I want a vlogging camera but...

I want to purchase a vlogging camera but I've also being doint quite a bit of desktop recording (I've a Youtube channel and I upload those recordings).

There are three cameras that I'm focusing on:

DJI Osmo Pocket 3 - $519

Obsbot Tail Air - $499

Obsbot Tiny 2 - $329

By the way, Obsbot is pronounced "Obs Bot".  There's some guy that published a Youtube review that called it "Oh Bee Ess Bot" throughout a 20 min review...it was annoying AF.

Neither of them are cheap and all three of them are Chinese brands.  Of the two brands, DJI is the more well-known, by far.

The Obsbot cameras utilize AI (primarily for on-camera gesture commands, which they are generally good at executing).

The Pocket 3 has a 3-axis (pan/tilt/roll) gimbal.  DJI also has a good ecosystem of accessories.

The Obsbot cameras have 2-axis gimbal cameras. The two cameras are not action cameras, although the Tail Air can be used outdoors.  Both cameras can be controlled by remote contols, which is an extra cost for each - $50 for the Tiny 2's remote and $80 for the Tail Air's remote.  Both cameras support resolution as high as 4K @ 30 FPS.  Both use digital zoom (4X), but the Pocket 3 uses 10X digital zoom.

The Tail Air can be used in a standalone fashion, is portable and can be used wirelessly...it can be used in the woods or park or on a busy sidewalk.  It can be used while being carried.  It also has image stabilization.  The Tail Air also has the option of USB-C to Ethernet connectivity.  It has 2.5 hour battery time.  I also asked a reviewer how long this camera takes to charge the battery after it's been depleted, and he said his experience has been approximately 90 minutes.

The Tiny 2, on the other hand, is pretty much dedicated for desktop use, as it is corded.  I do not believe it has image stabilization (it's made for use on a desk).

The Tail Air will accept microSD cards and has a rechargeable battery.  It also has several microphones built into it's casing, but can also be tethered to an external wired microphone.  This camera can also be manipulated via smartphone app.

I've been asking questions on the Amazon product pages for all three cameras and of the two companies, only DJI has replied back.  

I've been trying to get Obsbot to engage me but they have not answered on Amazon (for both Tiny 2 and Tail Air questions on each of the product pages) and on Reddit.  That is concerning.  If they are quiet now, they're going to be hard to reach if I have a problem or need to return an item or have it fixed.  A workaround for that would be to purchase 3rd party insurance through Amazon (via Asurion).

Between the two Obsbot products, the Tail Air is almost $200 more than the Tiny 2.  Does it offer $200 more in capability?  Yes.  Is it on par with the Osmo Pocket 3?  I've seen two good reviews that demonstrate that it's not quite on par with the Pocket 3, and the Pocket 3 isn't much more than the Tail Air.

One thing that I'm concerned about with the Pocket 3 and the Tail Air is the battery life.  Batteries have finite longevity.  As they age, their charge retainment lessens.  DJI has a battery replacement plan for the Pocket 3 (they charge you but it's not expensive to replace a worn battery).  The Pocket 3 also can be tethered when the battery is worn to the point that it will no longer hold a charge.  You can also use it while it's charging.  The Tail Air, as far as I'm aware, does not have a battery replacement plan, which is bad, because that device is $500 and you lose some capability if the battery stops holding a charge or if the charge capacity lessens.  If the battery stops charging, I'm assuming it can still be used as a corded device.  I'm unaware if you can still use the device when it's charging but the assumption is, yes.

The one thing that the Pocket might be incapable of is using it as a streaming camera as a desktop/studio device.

I'm obviously leaning toward the Pocket 3, but I'm still conducting research.

UPDATE (3/10/2024):  I was crafting this post at maybe 2 AM.  It is now 8:25 PM (same day).  I went ahead and purchased the Pocket 3.  I bought the base kit, but I also purchased a 30W charger for this camera, as well as 2 years of Asurion insurance.  As I begin to use the camera, I'll purchase what I feel I'd need for me to collect my normal video footage.  I don't necessarily need a desk tripod, as I already have two of them, plus an actual floor tripod.  If I find I need extra battery life, I'll buy the battery pack.  I may need extra things such as a travel case or BT microphone, but I'll buy those later.  I already have microSD cards, as well.  I've been trying to decide this for approximately 6-8 months.  The Pocket 3 is just more versatile than everything I was already considering.  GoPro doesn't have anything like it and there are things I hate about GoPro.  The Insta cams just aren't on the same level as the Pocket 3, either.  If I find I'm having issues, I can lean on the Asurion insurance like I did when I had trouble with the Akaso (I should've never even considered that camera).  I'll post my experiences with the Pocket 3 as I use it!

