gray, with a brief, changeable cable to connect to your smartphone, which mounts below the controller. Two clips hold your phone—they're big enough to allow for a tablet and are designed for a slender phone case, but you will need to take your phone out of its case if you use a large one. There's a cutout on the left clip, to help you access your phone's home button while it's mounted in the remote. Cables are included for phones that use Lightning, micro USB, and USB-C ports.

The remote features a monochrome display—it shows battery status, telemetry data, and other information. It's possible to fly the Mavic 2 with no phone attached, but you may need an Android or iOS device and the DJI Go 4 app to activate the drone before your first flight. We don't recommend flying with no phone, though, as you won't get to see the view through the camera without one. As well as the flight sticks—which are removable for storage—the remote includes dual control wheels and buttons at the shoulders. The left wheel tilts the camera up and down, while the right brightens or darkens the exposure, and the buttons are accustomed to snap a photo or begin a video. The remote also features a switch to alter flight modes on its side, a separate button to activate the Mavic's return-to-home feature, and a Pause button to freeze the drone in place. There's also a tiny four-way controller—it may be used to point the camera straight ahead or straight down. Two programmable control buttons, on the rear, round things out. The Mavic 2 Pro is rated for 31 minutes of flight on a complete battery charge. That number is on the basis of the timeframe the drone can hover set up, so expect a couple of minutes less life in reality. Our tests netted on average 27 minutes—that's still a lot of time in the air, better compared to the 23 minutes the initial Mavic Pro netted during our flights. You would expect a $1,500 drone to add an obstacle avoidance system, and the Mavic 2 doesn't disappoint. It's sensors in all direction. In many flight modes the forward, rear, upward, and downward sensors are active all the time, stopping the drone set up if an obstacle is detected. Switching to ActiveTrack, where in fact the Mavic identifies and tracks a moving subject, enables the medial side sensors. In addition they work in Tripod mode, a low-speed setting that lets photographers move the drone very slowly to raised frame shots. The Mavic 2 also includes a high-speed Sport setting. It ups the most flight speed from around 32mph to just shy of 45mph. All obstacle sensors are disabled when Sport is switched on, so utilize it with care. DJI has begun to include internal storage to its drones—we first found it with the Mavic Air. The Mavic 2 Pro matches the Air's 8GB capacity, and includes a microSD card slot too. The card slot is essential, as 8GB isn't room enough to put up plenty of video. The Mavic 2 shoots 4K footage at 100Mbps, so you will end up restricted to only a little less than 15 minutes of footage in internal memory. I'd have like see at the very least 16GB added to a design that calls itself Pro. Still, memory cards aren't expensive, and having some internal storage means you won't be left in the cold in the event that you forget to pack a card. DJI Go 4 App and Features

Much like other DJI drones, the Mavic 2 Pro works together the DJI Go 4 app, available as a totally free download for Android and iOS devices. The app does plenty of things, but most of all it offers you control on the drone's camera and shows its perspective at 1080p quality. In addition it shows a chart of the planet, inlaid in the video feed, which you may swap to if you want to ascertain the Mavic's position in relative to you. The app can also be where you go to get into automated shots, or enter in to a special capture mode, like Hyperlapse. Essentially a time-lapse with motion, Hyperlapse is just a fun way to fully capture sped-up views of the world. I'm not really a big fan of how DJI has implemented the knowledge, though—the remote makes a clicking noise everytime the drone adds a frame, and the flight speed is slowed up a bit. Your mileage can vary, but I'd certainly choose to see a clean view from the camera, without audible distractions, like you receive with the Hyperlapse mode on the less expensive Parrot Anafi.

As well as Hyperlapse, there are many of other automated flight modes and options. They include Asteroid, which mixes panoramic imaging and video to show a standard view of the entire world in to a Little Planet projection, which we first saw with the Mavic Air. Additionally it supports TapFly, which enables you to fly the drone by tapping your phone's screen, ActiveTrack, and APAS. The latter—the Advanced Pilot Awareness System—is helpful for flights when you find so many obstacles to navigate around. It will slow the drone down, however when enabled it automatically flies around any obstacles it encounters.

The app even offers some safety features. It works together with the drone's GPS to enforce no-fly zones, such as the permanent one across the White House and temporary bans of drones around areas where aerial firefighting is happening, both of which could help keep you out of trouble. When you have an FAA Part 107 commercial license, you can even utilize the app to authorize flights near airports, helping you save the problem of contacting the control tower directly. Firmware updates, which may be frequent with DJI products, are done using the app.

DJI Mavic Pro 2 Superlative Video and Images

The DJI Mavic Pro 2 delivers the best drone footage and images you will get in a tight form factor. To raised it, you will need to take into account moving up to big, expensive aircraft by having an SLR-sized sensor and changeable lenses, like the DJI Inspire 2. The main reason its footage is crisper than other 4K drones may be the sensor size. Most drones make use of a 1/2.3-inch sensor, similar to what you get with a smartphone. However the Mavic 2 Pro works on the 1-inch imager, about four times big is what you get with the Mavic 2 Zoom, Mavic Air, and other folding drones. It's not the first time DJI has used the sensor size in a drone—additionally it is for sale in the larger Phantom 4 Pro and Phantom 4 Advanced models. They're both still available and do offer some advantages—notably support for the wider 4K DCI format. But when you're fine with UHD, you will find the Mavic to incorporate a lot of DJI's more recent innovations—including better made automated shots and APAS—that aren't for sale in the Phantom series. What you do get is 4K UHD footage at 100Mbps, with picking a H.264 or H.265 compression. You are able to shoot ready-to-edit footage with a regular color frame—DJI has leveraged color science tech from its partner Hasselblad for the Mavic 2 Pro's camera. Our test footage was all shot with the default color profile. You can also choose an alternative, baked-in profile if you want your video to really have a more artistic, filtered look, or you want to shoot with the flat, low-contrast Dlog-M profile. Shooting flat offers you more power to color correct—Dlog-M is a 10-bit format. It's only recommended for serious video pros, however, as you will be needing both software and skill to create Dlog-M footage pop. In addition it supports HDR video, utilizing the Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) profile.

You will find numerous frame rates available. For 4K you obtain 24, 25, or 30fps. Dropping resolution to 2.7K adds 48, 50, and 60fps, and you obtain all the aforementioned at 1080p (2K), with the addition of 120fps. The lens includes a variable aperture, configurable from f/2.8 through f/11, and the sensor can range between ISO 100 to 6400 for video. You'll probably want to incorporate a basic density filter for flights in bright light—I don't recommend using the lens at a location narrower than f/5.6 to minimize the resolution loss brought on by diffraction—but when you're without one, you are can certainly stop down further to keep proper shutter angles for the footage. Additionally, there are two angles of view to select when shooting at 4K. DJI doesn't do a good job identifying them in the app, which is a shame as it effectively provides Mavic 2's camera an identical coverage range whilst the Mavic 2 Zoom for 4K video. The default setting, FOV, is a wide-angle view of the entire world, about 28mm in full-frame terms. Switching to the HQ (High Quality) setting narrows the camera's angle a bit—it's nearer to 40mm. That you do not get quite exactly the same range whilst the Mavic 2 Zoom's camera (24-48mm), but it's close enough. You do lose the capability to execute a dolly zoom shot, but it appears as though a good price to cover better video overall. Imaging can also be quite versatile. We have seen the 1-inch sensor size find a place in compact cameras, where it delivers better results than you are able to expect from your own smartphone. The Mavic 2 Pro shoots images in JPG or Raw DNG format, and I would expect most serious photographers to utilize the latter. The big sensor makes low-light aerial imaging a less strenuous task, by having an ISO that may be set as high as 12800 when creating images. I often recommend ISO 3200 as a maximum for this sort of sensor, however, that will still net some stunning twilight photos.

The Best Small Drone

Will there be a far more capable folding drone compared to the DJI Mavic 2 Pro? I don't think so. It is small enough to get space along your terrestrial imaging and video equipment in a backpack, nonetheless it does not make plenty of sacrifices in comparison to larger drones. Assuming that you do not have to shoot footage destined for projection in a theatre, the 4K UHD format (the one utilized by your TV) is plenty of for almost any project destined to be considered in a Tv room. Couple the quality with the capability to record footage at dual angles of view, excellent still imaging, and the incredible stabilization delivered by the Mavic 2's gimbal stabilization, and you have got a drone that is simple to love. Yes, you spend a higher cost, however the Mavic 2 Pro is the better folding drone we have flown, so it is our Editors'Choice of drone. A must have! Read the full article

[entergamingxp]

Trackmania Review — A Niche Experience That Delivers on the Asphalt

July 13, 2020 2:00 PM EST

Trackmania has finally launched for PC and despite being the latest entry in a rather niche franchise it still manages to deliver a robust experience.

Back when I first previewed Trackmania, I found it to be a rather niche and hardcore racing sim filled with plenty of content while somehow also still feeling barebones in other areas. I was left wondering whether the full version would feature any noticeable improvements once it arrives. Playing through the final game, I’m pleasantly surprised to find that Ubisoft has managed to deliver a simple yet complete experience bursting with plenty of content.

“Ubisoft has managed to deliver a simple yet complete experience bursting with plenty of content.”

Trackmania has always been a franchise that puts its focus on polishing the overall racing experience. The various modes it offers typically focus on enhancing its core gameplay. The game features a robust selection of tracks to play through, a huge and dedicated online community with modes to match, and track creation.

The gameplay is straightforward enough on paper as you drive your car through various tracks and aim for the fastest time. However, there are tons of track conditions put in place that you won’t find in a standard racing game such as the engines cutting off in sections, U-turns, turbo boosts, icy tracks, large gaps to jump, etc. This would normally be a setup for a deeply unenjoyable gameplay experience but between restricting these gimmicks to short bursts, including a button to instantly do over the entire course if you mess up, and a physics engine that’s fun to play with, it makes these obstacles a blast to work through.

There are tons of modes to play through, divided into several major modes — Solo, Live, Clubs, Local, and Create — with each one further divided into sub-modes. Solo includes three features: Seasonal picks, Track of the Day, and Training; both the seasonal and training modes feature 20 different tracks to race on.

The seasonal picks, which is named after the current season and year (as of this writing the current one is Summer 2020), is the general arcade/time attack mode for Trackmania. In each season, new tracks are made available for players to work through. It’s an excellent way to ensure that new content is cycled on a consistent basis and keeps regular players continuously engaged.

