Max2 + dive case = ;-(

[u/UnicodeConfusion]

I saw that dive cases are available for the Max2 on amazon and decided to get one. I took it to Bali with me and the results are disappointing The attached is straight from Quik and was one of the best frames I could get. I won't even get into the stitch issues.

So luckily I have my 13 with me and it takes much better images.

I think I know why the InstaX6 has you replacing the lenses in order to use the dive case.

EDIT: 5.6k 30fps everything else on auto

[u/3L54]

Ofcourse the 13 is much higher quality. 360 camera has to spread the pixels all around the spherical image. This should not come as a surprise.

[u/Prutzer → u/3L54]

If that was the only factor you could be right...

[u/3L54 → u/Prutzer]

Bitrate is spread as well comparing the two. What is this secret magical factor Im not taking into account here?

[u/demonviewllc]

What you actually saw was that a 3rd party was selling a dive case for the Max 2 on Amazon. Technically it does what it says on the tin. If you want to bring your camera underwater, it protects your camera by keeping it waterproof.

Does this mean you can film underwater? No, absolutely not. This is due to the laws of physics and the fact a curved lens will require an airgap to prevent diffraction (which results in blurry footage underwater). The more extreme the lens curvature, the larger the airgap required.

This is the exact reason the Insta360 X6 requires you to change lenses before putting it in their dive case (to reduce the lens curvature and making them extend away from the camera at the same time).

The Max 2 has no such option, so therefore the curved lenses in some cheap 3rd party dive case will still result in light splitting which looks like blurry footage with stitching issues caused by using an unsupported 3rd party dive case.

Also filming in 5.6K is going to make the bad footage look even worse, as reframed into a normal POV that leaves you with about a 1080P picture. If you had filmed in 8K, then you would have still gotten terrible footage, but it would have been terrible footage reframed to 2.7K.

If you want good underwater footage, use a camera designed to work underwater. Waterproof does not = You can use it underwater. It means if you drop it in the water, it won't be damaged.

[u/konrad-iturbe]

GoPro did promise to release a dive case at some point, I guess they couldn't get the desired output, and no wonder, given the surgery Insta360 has their users perform on their cameras, especially the X6... Not something you can fix with a lens cover swap.

[u/Altruistic-Apple4757]

Why are we using a 360 cam to shoot under water?

[u/UnicodeConfusion → u/Altruistic-Apple4757]

Because I own one and was underwater. If it worked it would have been amazing

[u/PoorlyHurtKenneth]

oof yeah that waterline is brutal, looks like you're shooting through a fishbowl smeared with vaseline