Just to be very clear, I was not paid by Soloshot and I did not receive any free equipment to keep (they gave me a loaner for a couple weeks), I just really like the damn thing. I also took some video which I will be posting in a couple weeks so you can really see how terrible of a surfer I am. Check back in a couple weeks for the video
First off, what is the Soloshot?
The Soloshot (I used the SOLOSHOT2) is basically a robot cameraman which allows you to film yourself doing anything (in my case, I used it to film myself surfing badly). If you get the badass bundle you will have a tripod, a tracking device, the robot cameraman, a camera, and a camera controller. Imagine you want to surf, or really do anything, but you don’t have anyone else to film you, the SOLOSHOT2 will follow you (wearing the tracking device) and capture footage as you do your thing. You can buy the bad boy right HERE.
Seems complicated, no?
I am the least tech savvy person that you will ever meet. I have broken this website numerous times just by hitting wrong buttons in the backend, but I was still able to get the SOLOSHOT2 up and running with ease. When you get the bundle it actually seems wildly intimidating, but the directions make it so a 4 year-old could set it up. The biggest hurdle I had was to get it running the first time, but it probably only took 20 minutes total to have it all situated and ready to go. You definitely need to make sure you charge each of the components for a solid 3-5 hours before you bring it outside. After assembling the piece for 20 minutes we were ready for the first test run.
How hard was it to get working the first time?
The first test run was way easier than I expected. Once we brought out the Soloshot to the beach you need to make sure that you have 10 minutes to spare, as the tracking device requires 8 minutes to get situated and working correctly. Once that was done it was as simple as the press of a button and finding out which setting you want to use.
Why wouldn’t you just have someone else film you?
Trust me, that is not as easy as it sounds. Every time I go out surfing I usually go with a couple of buddies who are equally as bad. The best thing in the world is when one of them takes the time to stand on the beach while the others are in the water and film. But, this is also the worst thing in the world because when the waves are good, no one wants to be sitting on the beach. The device solves that problem, and it is safe and secure.
Why do you want to actually film your surfing?
To be honest, it is because I suck at surfing. Just the same as when you see yourself present to an audience on camera for the first time and you can see where you messing up, this is the perfect device to learn. After about three sessions I had some great footage and was able to shift where my feet are on the board, crouch lower, and pump more down the face. I feel like after a couple months of the Soloshot I will be 3X better than if I didn’t have the device.
Check this out if you are into motorsports:
Seriously though, this is awesome.
