A bit frustrated by camera & audio - Suggestions?

[Drakhen99]

Ya, well one of the suggested online fixes I came across was to use handbrake to force constant FPS, but it didn't work in my case. I thought about splitting the audio but the problem is that it's not a consistent thing. I think what happens is the camera drops frames but the audio of course stays consistent so as time goes on the sync gets worse.

As far as they're suggestion, I'm not all that surprised. I knew what I was getting into buying an off brand. It's a shame because it's actually a great little camera for under $100, but the response wasn't even in very good english. I guess kudos for them responding at all because alot of times with these companies you never hear back.



That's interesting, I don't use Davinci I use PowerDirector but I wonder if that would have worked. I don't think it drifts back and forth but I think it compounds as time goes on.

If your machine is beefy enough, you can download and run Resolve and see if it fixes it. I'm pretty sure the elastic wave feature is in the free version. I know the different framerates caused me a number of headaches with out-of-sync audio when I did my Pan America reveal reaction video with @Dewey316 . Making all those danged clips line up was frustrating as all hell and took several hours, where it should've been snip-snip-snip-done.

-John

 

[Skyd]

I vote for considered buying a used GoPro Hero4 Silver? They shoot 1080p60 and the mic adapter work well if you can find them. I have read all over the internet that the imitation adapters might not work at all but I know the real GoPro adapters work good.

Then you can use your editing software for stabilizing the footage and even do the 4k rendering method for YouTube that I and a few others do even with more recent models of GoPro.

That's actually exactly what I decided to do. So I have a Hero4 Silver on the way with batteries, charger, couple of cases and a few other accessories for $110. The guy has all the manuals too and it looks like it's in good shape so I think I got a good deal.

I guess I should look for the gopro mic adapter then and not mess around with any knockoffs.

 

[YBGuy]

I must have gotten mixed up - I thought you went to the Extreme from the Ultra and were having issues with the Extreme.

I'm using the Extreme (there is also an Extreme Pro but I don't have any of those).

No prob! You are correct the second time, Ultra to Extreme. Extreme has been working out well for 2.7k at 60 fps.

 

[YBGuy]

I use a Hero 3+ fory chin mount, partly because I had it, but it is also really easy to attach a mic to. I tried the purple panda, and found it picked up to much wind noise, especially on an open dirt helmet with goggles, it might be to hot for you. I ended up using a spare Sena mic I had from an old headset, it just velcros on so I could place it somewhere where no vents pushed wind at it. Don't be afraid to play around with things to get better.

Yes, getting a mic to work is truly an art. There is no one perfect solution.

 

[Big-B 360]

I've tried a bunch of different setups and have yet to find One that is perfect however I'd highly recommend staying away from off-brands for ur primary cam regardless of stated specs or compatibility. They just never live up to claims, perform properly or update FW to resolve issues.

Been using insta360s for several seasons (4 cams so far) but their support is very sub-par & audio recording /quality is a recurring issue.
Along w lack of FW updates to resolve various SW & HW Bugs. They're all about the sales & marketing using social media. All support is China based & the worst I can ever remember experiencing. Especially for such an expensive, premium tech product.

I haven't tried the One X 2 but can't see any reason to given my experience to date.

I really like 360 but I'd prob reco Hero 8 or 9 for best user experience & MC Vid Performance & compatibility at this point. Plus having had a Hero 7, i know that their support is far better than the Competition, which ur prob gonna need sooner than later for motovlogging or MC Action vids

 

[scooterwuf]

Sorry to hear about your customer support problems with the Insta. I’ve used mine as a second camera, but it’s an earlier model with okay quality. The best option with the Instas are their light weight designs making them better to use with a longer extension arm at higher speeds. I wouldn’t feel comfortable doing that with my GoPro Max or Rylo.

-Wolf

 

[Skyd]

So at this point I've picked up a Hero 4 Silver used for a good price and it's been working out pretty good. I also think I fixed the issue with the Akaso by using a faster SD card. I had no idea that was a thing but it makes perfect sense, especially shooting at 1080p 60fps or higher which I am.

I actually do like the Akaso and it does a decent job....I'm planning to find a spot to do a side x side comparison just to see. I'll ride a section of road/trail with one camera, then turn around and do it again with the other.

Maybe some day I can spring for something newer/nicer/fancier but for now this does what i need it to. Once I'm famous I'll upgrade, LOL

 

[Drakhen99]

Sorry to hear about your customer support problems with the Insta. I’ve used mine as a second camera, but it’s an earlier model with okay quality. The best option with the Instas are their light weight designs making them better to use with a longer extension arm at higher speeds. I wouldn’t feel comfortable doing that with my GoPro Max or Rylo.

