Photography
Jason O'Flaherty
What are Drop-In Filters?

Curious about drop-in filters and how they fit into high-end lenses like the Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3? When I first encountered them, I found little to no explanation about what they were or how they worked—until I got hands-on. In this article, I break down the mystery behind drop-in filters, show you how they function, and share tips on where to find replacements. Whether you’re a wildlife or astronomy photographer, this guide will help you get the most out of your gear. Click to learn more!

What are Drop-In Filters?
Photography Tutorial
Jason O'Flaherty
11 Secrets to Stunning Zoo Photography

Unlock the secrets to capturing stunning wildlife photos at the zoo. With 11 expert tips, you’ll learn how to transform ordinary zoo snapshots into professional-level portraits. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned photographer, these insights will help you elevate your zoo photography to new heights.

11 Secrets to Stunning Zoo Photography
Product Reviews
Jason O'Flaherty
Ulanzi Cooling Fan

The Ulanzi Cooling Fan is a cost-effective solution for preventing camera overheating, significantly extending recording times for models like the Sony ZV-1 and Fujifilm X-H2. Learn more about its impressive features and why it's a must-have accessory for videographers.

Ulanzi Cooling Fan
Product Reviews
Jason O'Flaherty
Tracking Camera Gear with Apple AirTags

The effectiveness of Apple AirTags in safeguarding camera gear against loss or theft is put to the test. Through real-world experimentation of their functionality, discover how these tags assist in tracking down missing equipment. Finally, the potential security implications of these tags for user privacy are examined.

Tracking Camera Gear with Apple AirTags

Maps

Google Street View Tutorial - GoPro Fusion

Update #3!!! - 11/11/2019:
I've just learned from GoPro that you need to look at your GoPro GPS icon on the display to ensure it has GPS Lock. If it is just an outline then it doesn't have lock yet. It must be solid black. Hopefully that helps ensure GPS data is recorded to your video.

I've also tried this out using a GoPro Max. It kind of works. You can't use Timewarp because although it saves GPS data, the Desktop App won't export the GPS. It does work using Video mode, but you have to pick h.264 or hevc for the output type and click the "Retain GPMF Data" button. I also had to trim a 35 second clip into 3 pieces. Trailblazer didn't like the 35 second clip for some reason, but was fine with 10-15 seconds.

Update #2 - 10-15-2019:
After a recent Trailblazer version update, the files did finally switch over and stop saying Processing. They now show up correctly.

Update #1 - 07/15/2019:
The Tours never did leave the 'Processing' Status. I reached out to Panoskin tech support and they said based on what the Google Street App is showing, it appears the tours are processed. The Trailblazer software is still in Beta and they've recorded this as a bug that will need to be addressed in future releases. For the time being, they suggested I edit the name of the tour to "Processed" so that I can remember that they are finished.

Original Post 06/16/2019:
I’ve been uploading 360 photos to Google Maps for a while and know that they are available from Google Street View, however, I recently learned that you can map roads and upload that footage to Google Street View as well.

Why would you want to do this? Well, you can fill in the spots on the map that Google hasn’t driven past yet. You can also update areas that have changed considerably since the last time the Google Car drove past.

You can use several 360 cameras, but in this tutorial I’ll be using a GoPro Fusion 360 camera.

You’ll also need a free program called TrailBlazer which you can download here: https://www.panoskin.com/trailblazer

along with at least version 1.3 of the GoPro Fusion Studio to process the video from your Fusion camera: https://shop.gopro.com/softwareandapp/gopro-fusion-studio-app/fusion-studio.html

You can watch the video below for a more in depth tutorial, but the basic steps are:

  1. Turn on GPS on your Fusion Camera

  2. Set the quality to its highest which is 5.2k

  3. You can record either a video or a video time lapse. I recommend a video time lapse because it is easier to process the video

    1. If doing a video time lapse, set the interval to .5 seconds

  4. Record the section of the road you want to add to street view

  5. Process the video using Fusion Studio on your camera taking care to cut out the beginning and end parts of the video so that you only include the part where you are actually driving on the road

  6. Create a new adventure in the Trailblazer Program and upload the video that you created in step 5 and hope the GPS data didn’t get corrupt. (If it did, you’re out of luck and have to start again. See the video for tips on avoiding corruption)

  7. After Trailblazer finishes, wait for Google to process your footage (can take up to 2 weeks for it to be completely finished, but you can start to see sections on Google Street View within a few hours as it processes it)

Feel free to comment with any questions you might have. I’ll do my best to answer them. If you have advice on how to get better reliability with this process, I’d appreciate if you share those as well.