As a OSM mapper that has just restarted mapping after a year long hiatus i would like to buy a 360° camera to keep with me to improve accuracy and recall of the paths i go through (right now i am only taking pictures here and there of stuff i need to map with my phones).
In the official Mapillary guides, the Gopro MAX camera is still suggested as the best choice. And i could find it for ~150-200€ on the used market. The MAX2 is allegedly better but… too expensive for my wallet right now. Same for all the other Instax cameras that seem to be more than 300€ still.
However, i found some people suggesting the Gopro Fusion and even suggesting it was superior for mapping than the MAX, and i discovered it is mostly available at less than 100€!
So, is this a good idea just to begin or should i spend just a little bit more?
The goal is to map small towns in rural italy, so a lot of mapping by foot.
It all depends on what you are actually trying to do. What kind of imagery are you particularly interested in? Does it have to be 360° or are you also okay with traditional planar imagery?
MAX is definitely better than Fusion. Personally, I would not waste my money on the Fusion today, even for 100 € or less. Fusion has been GoPro’s de facto beta test on consumers to enter the 360° photography market. If it really has to be 360° imagery or nothing for you then I would rather bite the bullet and go for MAX2, even if it means tightening the belt and saving pennies to buy it. MAX2 is much better than MAX. It is worth the money and the upgrade. Fusion and MAX are nothing more than expensive toys, especially in terms of image quality. MAX2 is GoPro’s first 360° camera which actually has shaken off that toy level and has finally become a seriously usable product. MAX2 is not perfect either but it is very good.
Using MAX for useful mapping requires quite a bit of planning ahead. For instance, its rather low 5.6K resolution for 360° imagery is often not enough for legible street name signs or house numbers. MAX2 powers through all these troubles with full 8K resolution. MAX2’s firmware is also much more refined and better suited for mapping. It is not just an incremental update, it is a leap!
As a general rule of thumb; stay away from everything that has no built-in GPS receiver, if you want to capture regularly for Mapillary.
If you can live with planar imagery only then a used GoPro HERO is probably going to be your best pick.
And the latest firmware of the Max 2 has now 200 Mbit bitrate support, the only annoying thing is that you have to activate it everytime you start up the camera.
I would say image quality is too low for details (small street signs, info boards, etc) on all of them. The main drawback for me with the Fusion was its workflow - if it is actually improved on the Max is a question of judgement, but it is better.
If you just want some street signs, a phone is enough. If you want 360 coverage on the cheap and don’t mind jumping through some hoops, a Fusion is still ok