Arsenal 2 Pro - Longterm (Six Month) Review - Is It Still Shit?
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- Опубліковано 29 чер 2024
- Buy me a coffee - ko-fi.com/A622C34
It's the video you've all been asking for - the follow-up on the Arsenal 2 Pro 'Intelligent' Camera Assistant. And, ermm, it's not good news I'm afraid ... - Наука та технологія
New to photography. Bought an arsenal because I thought I needed the help..... It crashed so much I was forced to learn how to take photos the right way. Thanks arsenal.
Yea, the crashing is not great, but at least you got a good outcome in the end! :)
😂😂😂
See, Arsenal is really useful. You learned how to use your camera.😂
@@rexonpadre4653😂😂😂
Dude, you are hilarious. I was investigating this device to determine if Arsenal 2 Pro was worth it. Thanks for saving me 300 bucks!
No problem 👍
Honestly, I never laughed so hard on a tech review than on yours of the Arsenal 2. When I watched the commercial for the device I was like "wow that's cool", but the I thought when it is that good, all landscape photographers out there are out of a job :) so there might be a catch to it, and I was right.
I really enjoyed your no bullshit attitude, while most reviewers are tip toing around not to say too much bad stuff that might scare other potential sponsors away. So, I hope you are getting a hell of lot more subscribers, I for my part am in for the journey.
Thanks Armin - I don't see the point in wasting anyone's time with a load of caveats ;)
Word for word, that is my opinion as well. The Arsenal video sounded amazing. Then I watched this video. I was laughing out loud; it was very entertaining. At the same time, you provided real information. You gave kudos where deserved (as limited as they were), which only enhanced the authenticity of your criticisms. I am definitely subscribing and am looking forward to watching all the videos I've missed. I never even knew about this channel.
it is brilliant, had a great laugh.
So glad I came across your review! You’ve saved me some money, as I was close to purchasing it! Many thanks!
Glad I could help!
I’m the same. I was one step away from buying this and I decided to check for UA-cam reviews!!! Thank you 😊
First, you made me laugh, and for that I thank you.
Second, absolutely love a reviewer that is willing to offer the unvarnished truth.
Third, I’m genuinely rooting for them. I wish it was a better product. There is a need for the level of computational photography that we enjoy on our phones to make it to the world of digital cameras.
Thanks Dan. Yea, I would definitely prefer that it worked because it cost me $250. Maybe one day they'll get there! :)
I get your point, but it then takes a way from the reason you get an actual camera, and that's to actually work on taking a pic, not letting AI do it for you.
I 100% agree with this. HOWEVER, fuck Arsenal. Arsenal 1 worked 6% of the time. Arsenal 2 is almost identical. so much infact that i'm considering cracking both open and seeing if they just used a firmware update to justify the the "2". Such a fucking scam.
Thank you for saving me money and for the laughs. Awesome review!
Glad you enjoyed!
I had the Arsenal 2 Pro in my cart along with a few accessories. Before finalizing my purchase I decided to checkout some reviews. After reviewing your video and others, I’ve decided to empty my cart. Thank you!!
Happy to save you some money. :)
I love your reviews! Very entertaining, as well as informative! I'm glad i read your review, because I was very intrigued by their claims. I won't be wasting my money now, thanks to you. Have a great week!
Thank-you. :)
Thanks for your hilarious reviews Andy. I was one of the mugs that bought Arse 1, after a few times using it, it went in the bin. I was wondering what Arse 2 would be like, and my questions have been answered 😂
No worries - glad to be of service! :)
Saved me $300 and entertained me at the same time. Love your wit.
Thank-you kindly :)
This was a thoroughly brilliant review - I loved the humour and honesty. I was literally about to purchase one but decided I better look at a few reviews. And so glad I did. Saved me hard earned money. Thanks
Glad you enjoyed it!
Just stumbled upon your videos. Absolutely love your candor. Subscribed. :)
Thanks - and welcome :)
Man, i wish i found your review before i bought it months ago 😅 I have alot of the same feelings about it, but you put it much better than I ever could. Thanks for the hilarious but point on review!