GoPro Hero 10 Black - Received!

I posted that I bought a refurbished GoPro Hero 10 Black from Amazon and that I was awaiting the package to arrive.

The package arrived yesterday.

I was surprised when I opened it.  Why was I surprised?  Well, the product description stated that I'd be receiving only the GoPro itself and no accessories.  I was expecting nothing other than the camera (I also expected that no battery would be included).

This (<=== link is here) is the one that I bought.

I received the camera, two batteries, a USB-C to USB-A charging cable, two mounts and a case.  I was shocked.  I basically got everything that I'd get if I bought a new product.

The camera doesn't appear to be refurbished at all.

About the only thing that was off-putting was that I had to charge the the batteries sequentually with the battery compartment door left open.  The charging process was long in duration, as well.  This was so much of a pain that I immediately began searching for a dedicated battery charging caddy, which I didn't initially anticipate needing to purchase.  I bought the GoPro Enduro 2-battery & charger combo pack from Best Buy (local purchase) for $59, just so I wouldn't be having to charge each battery sequentially.

I haven't really used the camera yet, as I'm actually afraid to go out and about - around here, there's a lot of chaotic last-minute Christmas shopping going on and traffic has been horrendous.

I've got the camera set up to use with the Quik app - was easy to set up.  It can be used with my other GoPro fittings and attachments (many of them were designed by 3rd party attachment makers).

I've also developed a To-Buy accessory list:

I can't wait to use this camera while at my next shooting activity!

Out with Akaso Brave 7 LE - In with GoPro Hero 10 Black!

I bought an Akaso Brave 7 LE in December of 2021.  I was trying to buy an action camera to replace my aging GoPro Hero 4 Silver.  It came with a huge accessory pack with many clips and fittings.  I bought an extra battery for it.  It had some features that my Hero 4 didn't have.  It's smartphone app was actually pretty nice.  I could also use it as an web cam.  It also had a tripod mount on the bottom of it.  It's UI was nice.  Also, it had two displays, one in front and one in back.

I ended up being somewhat disappointed with it because the video footage wasn't as crisp as my old ass Hero 4!  Audio wasn't all that great, either.  I stopped using it for a while.

Maybe a month ago, I began to use it again.  I sorted out the video footage issue.  The main issue was that when indoors, the captured video footage was grainy.  When in somewhat dark settings, the grainy footage was even worse, but I found out that I the Brave has light settings that I can control manually.  I tried the various settings and found that the footage was actually pretty decent!

Not long after, I was changing the battery and the battery door on the camera cracked.  A day later, the cracked portion detached completely.  This was devastating since the door couldn't close properly - the battery would move around in it's compartment.

Luckily, I'd bought a 3-year warranty with Asurion (I bought both through Amazon).  I submitted a claim and they approved it.  They wanted me to send the camera back to them.  I sent them the camera (and the detached piece of battery compartment door).  As soon as I sent it, they reimbursed me.

I've never had anything fail that I'd bought Asurion insurance for, until now.  I'm very glad I bought it.

So, I took the funds they returned to me and, after some researching, bought a refurbished GoPro Hero 10 Black that comes with an extra battery.  I bought it through Amazon.  I bought 2 years of Asurion insurance for it.  What's cool is that I can buy additional insurance on a refurbished product.

I'd looked at the Hero 11 and 12, but those were beyond my budget.  I looked at the Mini but it has a non-removable battery (that's something I don't want).  I also looked at the DJI Osmo Action 4 but that was even more expensive than the Hero 12 (it's competition).

I really just want a camera to replace my aged Hero 4.  I can still use the Hero 4 but I can retire it from being my primary camera.

The Hero 10 won't be delivered until Dec 21, though, but I don't mind.

In the next year or two, I can get the either the Hero 12, the Action 4, or even the DJI Osmo Pocket 3 (a great gimbal camera).

Fitbit Sense Replacement

As you've previously read, I had problems with an 8-month old Fitbit Sense - it refused to restart and was stuck in a reboot loop where it would never progress beyond the Fitbit logo screen.

Fitbit, after spending 8-10 days evaluating the broken Sense that I'd sent back to them, sent a replacement.  The replacement arrived 2 days early, which is surprising since it took so long in being delivered from my address to Fitbit's return facility.