Track of the Day lets you race against other players on the top user-created map for a certain amount of time. You can jump in when you want and work on both your personal best time and rank on the leaderboard. After time runs out, it switches to the next day with a brand new chosen track. All previous tracks are still playable alone but are not available to race with online players. Finally, we have Training, which delivers tracks in small bits that lets players master the mechanics.

Create mode features three main categories: Track Editor, Replay Editor, and Garage. The first sub-mode is for creating and editing tracks, the second is essentially a photo mode that lets players capture footage and edit screenshots, and the third is for customizing skins for your car. Track Editor is divided into Simple and Advanced, depending on how many features are in it.

Most beginners should start off with Simple mode as it’s a great introduction to how to build your own track and obstacles. Advanced is made for veterans and features more complex options to customize your dream track in intricate detail. Although the track editor and photo mode offer some hearty options, I felt that far more could have been done with the Garage; even the name seems misleading as you can’t customize any parts for your kart and overall it feels like a missed opportunity.

The best social feature by far in Trackmania is Clubs, which is a special mode that allows players to create or join groups and interact with others in a closed and personal environment. It also allows access to unique features and activities such as skin customization, competitions, special campaigns, online rooms, and training tracks. While clubs are ideal for streamers, creators, and esports teams, anyone can create and join clubs and tailor their experience. It’s a smart feature that distills the massive and often intimidating online community into a much smaller and more manageable community that shares similar interests and goals.

Trackmania has tournaments as well that players can take part in. Hopeful competitors can practice in casual daily and weekly tournaments, as well as face pro-level players in the Open Grand League to qualify for the Trackmania Grand League, the official Trackmania competition. There’s also the Arcade channel, an hourly updated mode that showcases the best of players’ campaigns.

Graphics in the original preview build of Trackmania were not the highest priority. Though they weren’t terrible in terms of the car models and immediate environment, background details were extremely basic, almost shoddy. However, the full game has gotten quite the overhaul in visuals. Though they are nothing that would beat out other titles such as Gran Turismo or Forza, the details in the tracks, vehicles, stadium, trees, and other parts are still lovely with an almost stylized quality that matches the feel of the game. Not to mention, the gorgeous lighting effects and how much they contribute to creating a starkly atmospheric environment. Day and night cycles were solely created to flex their system, I’m absolutely convinced.

The music is another area that’s had significant improvements from the preview build. The tracks are a blend of catchy and pumping electro and techno tracks, creating an excitable atmosphere that gets you pumped and into the race. Not to mention, the soundtrack is really good on its own. Another little touch that I enjoyed immensely is that the game switches between tracks instead of simply looping the same track, keeping the music fresh and frenetic.

Meanwhile, the sound design is fantastic with a mix of both realistic and stylized sound effects that accurately emulate engines, crashing, and the screech of tires without being bogged down by trying and failing to recreate those same sounds completely realistically.

“Trackmania features deep mechanics that put accessibility first…”

As this is a free-to-play title, there are three levels that players can choose from depending on what experience is best suited for you. The first is Starter Access, the free base game that comes with changing season tracks, solo and online modes, and the track editor. Next is Standard Access, the first paid tier, that includes some of the Club activities and events plus the ability to test your track edits online. Finally, there’s Club Access and, as its name suggests, this version features the ability to create Clubs and participate in all Club events, as well as car skin customization. If your membership expires, you’re still allowed to keep all the tracks you played and created, which is a pretty solid deal.

Trackmania features deep mechanics that put accessibility first in addition to a nice variety of online and solo modes that compliment the title to better enhance both the gameplay and community. There’s plenty of free content that will entertain casual fans for months and paid options tailored to the more devoted veterans. All in all, for being part of such a niche franchise, this is a great entry that has a lot to offer.

July 13, 2020 2:00 PM EST

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2020/07/trackmania-review-a-niche-experience-that-delivers-on-the-asphalt/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=trackmania-review-a-niche-experience-that-delivers-on-the-asphalt

[mi5016jackheslop]

I first discovered the process of animation when I was about 7 years old. My school gave my year group a lesson using a program called 2animate and at the end of the day, when everyone had left I was still in the classroom at the PC. I was just engrossed in the couple seconds worth of moving images that I had created and couldn't pull myself away from the screen. The teachers noticed this and my parents bought me a copy of the software which quickly started to consume all my time at home. Ever since then I've been fascinated by motion and the way things move and I was especially fond of animal run cycles. In recent years 3D animation has really caught my eye and more specifically photoreal CGI. Being convinced that something totally impossible was actually filmed and not just added with software in post truly fascinates me. In this video I'll be discussing lighting and compositing. These are a couple aspects of the VFX pipeline that I have only recently started to understand the importance of and some of the skills required to find a job in these areas of the industry. I also will use the techniques I learn about to try and create my own VFX composition.

The first job that I'd like to address is that of the VFX supervisor. One of the key roles of the VFX supervisor is to ensure that the filmmakers have an appropriate set up while recording the initial photography to save time and money or so that it won't require weeks of prep/paint afterwards in the rotoscoping or retouch departments before advancing further down the pipeline. What interests me most about this position though is the lighting reference they take care of. When filming a shot that will contain VFX a matte grey ball and a shiny chrome ball is commonly used. The grey ball is used to help the cgi artist understand the light direction, intensity, temperature and to gauge how harsh the shadows should be. To achieve this the artist would recreate the matte ball in cg and by comparing it with the image of the real one try to replicate the lighting conditions in the software with those that were present on set during filming. Once correct the light would then be applied to the model. The chrome ball however is used to understand how reflections are picked up on certain materials such as the shiny metal on a vehicle or something similar. It is also replicated in cg and is used to align what is known as an environment light or HDRI. This is basically a 360 degree photo that encompasses the 3D scene to give the models realistic reflection and lighting. The VFX supervisor decides where the balls should be placed and whether or not to move them during filming based on differences in light around the set. Some claim that it's old fashioned but from what I've seen many directors still prefer to use these quick and easy methods of lighting reference. A Macbeth chart usually accompanies the two spheres but this is used as reference for consistent colour correction rather than for lighting.

One of the best movies I can think of that shows brilliant use of lighting was the first Transformers movie. Scenes like this where you'll notice in the fog the light being blocked by Bumblebee, very cool stuff. Or how in this scene not only is the environment being reflected off Optimus but also Sam and Mikaela are reflected here. I couldn't find information on how they did this scene specifically but usually when you needa subject like people for example in a reflection they are usually filmed from the required angle or are actually modelled, textured and animated. This method can produce much better results if done well but is much more costly and time consuming. I also like how the animators matched the movement of Optimus's legs to move behind Sam exactly as he blocks the light. Little things like this are often planned by the vfx supervisors sometimes even at the time of filming to make things in post easier.

During my research I came across Erik Winquist, a VFX supervisor who I found particularly inspiring. He graduated Ringling College of Art and Design with a degree in computer animation and started his career in 1998 when he was hired as an assistant animator at Pacific Data Images. Fast forward a few years and he's working at Weta Digital and has been involved in the making of huge films such as The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, War for the Planet of the Apes, Peter Jackson's King Kong, Avatar and many more. He claims that every show is completely different from the last and as a result a lot of problem solving is required, especially when you have no idea how you're going to accomplish an end goal at the outset. Erik says he and his team are constantly jumping in and out of Maya and always have a Nuke session open for one thing or another. This brings me onto my next point, compositing.

Compositing in its simplest form is combining multiple assets that were created seperately into one scene to make it seem like it was all shot together. One of the challenges a compositor must deal with is the tracking of the clean plate. This is so that the digital camera within the animation software is moving around the model in a way that matches the tracker footage. There are a number of softwares that can be used to track a camera through 3D space, After Effects, SynthEyes and 3DEqualizer just to name a few. I'm going to focus primarily on Nuke though later in the video since it was mentioned by Erik Winquist and is easily accessible.

I was encouraged to try and utilise the knowledge and techniques that I've been researching and give 3D compositing a shot myself. If I take the necessary steps it should allow me to bridge the gap between 3d animation and the real world.

So first thing I did was take a simple video with as little shake or movement as I could manage so that Nuke would be able to track it easily. The software tracks specific points on the footage and uses the data to calculate a 3D space and the movements of a camera through this space.

This is a character I created who's supposed to be made from a material with similar properties to diamond or glass. I chose him to be my Guinea pig in this particular experiment because I thought his transparency would react with lights in interesting ways. Within Maya I created square lights above the model in the same formation as those within the room I filmed in to make the lighting as accurate as I could. Despite this you'll never really be able to perfectly replicate the lighting conditions without recreating the environment within Maya to simulate how the light actually bounces around the setting.

Unfortunately I wasn't able to capture a great quality environment light. HDRI stands for high dynamic range image and is basically an image that shows a greater range in luminance levels compared to a standard image by reducing the loss of detail in the highlights and shadows. This is often achieved by creating a blend of several images that were taken at different exposures. I only had my phone and an app I downloaded to help create the image so it didn't turn out great. Not that this matters much though since I'm just using this as an opportunity to learn more about VFX processes and on top of that I didn't know how to correctly apply the hdri image to the scene and I encountered quite a few render problems while trying to work around this. In the end I decided to just render out what I had and this is the result. Unfortunately as you can see the model doesn't look convincingly embedded with the image. I assume this is partly due to the absence of environment lighting or the lack of scratches and imperfections on the model that you would expect to see on a real object which would otherwise reflect light differently. I actually think biggest reason though is the noise levels of the plate versus that of the clean model. The contrast really ruins it for me. At the end of the day though I got to experiment with some new software and while I don't yet have access to all the necessary tools that are required to create the convincing VFX shots I'm after I still think it was a decent first attempt. I'm excited for next semester to learn more about compositing.

Now what to possibly do with all these newfound skills? While researching career paths I tried to stay away from the hugely successful, international companies like Weta Digital or ILM and look for smaller, more local and UK based companies. I came across a company called Milk which I'd never actually heard of but was suprised to discover that they're an award-winning independent vfx company based in London that have worked on TV shows and movies such as Doctor Who, The Martian and The Chronicles of Narnia to name a few. They are currently advertising a lot of available roles at the studio, one of which being compositors. Some of the qualifications they list to become a compositor include a good working knowledge of Nuke, a degree in related fields of film, communications and art, and ideally at least two years experience in feature films. Some interesting statistics about the industry include Closer to home still is the company...

