Mirrors or Soloshot opinions please

[Srhorselady]

This could be a project for next year. I need help motivating myself to ride more frequently. I thought if I got more feedback it might help. Soooo. I could install mirrors and get immediate feedback. However I only have an outdoor arena and we have occasional dust storms and frequent dust devils. They could also be tricky and expensive to mount securely. My former trainer had installed mirrors shortly before I stopped riding with her, but they weren't positioned where I used them much so I'm not sure if I would use them. So I thought maybe something like a Soloshot and video myself regularly? I'm not very techy so need something fairly simple to operate. No indoor so don't need the indoor option except maybe on rare trailering occasions. People who have mirrors or video themselves regularly, does it help? I do have access to regular lessons since my trainer comes to my house, but I don't take advantage of it as often as I should since I'm usually grooming for him. Also I don't find it easy to repeat things when I DO get them right in my lessons without practice. The trainer will say "yes that's it" and I'll say "what did I do". I don't have anyone to video me regularly. Opinions please do you think either of these options would help? And if you have mirrors or are videoed regularly, does it help?

[musical comedy]

Given a choice between mirrors and video, I'd choose mirrors. With mirrors, you can make an adjustment right away. My neighbor has outdoor mirrors and we are in NJ where it gets freezing cold and snow. She has had no problems with her mirrors and they've been up for probably 20 years. Expense wise, I don't know. I think I spent between 7-10k for my indoor mirrors. Based on that, the video is cheaper. I am hearing that people like the Pixio better than the Soloshot.

[demi]

I really want to have my rides videoed. I have had this done years ago at clinics and shows and find it to be the best way for me to get the most out of my rides. I find it very motivating. I have used mirrors and I like them but personally would rather have video. With mirrors the image is not as clear as with a good video, and as we age, our vision suffers, making mirrors less desireable. Plus I find that to watch and ride at the same time causes me to shift my balance to see. With videos you can stop and look at a particular moment, you can reply as much as you need to analyse things, you can show it to someone else for help, you can compare progress over time, and probably more things that just aren't coming to mind at the moment.

I have been waiting for the Soloshot 3 to become available because after reading about both SS3 and Pixio, SS3 sounds like it will be easier for me to use. I am not very technical and get impatient with things that require tedious setup. Although Pixio sounds easy enough to set up, the camera(s) seem more complicated. Also, having the three beacons seems like just more stuff to malfunction. For me, the simpler, the better. I understand that the SS3 has a tilting function, which Pixio claims takes away from ease of use, but still, I think SS3 looks easier.

Pixio bundle with camera is about 1K more than SS3 (optic 25, which is good for dressage taping).

[Flight]

I'd do both if I could. I video my rides very regularly with the SS2 and it's great to watch (actually it helps me go to sleep!) but yes, there's that delay where you have to remember what you want to fix, and then re-video to see if you have (and in my case, often haven't) so it can take a few days to fix things. So, I'd love to have a mirror to help with immediate things, but the video is great to see the flow of exercises etc.
I'm waiting for the SS3 to be delivered.

[kande50]

I video almost every ride, but it is time consuming to go through the videos after the ride. OTOH, I enjoy going through them, and usually watch most of it more than once, which I couldn't do with mirrors.

I did set up a big screen TV that someone gave me and connected a video camera to it so that I could see what my horse was doing in real time, but found that I didn't use it because I'd forget to look at it. That, and I think I'd need a much bigger screen for it to be useful enough, which I'd found was also a problem with mirrors, so probably something like a projection screen would work much better, although I don't know what would be involved in setting up something like that?

I do have an old video tracker, but it has both limited range and is a pain to set up, so I don't use it, anymore. I just set up 2 cameras, or if I get really ambitious 3 (one overhead), and can get everything I want to be able to see that way.

I think Flight has the right idea, and having both real time and video would be even better.

