Question 360 degree cam which floats above me....

[Saffadiver]

Heya all, want to try something new and wanted to see if anyone has a solution to this or some results from themselves doing it.

Looking to hang/clip a 360degree camera on my first stage with a floatation device, just enough to make the camera hover above me a tiny bit.
Does anyone have a solution for this or should I rather find a way of jerry rigging a pole onto my cylinder in order to have it above?

 

[pisauron]

Get the 360 camera case and tie it with a short rope.

 

[Saffadiver]

Jus

Get the 360 camera case and tie it with a short rope.

thanks.
just saw they have a uclamp for motorcycles which allow it to be on a short pole instead, so checking the pros and cons.

 

[Johnoly]

Looking to hang/clip a 360degree camera on my first stage with a floatation device,

The 360 cameras record in 3 axis (x,y,z), but normal web viewing of your post production video is just a single straight view. Most 360 cameras have a default view to stabilize the scene usually straight ahead. But your flotation camera will be constantly bouncing/spinning/tilting all over 3 axis's. Yes you could spend HOURS manually processing the video to stabilize it but it would be a nightmare. You would have better luck attaching the 360 camera to a helmet and then using what's called a 'tiny planet' effect to show everything around you. Editing a 360 camera video takes a huge amount of time, IF you don't set up your default views first.

 

[NothingClever]

I’m curious if the same dynamic that occurs in motorcycling will occur in diving.

The riders who show up at the track with a camera stalk (or two) extending out are never the proficient riders. It’s always evident they’re recording just enough footage to create SM posts for an impression of proficiency to untrained viewers.

The proficient riders are satisfied with a hard-mount nose or tail cam and are more focused on the actual ride. The ride is the accomplishment, the SM post is secondary.

The few times I’ve seen pro level riders with a camera stalk have been for commercial footage for a race series or manufacturer.

I’m a positive, happy person but also practical. If a diver on a boat makes me wait to splash because he’s dorking around with his floating camera rig and it’s not for commercial purposes, I’m going to work with the DM but ultimately make a polite but firm recommendation that the diver clear out of the way of divers who are ready to go.

 

[Johnoly]

... create SM posts for an impression of proficiency to untrained viewers.

I agree. And the ultra wide angle loses that "proximity sensation". Whether it be a shark you see passing by or a rider going thru a down hill cork-screw turn, the 360 camera has a difficult time capturing just what the user is feeling when it happens. I use my 360 camera almost exclusively for review purposes. Whether to find something that I missed happen on a task or a legal meeting around a conference table that I can go back later and review.

 

[OTF]

The 360 cameras record in 3 axis (x,y,z), but normal web viewing of your post production video is just a single straight view. Most 360 cameras have a default view to stabilize the scene usually straight ahead. But your flotation camera will be constantly bouncing/spinning/tilting all over 3 axis's. Yes you could spend HOURS manually processing the video to stabilize it but it would be a nightmare. You would have better luck attaching the 360 camera to a helmet and then using what's called a 'tiny planet' effect to show everything around you. Editing a 360 camera video takes a huge amount of time, IF you don't set up your default views first.

New generations of 360 cameras fix most of this with automatic processing that can lock on to a direction or track objects. Youtube and Vimeo support 360 video, allowing the viewer to rotate and zoom. Not sure if social media platforms do too.

 

[johndiver999]

I wonder if you could construct a floating camera mount from a torpedo shaped float (with fins) that would work like a wind vane and stay pointed into the current more or less? I think a camera floating above the diver and tied with a string to the tank valve might be somewhat stable, when the diver moves in a methodical manner? I bet you could get it to not spin too much when scootering or actively swimming.

I would assume the tether would be long enough that the diver could hold it in his hand when entering and then release.

 

[OTF]

Why not a hard mount with a short stick, perhaps using gopro mount parts or a ball socket strobe arm? Sure it would not be good in overhead environments and could be an entanglement hazard, but that is manageable with prudent dive choices, a buddy, and maybe some sort of quick release or breakaway designed mount.

One neat thing about 360 cameras is that they can give the effect of being much farther off-body than they really are. Even a short standoff would make it look very much 3rd-person when zoomed out.

 

[johndiver999]

In conditions where there is a strong current or surge it might be a bit of an issue.

A hard mount might work, I guess if it were short enough, not sure how that would affect the imagery?