I've often thought about how an independent career away from a studio might play out. There were several guest speakers who came in to talk to the animation department over the semester about possible roads to go down when searching a career. At the moment not many interested me but the one that stood out was James Beavers. He created a YouTube channel mainly focused on gaming with over 2.5 million subscribers. What's interesting though is he studied the animation course at Northumbria university as well and has gone on to create this really sucessful channel. Owning a popular YouTube channel has always been something I thought was pretty cool and it made me think of alternative career paths that I could go down. Another YouTube channel that I'm fond of is Corridor. They have actually taught me a considerable amount of what I know about VFX and they make videos like this, similar to what I could one day produce with the knowledge and skills I develop.

[componentplanet]

DJI Osmo Mobile 3 Tested: A Smartphone Gimbal You Can Travel With

When I reviewed DJI’s Osmo Mobile 2 smartphone gimbal, I was quite impressed with its stabilization capability and feature set. It made it possible to record smooth video in tricky situations, as well as do some cool time-lapse photographs. Its big drawback was its size and shape. The combination of the two meant that it needed to be carried in a large case — at which point it’d be easier to simply carry a small camera with optical stabilization.

DJI has addressed those concerns with its new folding model of the Osmo, the DJI Osmo Mobile 3 ($149.99). Sporting a feature set even larger than that of its predecessor, it folds into a compact size that allows you to either carry it in its small case or conveniently fit it into the place taken by a lens or point-and-shoot in your photo bag. The Osmo Mobile 3 only weighs about 14 ounces, and it can hold just about any smartphone that is between 2.5 and 3.5 inches wide. I used it successfully with a Google Pixel 3 and a Huawei Mate 20 Pro. For its small size, the Mobile 3 has a relatively large 2,450Wh battery that is good for up to 15 hours of operation — assuming you’ve done a good job balancing your phone in the clamp.

Using a DJI Osmo Mobile 3

DJI has made the controls on the Osmo Mobile 3 about as simple as possible. The Power button doubles as a function button, and you get a dedicated shutter/record button, as well as a Telephoto/Wide rocker that operates if you have your phone paired with the Osmo Mobile 3 over Bluetooth. A multi-function trigger has also been added for additional flexibility. The new spring-loaded phone mounting system is also more forgiving than the previous version. I didn’t have any trouble finding a way to mount either phone that completely avoided the problem of having the clamp accidentally affect any of the controls.

You can also control the gimbal’s operation using DJI’s Go app on your phone. That works well once you have it set up, but since you’re supposed to mount your phone to the gimbal before turning it on, you do need to make sure you have enough hands available to use the app while you are also holding the gimbal. Speaking of phones, there is even a USB port you can use to charge your phone if needed.

Once you’re shooting, the Osmo Mobile 3 has the usual modes of operation, where you can have it attempt to stay locked in one place or track with your hand movements. You can set the speed of the automatic zoom, letting you create something similar to the “Dolly Zoom” often used in movies. After a little practice, I found that I could execute fairly smooth pans and zooms, even with moving subjects or from a moving vehicle. For example, in this video recorded from a boat drifting in the current and vibrating from the engine, I was able to capture stable footage of people jumping off an old submarine tunnel in Montenegro:

Impressive Stabilization in a Small Package

In my testing, the Osmo Mobile 3 performed even better than the Osmo Mobile 2, despite being quite a bit smaller and lighter. That was true even with the fairly large phone I was using (a Huawei Mate 20 Pro). In this video clip taken from a boat motoring across Skadar Lake in Montenegro you can see that it keeps the landscape and horizon quite stable:

Packed Full of Features

As with the Osmo Mobile 2 and the Pocket mini-camera, the Osmo Mobile 3 is packed full of features. Time Lapse is one of my favorites. To assist with those, DJI offers an optional small tripod (a larger, but more versatile option that the tiny base it sells for the Osmo Mobile 2). Alternatively, you can attach your own plate or tripod via the 1/4-inch socket on the bottom of the grip. Its ActiveTrack object tracking isn’t going to help anyone covering serious sports, but it’s useful for interviews, selfie video blogging, or walking around a subject while keeping it in the frame. For tracking action you can switch the Mobile 3 into Sport mode, which makes it respond and move more quickly, but without active tracking.

As with other DJI products, the Osmo Mobile 3 supports some gestures. So you could, for example, set the gimbal up on a tripod (it has a 1/4-inch socket, and the kit version comes with a small tripod that fits it), and then start it recording or taking photos with a gesture.

DJI’s post-processing software also continues to improve and is a good option for someone not already using a solution like Adobe’s Premiere Rush for mobile video editing. If you’re in a hurry, or simply don’t want to bother doing any processing yourself, DJI offers Story Mode, which automatically turns your clip into a ready-to-share multimedia creation. You can further customize your Story with transitions, music, and effects filters before sharing.

Is the DJI Osmo Mobile 3 Right For You?

At $120, the Osmo Mobile 3 is an affordable way to upgrade the quality of your smartphone videos. If you’re a video blogger who does a lot of selfie videos, it’s also a lot better solution than a traditional selfie stick. Speaking of which, since it has a tripod mount on the bottom, you could, in theory, turn it into a longer selfie stick by adding an extension. However, you wouldn’t be able to run the controls in that configuration.

My biggest problem with the Mobile 3 is that I now feel bad I purchased the Mobile 2. I found that after I did, its large size kept me from taking it with me on most of my trips. That isn’t an issue with the Mobile 3. If you’re going to spring for one and can afford an additional $20 for the kit, you’ll get a well-implemented case and a small tripod. I used the case for times when the gimbal went in my checked luggage, but for day-to-day use, I found it worked just fine to stick it in a padded section of my camera bag.

[Video credit: David Cardinal]

Now Read:

DJI Osmo Mobile 2 Gimbal: Making Your Smartphone Video Better

DJI’s New Osmo Action Camera Field Tested

DJI Launches Drool-Worthy Mavic 2 Pro, Zoom Drones

from ExtremeTechExtremeTech https://www.extremetech.com/computing/299761-dji-osmo-mobile-3-review from Blogger http://componentplanet.blogspot.com/2019/10/dji-osmo-mobile-3-tested-smartphone.html

[techabrelcom]

Best Vlogging Camera Under 100 (Our 2018 Choices)

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Over the last few months, I have been watching a few of the main popular vloggers on Youtube and it got me thinking about doing it myself. But, I am on a bit of a budget and only wanted to spend a maximum of $100.

Because of this, I decided that researching the best vlogging camera under 100 would be a fun thing to write about here as well. Just in the last week, I have looked up a ton of these camera optioons in this price range and came up with this list of seven that I feel are your best bang for the buck.

Our Recommendations:

Nikon Coolpix L32

Learn More About The Nikon COOLPIX L32

The essential feature of this video camera is its 5x zoom NIKKOR lens. This flexible lens helps you get every detail of broad angle shots such as a household image to more close up shots. It uses the electronic vibration decrease innovation that assists you take constant videos even without using a tripod. Its 20.1 megapixels sensing unit works for taking clear and crisp images. The video quality is likewise quite high. The film button takes you to video shooting mode where you can start recording your minutes in 720P hd video quality.

The clever picture system is an in developed mode that assists you get a little creative with your pictures. It concentrates on the face of the subject, applying a skin smoothing mask and has a smile shutter trigger. It has an easy to use menu that makes ids an excellent video camera for beginners. Another Key feature is that it operates on regular AA batteries. This minimizes required charging time. It likewise features an external storage space. You can for that reason utilize memory cards with different storage capabilities according to your requirements.

Pros

Light and easy to carry

Takes quality images and videos and works specifically well for outside experiences

Easy to use

Durable (Can manage a couple of falls).

No charging time required. Just plug in a new set of AA batteries and you are good to go.

Budget-friendly.

Cons

Experiences problems in checking out the sd card.

Limited settings which might be a point of frustration for someone hoping to do more than simply point and shoot photography.

Performs poorly in low light conditions.

This electronic camera has its benefits and brief comings as does any other. Regarding whether you enjoy your user experience will considerably depend upon your expectations. While it might be best for novices in photography, some of the constraints may opt to be an offer breaker for amateur and professional photographers alike.

Sony Cyber-Shot DSCW800

Learn More About The Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-W800

This Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-W800 review has actually established that the compactness and simple interface are the two main points that make the video camera an inconspicuous compact. The image quality, while not the best, is good when shooting in bright environments. In addition, the Smart Auto mode ensures that your images are well focused and well exposed. On the disadvantage, you do not get a viewfinder and the panorama mode is rather disappointing. There is also the issue of the limited viewing angles that make it difficult to shoot low or high angle shots. Overall, it is a skilled cam for beginners who don’t have a lot to spend. And while it will not win any quality awards, the images are passable as long as you do not inspect them at full size.

Pros

Ability to tape-record 1280 x 720 footage at 30 fps

Integrated mono microphone and mono speaker

Geared up with contrast auto-focusing system

Face detection AF for discovering faces in the frame

Good performance in intense light conditions

Smooth styling and black/grey surfaces

Some manual control

Compact and lightweight construction

Affordable rate

Good value for the cash

Panorama shooting

Cons

Maximum light level of sensitivity is poor by today’s standards

Does not have viewfinder

LCD screen has really low resolution

Slow constant shooting rate of 1 frame per second

Sensing unit is somewhat smaller than average

Slow shutter speed

Lower real resolution

Screen is truly little

Restricted zoom range

Minimal LCD seeing angles

Does not support RAW files

No cordless connection

No handbook focus and exposure choices

Canon PowerShot A2500

Learn More About The Canon PowerShot A2500

At this price, Canon PowerShot A2500 proves to be a good deal for mid-income consumers. Compared to other electronic cameras in same price sector, A2500 deals best image quality and is rather enjoyable to use with different result filters. However similar to ire predecessor, the camera lacks optical image stabilization; it comes with digital image stabilization.

Readily available with the dimensions of 97.7 x 56.0 x 20.9 mm, the camera felt quite sleek and comfortable to hold. With its 125 gram weight, Canon PowerShot A2500 is amongst the lightest snapper around. Style smart, it looks more like Canon.

