360 VR Tree Climbing Videos

[John@TreeXP]

Just out of curiosity, has anyone tried shooting their tree climbing activities using one of the new virtual reality 360 Cams? This takes action-cam technology to a whole new level, while capturing a complete 360 degree scene and even being able to live-stream it, while offering the viewer an ability to navigate the scene, using their touch screen or mouse. Facebook and YouTube presently support this technology and since its onset, the technology has been improving steadily. Using this technology to showcase a tree climb is a perfect fit, because it offers the viewer a full 360 degree view of the surroundings, using a simple helmet mounted 360 cam.

I've done some research and have narrowed it down to three solid choices. GoPro Fusion, YI 360 VR Camera Dual-Lens 5.7K and the Garmin Virb 360. Cheaper and lower quality options are in the under $500 range, but these are the top rated, high quality choices, without going to the extreme and paying thousands for the highest resolution (8k) professional grade option. The Garmin rocks because it has so many great features, but its the most costly at $799. The GoPro Fusion sells for $699, and is a great product too, with lots of features and a strong reputation for ruggedness and quality. The Yi 360 VR goes for $399, is a bit less rugged, but specs are great.

Here's a couple links to vids, to show off possibilities and potential for this new era of 360-VR photography and videography.

 

[FreeFallin]

Samsung has a lower end model camera that i have almost picked up as an entry level thing to play with, and see if there is any interest on youtube.
The others are priced out of my range for now, I do think there is potential, aside from YouTube and Facebook there are several online forums for different brand players where people can add content, like the Oculus store that has grown hundreds of time bigger this last year.

Seeing these videos on a phone is cool, but watching them with a VR headset is mind blowing, I picked up a gear vr headset a couple years ago as a beta tester, VR is about to change the way we do a lot of things, videos are just a tiny blip in what that technology will bring.

Definitely interesting.

 

[John@TreeXP]

There are a ton of products out there and new ones on the horizon. I now leaning toward the Madventure 360, which is basically a re-branded western version of the highly rated Xiaomi Mi Sphere 360.

I'm just about to drop the hammer and buy one of these, so I'll keep you all updated.

 

[John@TreeXP]

 

[moss]

Those videos are great. Thank you for sharing.

360 videos are so immersive. It really feels like you're right there. One nice thing with this video technology is you no longer have to worry about framing your shot or camera angles.

It's interesting for sure. I'm finding it a little distracting moving the viewpoint around, probably a dedicated viewpoint from the videographer is most optimal so the viewer can sit back and enjoy. For example it would be cool if I could utilize the 360 functionality shooting then choose what I want the viewer to see when I'm editing, basically convert the 360 to fixed viewpoint for the final edit. Helmet cam wearers and viewers know that it's frustrating when you get details off camera that you wanted the viewer to see.
-AJ

 

[John@TreeXP]

It's interesting for sure. I'm finding it a little distracting moving the viewpoint around, probably a dedicated viewpoint from the videographer is most optimal so the viewer can sit back and enjoy. For example it would be cool if I could utilize the 360 functionality shooting then choose what I want the viewer to see when I'm editing, basically convert the 360 to fixed viewpoint for the final edit. Helmet cam wearers and viewers know that it's frustrating when you get details off camera that you wanted the viewer to see.
-AJ

My wife complains about getting distracted/dizzy when viewing this stuff, but after a while and with some practice, it gets easier. I have much to learn about post production, but there is a way to flatten the video, using a predetermined point of view that pans around the 360 perspective. The Madventure 360 Cam I'm using seems to work great, but the learning curve is a bitch and software is buggier than shit. So far, I'm lucky if 50% of my vids and pics are even usable.

Here's my first stab at a 360 tree climbing video using a helmet mounted cam. I love how you can pause anywhere and have a look around.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10156385499845763

 

[John@TreeXP]

I just realized the straps on my CT Foot Ascender feels OK when used on running shoes.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10156408696205763