(dramatic music)
(snoring)
- Oh, it was a dream.
Oh crap.
Well, the day's finally here,
I'm officially really really really old.
I'm 30! And I'm not one for partying,
I'm now way too old to party.
Instead what I'd rather do is make a
video for you guys about my favorite 360 camera gear.
Now it's no secret that I've got a lot of gear,
but I don't use most of it.
There's only a few things I use on a regular
basis, every time I go out shooting 360,
that are my favorite things.
So in this video, I'm going to share them
with you one by one.
Is that a gray?
Nevermind.
The first thing in my camera kit,
your camera kit and everyone's camera kit
is a 360 camera, and at the moment,
my 360 camera of choice is the Insta360 ONE X.
I'm not gonna ramble on here about how much
I love it, I think you guys know that by now.
Check out my other videos about it
if you haven't already, but this is my
camera of choice in early 2019.
No doubt this is going to change
by the end of the year, but for now
this is the only camera I take out with me,
except when I'm going in the water.
Using an underwater housing with thing
is too much of a pain in the ***
so instead I still use my GoPro Fusion,
which is a reliable 360 camera for using
in the water, the quality is amazing,
the workflow sucks but it gives you
an exceptional result for both photos and videos.
For everything else, the ONE X is my go-to.
Next, no matter what camera you own,
you're going to need an SD card.
And my favorite SD in early 2019
is the SanDisk Extreme PRO.
How close can I get?
Ooh.
They come in 64GB 128GB and up,
but consistently, I've found this to be
the fastest card across all 360 cameras
for dealing with 5K and up 360 footage.
Always check your camera's website before
buying an SD card to make sure it's compatible,
if there's no info there, ask in the Facebook group.
Next is my favorite 360 camera monopod.
And still the Bushman is my number one go-to monopod.
This thing is awesome because not only
is it a well made selfie stick with quite a bit
of distance on it, but it also comes with an
awesome base with a counter weight on the bottom
meaning you can attach the selfie stick
to the base, set up your camera and walk away,
and not have to worry about your camera blowing over.
Learn from me and countless people who have
smashed their 360 camera lenses that I see
in the Facebook groups, it's better to have
a good monopod or some kind of stand
than use nothing and have the wind kill your camera.
I used to use a small Manfrotto light stand
for this same purpose, but that light stand
is the very same light stand I had my Garmin VIRB
attached to when the wind blew it
over that one fateful day.
This is why having a weight at the top
of the legs is essential if you plan on
extending the selfie stick all the way.
Also doubles as a walking stick,
I'll be needing that now.
But to be honest with you, I don't use that
one in every single situation, because it's
a little bit pricey, I don't like taking
risks with it, so I'll only use it in safe situations.
This is where my Insta360 selfie stick saves the day.
If I'm out shooting at the beach, where there's
sand and water, which can and will get into
your camera gear, it's good to have a
cheap selfie stick you can use, so if it
gets totaled, it was only $10 or $15 to begin with.
It's also shorter than the Bushman selfie stick
so if space is an issue for you,
you've only got a limited amount,
then you'll really want to consider the Insta360 stick.
It is significantly shorter than the Bushman
selfie stick when fully extended, so that's
something to be mindful of too.
You can actually get one of these free
with every Insta360 ONE X purchased from the Insta360 store.
I'll put a link to it down there.
Whoo.
I like free stuff! But I'm pretty sure you
can also buy it separately too if you
want to use it with other cameras.
The next thing in my 360 camera bag in 2019 is...
This little thing, yeah,
bet you didn't even see it.
This is the JOBY Micro Tripod.
Can you believe how tiny this thing is?
It blows my mind.
And when it folds up, look at that.
You can barely even see it.
This is one of my favorite things in my 360 camera kit
because it keeps my camera stable,
it has almost no presence when I'm taking it around,
and it seems to last forever.
I've had it for about a year now.
I just think it's incredible that
360 technology has evolved to a point
that we have tripods this perfect for 360 cameras.
And by 360 technology, I mean tripod technology.
This, this tripod here used to be my
former JOBY Micro Tripod.
I thought this was amazing.
I remember I made a video about this thing
two years ago when I was in New Zealand,
and I was talking about how small and compact it is.
But look at that, compared to this.
I'll put this back on the shelf now to collect dust.
Yes, this thing's awesome, get one.
The next thing you'll need if you're going
out shooting for a while is a power bank.
Now I've tried lots of power banks over
the years, they've been really hit and miss
but one brand I've found to be
consistently really really good is Cygnett.
And this is the power bank I'm using
right now, it's 4,400 mAh, and it charges
my phone or 360 camera at least twice over.
360 camera batteries last for an hour max,
which is why sometimes you just need
to take a coffee break, put your camera on charge,
and start shooting again fully caffeinated
with a fully charged battery.
Next, we're going to need something to
store all these gadgets, and my favorite brand
for camera bags is Think Tank, and this
is my favorite Think Tank bag, it's the
Cable Management 10 Version 2.
Think Tank make quality bags,
the materials really strong, it's got
a window on the front, so you can see
exactly what's in it.
I love this thing.
And there's space for business card in the back.
Every time I'm traveling and shooting,
I always have this thing in my backpack
with my most essential bits of 360 camera gear.