Cheers - appreciate it :)
Trying to find a video on this that wasn't a total fluff piece was a struggle, so good job.
No worries :)
I'm still in my 90 day window... And haven't gotten passed initial power on. Because I saw your first and now your second video. Thank you for saving me time, and getting the return setup asap.
No worries. :)
Thank you for this! I've been getting bombarded by ads for this device, and was seriously curious about it (despite not considering myself a "beginner" photographer). Now I know to stay as far away as possible from this technological train wreck. You've earned yourself a like and a new subscriber!
Cheers Jerry - appreciate it :)
Out of frustration on Arsenal will "FORCE" you to learn photography.
New to photography, had it in my cart to add to my canon 90d.... Had a quick look for reviews. Many thanks sir.. glad I found your channel also
Glad I could help!
You sir, are an absolute legend. Best and most honest review I've ever seen!
Thanks Paul :)
So, I was served by an instagram ad for this gizmo and was this close to buying it before watching your video. Thank you kind sir.
Glad it was helpful!
Ditto
So I was just about to push the button and buy the Arsenal 2 pro. Looked up for reviews on UA-cam. I haven’t laughed so much on a review for a while. Guess what, I didn’t buy it but subscribed to your channel.
Glad I could help :)
I love your style! Back in 2018, when I was returning to photography after a 25-year absence, I bought the first Arsenal, hoping it would help me do some of the creative photos I saw online. I found it a piece of crap and it ended up gathering dust. I think I threw it away, eventually. I see nothing has improved since then.
No Jack it's every bit as bad as it ever was. :)
Great review. Thanks for the insight and information, love your humour too.
Thanks for watching!
THANKYOU!!!! I have looked at it multiple times, even put it "in the cart" a few times! But something held me off. So I decided to look on good ol' UA-cam to see if there were any actual videos on it. Found your first video, watched it, and then watched the others... decided it's not for me. Plus, it's certainly not what I thought it was going to be. I thought it was going to analyse the scene and tell me what settings I should use, in other words, I would be the one moving the dials! Not the little piece of plastic sitting on top of the camera!
Thankyou... You've saved me a huge wad of cash! *Remove from cart*
No worries Gayle - you definitely dodged a bullet there. :)
Having spat tea over my keyboard, and PMSL I have to say not only is your review honest and informative, but bloody funny too. Thank you.
lol - no worries - thanks Wayne :)
Not that funny. Cool it, coolio
Damn! What a refreshingly honest take in this age of avoidance of hurty feelz at all costs. A great laugh - that’s a big like & a sub! 👍🏼
Cheers Shannon - hope you enjoying the forthcoming content :)
I had to sub after the first minute, this man is what reviews should be!!!!
Thanks mate - hope you enjoy future content :)
Brand new to photography, just bought a Z5 and really considered the Arsenal. Thank God I found this review first 🤣
Thank you sir!
No worries. Enjoy your Z5 - great camera so I hear and I'm sure you'll enjoy many awesome adventures with it :)
The most honest review of photography equipment ever. Deserve like and subs haha
The best and most honest gear review ever. I find so many reviews are hard to trust because people are being paid to give bullshit reviews, or at least getting free gear in exchange for nothing but a stellar pile of dog doo doo.
Cheers :)
Thank you. I was considering the Arse nal and I’m glad I found this. I posted in my photography group if they had come across it in their FB feed and one person posted this review. Love it. Even my partner was entertained listening to it in the background. I will save my bucks as I will not be getting any bang for my buck if I buy it. That was impressive though to get f25 out of a lens that didn’t have that capability. Whoo
Glad it helped Danielle - you definitely don't want this device!