The current electronic camera from Canon includes capability to deliver finest close-ups and macro shots. Its UI looks quite easy and you will discover no difficulty navigating through the Menu. Further, the electronic camera uses 720p HD video, which is rather vibrant and exceptionally realistic. It shoots videos at 30 fps with 640 x 480 pixel resolution.

Other features consist of:

It provides 220 shots on complete recharged battery

Automobile Smart function let the electronic camera pick the very best readily available shooting mode depending on the surroundings

The big shutter helps with in blurring the moving subjects

Offered with New ECO Mode

Canon PowerShot ELPH 340 HS 16MP Digital Camera’

Learn More About The Canon Power Shot ELPH 340 HS

This Canon Point and Shoot Electronic camera have a number excellent elements of the Point and Shoot Cameras, such as; product, features, and design. It’s a truly one of the Best Buy Product that most Point and Shoot Video cameras searcher wish to select. This Canon PowerShot ELPH 340 HS 16MP Digital Video Camera (Silver) aspects probably accordance with exactly what you are want to select. The Canon Power Shot ELPH 340 HS digital cam is an imaginative force to be reckoned with. Its effective 12x optical zoom puts you into the action from anywhere, all set to catch with the quality only Canon optics can deliver. Built-in Wi-Fi means you’re constantly connected to your world, transferring images and video directly to popular social networking sites, mobile phones and your computer. You can likewise shoot remotely with a compatible mobile phone or tablet to easily record group photos, and connect wirelessly to a compatible Android device with a simple touch using integrated NFC (Near Field Communication). The high-resolution CMOS sensing unit integrates with the DIGIC 4+ image processor giving you outstanding image quality in all circumstances, consisting of low light. With innovative functions like 1080p full HD, Hybrid Auto and Smart AUTO, the Power Shot ELPH 340 HS catches the excitement of your everyday life with style.

At the time of publishing this Canon PowerShot ELPH 340 HS 16MP Digital Camera (Silver) Evaluation, We found more than 519 client examines about this Finest Buy Point and Shoot Electronic Cameras and they had actually offered around 4.2 usually from a possible 5 stars, there are obviously a slight small shortcoming about this Canon PowerShot ELPH 340 HS 16MP Digital Camera (Silver), however the consumer reviews are positively typically– read on this website– it’s actually useful for anybody in deciding to purchase Canon PowerShot ELPH 340 HS 16MP Digital Cam (Silver).

Choosing A Good Budget Vlogging Camera

As you go deeper into vlogging, you will find that an excellent digital video camera can considerably affect the quality and professionalism of your videos on YouTube. To obtain a top quality camera, you have to consider aspects. Exactly what do you try to find in a video camera?

Quality of the Image

The most vital part of the cam for vlogging is picture quality. You ought to search for a cam that records no less than 1080p or Full HD. An electronic camera below that is the standard quality of vlogs and can block the advancement of your vlogs.

Weight

The camera does not weigh in particular but rather can end up being shockingly considerable when you hold one with your arm outstretched for more than a couple of minutes. Vlogging cameras ought to be light so you can use them throughout the day and you won’t get drained pipes while you’re vlogging.

Optical Image Stabilization

This is very standard for vlog while strolling or carrying out various exercises that include a good deal of activity. Despite the fact that Youtube and video changing programming can assist settle the recording, it will not approach the nature of the video memory electronic camera with worked in optical image change. This component averts lightweight video material and enhances the quality of your logs.

Noise

Your watchers will not adhere to all your vlog on the off possibility that they can’t hear the word that you are stating. In this way, prior to getting it is necessary to focus on the receiver of the video camera. Every camera has actually a worked in amplifier with tolerable quality, nevertheless, can raise undesirable foundation clamor. A few video cameras have a receiver jack, so you can utilize an external microphone to improve the sound of your logs.

Lens

Considered that a significant portion of your recordings is taped from a separation of the hand, it is essential to search for a camera with a lens that provides excellent video quality when shooting in short proximity. Nothing is more irritating than not in focus for most of your vlog.

Your Requirements

Obviously, the best video camera for taking images is an electronic camera that is best has the tendency to your requirements. If you record in low light conditions, you must search for electronic cameras that work for this errand. If you vlog in a hurry and capture enterprise, the activity webcam is better for you. Perhaps you require a clean noise, so you anticipate a computer game camera with the capability to interface outside amplifiers. You should consider the sort of vlogs you have to make, and choose the enlistment cam that best suits your requirements. A flip screen is routinely viewed as an excellent match for basic vloggers.

Conclusion

Video blogs do not need much. You do not need expensive equipment. This needs just required abilities and some hardware and software that will contribute to the charming quality of the video. You do not need to buy the most costly camcorder or cam to get top quality video. Even a simple video camera will do due to the fact that there are a great deal of great economical cameras. In many cases, people today have an extremely sophisticated video camera right in their pocket with their smartphone. This is rather adequate.

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Evaluation Question 4: How did you use media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?

Throughout the course of producing my media product, I used a variety of media technologies throughout each stage of the creative process, from software to websites, services and presentation methods.  A lot of the research was internet based, hence the main medias I used were Tumblr, YouTube, Spotify, Twitter and other social medias and Microsoft word. During the planning stages, I ostensibly used Tumblr again to document my findings, but I also made use of technologies such as Google Maps. I also used my iPhone to take images pertinent to my planning and integrated these on Tumblr. During the evaluation stages, I used a different method of presentation for each question, to show ability with a variety of media technologies. Within the construction process, I utilised many different media technologies, primarily the cameras Nikon DSLR and iPhone SE, iMovie, Final Cut Express and Adobe Photoshop. Photoshop proved to be vital in the post-production stages as much of my music video relied on the drawings that I created.

Much of my planning took place on Tumblr, it’s multifunctional aspect becoming highly important. I used Tumblr to update my progress and ideas and note down the planning aspects of my music video, including casting, shooting schedule, locations, equipment, editing, props and so on. Tumblr was particularly beneficial as it enabled me to upload images or screen shots of my actress and props within the actual video to demonstrate their importance and significance. This also became beneficial when planning for my digipak, as I could upload photos that were ideas or potential images for my digipak/advertisement and document my progress during the term. This allows for a visual representation of my progress to be apparent.

During my location planning, I utilised Google Maps to give a visual representation of all of my locations. I had used Google Maps before, but I had some difficulty using the "pin" function to drop a pin on each location. This created a spacial link that showed that some of my potential locations were incredibly close together in my village, but the others were miles away, and hence this had to be taken into account during other aspects of planning such as the shooting schedule- the shots that were filmed far away required a separate date where everyone could get there whereas shots in the local area could be filmed quite spontaneously. I found this beneficial to give a visual representation of where all of my locations actually are, and once I was accustom to the method, using it was very easy. I then took screen shots of these images to use on Tumblr.

One of the pieces of equipment used was the Nikon DSLR Camera; I found it was easy to use, and was provided by the sixth form and so was practical. I could film in high quality with the camera and allowed for smooth, steady shots to be filmed, and it is manoeuvrable so it was easy to film in the main locations and capture some interesting shots. For smaller, impromptu shots when the main camera was not available, as it was being lent out to other students, I switched to my iPhone SE camera. This camera shoots in a similar quality, but is less stable and more susceptible to smaller movements and other subtle changes in the composition of the image, such as the brightness- the iPhone implements an auto-focus technology wherein if the camera is moved, the image will re-focus, often leading to a period of blur. Hence, I used the application Movie Maker on my computer at home which automatically stabilises video footage with the purpose to make time-lapse videos, but with the option to slow the video down to it's original speed using the phones accelerometer. This allowed me to film both close up shots for the start of the video and then shots from smaller shoots that were simply dropped into my timeline on my choice of editing software, Final Cut, as the core of the shots were there from the main camera. The downside of this was the constant rendering of these clips. The stabilisation was crucial as these shots were handheld and hence this feature was incredibly important to making sure shots were steady. The small sacrifice is definitely worth the practicality and improved structure of the shots.

I used iMovie on the Sixth Form Apple Macs for my AS project and found the interface easy to use, however I decided against using iMovie for my A2 coursework due to the restrictions that it entailed and meant that I could not add the drawings over the shots which was a vital part in my A2 narrative. This is because iMovie does not allow you to add multiple layers to a video and instead uses just one. I used Final Cut Express as I, too, was familiar with the software as I used it during my AS preliminary task, hence not needing to have to learn how to use alternate software, however I found that YouTube helped greatly wen trying to work out additional things in relation to Final Cut Express. The clips from the Nikon Camera did not need to be constantly rendered and re-rendered, making it easy and quick to create, and I only used the iPhone shots for supporting shots which would render quickly.

When creating the drawing/animatic effects, I screenshot the relevant shots from my music video and uploaded them to Adobe Photoshop to enable me to draw over the shots to know exactly where each drawing would be placed. I then took away the background and saved each drawing as a PNG, which enabled the drawings to be placed transparently. Despite this taking a wide range of time, ultimately, it was worth it to create the desired aesthetic. I also made use of other editing features available in Final Cut in my project. I used a variety of dissolve transitions throughout where I found jump cuts were not necessary due to the pace of the song and nature of the instrumental, and then preferred the use of jump cuts in the faster sections, for instance slow fades are used during the first verse and quick jump cuts for Leanne’s cutting up of polaroid’s section. 

I also used different media technologies when creating my Digipak and Magazine Advertisement. For these products, I also used Adobe Photoshop, which was installed on the Sixth Form Macs and which I later installed at home over the Easter break to help me finish all the necessary adjustments. I had previously used Photoshop prior to this project during my GCSE period, and had basic knowledge over the tools and functions, however this needed to be touched up on as it had been over a year since last using it. I found that YouTube was a particularly helpful tool in finding tutorials for specific things I needed and I asked other classmates to help me with any concept I was stuck working on.

In Photoshop I edited the photo by cropping it to the desired size but keeping the original ratio. I then proceeded to edit the Levels to bring the colour out more, before adding a cooling filter at a low level of 10% to make the image seem cooler.  For the magazine cover, I also used the same photo as the one in the digipak, however had to add more colour to it to increase the page ratio. I then used a paintbrush tool to add the paintbrush splash effects of a colour lighter than the background to give the magazine poster more definition and effect.

