On board camera

Discussion in 'General' started by Lou, May 4, 2022.

  1. Lou

    Lou It's just toy boats -->> C T D <<-- Admiral (Supporter)

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    used to have a Polaroid brand waterproof camera that I mounted to the ship. Finally died, looking for replacement. What is recommended if one wants to mount it to the ship itself?
     
  2. Kotori87

    Kotori87 Well-Known Member

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    You want an Insta360 Go 2:

    View: https://www.amazon.com/Insta360-GO-Waterproof-Stabilization-Accessories/dp/B08Y1P3CQ8/ref=sr_1_4?crid=6A9L4PFNN1ES&keywords=insta360&qid=1651710565&sprefix=insta360%2Caps%2C163&sr=8-4&th=1


    I have used these extensively over the past few years. They are entirely waterproof and stabilized and record 1440p HD. They have a replaceable lens cover, so if it gets shot you're not out $200. They use snap-in magnetic mounts for easy installation and removal. And they only weigh 1oz each, so even small predreadnoughts can carry them without issue. No other camera can compare. Here is a short example of what it can do from Nats 2021.

    View: https://youtu.be/Isn18MWoM2s

    They do have a few limitations, however. They can only record in 15-minute bursts, so if the sortie lasts longer than that you'll have to restart the recording. I've only really had issues at Nats, where some sorties lasted 20 minutes. Battery life and data storage is somewhat limited as well, so you'll want to recharge between sorties and download the videos between battles. While the camera is capable of wifi-linking with your phone, it has a very hard time establishing and maintaining connection at battles with lots of radios, motors, and other RF noise. My usual operating method is to keep my boat on shore until moments before battle, with the camera powered on but still in its charger/controller. As soon as "war" is called, I start the recording, snap the camera into the boat mount, and launch. Once I'm off my five minutes, I pull the boat and safe the cannons. Once safe, I stop the recording, blow off any water droplets from the camera, and click it back into the charger/controller to charge until the next sortie. The charger/controller also doesn't have a lot of battery life, so I usually plug that into a USB power pack. During breaks for lunch/patching/etc, I take a few minutes to transfer the videos onto my laptop and clear off the onboard storage. I've learned to be as reliable about my camera preps as I have about my boat maintenance. As annoying as it is to sink because your pump got clogged again, it's even more frustrating to lose the video of it because the camera was low on power or ran out of storage.

    TL;DR these little things are amazing. After using one at Nats 2021, I bought a second one so I can record two perspectives of each battle.
     
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  3. Commodore

    Commodore Well-Known Member

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    Nate G likes this.