Thank you. I was bombarded with ads about this product. Enjoyed the video, made me laugh a lot.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Had my answer :53 in but stayed for the whole vid. Thank you sir. Subbed!❤
Thank-you and welcome :)
first video i watch from this channel, intro alone made me subscribe
Thank-you kindly :)
Thank you Andy for this real good and wise review. I love your Jeremy Clarkson’s type of humour, and you make me save 250$ and a lot of disappointments as I thought crowd control was a gain of time… Long life to you and your sense of humour 😂✊
Haha - no worries, thanks Mathieu - wish I had Jeremy Clarkson's bank balance! :)
Brilliant review . . i somewhat know what im doing but thought this would be a nifty toy to add to the gear bag, i am glad i saw your review and saved myself some dollars, thank you.
Glad I could help
Great review Andy! Most quick fixes rarely work better than the little more effort a true craftsmanship requires.
Absolutely - thanks Richard. :)
Love the honesty and humor. I subscribed…
Thanks Nancy :)
I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your NO BS approach to reviews. I’m a subscriber now 😂
Cheers Aaron - and welcome :)
I like your brutal honesty. Saw your first video after ordering one (aggressive FB advertising has worked for Arsenal). I was seriously considering returning unopened at the time, but I gave it a shot, after all, there are 90 days to decide. I was very disappointed with crashes and hangs, and bad results. Couldn't get long exposures (waterfalls with high dynamic range) to work, timelapses are so spotty, etc. What I don't think you touched upon and really annoyed me was that the timelapse produced is 1500x1000 pixels (not full resolution). I was shocked they don't really acknowledge that in any of the promotional material - that their timelapse cuts the resolution significantly. I would want at least 4K, if not full resolution. So if you want full resolution, you need to actually process all the images again. The key issue, of course, is that almost nothing works, works reliably, and it crashes often. This ruins the experience when you actually have set up everything right - framing, focus, etc. Btw, night assist works only on very fast lenses, so not for most lenses people would actually have. Recently, I gave it another shot... I started this video with Arsenal 2 under Bortle 3 skies just after sunset, before dark. Wanted a soft transition holy grail - still difficult to achieve those on an intervalometer. The first part of this video was Arsenal until it crashed and stopped, so I plugged in a $9 intervalometer and continued into the night scene... unfortunately, left it alone and didn't realize the first part probably finished the backup batteries faster than I had planned... ua-cam.com/video/4n2JSta8vwU/v-deo.html (this video was not produced by Arsenal 2 - that didn't work at all - I just took the raw frames and reprocessed into the timelapse with photoshop).
Thanks Tal. There isn't a single shot or timelapse I shot with Arsenal 2 that I didn't have to manually process from the original images. So many people have reported having exactly the same issues as you and me that there is no doubt whatsoever any more about just how shit Arsenal 2 Pro is.
@@Andyhutchinson Btw, yesterday I did create a timelapse (fairly successfully) powered by Arsenal 2 alone. I decided to try things out on a much less challenging obstacle course. So no real day-to-night or night-today, but just clouds (that occasionally darken the scene). 10sec interval, I did use "Holy Grail" with very sensible boundaries, to avoid it going all over the board. And although Arsenal 2 did fiddle around with the aperture and time of each exposure fairly frequently even going back & forth. However the result is 'pleasing'. Would my Canon EOS R7 timelapse produce a better 4K video? probably. But this could be a second rig... Here's the result of that.... ua-cam.com/video/GVbPuAw4SKs/v-deo.html
Not throwing away the Arsenal 2 just yet (still in the 90-day return period). If it can do some flexible exposure timelapse, maybe it's not all bad...
Thank you so much for this review. Saved me time and money!
Glad I could help!
Thank you sir as I was planning to buy this but now you opened my eyes.Great and honest review.
Glad I could help :)
The most amusing ang brutally honest review. Got this device 2 months after i purchased it. Nearly 3 months after using the device, it burned 30k shuttercounts off my camera when it was at 4k when I got it. It just didn't live up to expectations and the promises were all marketing stuff. The good thing is I leared how to use my camera out of frustration and got my money back. I won't be surprised if they shipped it to another KS supporter or customer.
