There is a new 360 camera competitor in the city

In a break from tradition, GOPRO has not announced a new Black hero camera This fall. Instead, the pioneer this year is Very miserable Mass Camera 2 360 ($ 500). MAX 2 lands at a time when the spherical video is the mini -renaissance, and it is eating it Insta360’s x5 ($ 550) and Dji’s Osmo 360 ($ 550). Perhaps it is surprising that the MAX 2 of GoPro is the most affordable of the three, indicating that the company may look forward to getting a floor on its competitors, and we hope to make the deformed world creatively from the 360 ​​-degree video access.

With a mixture of professional features such as Timecode and GP-Log (with LUTS), along with the editing that focuses on the mobile phone, GoPro clearly hopes that MAX 2 will appeal to both requirements of requirements and unusual. The company also focused greatly on improving the user experience rather than pure technological progress and after a week or so of the test, it looks like a reasonable step.

Design and features

Max 2 brings a decent precision a stumbling block from Ancestor 5.6 kgSubmit full 8k with 10 bit color. This puts it on an equal footing with Dji Osmo 360 and Insta360 x5But GOPRO claims that Max 2 is the only one of the three with the “real” 8K. This means that it does not consider the unused pixels units on the sensor or those that are used in an overlap to sew the shots from the lenses together. GoPro goes to the point that this results in a resolution above 16 and 23 percent of its competitors.

You can now shoot video 360 on 8K/30 FPS, 5.6K/60 FPS and 4K OL ‘4K at 90 FPS in 360 mode. When filming in single lens mode (also known as 360 mode), the available accuracy is 4K60, up from 1.4K/30 to the original maximum. But the pure accuracy is not the only quality this time, MAX 2 now joins its heroic siblings in 10 -bit colors and a higher rate of 120 megabytes per second, which can be increased to 300 megabytes per second via GoPro’s Experimental laboratories fixed programs.

Other devices update include a nice redesive redesign that matches the current hero Hero 13 cameras with a thermal groove on the front face and the lenses that were developed (instead of forming the right of the left as before). Physical size and maximum shape 2 match OG Max. There is a new change, and it is much estimated. With maximum 2, lenses are intended for ease of replacement. Since there is a lens on both sides, it always lands “to the bottom of the butter” when it is dropped. Thus, the possibility of avoiding or breaking one is much higher, but with maximum 2, replacing it is a trivial issue and a strong quality of life. Insta360 X5 also has replaceable lenses, but OSMO 360 from DJI requires sending the camera to the company to update.

As for the sound, the scandal consisting of six homogers, with the audio focus on the place where the procedure occurs. As with Hero 12 and 13 Black, you can also connect AirPods or Bluetooth (like Dji’s mic 3) To GoPro directly for narration or very screaming. There is no doubt that this makes Max 2 more attractive to Fujers and social creators.

There is no storage on board the plane here, and this is true for all GOPRO cameras, but it is now worth noting the OSMO 360 ships from DJI with 105 GB storage. Due to the time I only went with the camera to find that I left the memory card in my computer, I really like to see GoPro make it a standard addition to its cameras as well.

Video and image

After years of testing the action cameras, I learned that while some models excel in an area or terrain, they could struggle in others. I live near a huge garden with a variety of colors, trees and pockets of water, making it perfect test ground. MAX 2 extends well in all areas, in vibrant natural colors and balanced exposure in general. You will notice transfers in exposure as you move from direct sunlight to the shade, but this is somewhat typical.

When you review and reformulate your footage, you will immediately remember that you are working with a 360 camera. The moment you pull your finger over a video to rotate it or reduce the “floating” drums that resemble the drone, you will also provide some counterfeiting. Sometimes, it is somewhat frustrated to find the right balance of warp and gentle frame, and sometimes this is already a good effect. If you completely reduce, for example, you will end up with one of the “Tiny Planet” videos.

It is also worth talking about stitches. When the lenses overlap, you will sometimes notice the place of videos together, often through some slight fluctuation, street marks, etc. Again, it’s a fact of life with 360 currently, and you will notice it with a maximum of time to time.

On the contrary, 360 video syllables allows very good installation, especially in a single lens mode. I tried to record a long person with a long personal stick, which is unstable in the bike seizures (it was not closed with an installation) and although the camera moves like fish on the floor while it was installed on the ground and uneven pits, the shots are still impressive. In friendly conditions – such as walking with the camera – the clips are smoother and ready immediately to participate.

