360 Camera Reviews 360 Camera Techniques

Insta360 ONE: why FreeCapture is my favorite feature

Insta360 ONE: why FreeCapture is my favorite feature
Insta360 ONE: why FreeCapture is my favorite feature

What if a camera stands out not based on its resolution or dynamic range, but by how well it could implement your artistic vision? I think that’s exactly what I’ve found with Insta360 ONE, in particular because of its FreeCapture feature, which I believe is its most important feature notwithstanding superficial similarities with other 360 video editors.

There are many 360 cameras on the market right now. Most of them compete primarily based on their image quality or technical characteristics, in a never-ending race. The Insta360 ONE does well in those traditional metrics as well, but in addition, it adds value with tools for your artistic vision.

Insta360 ONE 360 camera
Insta360 ONE 360 camera for smartphones

I finally got the Insta360 ONE the other night. I couldn’t shoot with it much yet but I’ve been testing its features with the time I have available.

When you mention the Insta360 ONE, most people think of its Bullet Time feature. After all, that was the feature that made the Insta360 ONE famous. Sure, Bullet Time is very interesting and impressive to your friends. I will talk more about it in my review.  (You can also check out my tutorial on how to do Bullet Time with almost any camera.)

But what I want to highlight is FreeCapture, which after testing the Insta360 ONE has been my favorite feature thus far. Before I explain why, let me show you a sample (which was edited entirely in the app, including the music):

FreeCapture is NOT just another tiny planet animator

Freecapture means converting your 360 video into a traditional non-360 video, but one where you as the creator decide which view to show to your audience. On the Insta360 One, you can choose the view in three ways: with Smart Tracking (object tracking), Pivot Point (keyframing camera movements), or Viewfinder (you hold your phone and use it like a virtual camera and whatever you point at will be shown as the view of the non-360 freecapture video).

To explain the importance of FreeCapture, I want to take a step back and put it into context.  Ever since 360 cameras brought 360 video capture capability to the masses, the biggest question, IMHO, has been how to best use 360 video. Even professional videographers haven’t mastered the craft because 360 is so different from traditional videos. Many techniques for traditional videos don’t apply to 360, so everyone is still experimenting.

One approach is to use the 360 camera as a tool for non-360 videos. In theory, a 360 camera can simulate the focal length from any lens, in addition to being able to shooting impossibly wide angles that cannot be achieved on a conventional lens. The only practical limit is the 360 camera’s resolution.

GoPro highlighted this approach in its promo for its upcoming Fusion camera. They called the feature Overcapture. In truth, there have already been several software that could adapt a 360 video for non-360 use – in fact, it’s a standard feature of most desktop 360 video editors. However, GoPro deserves credit for highlighting this approach, giving it a memorable name, and capturing the public’s imagination with it.

It was in this context that the Insta360 ONE and its FreeCapture feature was announced, and it seemed Insta360 was just riding on GoPro’s coattails, particularly with the name. That’s certainly the impression I was concerned about when I first heard about it, and it almost seemed like it was just a tacked-on feature for a me-too product.  I don’t know when exactly Insta360 came up with this feature for the ONE, but their Insta360 Studio software has been creating ‘overcapture-style’ videos since at least July of 2015, long before the Fusion was ever hinted.

Insta360 ONE Freecapture
Insta360 ONE Freecapture

How to use FreeCapture

More importantly, FreeCapture works in a totally different way from all other 360 video editors to date. With Freecapture, you use your phone to frame the 360 video by aiming your phone like a camera.  It will “record” the overcapture-style video as you keep pressing the record button.  While you’re shooting, use the zoom slider to seamlessly change from telephoto / closeup to rectilinear to fisheye to tiny planet.  Releasing the button ends a segment of the video.  You can also use pinch-to-zoom to change the perspective with a simple cut rather than transition.   There’s a delete button to delete the most recent segment, one segment at a time.

Here’s a tip: I found it best to shoot with FreeCapture while on a swivel chair for smooth panning movements.

(And BTW, in case you’re wondering, so far I have not found a way to use for videos from other cameras, even from Insta360 Nano because other videos don’t show up on the gallery of the current version of the Insta360 ONE app.)

Why FreeCapture is fantastic

Besides being intuitive and giving you complete freedom to control the perspective and framing at the same time, this way of using Freecapture feels different and feels much more like shooting with an [amazingly versatile] traditional camera. (My hypothesis is that by viewing the scene head-on rather than with a birds-eye view, it turns on a different part of the brain.)  I started composing the video not based on how ‘impressive’ the effect was, but based on how I wanted to tell the story.  And so, rather than being a gimmick, 360 becomes a legitimate tool for your artistic vision.