YouTube, the popular video sharing service, was vital in my research, particularly into music videos. The service, now almost dominated by VEVO, allows artists to upload their music videos and reach a global audience of all demographics, and now receive financial profit if it gets a certain number of views. Youtube enabled me to view many different genres of music video to help gain wider knowledge of the conventions. I also produced an online survey using the website "SurveyMonkey", with 9 questions that would help me get a better idea of what my audience expects from a music video and hence what they would want to see in my video. Linking to my other aspects of research in technologies, I distributed the link to this survey on social networks like Twitter, on Facebook chats and on my Blog to maximise the amount of people completing it so I can have a larger sample to analyse and hence more accurate findings. This site was very easy to use, and despite not having used it last year for AS audience research, it was easy to get used to.

In my voiceover blogpost, I further discuss the technologies used in my animatic/drawing scenes. 

In conclusion, I have used a large variety of media technologies in each stage of the creative process, selecting those that were most apt for the tasks I needed to complete by planning and thinking about what each technology allowed me to do in regards to the purpose of the task. Throughout the duration of the course, I have learned a great deal about various technologies that I otherwise wouldn't, and have developed my skills in editing video and photos a lot since AS, as well as evaluating the effectiveness of different platforms I have used in other aspects of the course. I feel I have benefited greatly from gaining an increased understanding of each of these technologies through using them extensively in this project.

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GoPro Fusion Review

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GoPro Fusion Review

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GoPro has long been a dominant player in the action camera space, but of late, the company has been struggling with poor sales and has also dropped out of the drone market. VR is a new vertical for GoPro, and it’s betting big on the Fusion, its new 360-degree camera. The Fusion went on sale internationally late last year, and although GoPro is yet to make it available via retail channels in India like its other cameras, you can get a unit shipped here. Priced at $700 (roughly Rs. 44,600), which doesn’t include the cost of shipping, is the Go Pro Fusion worth the steep price? Find out in our review.

  GoPro Fusion design and build quality

The design of the Fusion is quite different from what we’re using to seeing with the company’s Hero line of cameras. For starters, it’s a bigger than the typical rectangular GoPro Hero models, and is heavier. The entire body has a rubberised finish so it should be able to handle minor falls. It’s also waterproof up to 4.88m (16 feet). There is an 18-megapixel sensor with a fish-eye lens on both the front and the back of the Fusion for capturing 360-degree footage. These lenses bulge outwards and don’t have any scratch protection so you’ll need to be very careful while handling the camera. GoPro ships a carry case with the Fusion for this very reason.

There’s a small backlit display on the front which shows you the current shooting mode, battery level, number of remaining shots, and other details. It isn’t a touchscreen, which is a bit of a step back from the Hero6. This means you’ll have to navigate the menus with the Mode and Shutter buttons on the camera, like you do with the Hero Session series of cameras. There are red status LEDs on the front and back to tell you whether the camera is recording or capturing an image. There’s a bracket at the bottom with mounting fingers that can be used to attach the Fusion to any GoPro mount, but this is removable so you can keep the Fusion standing upright on its own.

The GoPro Fusion gets a much bigger battery than the Hero6, at 2620mAh, and it slots in from the right. There are microSD card slots on either side of the battery, and both need to be occupied in order for the Fusion to work. The reason for this is that footage captured by the two sensors is saved separately on the individual cards. It’s only when you copy the footage to your phone or PC and use GoPro’s software, that 360-degree images and videos are actually stitched together. Naturally, this does take a toll on the device you’re rendering on, but we’ll get to that in a little bit. GoPro recommends Class 10 or higher cards, and the maximum capacity it can support is 128GB (per slot).

There’s another smaller flap on the left of the camera which protects the USB Type-C port. Finally, there are three microphones on the top, and a speaker grille at the back. Just like any other GoPro camera, the Fusion feels premium and well-crafted. Its size makes it quite conspicuous but is still manageable when mounted on a bike helmet, for example.

The Fusion ships with a good starter kit. In the box, you’ll find two adhesive mounts, a Type-C cable, a pouch for the camera, and a multi-purpose handle called the Fusion Grip. The latter can be used as a tripod or selfie stick, and its telescopic arm can extend to give you more flexibility. The build quality and finish of the Fusion Grip are great. It feels sturdy and well made, even though it’s mostly plastic.

GoPro Fusion performance and battery life

In order to test the Fusion, GoPro sent us two 32GB Lexar microSD UHS-II cards for this review. Its best to use two cards with identical capacities in the Fusion since if one of them fills up before the other, you won’t be able to record more footage. This also poses another potential issue – if one of the cards gets corrupted for any reason, you’ll only have one half your camera footage. Ideally, we would have liked to have some in-built storage, especially considering the cost here.

The menu system will be familiar to navigate if you’ve used any recent GoPro camera. You can use the Mode button to cycle through shooting modes, and the Shutter button to start capturing. In video mode, you can shoot spherical vidoes at up to 5.2K (4992×2496) at 30fps, or 3K (3000×1504) at 60fps. In photo mode, you can choose between the auto, burst, and night photo settings. With the latter, you can adjust the shutter speed and field of view. In most shooting modes, you can enable a feature called Protune which lets you manually set the ISO and exposure compensation values if you need more control over the lighting.

The Fusion works just like any other GoPro. You can sync it with the GoPro app on Android or iOS over Wi-Fi as well as Bluetooth to see live video from the camera, just like a viewfinder. You can also change settings such as the GPS status and screen brightness. You can use voice controls, check the free space on the card, and update the firmware of the camera as well. However, the list of mobile devices that support Fusion is limited. For iOS, you’ll need an iPhone 6s or newer, and only some recent iPad models are supported. For Android, support is a bit bleak at the moment as there are only a handful of flagship-class devices that can work with the Fusion. You can see the full list of supported devices on GoPro’s website.

We tested the Fusion with a Google Pixel 2 XL as well as an iPhone 6s Plus for this review. While the Pixel 2 XL managed to render the live feed and stitched 360-degree video without heating up too much, the older iPhone 6s Plus struggled to keep up, and this caused it to heat up very quickly. Speaking of heat, the Fusion itself gets warm even when it’s idle and heats up a lot when shooting videos or timelapses. 360-degree images can be shared only to Facebook, whereas videos can be trimmed for YouTube (up to 90 seconds) or Facebook (up to 30 seconds). You can also capture a 360-degree still frame from the video and share it. Images and video downloaded from the camera reside within the GoPro app so there’s no way to access them through your phone’s gallery or share them through other means.

If you want to extract the 360-degree image and video files, you’ll have to use the desktop app called Fusion Studio. The software is available for Windows and macOS, but it needs a lot of work. On Windows 10, the program would simply refuse to detect the camera despite multiple attempts, and we initially had the same problem on a Mac as well, although being persistent eventually paid off. A workaround for this is to manually copy the files from the microSD cards to your PC and then import them into Fusion Studio. This is a bit of a hassle but at least it works. After doing this, you’re in for a long wait while the software generates a preview by combining the footage from both microSD cards.

Once processed, you’ll see all your clips in the left pane, and various options to render them on the right pane. Longer videos are saved as multiple clips of seven minutes each on the cards, but when you view them in Fusion Studio, they shows up as a single large video clip. Once selected, you can trim the video, adjust the yaw, pitch and roll, and tweak the colour properties. You can even try to stabilise video if you need to before rendering the final output. At this stage, you can choose the type of codec (H.264, CineForm ‘422 High’ or ProRes 422), resolution, and audio format (stereo, 360 audio) you want.

Overcapture on iOS lets you crop standard-aspect videos out of 360-degree footage for easier sharing

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The Fusion has one more cool trick up its sleeve, and that’s the Overcapture feature. Currently only available in the Fusion Studio desktop app and on iOS, it lets you create standard-aspect videos from your spherical footage. You can chose from multiple aspect ratios including 16:9, 4:3, and square, and even set the type of projection to Little Planet or Fisheye for some very interesting effects. 

Rendering a regular 16:9 video clip using Overcapture is quick, but if you wish to render a 360-degree clip, your wait time depends on how powerful your PC or device is. On our mid-2015 iMac with a Core i5 CPU and 16GB of RAM, a five-minute 360-degree clip being rendered to 4K (from 5.2K) took more than an hour. Our iMac might not have the latest specs, but this is still an impractically long time.

On a Windows 10 laptop with an 8th Gen Core i7 CPU, rendering previews was quicker but exporting the same five-minute file with the same settings as on the Mac, took about 45 minutes. Fusion Studio is also extremely glitchy and unpredictable. It hung a bunch of times when trying to watch footage, and scrubbing through the timeline wasn’t very responsive in longer clips. The program often stopped responding, and we had to force-quit it on the Mac.

Processed images look good, and stitch lines weren’t visible for the most part. Objects that are placed too close to the camera appear a bit warped when stitched, but as long as you have the camera away from you or your subject, you should be fine. When using the Fusion Grip, most of the pole is invisible because it’s right below the two lenses, so it looks like your hand grasping a handle that isn’t attached to anything.

Image quality is good in daylight, and the Fusion manages to meter scenes well. Colours are also nicely saturated. Under direct sunlight, a portion of the sky can appear a bit burnt out but everything else is very legible. In low light, there is a bit of visible noise but overall, the level of detail is still quite good. The burst and timelapse modes work just as they do with other GoPro cameras.

Video quality is also excellent during the day, and stitching is handled well. In low light, details take a bit of a hit but quality is still decent. Video can be played using the Fusion VR player app, or if you’re on Windows 10, the default video player now supports 360-degree video playback as well. Do keep in mind that if you have the Fusion mounted on a helmet, the area around the helmet will appear a bit warped since it’s too close to the lenses, but everything else is rendered well. Video is smooth and you can add more stabilisation in post-production.

Stitching videos is resource-intensive on the device you’re using. Again, our Pixel 2 XL didn’t get too hot, and a seven-minute video took about 16 minutes to process. However, the iPhone 6s Plus often failed to import videos longer than two minutes, and would get very hot.

Stills and videos are saved in the JPEG and MP4 formats respectively, and you even have the option to shoot in RAW, though this does increase the time taken to save shots. 360-degree footage eats through your storage space pretty quickly. We filled up our 32GB cards with a mix of photos, burst shots, and a some 5.2K footage totalling to about 50 minutes. A seven-minute clip shot at 5.2K resolution typical comes to about 2.8GB in size per lens.

We encountered a few bugs in the current firmware of the the Fusion. For example, the red status light in the front would stay on when the Fusion was powered off, and at times, random conversations would trigger voice commands, causing the device to switch modes or start recording.