The new additions this year include 8K Timewarps and “HyperView” (for MAX) (for the new Hypervief “which is a supercular category of 180 degrees that use everything that the sensor picks up overpowering. It is ideal for display clips.

Who leads us to put the above -mentioned personal photos and POV mode; Both are more about removing friction more than adding any new creative tools. Since you do not need to get a 360 camera facing you while shooting a personal photo, the video does not always go with you in the frame when it opens in Quik. Using Selfie/POV mode, it will be downloaded properly, so you can go directly to share your section.

Think about it as a hybrid between 360 and a single lens. You will continue to get everything in 360, and you can move the shot to show different things, but if the POV or your face talking to the camera is the main focus, you do not need to do any reformulation to get there. The camera also applies optimal stability, which reduces the amount of editing needed to reach the camera to export. The first Max will always open videos from the front camera point of view regardless of, leaving you to dig when you really wanted to focus on it.

Photography with a simple 360 ​​camera at the same time. On the one hand, you don’t have to worry whether you are in a shot, as you will pick up everything, but you want to make sure of the right moment or the best angle. The new rush mode relieves some of this anxiety by taking a set of pictures for a specific period of time (from second to six seconds). It gives you the ability to hit some situations or make sure to stick to the best shot if the topic is moving. You can then edit and reformulate Quik as with any other media.

Gopro quik edit

Unlike the regular camera, with 360 videos you can not avoid at least some Editing. At least, you will need to confirm the export framing into a flat video. However, liberation is all that is fun. It is the ability to shoot one video clip and make it dynamic with calendar and enlargement is one of the main benefits of this type of camera. Quik is the place where you will do most of this, and unlike DJI, which is the relative newcomer for the category, Gopro has a few years on the application side of things.

The result is an intuitive editing experience that raises a good balance between creative ability and ease of use. For a simple video clip as you set the amount of the frame and enlargement and then export, it is just a few clicks before you have a video you can share. Of course, you can return, re -edit and export it with another view by besides, for example, you want the Instagram ball in a photo along with a regular version 16: 9/wide for YouTube.

QUIK also includes some filters that may be or not depending on your taste. Much more useful are pre -effects, including a variety of courses, wraps and pans that are clearly aimed at workshops, but they can create creatively for any type of video. You can also follow an object automatically with artificial intelligence. It is ideal for keeping your child or pet in the snapshot while running with one click and an easy way to make the video dynamic. In general, the quek liberation appears to be a strong pipeline for publishing on social media, but it is still a little tired of anything longer. Desktop editing options are Adobe Premier and after Effects via the Gopro Rebrame. The company also recently announced an additional experimental component for Davinci Resolution.

Battery life

MAX 2 is charged with an “Enduro” battery with an area of ​​1960 mAh, which is designed to last longer even in severe cold. GoPro claims that it should continue “all day”, but this of course depends on what you do. When I took the camera for one day of shooting, visiting different sites and pulling the camera when I found something interesting, the battery continued on a six -hour trip. This is not the time of actual registration, clearly, and may hold about 30 minutes of actual shots. But this is wandering with the camera, or in the preparation mode, and it has become a intermittent record during that period. In fact, there are still about 15 percent of the remaining battery when I went to export my shot the next day.

This is the most real world test with me to connect the camera to the phone and transfer files, which will lead to less time registration than if you only set the camera down and press the record. This is around him on an equal footing with what I faced with the regular GoPros that can be recorded for an hour and a half in the “set and recording” scenario.

conclusion

A reasonable amount has passed between the maximum 1 and max 2, so if you hope to fix the specifications from top to bottom, you may feel a little disappointed. But with 360 videos, the source accuracy is the main promotion and MAX 2 can produce 4K/60 video, which is largely the most important thing. This improved accuracy has been nominated to all important timing and video modes, and this makes the camera feel the course often.

I think it is time for GoPros to store on the plane, at least as an option, as this removes a really simple pain point. The fact that DJI does this may give GoPro the payment he needs.

Many of what distinguishes Max 2, regardless of DJI will be in the editing experience. It is simple and well studied, with some useful tools and effects that make getting footage in something you want to share directly. Although the DJI storage on the plane and the highest tire rate will be seduced for many. Insta360 app is generally easy as well, so with X5, the GoPro feature is the price (at least at the present time). What really distinguishes these cameras, are the hypothesis that you end up, and in this regard, GOPRO may be on “True 8K” and the application experience may be sufficient.