Insta360 One X

Highlights

• 5.7K 360 video, 4K at 50fps and 3K at 100fps

• Amazing stabilization

• Livestreaming, timelapse, overcapture, and slow motion

• Great value for the price

Overview

This is a camera that really stands out among the crowd.  The intention behind this camera is for it to be a contender to the GoPro lineup, and the engineers were able to put together an amazing flagship product.  

The One X features a small LCD screen, which I found helpful navigating the options.  There are two buttons - one big and one small - to help navigate the menus.  By default the user experience will either be straightforward or painful - there really is no middle ground there.  Fortunately the One X takes the straightforward route.  The camera body is a sleek plastic that is easy to grip and feels like a premium product.  The devices houses a removable battery, which is a good feature.  I read that you can run the camera on an external USB battery - though I never tested it.

The One X features something called overcapture, which means you can record a 360 video and edit it down to a regular dimension.  Essentially the camera captures everything around it and you decide what you want to focus on.  This could be convenient in a classroom setting where there is motion and you want to determine post-hoc what makes it to the screen.

This camera features the highest resolution from what I was able to test, up to 5.7K.  It records colors and light accurately but doesn't always do great in direct sunlight.  The color correction features do well with adding depth and life to the footage.  The stabilization and stitching is among the very best on the market.  

The HDR mode (high dynamic range) really boosts the photography in this camera.  The 18MP camera is not the best for photography, but it doesn't do a bad job.  The lenses in the camera are very high quality and low light is captured with less noise than one would expect, though it does much better in well lit situations.  For pictures used within Canvas, the image quality will be fine.  For those who really like to tinker with their photos in post-production, the One X can shoot in RAW.  

The app can be challenging to work with while capturing footage, but for editing the video on the phone it really excels.  You can adjust exposure, color temperature, contract, saturation, and several other settings.  You can also create smooth panning, hyperlapse, and slow motion effects all in the same video.  The phone editor is intuitive enough, but you'll likely want to do the editing on computer software.

Ultimately, the One X is an action camera and is great for people on the move.  This camera also has multiview, similar to the Nano S.  Snowboarders, sky divers, hikers, and skaters can capture amazing footage with this device.  In academia, this could be good for campus tours, field study, or other activities that involve motion or action.  The GoPro does shoot better quality video, but the One X is a fraction of the cost.  The software is easy to use, the lens quality is great and helps with indoor and low light shooting, and the color correction is helpful.

Pros	Cons
The app is amazing for editing	The app is finicky during capture - I had several connectivity issues
Removable battery	No microphone input
Simple to use	Many features that likely wouldn't be used in academia (e.g. bullet time)
Excellent stitching	Support is not always responsive or helpful
Amazing stabilization	Many reports of footage saved internally and not recording onto SD card
Upload or livestream to Facebook from app

Video Examples

Grand Floridian

Magic Kingdom

Bonus: Splash Mountain

Photos

Vuze+

Highlights

• Stereoscopic 360 = true 3D VR

• Livestream 4K 3D

• 4 microphone spacial audio

• Durable - water/dust/dirt resistants)

Overview

The Vuze+ is the only product on this list that is truly a prosumer device.  A true professional camera will probably cost around $3,500, and this device is a small fraction of that, but it is still much more expensive than any other camera we tested. 

What differentiates this camera is that it is the only device that captures 3D video.  It does this by utilizing two separate cameras on each face.  One camera captures the left eye perspective and the other captures the right eye.  This allows people to have a depth perspective, in addition to a 360 experience.  For the best 3D experience, the viewer should use a dedicated headset, such as an Oculus device, as opposed to a phone in a VR viewer.  Although smartphones have good resolution, each eye only sees half the screen which is then magnified greatly - resulting in a bit of pixelation.

One of the challenges with the Vuze+ is leveling the device.  I discovered very early on that without a tripod, the camera will likely have a distorted horizon line.  When it's not level, essentially one side is going to be pointing toward the ground while the opposite side is pointing skyward.  The viewer will see a wavy horizon line which will be confusing an unprofessional.  The app helps by showing a real-time camera leveler.  The app includes real-time previewing, which helps greatly to indicate if the footage is not level and what adjustments are needed.

The camera is incredibly sturdy and able to withstand dirt, dusty, and splashes.  For real submersion, Humaneyes released a waterproof case.  One word of advice I have is to wipe the lenses with a dust-free microfiber cloth prior to shooting.  With eight different cameras, it is easy to overlook a smudge, and though the case does a good job of protecting the device, it doesn't necessarily wipe down the lenses.

For such a hefty device with so many adjustments and settings, it is actually very simple to capture footage.  The app is very intuitive, but you can also capture right on the device as well.  I listed the manual adjustments available in the table below as both a pro and a con.  It can be overwhelming to someone new to 360 video (or photography in general), but also allows the operator to have a great amount of control in order to shoot the best footage possible.  It's a mixed bag.  The Humaneyes computer app for post-production can be overwhelming, but there are tutorials to help people familiarize themselves with the features.  The app helps you to refine stitching, color match, adjust levels and blending, and stabilize the footage.