Despite its large battery, we managed to get only about an hour worth of continuous usage when recording at the highest resolution. This was with Wi-Fi on but GPS and Protune turned off. Charging the Fusion takes about three-and-a-half hours using a standard wall adapter. Like with other GoPros, even having the camera on but idle for a while will cause a noticeable dip in the battery life. Thankfully, the Fusion turns itself off after seven minutes of inactivity.

Verdict The GoPro Fusion is the company’s first attempt at a 360-degree camera, and while it does capture very good footage, it’s not the easiest camera to live with. First, there’s the need for two microSD cards at all times. Then there’s the software, which has a long way to go, especially the Fusion Studio desktop app. Let’s not forget, you’ll be needing a powerful desktop and smartphone if you want to work with the footage that this camera captures. App support on Android is limited to a handful of flagship phones right now, and Overcapture, which is a crucial feature, is yet to make it to Android. 

At the time of this review, the Fusion can only be purchased officially in India by getting it shipped directly through GoPro’s website. This means you’re paying $700, plus shipping (which is either $80 or $130 depending on what you choose) which works out to about Rs. 50,000. This puts it in the same ballpark as other 4K 360-degree cameras such as the Ricoh Theta V and the Nikon KeyMission 360. GoPro tells us that it does plan on selling it through local online and offline channels, but for now, this is the only way to get your hands on one.

Right now, the Fusion is too expensive for what feels like an unfinished product. The hardware is solid but the software has a lot of catching up to do. It would make sense to wait a bit and see how things improve with software updates over the coming months, or whether GoPro has a follow-up version of the Fusion planned for 2018.

Price (MRP): $700 (roughy Rs. 44,700) + shipping

Pros

High-quality 360-degree footage

Rugged and waterproof

Bundled Fusion Grip is handy

Overcapture works well

Cons

Fusion Studio software is glitchy 

No built-in storage

Android support is bleak (for now)

Expensive

Processing 360 video can be cumbersome

Ratings (Out of 5)

Design: 3.5

Performance: 3

Value for money: 3

Overall: 3

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[brendagilliam2]

6 brilliant uses of 3D in brand campaigns

If you’re looking for new arenas to put your 3D skills to productive use, have you considered the world of branding?

Right now, creative and design agencies are at the forefront of developing innovative 3D apps and experiences for brands, not least in the rapidly expanding VR and AR space.

Here we bring you 6 cool branding campaigns that make full use of the latest 3D technologies, and chat to the people behind them to discover how they were put together.

01. Vodafone

Vodafone wanted to say ‘thank you’ to its channel partners at Christmas, so OneBite created an immersive environment where they could all get into the Christmas spirit and win a night out for their team.

“Cross-browser functionality was key, so we needed to use software that would work across multiple devices and all screen sizes as a VR experience, and give a good experience in the major browsers if accessed on desktops,” explains developer George Anderson.

“We decided to use krpano,” continues developer Marcela Bohorquez. “It’s a very flexible VR web development platform that supports high quality rendering and great performance in the web. The panorama viewer allows you to see the experience in HTML5 as well as a VR experience on mobile. 

“It also allowed exporting the final experience for desktop as a standalone application, so it can be distributed and viewed without an internet connection as well.”

They also provided the BD sales team and Vodafone partners with mobile VR headsets that were compatible with their smartphones to view the full VR experience.

Browser testing

Throughout the development of the projects, the design team constantly tested the experience in the browser and in VR headsets to make sure that all was functioning correctly.

“Then once we had fully built each environment, we user-tested on fellow OneBiters and family members of all ages, to make sure they were simple enough to use and worked as expected in both browser and VR experiences,” says Anderson.

“As the Vodafone experience was a find and point-style game, we simply asked users to play the game and to let us know if they experienced any bugs or difficulty.”

Technical challenges

The biggest technical challenge the OneBite team faced was making realistic-looking 3D environments work with interactive 3D elements within krpano. “We ended up building each of the environments as 3D models that we could then take a 360 degree photo of from points within each of the rooms to create each of the ‘scenes’ in our virtual experience.

“For BD we had the idea of having 3D screens to display the content on, and this could be interacted with to display each bit of content when the user was ready to read it,” says Anderson.

“We couldn’t create a realistic-looking 3D screen with HTML to layer onto our 3D room, so we ended up building the screens as a 3D element within the scene itself and then layered the HTML/JavaScript content on top of this. This could be interacted with to display the content.

“It was a great solution that once we saw working in the environment, as we planned, was a great celebratory moment,” Anderson recalls.

Lessons learned 

And the biggest lessons learned? “Looking back now,” says Bohorquez, “we think that one of the challenges with VR is that it is all very new (although more literature is coming up now), it is still a world to be discovered and at every step of the project there will be lots of uncertain elements and findings, making it very exciting to work with but also difficult to predict the results.

“Modern day web users expect extremely fast load times, so this needs to be taken into consideration when developing rich immersive experiences like this for the web.”

02. Bayer: A Journey around the Human Body

Polish creative agency Immersion creates 360 degree VR and AR experiences for the likes of Samsung and HBO, as well as working with museums and heritage sites to create immersive experiences for its visitors. In a recent project, pharmaceutics giant Bayer asked them to create an informative and immersive presentation of the human body and the processes that happen inside it.

“We created realistic 3D models of the human eye, heart, brain and stomach, and created interactive experiences that explain various conditions that are linked to each body part,” explains Piotr Baczyński, CEO of Immersion. “This enabled Bayer to have discussions around its products in a more engaging way.”

Immersion’s graphic designers and programmers worked closely with a group of doctors from different specialisations to build the 3D representations. “This close relationship ensured that the look, scale and movement of each body part was as accurate as possible,” says Baczyński. 

“3D was extremely important for this campaign as the primary goal was to enable users to get a lifelike visualisation of the human body – this was only possible in 3D.”

Interface and storyline

And that was just the beginning. “After developing the models, textures, animations, special effects and sounds, the biggest challenge lay within the interface and storyline,” he continues. “It was important that the interface was not only visually pleasing but also intuitive and easy to use.

“This is a particular challenge when working with VR as it could be people’s first experience of VR. For example, doctors sometimes struggled to understand how to operate the controls, or couldn’t grasp the fact that they could move freely and look around to discover the whole area.

The app guides the user, using movement of the environment, voiceovers and highlighting certain areas. “For this, the user must understand that objects can be picked up, buttons pressed and so on. Quite often a first-time VR user expects to see the action only in front of them, so they’re not actively exploring the space.”

Despite the teething problems, Baczyński believes the benefits of VR for branding are significant: “particularly in an industry that requires technical or sometimes difficult discussions. When placed inside of a VR representation of the human body, the user gets a strong sense of presence and understanding, that allows for better explanation of key processes that happen inside.”

03. Ballantine’s

This new campaign is centred around beautiful models sculpted by Si Scott using Google Tilt Brush

Here’s a sneak peek at a campaign that hasn’t even launched yet, but looks like being very cool from where we’re standing… This promotion for a new whisky series makes innovative use of a series of 3D VR sculptures.

The campaign aims to promote the three single malts from Ballantine’s and reinforce their relation to the original blend. So Cubo worked with award-winning illustrator Si Scott to created a range of 3D VR sculptures, each representing the energy and heart of Ballantine’s original blend ‘escaping’ into the new range.

Polish and magic

“We loved the idea of mixing a traditional artist with the latest tech – this is how the idea originated,” explains Jonathan Sant, creative director at Cubo. “As a traditional illustrator, normally using just pen and ink, Si Scott was the perfect person to match with Google Tilt Brush – technology that lets you paint in a virtual space – for this campaign.”

Cubo hired a studio in London for a couple of weeks and set up the Tilt technology for Scott to work his magic and design a sculpture. 

“We imported the virtual shape into Cinema 4D, and spent a lot of time crafting textures, transparencies and luminosities,” says Sant. “For the stills, we worked into Photoshop and added extra polish and magic. We wanted the sculpture to look like is was emitting light into its surroundings: this was all done in Cinema 4D.”

Technical challenges

As you’d expect in such an innovative space, it wasn’t all plain sailing. “As we were working with the first version of Tilt, we encountered a few technical issues along the way,” says Sant. “Some of the functions are quite restrictive.

“Transferring the artwork from Tilt to Cinema 4D, for example, isn’t as easy as you think. The line work also transfers only as a single line of data, so line weight, colour, thickness and stroke angles all had to be recreated.

“Additionally, as you can only see the sculpture through the headset, providing feedback to Si – who wasn’t wearing a headset and therefore viewed things differently – was also slightly challenging. The sculpture looks so different depending on how and where you are viewing it from. 

“You can look very silly flapping about and providing comments and feedback to someone who can’t see the same things as you.

“The bird was very beautiful in the virtual space and it’s a shame that more people couldn’t have seen it. It was an intense project, but a very rewarding one and everyone is delighted with the results.”

So how will the VR sculptures be shared with the target audience? “We’ve created a toolkit to be activated globally by local markets,” says Sant. “There’s an 80-second launch film made to be shown in airports and also at point of sale to feature wherever Ballantine’s Single Malt Whiskies are sold. It will also be available to view online on the Ballantine’s website.”

04. Ford Performance

Burrows, a creative design and production agency based in Essex, was asked by Ford Performance to produce some enticing content made up of 360-degree footage, 3D graphics and also a variety of historical footage, all stitched together into a 360-degree/VR experience.

You can see the full 360 footage here, but not everyone has a VR viewer yet, so Ford also asked VR experience company Igloo Vision to build a 360-degree dome and took it to Le Mans and Shanghai to let fans experience the footage in a shared environment.

The key to utilising 3D content in brand campaigns is not just about the content itself but more about how it’s delivered to the viewer. VR headsets by their nature make the experience isolated, so we’d expect physical solutions like this to become an increasingly important part of the branding mix in the months and years to come.

05. Audi’s virtual showroom

ZeroLight helped Audi provide virtual test drives in its showrooms

It was only a matter of time before car manufacturers started grasping the VR nettle. And so this September, Audi was the first to announce it is rolling out a VR experience to its showrooms across the UK and Europe.

These days there are so many different options when it comes to your car, including exterior paint finish, interior surfaces, seat leather, stitching, alloy wheel styles, and more. But most drivers don’t feel comfortable looking through material swatches and colour charts; they just want to see for themselves what the car will look like.

