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Soloshot 3

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Created by TheGeneral > 9 months ago, 26 Oct 2021
TheGeneral
WA, 31 posts
26 Oct 2021 6:58PM
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I got a Soloshot 3 with Optic65 camera on preorder from Soloshot.

Overall: a huge disappointment, and not worth the money.

* Soloshot were pre-selling hard well before they had even finished designing the Soloshot 3, so the actual delivery was about a year after what was originally advertised. Their communication was regular and positive, so I gave them the benefit of the doubt.

* Actually using the camera wasn't too tricky; calibration was straight-forward, and Soloshot's manuals are high quality. I shot 6 or so sessions; out of those 2 were successfully tracked the whole way, 2 had the tracking quit part way through, and on two of them, I thought the tracking had started, and found at the end of the session that it hadn't picked up the tag properly.

* On the sessions where it had actually got some useful footage, there was a lot of vibration due to wind. Footage was unwatchable without applying some sort of stabilisation process. Firmware updates have since improved image stability, but there's only so much that software can do to correct what is a mechanical shortcoming. Soloshot still markets to kitesurfers, however.

* When I got the unit out at the start of the next season, the tag would not charge. It was dead. A new tag is USD200. Bugger that.

* Before selling it to hopefully get a carton or two to help me forget about the $1000+ I spent on it, I contacted Soloshot to find out how to factory reset, de-register it from my Soloshot user profile etc. Answer: have to send it back to Soloshot in the US and fork over USD250. Bugger that.

The verdict: NOT RECOMMENDED FOR KITESURFERS. Don't fall for Soloshot's slick marketing.

Note to self: if you need to get a machine to film you doing something, you're probably not doing anything worth filming

Kamikuza
QLD, 6493 posts
26 Oct 2021 9:23PM
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TheGeneral said..
I got a Soloshot 3 with Optic65 camera on preorder from Soloshot.

Overall: a huge disappointment, and not worth the money.

* Soloshot were pre-selling hard well before they had even finished designing the Soloshot 3, so the actual delivery was about a year after what was originally advertised. Their communication was regular and positive, so I gave them the benefit of the doubt.

* Actually using the camera wasn't too tricky; calibration was straight-forward, and Soloshot's manuals are high quality. I shot 6 or so sessions; out of those 2 were successfully tracked the whole way, 2 had the tracking quit part way through, and on two of them, I thought the tracking had started, and found at the end of the session that it hadn't picked up the tag properly.

* On the sessions where it had actually got some useful footage, there was a lot of vibration due to wind. Footage was unwatchable without applying some sort of stabilisation process. Firmware updates have since improved image stability, but there's only so much that software can do to correct what is a mechanical shortcoming. Soloshot still markets to kitesurfers, however.

* When I got the unit out at the start of the next season, the tag would not charge. It was dead. A new tag is USD200. Bugger that.

* Before selling it to hopefully get a carton or two to help me forget about the $1000+ I spent on it, I contacted Soloshot to find out how to factory reset, de-register it from my Soloshot user profile etc. Answer: have to send it back to Soloshot in the US and fork over USD250. Bugger that.

The verdict: NOT RECOMMENDED FOR KITESURFERS. Don't fall for Soloshot's slick marketing.

Note to self: if you need to get a machine to film you doing something, you're probably not doing anything worth filming


That's what I heard about it too :( I've got an earlier version upstairs in a box, got it for $50. Should really get around to doing something with it...

KiteHume
NSW, 51 posts
27 Oct 2021 6:14PM
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We need a company like DJI to come out with a solution.
They have all the tech. I used my soloshot a fair bit. But now the internal batteries are stuffed. Not worth sending over to the USA. For them to fix it.



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"Soloshot 3" started by TheGeneral