Now each, camera shoots 4K video.  There are eight cameras, so if you do some quick math you will realize that that's a whole lot of K's.  It amounts to recording approximately 1GB per minute.  Fortunately we can buy 256GB MicroSD cards for fairly cheap these days.  I use 512GB just so that I don't have to worry, and I'm considering getting the new 1TB card.  This also means that I have to have a lot of storage on my computer and cloud spaces.  Rule of thumb, you probably want to back up your valuable videos an multiple places.  

I big selling point for us also is that not only is the battery life the best of what we tested, but we can hook up the camera to an external power source while we're filming.  This will allow us to either swap out batteries or simply run on power while we're filming.  This could be beneficial if we are recording a very long session or many sessions in one day.  I can either plug the camera into an outlet, or dangle a portable USB power pack under the tripod.

My biggest woe for this product is the stitching.  Now, the challenge is that the camera is recording eight different cameras at the same time, and the post production needs to merge all of that footage into one spherical video.  The stitching between left and right lenses on the same side is essentially seamless, give then closest subject is about 1.6ft (50cm) away.  That's not hard to do.  However, the corners of the camera need to be at least 5ft (150cm) from the subject in order for stitching to be good.  I've found that this is a bare minimum and 10ft is much better.  If this camera is used indoors, especially in a classroom, it may be very challenging to find a 10ft radius (20ft diameter).  You will notice the complications in stitching on the Vuze+ Picture Examples page when people walk close to the camera.  Sometimes when you are shooting, there is motion that you can't control.  The other challenge is that the more distance an object is from the camera, the more the detail drops off.  It's a catch-22, which is a legitimate challenge.

Pros	Cons
True 3D VR	Stitching is very challenging
2 hour battery life with option to plug in to a power source	More complicated to operate than the other cameras reviewed
Renders in various dimensions aspect ratios, and custom resolutions	Very expensive
The Humaneyes app is very comprehensive	Can be difficult to get a good horizon line, even on a leveled tripod
Livestream (must be tethered to a computer)	Requires 1GB per minute
Supports bluetooth microphones	The overall quality is only standard
Tons of manual adjustment available, including ISO, shutter speed, etc., for each lens

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Video Examples

Magic Kingdom 2D

Magic Kingdom 3D [requires a 3D headset]

Bonus: Mine Train 3D [requires a 3D headset]

Grand Floridian

Photos

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

Top 9 Tips for Creating Engaging Webcam Videos

Lights. Camera. Action.

Position your camera at eye level

A good practice is to make sure your camera is placed at eye level, or even slightly above eye level.  What you want to avoid at all costs is looking down at a camera.  It is typically not the most flattering angle.  

Avoid backlighting

Backlighting occurs when there is a major source of light behind you, such as a window on a sunny day or a lamp.  The problem is that your camera will adjust to the light, which will make you appear as a dark, shadowy silhouette.  

Close all unnecessary programs

We want our picture to be clear as possible, and we want our camera presence to be free from distractions.  Close out your email and any other program that could either distract you with popups or compromise your computer's bandwidth.

Wear solid colors

Avoid stripes and patterns that may appear distracting to the viewer or which may complicate the picture.  Most high definition cameras will be able to handle stripes, but sometimes the transmission is affected by bottlenecks in the bandwidth or video compression.  The best practice is to go bold and solid with colors - or simply wear a white shirt.

Check your surroundings

A common theme in this list is to avoid distracting elements in your videos.  Do a scan of the room and make sure that there is no clutter in the background, or nothing that could distract your viewer from the most important part of the video - YOU!

Control ambient noise

Similar to checking your surroundings, you also want to make sure you have control over the sounds that will be picked up in the video.  Perhaps put a sign on your office door alerting people that you are recording.  If you are at home then see if someone can walk the dog and make sure the kids know to keep the noise down and that you will need some time without interruptions.  

Invest in a good external webcam and microphone

Most laptops come equipped with video and audio options these days, but with a little investment in decent equipment you can take your productions up several notches.  The most popular webcam on the market for the past many years is the Logitech C920.  Check with your department or IT to see if they have one for you.  Amazon typically offers affordable external microphones, such as the Samson Go Mic.  Mics can sit on the desk, but the closer you position it to you, the more clear and pronounced your audio will be.  

Maintain eye contact

When you are recording a video, you are making very individualized correspondence to each of your audience members.  If you are new to creating online video, it can be incredibly daunting - as you are essentially giving a performance to a tiny glass dot housed inside a small piece of plastic.  But know that this small inanimate dot represents the eyes of your audience.  Even though you will not be receiving feedback, know that your people are there.  Maintain direct "eye contact", and have confidence.

Length of video

If you are recording a video, consider that breviloquence is a virtue for online videos.  Consider scripting and chunking your content.  Long videos are rarely seen in their entirety, and you will get more viewership the shorter your video is.  A 2 minute video may gain more traction than a 4 minute video, and anything longer than 6 minute is likely not going to be effective.  If you have more than one main idea in your video then you should create more than one video.

Creating videos may be a daunting task, especially for those who are new to the endeavor.  However, they can be an incredibly helpful and effective way to engage with your audience and convey your message.  Videos can be a personable way to present content and communicate information.  Do not be intimidated.  Simply practice and work to improve little by little and soon you will become a webcam champion.  

Written by Dr. Sean Nufer, Director of Ed Tech for TCS Education System.