[Josette]

This topic caught my attention because I ride outside alone and no mirrors. Do I understand it that no one has yet used the SS3 yet? If you ordered it how long before you receive it? I would like close images to see clearly what I'm doing with my position and hands. I admit viewing sale videos are difficult for me with small images. I want up close details.

[kande50]

This topic caught my attention because I ride outside alone and no mirrors. Do I understand it that no one has yet used the SS3 yet? If you ordered it how long before you receive it? I would like close images to see clearly what I'm doing with my position and hands. I admit viewing sale videos are difficult for me with small images. I want up close details.

I think the reason most are waiting for the soloshot 3 is because they want the indoor option, but I don't know that. There are probably other improvements over the soloshot 2, but from what I read people are using the 2 and are happy with it, so are basing their preferences (over the Pixio, which is considerably more expensive) on that?

[Flight]

SS3 hasn't started shipping yet, I'm supposed to get mine next month and I ordered it maybe 18months ago. But that was pre-order. It's a bit contentious and I'm just waiting to see when I actually get it.
IF it works as advertised, you'll be able to see enough quite well. I'm sure I'll post some vids as soon as I get mine!

[Chisamba]

i have a human who videos me, which is useful for closer viewing, and mirrors, i find the video more effective for addressing consistent bad habit on my part, as well and really seeing if what i am feeling is correct, i find the mirror useful for degree of angle, etc.

I would say I have improved myself more using video than i did with mirrors

[musical comedy]

i have a human who videos me, which is useful for closer viewing, and mirrors, i find the video more effective for addressing consistent bad habit on my part, as well and really seeing if what i am feeling is correct, i find the mirror useful for degree of angle, etc.

I like the mirrors for correcting my upper body/head/arm/leg position. I have mirrors on both long sides, a whole wall on one short side, and two in the corner other the other short side. Thus, I can see a lot. Problem is that I often don't look.

My DH is my videographer and he does a great job with zoom. He uses a tripod. The only problem there is I feel I have to hurry up and show what I want to see because he doesn't relish standing out there for 45 minutes. Therefore, I rush stuff and pay the price.

Chisamba, one thing I do when getting tape is talk out loud saying what I feel. For example, I will say "he feels heavy" or "this feels good". Then you can see on the video if it looks like it felt. Once I said "he feels very energetic and forward", and sadly that was not the case. Then I get depressed.

We had a good mirror company install the mirrors but DH put up the wood support. Something wasn't done correctly because they have all cracked and it wasn't because a horse ran into them. I also lucked out because my wealthy neighbor friend paid for my mirrors in exchange for life riding privileges in it. She hacks over when she likes.

[kande50]

My DH is my videographer and he does a great job with zoom. He uses a tripod. The only problem there is I feel I have to hurry up and show what I want to see because he doesn't relish standing out there for 45 minutes. Therefore, I rush stuff and pay the price.

Exactly, and while my dh is fine with videotaping and did it when I went to shows, I can't very well expect him to come out with me to videotape every time I ride. I'd rather just set up the cameras and then go through the footage to get the parts I want. That way I forget that the cameras are there because they're always there, and if I get something I want to look at I don't have to try to duplicate it because I already have it.

[Srhorselady]

Thank you all for your input! Yes having both mirrors AND videoing would be best. Any mirrors I get would have to be of the cheaper variety and since it is an all purpose arena not a dressage arena placement could be tricky. I'm leaning at waiting to see how the Soloshot works. Supposedly one of the features of the newest version is easier set up. I'm not very techy oriented so that would be a plus. I'm in the middle of a couple of other projects (living room is under deconstruction to remove a dated built in entertainment center) and landscaping my courtyard which was planned when we moved in 19 years ago! So this project will have to wait until next year so I can wait and see how the new Soloshot works. Flight please keep us all informed when you get yours!