This is why I think FreeCapture is the Insta360 ONE’s most important feature.  It is one of the few 360 cameras that has already had a tremendous and no doubt lasting impact on how I use 360.  In my opinion, it is the first camera to successfully bridge the gap between traditional and 360 cameras, and I believe it will help hone 360 shooters’ vision, as well as help show the beauty and value of 360 to those who have yet to shoot with it.    I will definitely post a full review ASAP, but you can understand why it has already earned my strong recommendation as long as you have a compatible phone (iPhone 6 and above; Android TBA).   If you’d like to buy one, I’d really appreciate it if you could buy through either of these links to support 360 Rumors at no additional cost to you: through Amazon or through B&H Photo.  Amazon has a great price on it, but if it shows it’s out of stock, click on “other sellers.” (I got mine through Amazon reseller Nspire Store within one day with expedited shipping because Insta360 said they forgot to send one to me.  sigh…)

About the author

Mic Ty

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  • Just got my One and have been working through it. The app is not very intuitive, that’s for sure.

    What selfie stick are you using, Mike? Have a link? Give me an affiliate link so you get your cut 😜

    • Hey there Scott! Congratulations on getting the ONE! Woohoo! As for the app, yes it takes a bit of getting used to. For the selfie stick, the one I use right now is the Benro MK10, which is a selfie stick tripod. It’s one of the few selfie sticks that are narrow enough to become invisible with the ONE or any other 360 camera for that matter (if you remove its ballhead by first submerging it in hot water for at least 30 secs). Full disclosure: insta360 will also be releasing their own selfie stick and I believe it has a built-in bluetooth remote in it to control the ONE. If you’d rather not wait, you can get the Benro MK10 here: http://amzn.to/2fan7cG And btw some friends call me Mike too so that’s perfectly fine 🙂

      Best regards,
      Mic

      • Ha cool.

        I thought about holding out for the insta selfie stick, but since we’re not sure when they’ll be released I was thinking about getting something else with a small enough head to tide me over until then.

        I’ll follow the link and look it over.

        Also (and maybe this isn’t the best place for this), I’ve had pretty bad battery life with the ONE. I shot a 7 minute video, exported it, did some light editing, and that was all I could do before the full battery was depleted. Noticed anything there?

        Thanks again!

      • Mic, I followed your advice and purchased Benro MK10 but found that ONE does not erase any inch of it, it just keeps it present in the picture including blue head circle. You mentioned ballhead can be removed by first submerging it in hot water for 30 secs or longer, so it spent a few mins in almost boiling water now with no results, ballhead is stable and still there. Do you mind give more details on how to achieve no-stick effect with Benro MK10?

    • Thanks Spillo! I’m not sure which screen recorder you mean but FreeCapture is a little different. You can smoothly change from telephoto to rectilinear to fisheye to tiny planet, and the speed of the change is entirely up to you.

      Best regards,
      Mic

      • Sure free capture is 10x better, but for other cameras we can use that method to do something similar from smartphone 😉

  • Hi guys

    did not buy a new 360 camera 2017 mostly do to tons of CA and red spot lens flare

    and some little more expensive cameras do not save in 2:1 format

    and some do not have a desktop application and requires a beast to a iPhone to render the videos

    but to Mic Ty and hes  excellent reviews

    i think  Insta360 ONE are the right one right now

    the RICOH THETA V has no stabilization much CA an the typical red spot-s when shooting in the sun

    The red sun lens flare the CA and tripod are easy to remove on photo spheres
    but on Video it is rather troublesome
    i think the best way are always to shoot in the shadow

    THETA has mirror or prism reflectors that bend the light   

    and i think it is the cause of the red sun lens flare on images and video

    the  Insta360 ONE two lenses are not lined up and that gives room for bigger sensors.

    Regards Svendus

  • Hi Mic,
    I just got my 360one, is there just only one app for editing? I dl and installed the app on both my ipad, iphone, but i don’t see the free capture icon, and i don’t even see the red record button.
    Also which android phone are you using? I tried with my LG G5, LG V30, both not compatible.
    Thanks.

    • Hi Winnie! Congrats! You can edit insta360 one with any 360 video editor. But first you need to convert the insp or insv file into jpg or mp4 (stitch it) using the insta360 one smartphone app, or insta360 studio. Best regards, mic

    • thanks! I appreciate the feedback. I’ll revise it. In summary Freecapture means turning a 360 video into a non-360 video where you as the creator control the view. So for example you can ‘pan’ the camera. It is using the 360 video as a traditional non-360 video.
      Best regards,
      Mic

  • So when I see 360 videos they all seem low quality and fuzzy etc compared to standard videos. Does editing these as over capture video make the quality better because you’re only using a part of the video instead of 360?

    • Hi Richy. The resolution of a 360 camera is spread out over 360 degrees, so it has fewer pixels per degree than most non-360 cameras including most smartphones. The key benefits of 360 cameras are not in terms of quality but in its exceptional stabilization, ability to shoot without aiming and to capture an amazing 3rd person view. See this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrHcprg8HPE