GoPro Fusion

Highlights

• 5.2K 360 video

• Overcapture - creating a flat video from 360

• Easy editing and post production

• Waterproof (for those oceanography courses)

• 360 spherical audio

Overview

Just like its sibling devices, the GoPro Fusion is a lot of fun.  The hardware is revolutionary and industry-leading.  It's stabilization is great if you are planning on moving (though it didn't look fantastic on a notoriously bumpy roller coaster).  It was not the best camera for low light, but it did fairly well compared to the other cameras.  The 5.2K videos turn out fairly sharp, but be mindful that YouTube and Facebook often compress the videos to 4K, resulting in a loss of quality and some graininess.  

There are some major shortcomings with this camera that I have to mention for those looking for an application in an academic setting.  The importing (transferring videos from the camera to a computer) and rendering (producing a final video after editing the footage with the GoPro software) is very complicated and time consuming.  An option is to plug the camera into the computer and import the footage using their app.  This can be incredibly time consuming because it is transferring data while also stitching the video together (combining the two videos into one spherical video).  This causes a bottleneck - similar to taking an open bottle of water and pouring the water out by flipping it upside down while the water slowly escapes. 

What is dangerous about this is that if there is a power surge, the computer restarts (dang updates), or you accidentally shut down the app or the computer freezes, then the transferring process can be interrupted and you risk corrupting the microSD cards and losing all your data.  The other option is to transfer the data by inserting the microSD cards directly into the computer, copying the files, and then importing the files into the GoPro software.  This can be a complicated process but is a safer route.  

The entire procedure with this camera is a mixed bag.  Capturing the video is a lot of fun.  Importing the footage is complicated.  Editing the footage is a lot of fun.  Rendering the videos is time-consuming.  The last thing I'll note is that GoPro has a battery life of an hour, and the device really excels at capturing a series of short videos.  If you are looking to record a lecture or a series of lectures then you will need several batteries and you may run into difficulties importing the content, as the GoPro doesn't seem to be built for filming clips that are longer than about 7 minutes at a time.  I can really see this camera as a great tool for someone who is demonstrating techniques in the field and who intends on editing together small clips - rather than capturing a 45 minute panel discussion or classroom lecture.  

Pros	Cons
Amazing videos and pictures	Battery - 1 hour
Shoot non-360 "overcapture" video	Requires 2 microSD cards (!?)
Great stabilization	Importing video is a hassle
Water resistant	Long render times
Convenient attachments	Not exemplary in low light
Spatial audio (really good quality)	High cost
Industry-leading hardware	Not great at photography
	Not good for long videos

Video Examples

Magic Kingdom

Grand Floridian

Bonus: Thunder Mountain Railroad

Photos