Working with digital retail specialist ZeroLight, Audi has developed a system that it says will allow you to view “an extremely realistic experience of your individually configured car, down to the last detail”. 

And that’s not all. You’ll also be able to take your virtual car out for a spin, and see how it handles in virtual locations, such as the pit stop at the Les Mans race track.

To allow the complex data models to be processed for virtual reality, Audi worked with its strategic visualisation partner ZeroLight to develop an especially high-performance graphics engine. 

More than 400 “Customer Private Lounges” – its term for a digital consulting suite – are already in use, and more are coming soon.

06. FGM campaign

A new campaign against female genital mutilation uses shocking imagery created using a mixture of in-camera film and motion tracking

Each year Within Design takes on at least one pro-bono project. Past campaigns have included: UN: No Man Is An Island. And Alzheimer’s Society: A Cure for Derek.

This year it has teamed up with Leyla Hussein, a campaigner and survivor of FGM (female genital mutilation) to demonstrate the shortcomings of the 1985 UK FGAM Act, which has not secured a single conviction in over 30 years.

Within Design created a dramatic video, entitled First Cut (which is still in its early stage and has not yet been released) that aims to highlight the impact that FGM really has on a woman and how it affects seven different parts of her body.

“First we filmed the mannequin, shooting it with a paintball gun to create our ‘holes’,” Within Design explains. “We then filmed our model in 4K looking directly down the camera lens for a few minutes to get our foundation shot for the film.

“As we were unable to directly shoot our model (without being sued) we took the footage from the mannequin shoot and overlaid it over the footage of the model. 

“We then motion tracked our model to attach the paint to her movements, before enhancing the colour of the paint to create a bright green that we then ‘keyed out’ of our image, thus creating a hole in our model.

“To create the illusion of depth in the footage, we took the footage, multiplied many layers of it on top of each other and then spread them out in 3D space. With this applied, when an internal virtual camera is used the hole suddenly has depth. And after randomising the position of each layer behind the hole, this creates a rather interesting look and feel.”

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[cryopisces]

The trials and tribulations of fieldwork: Honest answers to a few questions that I have been asked upon return…

This is a guest blog from University of Bristol PhD Student Sarah Tingey, who was part of the 2017 PISCES winter fieldwork team. For more about Sarah, visit her website here.

This was my first long(ish) glaciology field campaign and apparently “one of the toughest” (Jon Hawkings, 2017). Now I am back, I have a real sense of achievement. I held a talk at the University of Aysen about my diving passions to a packed room with a translator, when only a few days before we were digging a trench to divert flood waters away from Jon’s already waterlogged tent. 

It was a jam packed month!

Most conversations prior to heading off to Steffen Glacier, Patagonia, Chile went like this: 

“Wow! You’re off to Patagonia on fieldwork – isn’t that basically just a months long holiday?”

“Well, errrr… no. We will be working, but I am still pretty excited.”

“It sounds like a holiday to me – a bit like backpacking! I look forward to hearing all about your sneaky month long break when you return… ”

Fieldwork is awesome. The opportunity to undertake scientific research in a remote area of Patagonia has been a fantastic experience that I am very grateful for. However, fieldwork is about as close to being on holiday as mud is to chocolate. When quickly glanced at from far away they could pass as the same, but upon closer inspection they are very, very different. 

One is sweet and tastes amazing, the other is wet, dirty and gritty, maybe a bit smelly but can potentially help grow amazing things once a seed is planted. 

Luckily, I like both chocolate (who doesn’t?!) and mud (for growing the plants in for my research). 

The PISCES winter field campaign was full of challenges; many of which could have posed a risk to the entire project. However, through Jon’s leadership skills and solid teamwork from Anne Kellerman (Our organic matter wizz collaborator from Florida State University), Nico (CIEP) and I, our time in camp proved a success. 

Team members (from left to right), Jon Hawkings, Anne Kellerman, Nico Araneda, testing out some new wet weather gear courtesy of Sarah Tingey

Fieldwork is often portrayed as glamorous. Images of “scientists” marching around the wilderness like Bear Grylls, who then get to stay in a 5* hotel at night has become the norm. Unfortunately for us, there was no 5* hotel. Instead we had our trusty tipi, woodburner and a never ending supply of tinned food. Since returning I have been asked the same questions again and again – so I thought I would put my “honest responses” up so I stop feeling like such a parrot talking about the challenges we faced. Here we go… 

The mighty camp tipi after a nights worth of snow fell.

1. DID YOU HAVE A NICE HOLIDAY?

As I left, friends and family were convinced I was off on an adventurous holiday. Conversations escalated so much that I even slightly started to believe this myself. However, the planning and packing is only the beginning – after the mission journey was complete and I had arrived it was time to set up camp. When camping in the middle of nowhere the work doesn’t end either. There is always something to do! Whether that is cooking, cleaning or digging a latrine – not “looking busy” is basically code for “needs a job”. 

The closest we got to a swimming pool were the epic floods that appeared after many days of rain – “Playa de Steffen”. We joked that the flood defense trenches we dug were the Steffen equivalent of the lazy log flume rapids. 

All the daily maintenance work has to happen alongside the science. We rarely washed, compared smelly socks, ate a lot of porridge and all worked really hard as a team. The phrase ‘fieldwork has ‘work’ on the end of it for a reason’ is pretty spot on! I had an awesome time, but it was certainly not a holiday.

Setting up water quality sensors next to the meltwater river draining Steffen Glacier

2. HOW WAS THE WEATHER? DID IT RAIN?

We spent 18 days at Camp Steffen. The first 3 days we had a blizzard dumping over a foot of snow onto camp and night time temperatures down to -15 degC. Following that the temperatures remained around freezing and the rain did not stop. Patagonian rain is unlike any rain I have ever seen in my entire life! It was cold, wet and could potentially be miserable. Somehow I managed to draw pure joy from the horror of the relentless downpours.

The unpredictable weather made planning for long days outdoors difficult. Our tipi was graced by the presence of the life saving ‘Magnus Svensson’ – our wood burning stove. Thankyou Tentipi – we’d have been shivering drowned mice by the third day (at best) if it wasn’t for you. 

The wet weather is also a nightmare for anything electrical. It made sensor maintenance slightly more tricky. Opening datalogger boxes to download data became a little more precarious in the downpours, forcing Jon to sit underneath a (very smelly) poncho for protection. Many inventive Patagonia weatherproofing solutions were constructed from my two favourite things, duct tape and cable ties.

The other disadvantage to the constant rain meant that we really only took photos or film footage during the few rare moments when we were reminded what the sun actually is. I fear the sunny snaps will now fuel the “holiday not fieldwork” thinking. Fortunately they show just how beautiful Camp Steffen was - a great reminder of the stunning place that we were lucky enough to have as our office for a few weeks. 

Don Rene’s trusty Patagonian horses helped bring our equipment into camp, despite the bad weather

3. DID ANYTHING BREAK AND CAUSE A DISASTER? 

Annoyingly, anything can break and when in the field will inevitably happen at the most unhelpful moment. The most disastrous incident was one morning, we awoke to a foot of snow overnight which had caused our lab tent primary support pole to snap in half – the whole tent had collapsed! Burying our equipment and belongings underneath! However, Renee Junior, a local settler chopped a tree down and made the most perfect ‘rustic’ new central support.

The new rustic lab tent pole, equipped with coat hooks. Definitely an improvement! 

I have been wondering recently how many research projects and the that have involved fieldwork would have failed without duct tape or cable ties. These two things can fix most problems – from constructing lighting solutions and drying racks to Patagonian weatherproofing. Thankyou to Vesta Stoudt (duct tape) and Maurus C. Logan (cable ties) for your great inventions. 

Jon Hawkings and Anne Kellerman go about fixing the Tipi with nothing but a long pole, some duct tape and cable ties. Essential fieldwork science kit!

4. DID YOU JUST END UP COOKING ALL THE TIME AS THE ONLY PHD STUDENT THERE?  

The combination of short days, difficult weather conditions, camping, a small team and lots to do meant that sometimes it felt like there weren’t enough hours in the day to fit in everything we needed to do (ed - there weren’t!). Good science only happens when the work ‘behind the scenes’ at camp runs smoothly. Our leader, Capitan Jon made some tough decisions splitting up the group and rotating us around between leaving camp to sample, conduct river transects or traces and staying in camp to get maintenance and filtering work done. Although it’s not as glamorous it’s still very important. After a day out in the almost freezing rain we could risk getting quite ill without hot meals and a warm stove upon return. Camp responsibilities were shared out and and Jon made sure nobody got cabin (or should I say tipi?) fever. Plus, we successfully managed to get all the samples we planned to achieve.  

The daily routine of downloading data from our sensors

5. DID YOUR STUFF SMELL? 

There is something quite special about the journey home. There is something even more special about opening your bag of clothes and realizing that you really, really smelt. I have had to wash my clothes multiple times. Plus some beer we brought back in my one of my suitcases exploded so my clothes were… “ripe”. 

The Rio Huemules about 10 km downstream of camp.

6. WAS IT HARD WITHOUT FACEBOOK?

Being without internet or a phone for the time we were in the field was glorious – it’s nice to check in upon return but it can also be a bit of a killer to go back to reality where everyone is available at the end of fingertips. I categorically did not miss my phone / facebook / twitter / all the other stuff that I happily went without. 

Rene extracting some of our science equipment on his Zodiak at the end of the field campaign

7. HOW DID YOU POOP?

We dug a big hole far away from water. Everyone knows, you just hope its quick in the pouring rain / freezing cold. Anne also kept us fully loaded on regular doses of prunes. Thanks Anne!

Anne Kellerman sampling the meltwater river

8. WAS IT TRICKY NOT BEING ABLE TO SPEAK SPANISH?

Yes, but it was more frustrating. Nico from CIEP who came into the field with us spoke no English, I speak no Spanish (although I now have a few words…). Anne had some words but Jon had gone away and learnt Spanish for the project. In just 6 months of classes and practice his Spanish was good enough to get us all by. Solid effort. 

One of the local settlers son’s enjoyed playing with our high-tec weather gear

9. WOULD YOU GO BACK AGAIN?

100%. Wouldn’t you go back for three weeks to one of the most beautiful places on the planet whilst being paid despite the above challenges? 