The replacement Sense appeared to be prepackaged in a plastic bag with standard Fitbit labeling.  I received nothing other than the pebble itself - no watchband, no charging cable or any other accessory.

It started without issue.  I immediately installed my third party metal band.  I then synched it to my phone using the Fitbit iPhone app.

It came with a 70% charge, but I wanted it topped off.  The charging cable that came with the original watch is not working properly, and I found that out during troubleshooting of the broken watch (this is a known issue - the spring-loaded pins on the charging cable loses it's "spring" the pins no longer make contact with the watch).  I'd ordered two new ones from Amazon.com a few months ago.  I used one of  them to charge the watch.  When I connected it, the watch black-screened.  My first thought was that this watch also died, as the first one die.  I watched it go to the Fitbit logo screen, thinking it would loop back - it started without issue.  I'm not sure why it crashed.  I'd just received it less than an hour prior to that.

This watch brand is very much untrustworthy in the extreme.  While I'm glad I've another Sense, I'm waiting for this one to stop working.  I do not want to go back to my Samsung Watch - while it is nice and it works, this Sense should also work (and stay working).

This Sense will soon be replaced.  I conducted some research the past few days and decided I do not want another Fitbit.  

At first, I was considering the new Sense 2 but Google appears to have severely nerfed it - whereas the Sense is a legit smartwatch, Google has removed a lot of the smart aspects of the Sense technology from the Sense 2, intentionally neutering it so that their new Google Pixel smartwatch can be better competitive.  That is sad as hell.  The biggest changes to the Sense 2 is that the watch is no longer capable of controlling music (which most folks use on Senses when working out) and they've disabled WiFi.

As well, the Google Pixel is not compatible with iPhones, so both the Sense 2 and the Pixel are not options for me.  One of the things I love about my Sense is that it's not locked to a specific OS. 

Garmin isn't an option, as it's fitness and health technology is the least robust in the smartwatch industry.  I want a versatile watch and Garmin appears to be tracking-centric.

Samsung isn't an option, as it's software is WearOS (Google and Samsung are joint developers of WearOS), which is not compatible with iPhones.

It appears I may be locked to Apple's Watch.  Apple Watch isn't a bad platform at all, but I'd prefer to not be locked to any particular platform - the industry is becoming silo'd and that's not a good thing for a consumer that wants options regardless of the phone brand he/she is using.

Of the Apple Watches, I want something that's supported and do not want to worry about Apple dropping hardware or software support any time soon.  That means I won't be getting any legacy Apple Watches.  I'll be focusing on either the Series 7 or 8.

In comparing the 7 and 8, the 8 may be newly released but it doesn't offer a lot more tech over the Series 7. The best thing about the Series 8 option is that I would have even longer support.  The con of the Series 8 in comparison to the 7 is that it'll cost more for not-so-much tech advantage.

I'm trying to keep costs low and I think I will look at refurbished Series 7 Watches.  

I looked at Best Buy's refurb Series 7s and their prices are high. As of 10/8/2022, the price for a certified used S7 45mm GPS Watch is $389!  They also offered taking trade-in watches, and I was curious so I checked what they'd give for a new Sense, but they only offer $25 for Senses - WTF.  This is what I hate about the technology world and why I keep everything that I have...all they're going to do is take your $25 trade-in and sell it to someone or sell it themselves for $100.  F that.

Amazon sells Series 7 re-certified Watches, but I've been told that Apple will sometimes not honor warranty claims on watches bought from Amazon.  The pricing on those phones weren't bad, though, so Amazon would've been a good option (while also buying 3rd party warranties through Amazon, which I should've done with the Sense when I bought it) if I hadn't have found an even cheaper option.

Note that I'm looking for a specific version of Series 7 Watch:  45mm, Space Gray, GPS variant.

I found that Apple carries Series 7s on their Certified Apple website.  I found what I wanted there and the cost is $313.  I don't have the money now, but I might have to do something soon because Series 7s are pretty much the rage at this point in time, as the public is now aware that the Series 8 has no huge advantage over the Series 7, and now folks with older than Series 7 Watches are now trying to buy Series 7 watches.

The plan is to get a 45mm GPS variant Series 7 within the next few months, whenever money comes in, but if I find that I can no longer find Series 7s on the Apple refurb website due to high demand, I'll just have to get the Series 8.