Now that they've been around a few years, best 360 cam recommendations

Do not get the hero Max.

The fact that it drops stabilization once it reaches the end of the first chapter (8mins or so) is a deal breaker.

Gopro breaks up the recording into chapters that are a set length (not sure why).

The issue is that if you have a race that is 20mins long, that is 3 chapters. For example:

010001
010002
010003

However, the stabilization does not continue when you reach the end of chapter 1, chapters 2 and 3 will be wobbly and unusable.

This can be mitigated somewhat by downloading GoPro labs and using the “large chapter” option that increases it to about 12mins per chapter. But, still, not enough.

Go to 12:20

Chapter size varies as a function of resolution I think.

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FWIW, the reason it uses “chapters” is due to 32-bit file system limitations. You’ll notice each chapter is pretty much 4Gb of data. The reason for that is because 32-bit SD card and computer file systems can’t handle individual files larger than 4Gb. It isnt a GoPro thing, it is just how storage works.

That said, the fact that stabilization stops after the first chapter is silly. My Hero 10 does not do that so it must be a Max issue.

Insta360 X4 is great. I just got one and used it last weekend and was thoroughly impressed.

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There is a download called GoPro labs that allows you to use alternate settings etc. one such is “large file chapters”. This increases the chapter size from about 8mins 4k to around 12mins, which helps a bit.

https://gopro.com/en/us/info/gopro-labs

And yeah it’s strictly a MAX issue, the stabilization loss after it ends chapter 1.

I suspect the new hero max won’t have this issue. But then again it’s yet to be released.

i got one as well. now i think i need to upgrade my computer so i can process the vids a little better. i don’t remember my current computer specs, but it definitely gets loaded up and a little choppy when editing.