-Wolf

I have put my Max on a 4ft Insta360 selfie stick [the one "reinforced" for bullet time use] several times now, and besides rotating it in the double ball arm, that thing FLEXES in the breeze at upwards of highway speeds. I have resorted to extending it for slower riding and tucking that thing back down for higher-speed runs. The footage at 60 and 70mph is scary enough for me LOL. At this point, I'm just waiting for the selfie stick to snap and my Max goes tumbling down the road. Hopefully it'll be recoverable - the footage would probably be amazing!

-John

 

[Big-B 360]

I have put my Max on a 4ft Insta360 selfie stick [the one "reinforced" for bullet time use] several times now, and besides rotating it in the double ball arm, that thing FLEXES in the breeze at upwards of highway speeds. I have resorted to extending it for slower riding and tucking that thing back down for higher-speed runs. The footage at 60 and 70mph is scary enough for me LOL. At this point, I'm just waiting for the selfie stick to snap and my Max goes tumbling down the road. Hopefully it'll be recoverable - the footage would probably be amazing!

-John

That happened to me last summer my 1st time using my New one R & insta360 selfie stick on a day trip. After a bit of short trip / low speed testing, i Thot it'd be ok at 60 ish on a curvy back roads trip in ID. I Had it bolted on bike at base & secured again about halfway up near rear seat. Not fully extended, So only about 18" above rr seat. Unfortunately about an hour in, the Top screw snapped clean off & sent camera flying off side of road destroying cam & all accys. Thankfully I found it just before dark & also had the insta360 care replacement insurance but it took me over a month of repetitive emails, repeatedly answering the same questions again & again w numerous non-replies from CS, Before I finally even got approval for repair & the shipping info. Then after about a month from sending in & following up, i was told it couldn't be repaired but they'd send me a new one asap. 5 weeks later (late September) i finally got a new lens & screen unit but had to buy all new accys myself, after nearly an entire season spent following up & waiting on a replacement. Ntm, orig order arrived without the spare battery I bought & they never even attempted to replace it, so had to buy & pay to ship another due to lack of stock anywhere else. They Just kept asking for the same pics of packaging & explanation of issue over & over, even tho I sent everything @last 3 times & contacted the day of receipt. Come to find out, this is a recurring theme among customers needing product or tech support from insta360 CS...

FYI, the new Telesin V2.0 Carbon Fiber stick is a good upgrade that has been working well for me so far this season, altho I did beef up the cam mount from 1/4 to 3/8" w solid metal adapter & secured together w loctite & an aluminum GoPro style mount connecting to case. Thx

 

[Drakhen99]

Thanks for sharing your experience... I'll keep an eye on my Insta 360 selfie stick for sure, make sure it's not fatiguing.

-John

 

[Big-B 360]

So at this point I've picked up a Hero 4 Silver used for a good price and it's been working out pretty good. I also think I fixed the issue with the Akaso by using a faster SD card. I had no idea that was a thing but it makes perfect sense, especially shooting at 1080p 60fps or higher which I am.

I actually do like the Akaso and it does a decent job....I'm planning to find a spot to do a side x side comparison just to see. I'll ride a section of road/trail with one camera, then turn around and do it again with the other.

Maybe some day I can spring for something newer/nicer/fancier but for now this does what i need it to. Once I'm famous I'll upgrade, LOL

Glad to hear it. My 1st cam was an SJCam SJ8. I still use as a 2nd cam occasionally on helmet but they stopped FW updates soon after release & never fixed a bunch of bugs & known issues + SJCam lav mic was only option for ext. audio, wasn't released for like 6mos after & never did record anything but wind noise. I forgot to mention I did have a YI 4K+ for a bit before GP7 that performed well but I think lack of ext audio rec was only issue there. If u can't tell, I've been after an action cam w external mic, audio recording on cam solution for a while & the only one that's worked without issue has been GP. The Hero 4 should serve u well & audio adapter is cheaper than recent versions too. At this point, I feel like I should've waited on the jump to 360 (even tho it is super cool when it all works properly). But so far my attempts at 360 video w good audio & telemetry data, all recorded on same file without using my Zoom Audio Recorder separately & having to use a 2nd video editor in post have yet to be successful, even tho that was the whole point of upgrading multiple times & finally getting the One R. One way or another, I know there's a way to get the quality & features I've been seeking for my MC Vids, but @this point it looks like I'm just gonna have to put in some extra time & effort if I wanna get everything included in the same video file w quality results... Best of luck w the new cam & glad to hear the recording issue was such a simple fix