Or maybe I’m just a bit bonkers… 

That’s it folks – huge thank you to my fantastic fieldwork team. I learnt a lot and came back smiling. Now to just start on the analysis of all those samples...

Team PISCES take shelter under the lap tent porch during one of many downpours

[randomunicorndream]

The Future of Aerial Photography

For my essay I am going to be researching the history and potential future of aerial photography and videography.

BEGINNINGS:

There is a bit of controversy as to who actually took the first aerial photograph however it seems to be generally accepted that the first aerial image was taken by a French man by the name of Gaspard-Felix Tournachon who was more commonly known as Nadar. He was a photographer and balloonist and had patented the idea of combining the two for mapmaking and surveying in 1855. Because of the necessity of a dark room and chemicals to be carried in the balloon with him it wasn’t until 1858 that he successfully took an aerial photo. The image that he took was of the town of Petit-Becetre in France using a tethered balloon. It is difficult to establish exactly the type of balloon Nadar used for his first aerial photographs however there seems to be clues from the initial problems he had. To overcome problems of the movement of the platform Nadar only flew in calm weather, he made sure the balloon was fully inflated (to ensure the tether was taut) and he used a high shutter speed. Despite this, initial attempts resulted in black sooty images. This was traced to the fact the photographic plates were being contaminated by hydrogen gas from a pressure relief valve. This suggests the balloon was a hydrogen balloon which fits with his later use of a giant gas balloon nicknamed Le Geant (The Giant).

The earliest image that survives today is an image of Boston from a hot air balloon taken by James Wallace Black in 1860. Following the development of a more advanced photographic process there was no longer the need to carry as much equipment in the aircraft and the first non-tethered balloon photo was taken in 1879.

As improvements to the photographic technology came about this made it easier to get cameras into the air. Apart from hot air balloons, early adopters of aerial photography also used rockets, kites and pigeons. E.D Archibald was one of the first to get an aerial photo from a kite in 1889.

Bavaria was the first country to carry out aerial reconnaissance. They designed a small breast mounted camera that was fitted to homing pigeons. The camera was designed to take exposures every 30 seconds. (International, 2017)

AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY IN THE MOVIES:

The first documented motion camera to be mounted to a heavier than aircraft was done by Wilbur Wright (of the Wright Brothers) During the filming of “Wilbur Wright und seine flugmaschine” (Wilbur Wright and his flying machine along with the help of French production company Eclipse on 24 April 1909. (arte, 2014). These images, while very shaky, were revolutionary as they marked the beginnings of aerial cinematography and a huge industry. The film was only three and a half minutes long. The actual aerial footage is very minimal. The framing shows spars and a control surface of the aircraft but this gives the viewers a sense of time and place. The video was taken near Rome and shows open rural areas with some impressive architectural features (such as aqueducts) and people on horses below which help give a sense of scale and elevation. Whether on purpose or by necessity the footage is only taken from a few dozen feet high. I believe this to be done on purpose for the ground based camera which was trying to capture the aircraft as it flew by. Whilst primitive by today’s standards you can sense what a ground-breaking era this was. Both the filming and flying were such stunning new technologies as to be the equivalent of inventing a time machine nowadays.

The Shining:

The opening scenes from “The Shining” uses a Spectral camera with wide angle lens carried through the mountains of Mount Hood in Northern Oregon, America by a helicopter. The camera follows a car deep into the wilderness giving a sense of separation from normal society (and possibly salvation). The scene starts of in stunning forest type terrain with lakes and colourful trees and rock formations. This eventually gives way to more monotone and snowy bleak surroundings. This adds to the sense of moving away from the pleasantries of normal life.

Whilst the helicopter has the ability to fly both close and high above the scenery the swooping shots, by today’s standards seem somewhat lacking in fluidity. This is likely because of lack of stabilisation technology and the fixed focal length of the camera. The quality of the footage, in terms of the detail, is a fraction of what is available on most family televisions today. At the time the ability to do this sort of sequence was a very useful tool for a director such as Kubrick.

Triumph of the Will:

Triumph of the Will (a propaganda film for Hitler) was released in 1935. It starts out with shots of clouds (a Leni Riefenstahl trope) from the inside of a Junkers JU52/3m, a German tri motor transport aircraft used by Hitler from 1933 through world war 2 (Wolfgang Wagner, 1996), the aircraft then descends through the clouds to reveal the city of Nuremberg. “The cruciform shadow” of the Junkers JU52/3m can then be seen passing over thousands of Nazi supporters marching through the streets. After this there is a full view of the Junkers from another aircraft flying nearby.

The footage from above the clouds shows that they are trying to say that they are able to own the sky and that their technology was far superior to that of the allies. When you then see the orderly troops marching through the streets it shows that they are rebuilding their army stronger and bigger than before. All the shots that contain troops have the screen filled from side to side with the columns of troops there are never just a few troops wandering. The shots of the city of Nuremberg show what a fantastic city they have and that they will not be oppressed by the allies. This was designed to provoke a terrific sense of patriotism in the German people and get them to want their country back after what they considered years of oppression. In light of what was to come this is now quite chilling to watch.

The Revenant:

The Revenant contains a lot of stunning aerial shots of the wilderness including mountains on either side of the shot with Leonardo Dicaprio near the centre looking miniscule compared to the environment. This shot is done with a Eurocopter AS 350B3 Ecureuil (helicopter) with a large stabilised camera unit on the nose of the aircraft. The quality of the video, both in terms of vibrancy, artistic flow, detail and stability is far superior to the previous films mentioned. It shows just how far the abilities have come but also emphasises that aerial videography needs to be used in the correct context. Here it is used to show the enormity of a challenge, the daunting task ahead and the power of one mans will over the seemingly impossible.

It could well be tempting to over use aerial camera shots especially as it is easier than ever to achieve them using more readily available modern filming methods. I believe that quality still counts, especially in the art of story-telling and using aerial shots without careful thought could detract from the power they potentially have. The development of more sophisticated remotely controlled platforms and highly capable smaller camera set ups is however incredibly advantageous in the field of documentary making and can supply previously unobtainable shots of wildlife and inaccessible areas.

  PLANES:

Pilatus Porter PC-6: A high wing, turboprop, taildragger, STOL aircraft first flown in 1959. The cost in 1962 was $55,000 ($1,900,000 2010). It has a top speed of 131 knots (approx 151mph). A very capable aircraft that may require a more experienced pilot but consequently has the potential to be more versatile.

Cessna 182:  A high wing, single engine, tricycle landing gear, light aircraft introduced in 1956. The cost of a 2016 version is $470,000. It has a top speed of 143 knots (approx 165 mph). A very stable and useful aircraft that most pilots would be capable of flying offering a stable camera platform with high wings meaning that there isn’t anything to get in the way of the camera.

Pros:

High speed: Able to chase for long distances at high speed

Stable platform: Enables camera to be steady

High weight lifting capability: Can easily carry high quality cameras and operating crew.

CONS:

Can’t Hover: Limited to fast moving shots or chasing other vehicles/ aircraft.

   HELICOPTERS:

Eurocopter AS 350B3 Ecureuil: A single engine, turboshaft aircraft that was introduced in 1993. It has a top speed of 155knots (178mph). The cost is approx. $2,300,000. A very capable and versatile machine that can take multiple passengers that is a mainstay of emergency services. It is however expensive to purchase and run but with a performance marginally better than basic light aircraft.

Robinson R44: A single engine enclosed cabin aircraft that was first flown in 1990. It has a top speed of approx 130 knots (150 mph). The cost in 2011 was $425,000. A much more basic two bladed aircraft capable of carrying at least 4 people in total. It has a more historic appearance and less sophisticated avionics but at less than a quarter the price it may be a more realistic option unless budget is of no concern.

Pros:

Can hover in place: Can be used as a form of extreme camera crane to get elevated shots

Steady platform: Enables camera to be steady

Capable of lifting large camera set up: Can carry virtually any rig including gimbals and stabilisation.

Cons:

Potentially more dangerous: Potential danger when boarding and exiting aircraft. Also less able to deal with engine failure than a plane.

 DRONES:

Pros:

Small: Can get into relatively small areas to get interesting shots.

Inexpensive: Less cost to the production per day so more opportunity to get the shot right

Less dangerous: Less danger than manned aircraft as there is no person on-board

Cons:

Requires a skilled and experienced operator

Limited load: Requires the use of gimbal for stabilisation and often smaller camera systems.

Limited flight time: A professional drone may have a maximum flight time of 45 minutes but most have a limited of around 25 at this time.

 THE FUTURE OF AERIAL VIDEOGRAPHY:

The future of aerial photography will likely see larger, safer and longer endurance drones. This would enable them to more or less completely eliminate the need for helicopters as they would be able to carry the same equipment that a helicopter would. The camera technology will also improve a vast amount very quickly both in terms of video quality and the size of the cameras themselves. This will enable drones to capture even more stunning footage. Aerial camera systems are already able to hols steady to within 1 cubic centimetre as well as return to the exact same cubic centimetre time after time. This  makes it easy to keep continuity of positioning. Propeller and motor companies will also likely develop quieter power systems and propellers which will enable drones to get closer to subjects such as animals without scaring them away with the sound. This would allow the study of animals far more in depth than has been achieved before as it would allow the animals to do what they would normally do without being disturbed. We can also expect the future of aerial videography to involve highly automated drones that are able to follow three-dimensional pre-determined flight paths where the operator will then be controlling the movement of the camera rather than the drone and the camera. There will also likely be very advanced “follow me” type drones which will be able to follow people without crashing into anything even if it the object isn’t directly in front of it. There are already automated subject tracking systems available such as the Soloshot. The Soloshot can track multiple subjects and is available at a price that makes it available to most people. The technology from systems such as this will most likely eventually find their way into drone systems. This will help reduce the number of crew needed to do aerial and high quality shots which will in turn lower the cost of producing high quality films.

 Bibliography: International, P. (2017) History of aerial photography - professional aerial photographers association Intl. Available at: http://professionalaerialphotographers.com/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=808138&module_id=158950 (Accessed: 6 February 2017).

In-line Citation: (International, 2017)

  Bibliography:

arte (2014) Wilbur Wright und seine Flugmaschine. Available at: http://cinema.arte.tv/de/wilbur-wright-und-seine-flugmaschine (Accessed: 6 February 2017). In-line Citation: (arte, 2014)

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