Over the last few years, consumer level, off the shelf, 360 cameras have come on leaps and bounds so now let's take them airborne!
The Insta360 One X is super small, light weight and has a pretty good technical spec for it's price point. With that in mind, I figured it would be the prime 360 camera to experiment with mounting to the DJI Inspire 2.
In Short
Drill a hole in the gimbal port cover and add a 1/4" bolt to hang the glorified selfie stick.
Using the Insta360 Bullet Time Handle
The bullet time handle is ideal for a couple of reasons.
It has a 1/4"-20 male thread at one end, and the 1/4"-20 female thread on the other.
Its telescopic design allows you to extend the camera well below the drone, reducing the aircrafts footprint in the shot.
What You Need
DJI Inspire 2
Insta360 One X Camera
Insta360 One X Bullet Time Handle
Gimbal Port Cover
1/4" - 20 Bolt and Washer
Making The Mount
Drill a 6mmø hole in the centre of the Inspire 2's gimbal port cover. Then, using the 1/4" 20 bolt and washer, screw the gimbal cover to the bottom of the Insta360 handle.
Now just screw the camera onto the opposite end of the handle as you normally would. That's the mount complete!
Mounting the Insta 360 One X to the Inspire 2
Screw the gimbal cover into the Inspire 2 gimbal port as you would normally. Fit a couple of cable ties for safe measure and you're good to go!
Does It Work?
It gets the job done. It's 5.2K, self stabilised footage isn't mind blowing but it would undoubtably make the cut for use on social platforms.
I was surprised at how good the WiFi connection was. I was able to maintain a live preview on the IOS companion app for up to 75 meters which was way better than i had expected.
If you need further preview range than that, you'll have to do some more R&D. If you don't, this could be a great solution!
Thank you to RC Geeks for hooking me up with the Insta360 gear for this experiment.