I'm glad you got your money back and can put it to good use :)
Great hilarious honest review. I just received my Arsenal 2 over the weekend. I didn’t need the help, but I was hoping this would shave time off in some areas of shooting. I am supremely disappointed with the device especially for the price point. Your final recommendation to do anything with the money that would be spent for it to be used elsewhere to improve photos is 100% correct. I should’ve invested in another lens. I thought I was leaning in on AI to reap the benefits but I got Got. Lesson learned.
If it’s any consolation, you are far from alone in being disappointed with this awful product.
Very new to manual camera photography. I literally had this product in my cart with the accessories when I thought to myself “hmm I shld check some reviews first”. Thats when I came across your video. Needless to say, I emptied my cart.
Glad it was helpful!
I ordered one last night and I’m canceling today. Thanks for the review no BS review!
Glad I could help
Great review! Loved your personality and am now a subscriber.
Thank-you kindly - and welcome :)
I purchased the Arsenal 1 and then the Arsenal 2 a year later or so when ever it was released. I did not get to use the Arsenal much due to having some camera issues and chalked up some of the issues I was having to the camera issues I was having. The Arsenal 2 came out and all the great features that they were talking about I thought I have a new camera and at this time I had been taking photos for a while watching videos and learning to use the camera more. I like so many are waiting for the features to work or even be added. I have not used the junk since the first month I got it. Great to find your channel and hear the stories you had not only made me laugh but also helped me realize that I was not doing something wrong when I was getting the same results you were getting with it. I just happened to be updating my firmware today for a trip and thought I would see what the word is on it. Apparently not worth my time to update the firmware on it.
Thanks. They have apparently added the long-awaited pano mode to the Arsenal finally. With that in mind I am planning one final review of the device. Based on my initial tests - nothing much has changed!
@@Andyhutchinson I did notice that last night after doing a firmware update on my Arsenal that the Pano was there. I have not had a chance to look at it much but looking forward to your review on the newest update to see if anything has changed. I will hopefully get some time this weekend to go out and see what it can do.
Mate, what a legendary bit of video!! Dryer than a dehydrated Weet Bix and full of actual honest information. :) I had seen adverts for this thing a long time ago and the latest one shows it perched on top of a Nikon Z series camera (have just bought a Z6) so was intrigued to see how it could help me. The answer is of course it can't!! My skills are reasonable with about 40 years of taking photos just for my pleasure, with the occasional paid job. The Z6 has made a huge difference to how I approach a shot and getting more proficient with Lightroom, completes the creative possibilities. So I shall be looking out for more of your delightful insights and will resort to improving my own skills to produce the results I'm after. Cheers heaps, Pete
Cheers. I'm thinking about doing a final video on the Arsenal now that the pano mode's been added! :)
Really enjoyed watching your video mate, no nonsense great British straight talking, yes lad. Big up.
Thanks mate :)
Thanks Andy. Crazy good review. Keep it real my friend...the world needs more honest people. BTW: you're funny as hell too (Bonus)!
Thanks mate :)
Thank you. I’m a beginner and was going to buy it. You saved me from that headache 🙃
You’re welcome 😊
I was just at the stage of putting my Paypal details into their site, then thought I'll see if there's any reviews on the youtubes....so glad I did after laughing for a good 10 minutes you convinced me not to. Great video and brilliantly put together...thanks a lot!
Cheers Colin - glad you enjoyed it and saved yourself a few hundred bucks and a lot of grief! :)
Thank you for you COMPLETELY honest review. I unfortunately am one of those suckers that not only bought the Arsenal I but also now the Arsenal II. I was hoping to pair the Arsenal I (or II) with my Rhino ROV Slider and my MOVO timelapse ball head to get those amazing stargazing time-lapses. According to your review, I completely wasted my $$$.
Yea - I think so - it's not a very capable or useful bit of equipment on any level :)
If you have a head on your shoulders you will always look for reviews and trustpilot comments before spending on gadgets. That is what I did with Arsenal and after your first review, I waited for the second. I now won't touch it with a barge pole. It's a shame because if it would do what the advertising video said it would, it could be quite handy. Continue to tell it like it is Andy, it's so refreshing and bloody funny! Good job!
