6 Month Review of the GoPro Fusion 360 Camera

From the tops of the Great Smoky Mountains, through the waves of the Caribbean, and everywhere in between. I have used the GoPro Fusion as my main camera, creating both 360 Virtual Reality Videos and editing it down through GoPro OverCapture into traditional standard footage among my many recent journeys.

I have learned much from my usage and I hope to help you better use your GoPro Fusion and also help you dodge the mistakes and share lessons I learned along the way.

There’s nothing quite like it. Yes, there are other 360 cameras on the market but from my hours and hours of researching and studying and from my first hand experience it was the best choice for me as it very well may be for you.

5 reasons I love my GoPro Fusion and 5 lessons I’ve learned in the past 5 months of using it.

1. Familiarity.

I chose it because of my previous familiarity with GoPro Cameras. I have filmed with GoPros for many years I still have my GoPro Hero 3 and my GoPro Hero 4 is sitting at the bottom of a nearby lake. The Fusion mounts and works with the majority of the other GoPro mounts and accessories.

2. Superb 360 Virtual Reality Quality.

The ability to create 360 Virtual Reality Videos grabbed my attention. Virtual Reality is a growing market and it’s intriguing more and more people day by day. Plus, it allows me to be in the currently small niche of 360 Virtual Reality Videographers. It’s the closest we have to making the viewers feel like they are there in the video. Letting them look and hear in the direction they wish.

Below is one of my GoPro Fusion 360 Videos you can view in the 360 degrees.

3. OverCapture (Edit 360 Footage to Traditional Videos)

The ability to use OverCapture and Adobe Premiere Plug-ins to edit the footage down to traditional standard non 360 footage was a big win for me. After losing my Hero 4 in a devastating knee boarding incident I needed a new vlogging camera. I love being able to be more in the moment on our adventures and spend less time worrying about getting the good angles and not missing any of my kids silly antics by knowing when it’s recording it’s getting everything in the full 360 that I can easily edit down to traditional footage in post.

 

Below is a video I took with my GoPro Fusion and edited it down to traditional footage.

4. Stabilization.

The amazing built in stabilization is what surprises many who watch my videos. They always ask if I’m using an external stabilizer such as a gimbal. The footage is so smooth and clean compared to all other cameras it blows them away. I always struggled with keeping my hand steady when filming with the GoPro Hero 4 and had to attempt to stabilize in the editing process. With the GoPro Fusion it’s completely seamless. I’ve held the camera out of a fast driving car, ran down a hill and slid down a slide all with the camera in one hand and the footage has always been so smooth and clean.

5. The Price

You may be thinking $599 that’s a lot of money for a camera how can you love the price?!? I love the price because it’s only slightly above the standard GoPro Camera. The only similarity was the camera rigs that combined the multiple GoPro Hero’s which cost much more and were much less portable and harder to edit. Considering for $599usd you get the camera, the battery, the GoPro Fusion Software, the Adobe Premiere Plugins, the Tripod stick, and 2 mounts and the case. It’s very much a great deal. In comparison to other 360 cameras, it is reasonably priced and well worth it.

Now we will get into the 5 lessons

5 lessons I have learned from using the GoPro Fusion these past 6 months.

1. Storage Space.

Since the camera is capable of shooting in 5.6K it can be a bit of a storage space hog. So, be sure to have extra hard drive space for all of your beautiful 360 footage.

2. Underwater quality.

Yes, it is waterproof but the software struggles at times finding the stitch lines when underwater. But there are 3rd market bubble housings available and I have gotten some great underwater footage for traditional videos and surprisingly a few underwater 360 degree clips that came out great. Also I have had no issues when filming in the rain.

Below is a video that has underwater footage I have edited the 360 footage to standard and the underwater shots came out pretty good.

3. Lens protection.

The two lenses stick out a bit and are the most easily damageable part of the camera. It has survived my 6 months of adventures quite well. I normally keep it in the case at all times when not filming except for the occasional plugging it into the computer for data transfer or charging . But I found it much easier to use an external battery charger and to export the files from a memory card reader rather than using a direct connection to the Fusion. Also for peace of mind, they have the GoPro Care which should replace the lenses or whole camera of damages along their guidelines.

4. Vlogging and filming for 360 viewing .

I’ve found it’s best for viewers to watch a 360 video whether with a headset or with a phone or PC it’s more pleasant if the camera remains fixed still on a mount or tripod or in a slower steadier motion. One of my first 360 videos was walking around a local car show I had never used a 360 Camera so I had no clue what I was doing. I was quickly panning the camera moving it in and out while filming. It took a bit to get used to letting the camera do it all for me. I found it helpful to always point the camera with one lens at me and one away from me so I can more easily edit the clips together in post.

5. Editing and uploading.

The editing is not as hard as you would expect but it does have its challenges in the beginning. I have a good system down now that I have edited many GoPro Fusion Videos. I have learned to be patient. It was hard for me because I have a fairly good computer and there’s always more I want to be out filming. Exporting was always my biggest challenge because I was already somewhat new to Premiere and completely new to 360 Videos. If you would like to see my workflow I can make another article and video going into depths of my editing and exporting process.

Bonus – Something to keep in mind

You may get some weird looks. People are not used to seeing 360 cameras and I have had many people think I was taking weird selfie videos or that I accidentally was pointing my camera at myself not knowing there was a second lens on the other side. It can feel awkward at times but its still worth it.

 

Also it takes awesome photos and the ability to get spherical videos and photos as well like in my photo below.

A post shared by Family Travel Go – Dylan Myers (@familytravelgo) on Feb 18, 2018 at 8:01pm PST

Overall Opinion of 6 months of using the GoPro Fusion

Overall I am extremely happy despite the challenges and lessons I have had to learn over these past 6 months. I love my GoPro Fusion and would recommend it to anyone wishing to create 360 VR videos or even just making better traditional videos.

The next step getting a GoPro Fusion and the necessary accessories.

If I have encouraged you to purchase the GoPro Fusion in any way please go through any of my Amazon affiliate links throughout this page. I will receive a small commission at no extra charge to you and you will be able to quickly and safely receive your Fusion through Amazons secure site. Feel free to click the image below to go to my Amazon Store showing the products and accessories I use regularly with my GoPro Fusion.

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If you have any questions about the GoPro Fusion or editing please let me know in the comment section below.

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For more info about the GoPro Fusion check out our related articles and videos below.

 

Unboxing the GoPro Fusion 360 Camera

 

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