Should you buy a different case
for your 360 camera, I hear you asking?
Well, it depends on the camera,
but most of them make their cases pretty darn good.
I think the Insta360 neoprene pouch is
basically perfect for this camera.
Neoprene is good because it not only
protects the lenses, but it cleans them
as you put the camera in and take it out.
I don't see the need to get another case
for a camera like this, because it's
going to double if not triple
the size of the overall camera.
Plus it fits so nicely in my Think Tank bag.
Now let's move forward in the workflow
and think about things we might need for
post-production of your 360s.
And you might be expecting me to
recommend computers and laptops, well, no.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
One awesome thing about 360 content,
and 360 as a whole is it's one of the only
styles of photography that you can do
basically everything you need to do on your phone.
Not only can you change your camera settings
and take full control of your 360 camera
with your phone, but in 2019, the
smartphone is the computer for 360 photographers.
Not only is it easy to edit and reframe
360 photos on mobile, but you can
also do it with 360 videos.
The apps are getting so good now that
you can do everything you need to do
without leaving your phone.
I mean, yeah, there are some advanced
things that you will need to go computer for,
but for 99% of things, I use my phone.
Which is why your phone should be
your biggest investment in your 360 camera kit.
It's super important that you have a phone
of the last two to three years at the oldest.
Especially if you have a camera that shoots 5K plus video.
There's no way an old outdated phone is going
to be able to do that.
However, if you invest in a new fast phone,
it's like having a mini computer in your pocket.
I've noticed phones are adopting all the best
things about computers and simplifying them.
Turning computer programs into mobile apps
and making them touch friendly.
This is usually why I buy the latest iPhone
when it comes out, because with every new
release, they make the phone faster and better
and it means I can do more stuff on mobile
that I was once only able to do on computer.
And seriously, who wants to sit in front
of a desk all day long staring at a screen.
I'd much rather be sitting in a coffee shop
with a long black in one hand,
my iPhone X in the other, and going.
I know a smartphones a big expense,
but if you think of it like that, like
it's a computer, it makes the purchase
slightly less painful.
The final item in my 360 camera bag
that I use the most in 2019 is my Oculus Go.
This is one of the most, if not the
most popular VR headset in 2019.
And there's no wires, it's relatively cheap
and easy to use, and this is the first
VR headset that I actually use, and I
don't just leave sitting on a shelf collecting dust.
It's one thing to view your 360 photos
and videos on your phone, but when you can
fully immerse yourself in them,
you can look around like you're actually
standing there in the moment once again,
it's a completely different experience.
There's no doubt at all, this is the best
way to view 360 content.
However, nobody does it.
Why is that?
Firstly in the past, headsets have been
expensive, like several hundred dollars.
The Oculus Go is the cheapest good quality headset so far.
Next, they're big and bulky, it's not
really easy to put one of these things
in your pocket and walk around
so you can show your friends when you see them, no,
it's just, it's massive, what do you do with it?
Where do you put it?
This makes it hard to use anywhere but home.
Finally the workflow's way longer
than viewing on your phone,
you have to set up the Oculus app,
and you have to send your content to
the Oculus Go, and it's just more
steps than what we're use to, but you know what?
If you can get past that, if you're a
hardcore 360 nerd that wants to see
your 360 content, and in the best way possible
that it can be displayed, watched back and
experienced, then no question, using a headset
like the Oculus Go is going to be the best way to do it.
It's hard for me to describe the experience
I'm experiencing when I'm viewing this,
because I can't share it with you here
through YouTube, because you're not the
one with the headset, I am, I get that.
But if you do get the chance to view
your 360 content properly in a headset
like the Oculus Go, it will be
a life changing experience.
And if you can't afford the Go,
try and get your hands on something like this.
This is a foldaway headset made by VEER.
When you spot your smartphone into here,
you can go into VR mode in your cameras app,
and you use it just like you would the Oculus Go
headset, and it will appear as an
immersive 360 photo or video.
If you want a pair of these, join the
VEER Facebook group and bug them there,
they may even give you a free pair.
Alright, well that's it for this video,
and that's what's in Ben's 360 camera bag in early 2019.
Now I want to continue sharing my favorite things,
which is why I had the idea to start
an email newsletter, where once a month
I email you guys all my favorite things.
My favorite gadgets, favorite cameras
as well as 360 camera deals and giveaways
so I'm officially starting the
Ben Claremont Newsletter, I will give
it a better name when I think of it,
so I'll put a link if you want to subscribe to
that down there, and I will email you
once a month with all my best 360 stuff.
And as usual, hit that subscribe button
for more 360 tutorials coming in 2019.
I'm an old man now, the clock is ticking,
I'll be in a retirement home soon,
which is why in 2019, I'm going to
push to get out as much content as I can,
so you won't want to miss that.
So hey, I wanna say thank you to all
of you guys who have supported me
over the years since I was a young man
all the way through to me being an old
30 year old man, your support means the world
to me, and I want to thank you very much
for supporting me on my journey.
To all of you legends who have
liked, commented, shared words of support
encouragement, I really appreciate it,
so thank you very much.
Now, I'm gonna go get myself a haircut
and get rid of that one gray hair,
so I hope you have a good day,
and I'll see you in the next video.
(clippers buzzing)