Cheers John - I appreciate it - hope you get something slightly more useful instead :)
Wanted to retry my Arsenal 2 after having had it garhering dust, unused, for the last 8 months. Just found your review now, am loving it, laughing my ass off - and guess Arse 2 will go back in the shelf instead of with me on my vacation 😂 Thanks for the great video!
Yea wise decision - enjoy the holiday!
Glad I found this review, thought it looked to good to be true... the review did make me laugh though 😆👌 Subscribed 😊
Appreciate it - and welcome :)
That decal on your Mac cracked me up!!!! I had an idea the product was crap from the claim it was AI that had been created before 2021. Creating images from text is difficult but capturing images through a camera is unique. Wouldn't it have to learn from millions of images? Setting up your camera is a personal choice and I am having a difficult time wondering how it would determine what is optimal? GREAT FREAKING VIDEO! Really made me LAUGH OUT LOUD!
Thanks mate - appreciate it - and yes, the A.I. claims is sketchy at best!
Thanks Andy, I was minutes away from pressing the buy button, when I thought let’s have a look at one more review!.. as I can’t physically buy you a beer, I have virtually bought you a pint 🍻🇬🇧 of course I have liked & subscribed 👍
Greatly appreciated Mike - thank you 😀
I am SO glad I found your video as I was about to purchase this, but I was hesitant. I have adhd and struggle with making quick executive decisions 😅 so I thought this would be a perfect item for me but after watching this I’m definitely not ordering it. Do you have a specific photoshop program that you prefer? I was going to purchase Adobe Elements 2023.
As one ADHDer to another - I fully understand! Elements is a great application which hides a lot of the complexity and jargon. I use a whole range of apps but the one I open most often for quick edits is Luminar Neo :)
First time ever watching one of your videos. Loved the video and your dialogue had me laughing my ass off.
Thanks mate - appreciate it :)
“Absolutely fucking not”. Earned the sub there.
lol - thanks mate :)
😀 I love UA-cam and honest reviews. Just saved me money! Thanks!
Happy to help!
The changing of the aperture during the time-lapse is especially egregious. Even if the aperture is wrong (f25?!), it's not supposed to change during the time lapse because that would change the depth of field/what's in focus during the series. That's a strict no-no no matter what aperture is used!
Great sense of humor, BTW! The judicious use of curse words really underscored your frustration with the device and made it more humorous than a train of f-bombs.
Absolutely - it's about as intelligent as a house brick. :)
Crowd control was the reason I started looking into this thing.
Nothing I can't do on my own by manually using the same method, but I thought, well, if it can save me time and has a bunch of other cool stuff... maybe?
But your review confirmed my suspicions; infant AI making guesses at random photo scenarios just seemed like a bit of a stretch.
Thanks for the honest review!
Yea, you can do far better simply using a Timelapse sequence and the Median tool in Photoshop.
I just saw their FB ad. Thank you very much for the honest review. I already guessed it's not as great as advertised, but for gen 2 it's shockingly bad.
My opinion: If you already got yourself a good camera, learn how to use it and get a decent editor. It's so rewarding
Absolutely - thanks Marco :)
Lmao, when I saw the title of this video, I knew it would be my style. Laughed so hard. Thanks for saving me money!
No worries! :)
Thankyou for this advice !! You save me a lot of money
Happy to help!
I truly wish that I would’ve watched your video prior to me hitting the purchase button to the arsenal pro 2. I truly hate the fact now that I have a sinking feeling on purchasing this.
From what I've heard there's a big gap between order and arrival so you could cancel.
Not just a useful honest review, but a hilarious to watch it, really enjoyed
Thanks Ahmed :)
Laughed my head off, Cheers Andy!
lol - no worries :)
I've thought, since I first saw their hype, why would anyone put this on a camera that will already do all this stuff. As you point out, if you don't or can't take the time to learn photography, then get a good phone camera. Your review is refreshing in that you are not afraid to call a spade a piece of shite! Well done thanks!
