About Me
- Mike Burns
- Nags Head, NC, United States
- Windsurfing has ruled more than 1/2 my life. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about how it feels to fly across the water, fly through the air, or spin around in circles on my windsurf gear. So to help spread the stoke (and further give in to my addiction) I started this blog. I hope you find it entertaining and a place to go for some useful information.
Friday, November 15, 2013
Mike Burns - Air Funnel, Burner, Burner Soloshot test
So I picked up a Soloshot tripod head figuring I could use it in the wedding world, but you need to be too far away from the receiver to have it work in the wedding environment. But it's perfect for windsurfing!!! It's a little tricky to set up, and I when it was blowing a solid 4.5, it was hard for me to suck it up and get the thing all set up and "paired" with the transmitter. In the end, the soloshot worked perfect!!! I just had a little trouble with one of the tripod legs sinking into the sand while I was pairing the unit so the balance was off and the shot was a little off on the outside. Next time I know what to look for and It'll be perfect!!
Oh, and the trip to the Gorge this summer totally paid off for learning how to do burners....... Amazing what a difference a week in perfect conditions can make..... Since then I've just been getting them dialed in.
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Dialed in? Call made!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting all your stuff through the years; reviews are really good. Just had to finally comment after the gorge vid this year and now this. Awesome.
Thanks Beric!! I'm going to start taking the soloshot with me more often when it's blowing good and I have the time. Can't wait to put together a decent length video!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for getting one of these things and testing it out. As you know, I've been thinking about getting one myself.
ReplyDeleteThanks for giving me the head's up that it was out there.
ReplyDeleteHey guys, I was thinking about doing some solo shots this season. Is it easy to set up? And do you need special equipment?
ReplyDeleteHey Mr. Gorilla,
ReplyDeleteThe soloshot isn't too hard to set up. I would recommend trying it a few times though before actually taking it to the beach and using it. There's a specific way you need to pair the base and transmitter before each use. The Transmitter also needs about 10-15 minutes to "warm up" before it's ready to try and connect. I just use that time to go out and warm up too. Balancing the tripod is absolutely critical!! As you can see in the clip above, the right side of the screen is lower than the left. So when the soloshot was panning over to where I did 99% of my sailing that day, I was out of the shot. I ended up with about 3 hours of footage of the water mixed with a few shots of me downwind that I was able to barely use. I also found it much better to use at long distances than close up especially during moves where you come to a stop or do a 540 and go the other way. The system does work really well though and you'll come home with some great stuff if you set it up right. The more you use it, the more you know what it will work for. after a few times, it's an easy setup, and you'll get great stuff. Definitely better than a go-pro :-) It's your own camera man. Perfect for capturing action or even learning what you're doing wrong.
As for other equipment, all you need is a camera. I wish it could hold a heavier camera more easily. For this clip I had a Sony NEX-VG20 which has a detachable lens similar to a DSLR. The weight of a long lens makes it front heavy and it's hard to keep the front of the head from tilting down. It's best suited for more basic consumer level cam-corders.
Have fun,
Mike