Is this a dumb idea?

[Cymruflyer]

Of course the camera would spin around a lot if I tried to drag/tow it thru the water but I don't plan on dragging it thru the water...I'm talking about lowering the camera str8 down, give it time to quit moving and record for a couple of minutes (long enuf to give me time to choose my angles in post) and then move to another spot and repeat.
Regarding monitoring, I have 3 devices I can use (2 phones and a 10" tablet) that I wouldn't be holding onto...they would be laying on a music stand I bought specifically for the tablet (with a Hoodman) enabling me to hold only the controller while sitting in a camping chair (very comfortably).

Ohhh, now I see what your intention is. Well then, that changes everything, just make sure the camera does not want to float. Test it yourself before lowering with the drone. You would need to rely on your eye from shore, because when looking from an aircraft on top clear smooth water, it can be almost impossible to tell where the surface begins. I am a flight instructor and used to teach people on floats.

Now I understand what you wish to do, that does sound like a fun project to try. Good luck.

 

[Kyle76]

Have you considered the drag of a submerged camera? Might be much more than the actual weight. Do you have some sort of fin mechanism to keep camera pointed in one direction? More drag. This sounds like a “Here, hold my beer” endeavor to me.

 

[Cymruflyer]

Have you considered the drag of a submerged camera? Might be much more than the actual weight. Do you have some sort of fin mechanism to keep camera pointed in one direction? More drag. This sounds like a “Here, hold my beer” endeavor to me.

If you read what the OP has posted it will make more sense to you.

 

[G Randy Brown]

Sounds like an interesting idea. I do have those floats, and they work pretty good. The only problem is you have to remove it every time you need to change batteries. It will keep the battery from coming out though. Mine is a M2Z so having enough power is not a problem.

Good to know they work even tho I'm hoping I don't need to test them out with the extrao cargo load.
I'm not too worried about battery life as I can't imagine having more than 4 spots in one location that I would want to capture so less than 20 minutes easily (theoretically).

 

[G Randy Brown]

Have you considered the drag of a submerged camera? Might be much more than the actual weight. Do you have some sort of fin mechanism to keep camera pointed in one direction? More drag. This sounds like a “Here, hold my beer” endeavor to me.

I'm guessing you didn't read all the posts, I'm not going to be dragging the camera in the water...I would be flying very slowly to a location, slowly descend and just hover for about 2 minutes and then ascend and move to the next spot.

 

[G Randy Brown]

Ohhh, now I see what your intention is. Well then, that changes everything, just make sure the camera does not want to float. Test it yourself before lowering with the drone. You would need to rely on your eye from shore, because when looking from an aircraft on top clear smooth water, it can be almost impossible to tell where the surface begins. I am a flight instructor and used to teach people on floats.

Now I understand what you wish to do, that does sound like a fun project to try. Good luck.

Yes I will line myself up with it and watch closely as I leave the shoreline keeping the camera at least a couple feet from the surface.
Judging by what I've seen on the google machine so far it doesn't look like it will float but I'll test it in a sink as soon as I get it.

 

[nobsyogi]

Firstly not a dumb idea…
With the Insta360 OneX2 camera you don’t need to keep it vertical under water any angle will produce a perfect video. That’s the advantage of a 360 camera it records absolutely everything In every direction.
I’m keen to see what footage you can produce!

 

[GadgetGuy]

Keep in mind that the remote camera view from the Insta360 likely won't work when it is underwater, as being under water severely impedes any transmission. It will obviously still record, but it is unlikely that you will be able to see it live, during recording. Test it in shallow water to see, or even in a bath tub! Find out at what depth you lose the camera view.

 

[G Randy Brown]

Firstly not a dumb idea…
With the Insta360 OneX2 camera you don’t need to keep it vertical under water any angle will produce a perfect video. That’s the advantage of a 360 camera it records absolutely everything In every direction.
I’m keen to see what footage you can produce!

That was one of the features that sold me (it even has a horizon leveling option).
I had always thought 360 cameras were gimicky and I really don't like any kind of fisheye distortion but when I found out their software can fix that in post AND I could choose my angles and keyframe them I had to jump on it!

 

[Mazdaman323lx]

My favorite thing is flying through old railway tunnels so you go for it dude. No such thing as a stupid idea if it works . Look forward to seeing the results. Keep thinking outside the box

 

[G Randy Brown]

Keep in mind that the remote camera view from the Insta360 likely won't work when it is underwater, as being under water severely impedes any transmission. It will obviously still record, but it is unlikely that you will be able to see it live, during recording. Test it in shallow water to see, or even in a bath tub! Find out at what depth you lose the camera view.

Good to know, thank you...I guess it's not that important that I monitor it underwater since it's not like I need to ever change the angle...if a fish swims by I can track it in post ?

 

[G Randy Brown]

My favorite thing is flying through old railway tunnels so you go for it dude. No such thing as a stupid idea if it works . Look forward to seeing the results. Keep thinking outside the box

I'll make sure to post the results here but it may be a while since I don't even have the camera in hand yet.
I think I have the DIY rig figured out but I'll run them by you guys too for you to see if you agree or think of something better.
I'm thinking the camera can mount to this mount (I may need to grind off some of the width so it doesn't show).
I was thinking I shouldn't use the screw because it would definitely be in the shot so maybe tie some fishing line thru the holes making a kind of harness to hook one of these swivels onto and then the attached fishing line going up to attach to this float contraption.
I might need to wait until I have it in hand to determine the best way to attach it there tho...I'm open to criticism and ideas!
Thanks guys,
Randy

 

[GadgetGuy]

Good to know, thank you...I guess it's not that important that I monitor it underwater since it's not like I need to ever change the angle...if a fish swims by I can track it in post ?