No worries :)
Just got mine Friday so far I am having the same results you are. I am a product photographer so I am going to try focus stacking later today. I use helicon focus, in studio and I think I will be using helicon after my experiments this afternoon
The stacking's bewilderingly vague isn't it.
Thx for this review! I was planning to buy one. Thanks to this review: not anymore. I'll spend the money on some extra equipment 😀
Thanks Rob - good decision :)
Thank you very much Andy, I was going to consider buying one , saved me all the money now :)
Glad I could help!
Good review! Thank you very much!
My pleasure!
Phew thanks from New Zealand. I was just about to buy it. That sales pitch they have is soo good haha
No worries. Spend that money on something useful! :)
Best
Review
Evurrrr
I recon you just saved me some coin
Cheers Davy - appreciate it :)
Thanks for your no nonsense video👌
No problem Tony 👍
45 seconds. Has that day come? Love the brutal honesty 😂
I can’t quite work out whether you like this product or not… hilarious review. You just saved me £250
Hi Andy, I had this device in the basket ready to order and I thought I'd better check out some reviews. Had no idea it was so far behind what is promised in their promo! I wrote to them and asked them what they are doing to address these issues and to let you know when they've fixed them. This was the reply:
Hi Mike,
Thanks for your interest! We have made many improvements to Arsenal 2 since the launch, and have reached out to that reviewer to offer assistance.
You can see we have solid ratings in app stores and many customers happily using the device. We also have 90-day return policy if you want to give it a try.
Please let me know if you have any other questions. I am happy to help!
Kind regards,
Carol
That response isn't really enough to convince me to return the basket and press 'buy now'
lol - thanks Mike - if you are in any doubt, just scroll through the comments on this video from people who did purchase this device!
Thanks for your funny and candid review. All the Facebook reviews are only positive ones which mde me question and go searching for reviews outside that platform. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. I'm glad I found your review and have moved on. Thanks again.
You are so welcome!
Love the "laugh to tears" face on top of an Arsenal product in the background too!!
First one to notice that! :)
I appreciate your honesty. you saved me a lot of cash
Glad I could help
You legend, awesome review.
Glad you enjoyed it
“Has that day come? Fk no!” Smashed that subscribe button. 😂
lol - thanks - and welcome :)
Holy **** thx for the clip. Saved me money , time and nerves
No worries :)
Thanks for saving me money!! You got a subscriber
No worries - and welcome :)
Thank you for a great, honest, funny review.
My pleasure :)
Thanks Andy! You saved me almost 500 AUD !!!
No worries :)
Thanks for saving me $300. Think this might be the funniest and most honest review I've ever seen
Cheers :)
Now I'm a believer! Just ordered mine after laughing myself to death after this absolutely hilarious video! 🤣
Thank you Andy.
No worries
thank you for saving me from
another money grave in crowd funding, sir. found a follower.
No worries :)
He got me with the intro. I like this guy
Cheers!
Earned another subscriber. Finally a no BS camera gear review. Looking forward to many more…you just saved me a few hundred dollars-thanks.
Thank-you kindly. I'd love to keep tabs on how many people I've saved from wasting their money on the Arsenal. But based on the comments on this video, it's a decent number. :)
I own one and have never opened the box... Plastic is still on the box... You are hilarious... Love your style. I wont be opening this thing.
Send it back and get your money back. :)
I was about to be taken for a ride. Thanks for the video
No worries - you definitely dodged a bullet :)
Andy, Thank you for your uncensored review. I was also about to buy the Arsenal 2 but thought I'd check out a review. Excellent review = Big savings...What is the specter app you mentioned? I dont think I have the spelling correct on it.
Thank-you. Here's a link to the app on the App Store - apps.apple.com/us/app/spectre-camera/id1450074595 :)
Thank you so much for the informative, funny and honest video. I indeed thought about buying the Arsenal 2 Pro after looking at their Webshite, but now I will for sure not 🙂
No worries. :)