All the Toys

One of the things that I've learned about myself over the years is that I like to acquire gadgets, particularly ones that are related to photography. Be it a new camera, video recorder, or smartphone, I like having lots of tools to capture imagery.

Over the decades, I've lost track of the number of cameras that I've owned. From simple point-and-shoot to full-frame D-SLRs, I've had my fair share. I've been interested in photography for about 45 years, and this interest grew when I was in journalism school, with the photojournalism course, and exploded when I worked at a camera store, always playing with the latest technology.

My interest in video recording also came when I worked at Black's Cameras, but never took off. For one thing, I couldn't afford a video camera back then, and even if I could, they seemed so bulky (remember the cameras that took full-size VHS cassettes?).

I didn't renew my interest in video recording until a friend visited DW and me in Chŏnju, South Korea, and he brought a small recorder with him. We recorded a life in the day of being an English-language teacher and living abroad, and I still watch that video from time to time, today. The footage isn't great but it does bring back memories.

In our second year in Korea, DW and I borrowed my parents' compact VHS camcorder, and we made a few videos, but a part on the camera broke and we could no longer use it.

When our first child was born, DW and I invested in a video camera that wrote to mini compact discs. Again, we used this recorder sporadically, and it eventually went into our bin with all of the other cameras that had come and gone. (I never throw out a camera: it simply becomes a museum piece.)

Technology came, with our second child, for compact digital cameras that also recorded video, and again we would make the occasional recording for first steps, birthdays, and holidays.

When smartphones came around, they changed the nature of our videos. I still leaned toward capturing still images, but a video camera that you could stick in your pocket was a game-changer.

For a few years, I've recorded special events, such as when our drummer-daughter has performed live, or small things for my blog. As time went on, I've often thought about tying in videos with The Brown Knowser blog. At first, I would record video with my D-SLRs, but it wasn't until last year that I started looking seriously at getting decent, portable video equipment.

With DW's and my trip to Mexico, last year, we began doing research on a good video camera that you could take under water. When DW sent me a link to a review on a 360-degree camera, I scoffed until I actually watched the review.

After that, there was no going back.

With my new video camera, I started imagining more videos. There was, of course, the Mexico video that DW and I made and the near-movie-length video of Korea. Both of these videos inspired me to make more and create The Brown Knowser YouTube channel, with beer reviews and more.

This year, DW bought herself a mirrorless camera and her choice of camera was also based with vlogging in mind. Several of my Beer O'Clock reviews have been recorded with her camera (we've also added video lighting and external microphones to improve the quality).

Two weeks ago, I bought another video camera. DW thinks that this one is a bit extravagant, but I've told her that at the time that we purchased our Insta360 One X, I was tempted to buy two of them (one for her; the other, for me).

Had this new model been around when we were first shopping, I would have definitely bought two of them.

The folks at Insta360 have come out with a couple of cameras since the One X, and the one that caught my eye was the One R. It was a step up from the One X, with simpler post-processing and a touch viewscreen, but the best part of it was that it was modular. Like a D-SLR, you could change the lenses.

When I create my beer-review videos, I like to use two cameras: one, that captures me with the beer; the other, to close in on the beer itself. While I like using DW's mirrorless camera for the main action (I like how its swing-out screen lets me use it as a monitor), I was using one of my D-SLRs for the secondary shot with the beer and I found my camera to be too bulky for what I was using it for.

I considered using my Insta360 One X, but with its design it is not meant to be used as a close-up camera, and in the one Beer O'Clock video that I've made with it, I didn't like the camera angles. (I also didn't use the best resolution settings for my environment, but that's a different story.)

My Insta360 One R came with two lens modules: a 360 module that makes it operate the same as the One X, and a 4K, wide-angle lens that lets you use the camera for full-on shots. With the 4K lens, the camera looks a lot like its competitor, the GoPro (two people have already asked me if it's a new GoPro).

There's a third lens, designed with Leica, has a one-inch sensor and offers incredible, 19MP quality with 5.3K video at 30 frames per second (fps) or 4K video at 60 fps. It's a lens that I'd love but may have to wait until Christmas or my next birthday.

By then, there may even be more lenses.

An added advantage to the One R is that it's waterproof, up to five metres, without the need for an additional case. I have the Venture case for the One X, for basic water resistance, and the Dive case for depths of up to 30 metres.

On our recent kayaking trips, I've mounted my One X to the deck of my craft to capture my paddling experience. For protection, I kept the camera in the Venture case. But I found that the sun would reflect apparitions, and during a morning kayak, one side of the case steamed up and I decided to remove the case, putting this beloved camera at risk.

With the One R, I'm getting clearer video and have the peace of mind in knowing that if I were to capsize my kayak, I wouldn't be writing off any video equipment.

There are more post-processing features with the One R, and I'm just scratching the surface with what it can do. Later this week, I'm going to record my first beer review in a while, and I'll be using DW's mirrorless camera (it's a Canon EOS M50, by the way) as the main and the One R as the secondary camera. Stay tuned.

I love the digital age. It helps feed my old love of photography but is also feeding my new appetite for producing video content. With all the toys at my disposal, I can't wait to see what I can create.