Not very efficient for live fishing, but great for documenting the fish locations for future fishing.

 

[NG Wildman]

Absolutely NOT a dumb idea.
Try as much testing as possible before attaching to the drone. Like dragging the camera through the water slowly (I know that's not your intent, but it will move on you). When you attach the camera to the drone and are GO for take-off; try it in just a few feet of water before you go for the great shots. Remember that all of your limits will be reduced and there is no real litmus test for all of the factors. Flight time will be reduced. Power for maneuverability will be reduced by the weight of the camera which will change in and out of the water as well as from any wind that may catch the camera and cause drag...I dive a Chasing M2 and you would be surprised at the amount the current just under the surface of the water and what it can do to anything in it's wake, so to speak. I'm sure you will not be doing this on a windy day, but with those floats, landing on much more than a ripple or two on the surface can be hairy...I have them and have used them for my Mini and my M2Pro. There is another float system here in the forum that is much broader and they show drones landing on waves etc. I will be trying this set-up soon. Finally, try a tether that you can see from the shore. Reason being: if you have to land, you will want to drop down directly above the camera as it will be a weight pulling against you and if you are off center, it can pull your drone and cause an uneven landing which may send you upside down in the water.
Baby steps. Looking forward to the footage and your experiences.
Remember, lots of people thought Orville and Wilbur were doing something dumb. Thank God they did!!
Best of luck.

 

[Cymruflyer]

Absolutely NOT a dumb idea.
Try as much testing as possible before attaching to the drone. Like dragging the camera through the water slowly (I know that's not your intent, but it will move on you). When you attach the camera to the drone and are GO for take-off; try it in just a few feet of water before you go for the great shots. Remember that all of your limits will be reduced and there is no real litmus test for all of the factors. Flight time will be reduced. Power for maneuverability will be reduced by the weight of the camera which will change in and out of the water as well as from any wind that may catch the camera and cause drag...I dive a Chasing M2 and you would be surprised at the amount the current just under the surface of the water and what it can do to anything in it's wake, so to speak. I'm sure you will not be doing this on a windy day, but with those floats, landing on much more than a ripple or two on the surface can be hairy...I have them and have used them for my Mini and my M2Pro. There is another float system here in the forum that is much broader and they show drones landing on waves etc. I will be trying this set-up soon. Finally, try a tether that you can see from the shore. Reason being: if you have to land, you will want to drop down directly above the camera as it will be a weight pulling against you and if you are off center, it can pull your drone and cause an uneven landing which may send you upside down in the water.
Baby steps. Looking forward to the footage and your experiences.
Remember, lots of people thought Orville and Wilbur were doing something dumb. Thank God they did!!
Best of luck.

Orville and Wilbur saw someone else's aircraft and research, from what I gather and got their idea from them and were just the first ones to get it off the ground and filmed.

 

[MA2 317]

I just ordered a Insta360 One X2 which is waterproof up to 33 feet.
I'm thinking about buying these floats and tethering the camera to my MA2 with about 10 feet of fishing line to get some underwater shots out in a lake...has anyone tried it or is it just a bad idea?
Thanks,
Randy

Excellent project and I liked reading all of the comments posted.

I hope it works well.

I have an old Samsung Gear 360 ball camera that is much too heavy and not waterproof for such an adventure.

@GadgetGuy mentioned fishing...

You're camera may look like bait and take a bite.

Good luck.

 

[G Randy Brown]

Absolutely NOT a dumb idea.
Try as much testing as possible before attaching to the drone. Like dragging the camera through the water slowly (I know that's not your intent, but it will move on you). When you attach the camera to the drone and are GO for take-off; try it in just a few feet of water before you go for the great shots. Remember that all of your limits will be reduced and there is no real litmus test for all of the factors. Flight time will be reduced. Power for maneuverability will be reduced by the weight of the camera which will change in and out of the water as well as from any wind that may catch the camera and cause drag...I dive a Chasing M2 and you would be surprised at the amount the current just under the surface of the water and what it can do to anything in it's wake, so to speak. I'm sure you will not be doing this on a windy day, but with those floats, landing on much more than a ripple or two on the surface can be hairy...I have them and have used them for my Mini and my M2Pro. There is another float system here in the forum that is much broader and they show drones landing on waves etc. I will be trying this set-up soon. Finally, try a tether that you can see from the shore. Reason being: if you have to land, you will want to drop down directly above the camera as it will be a weight pulling against you and if you are off center, it can pull your drone and cause an uneven landing which may send you upside down in the water.
Baby steps. Looking forward to the footage and your experiences.
Remember, lots of people thought Orville and Wilbur were doing something dumb. Thank God they did!!
Best of luck.

I'm sure you will not be doing this on a windy day,

Not no but hell no, I don't like to fly over dry land if the wind is over 10 mph

...but with those floats, landing on much more than a ripple or two on the surface can be hairy...I have them and have used them for my Mini and my M2Pro.
There is another float system here in the forum that is much broader and they show drones landing on waves etc.

Does anyone know which floats Mr Wildman is referring to?
I admit I was a little concerned when I saw in the demo video they cut right as the drone touched the water...I would have liked to see it sit there idling for a couple seconds.

 

[Kyle76]

Well, good luck!

 

[NG Wildman]

Orville and Wilbur saw someone else's aircraft and research, from what I gather and got their idea from them and were just the first ones to get it off the ground and filmed.

And yet they are the famous ones and still a household name.
I am sure this idea was thought of and probably done previously, but here we are in a forum discussing it for the first that I see here. Anyway, I think it's a good idea and I am being positive.

 

[dozzn]

I like the creativity but I think I would recommend you try the same idea with an r/c boat.
Good luck and keep us posted !! ?