[Josette]

Okay - I've decided to pursue one of these soloshot cameras especially after I asked DH to take some pictures and video today. He has no interest and in some footage we are not even in the view. Duh - you would think he would follow the target (me). So I give up and am trying not to be really pissed at this point. This may be the only way I will ever be able to view my riding.

edited to add: I am so ticked off I forgot my question. Would I have to purchase all the accessories separate like the tripod and other pieces? Is there a package I could purchase with all these components?

[demi]

Oh I can relate!

The SS 3 isn't available yet but once it is available they do have a package with everything you need including tripod. The optic 25 package is the one we need. The package is around $625 without the indoor option, but you don't need indoor anyway, do you?

Flight has an SS2 and her vids are really good, in my opinion. Very good tracking and clear and easy to see.

[Josette]

Yes - I'm an outdoor only rider in my backyard. The optic 25 package sounds good to me - I just want to be able to view close ups for my posture and position issues. okay - another dumb question. When you complete a recording then how do you view it? Can I transfer to my chromebook which has a big screen that I can see? I just want for personal / private viewing and not to broadcast on YouTube.

[demi]

good question. I have no idea...yet. We may have to get help from Flight and the other children on the board. Worse case senario, my mom can help us. Seriously. She' s 87 but knows way more about computers than I do. I go to her when I need technical help. She complains but then she figures it out.

[Srhorselady]

Jossette it sounds like you have exactly the same needs and why I've been considering the Soloshot! However that is an excellent question. I assume you can view it on the camera, but what is the next step?

[Josette]

Yes - I really would want to transfer to a larger viewing screen. Looking at a little screen like my iPhone will make me crazy. Demi - we may have to hire your Mom to tutor us on how to use these gadgets.

[StraightForward]

This topic caught my attention because I ride outside alone and no mirrors. Do I understand it that no one has yet used the SS3 yet? If you ordered it how long before you receive it? I would like close images to see clearly what I'm doing with my position and hands. I admit viewing sale videos are difficult for me with small images. I want up close details.

I think the reason most are waiting for the soloshot 3 is because they want the indoor option, but I don't know that. There are probably other improvements over the soloshot 2, but from what I read people are using the 2 and are happy with it, so are basing their preferences (over the Pixio, which is considerably more expensive) on that?

The other thing with the SS3 is that it's supposed to fix on you much more quickly than the SS2 (like 30 seconds instead of 8 minutes, IIRC).

I really want a SoloShot. Hoping they get the pre-orders fulfilled and start shipping new orders by late summer. I sometimes haul to an arena with mirrors and find them useful for lateral movements in particular, but they have their limitations, and looking in the mirrors is taking a certain amount of focus away from the ride.

[kande50]

I'm using good quality but ancient (by techie standards) cameras, so set up is not all that simple. But, I set the cameras up almost every time I ride so now know how to do it, so it's no longer something I need to think about.

I set up 2 or 3 cameras and it takes me less than 5 minutes, including walking from one end of the ring to the other to plug things in and start recording.

I capture the video from one of my cameras directly to a computer with an external hard drive because it records to tape and the tape mechanism no longer works. Then I bring the external hard drive inside to look at it, but leave the old computer I use set up in the barn.

My other good camera still has a tape that works, so I bring that camera back inside and hook it up to my computer to transfer the footage to the computer I use for editing.

The 3rd camera (which is a pos) records to an internal hard drive and then I can transfer the file to my computer for editing.

IOW, there was a separate learning curve for each camera, but once I figured out how to do it and started setting them up often enough I no longer had to think about any of it.

[Flight]

It looks like the SS3 has a microSD card slot, so I assume it will record onto an SD card. What I do currently is take the card out of my camera (or plug the camera directly to my computer) after I've ridden and watch it on my computer. I can then edit any vid that I want to keep but I usually watch and delete
They talk about a soloshotcloud which will upload if you're within wifi range, but my arena is out of my wifi range.

[kande50]

What I noticed on my video cameras is that the SD slot if for saving stills and the video is recorded to either tape (old technology), or an internal hard drive, because the video files are so much bigger than pic files. That however, may have changed since the last time I bought a video camera.