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BuyCamerasPro1Pro2

Pro2: I guess I'm Stupid. NOT impressed.4705

StevenHattan private msg quote post Address this user
So far I am completely NOT impressed with the "new camera."

I have not had a SINGLE complaint about quality of pictures from customers with my current camera.

This seems to be the greatest improvement and PICTURES is not what I hear complaints about (except from the grown up babies on this forum). If the customer 'probably won't notice the difference' then its absolutely silly to spend money on it.

I have a DSLR and it takes perfect pictures (sort of like my oven makes a perfect roast)...and I can position it a lot easier than the 'big black box', control my own lighting, white balance, metering, etc....all within a few seconds...and I can take them in RAW for even BETTER results.

The only thing I heard so far is that the scans take eight seconds faster.

There is NOTHING I've read that will increase my customer base or allow me to make more money than I am currently making.

I can't even see how I would advertise this to 'beat' my competition.

Unfortunately, I will not be buying a new camera.

There are SOOOOOOO many better things I could invest money on for DIFFERENT services that no one is offering and grow my customer base.

I hope Matterport sells a lot of cameras but unless my b@11$ are getting tickled every morning when I wake up, I'll be sticking with the same camera and looking into VR tech from the Tokyo Summit.

Where am I wrong? Why am I not 'getting it'?
Post 1 IP   flag post
Bobby private msg quote post Address this user
Well said. I totally agree! Highlights still blown out blacks not black. I can't say for sure as I haven't used it but I'd stick to a dslr any day. Really thought the new camera would be a substantial upgrade. Thankfully it's not as I have 6 and couldn't afford an upgrade at the "amazing" rebate of $200.
Post 2 IP   flag post
Rootsyloops private msg quote post Address this user
8 seconds saved per scan - average of 100 scans per house, average of 5 scans per week = roughly 1 hour saved per week. My approximate charge works out to $100/hr. Time to recap investment: assuming 2k resale or trade-in on old camera, is $2000/100/hr. So in 20 weeks, by saving 1 hour per week, I've actually recouped my investment, plus I have a camera shooting higher quality, which I can easily pitch against my competitors that continue to use the older version. Easy math for me. I'm in. I did the same thing when the phantom 4 pro came out and bought one immediately. My phantom 4 produced perfectly adequate photos. But pitching that I was the only pro in the area shooting at 20 mp brought me more business (perception is more important than whether or not 20 mp even matters), and the shots required less editing and were better quality. I'd say it paid for itself in about 2 months. It's all about ROI, and I'm confident the new Matterport camera has a first year return that is a thing least double the purchase price - at least in my business model.
Post 3 IP   flag post
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pixelray private msg quote post Address this user
Well said Rootsy

Steven - I have to disagree man. Sorry. It's an immediate advantage over your competition - people love to hear 4K. I will be advertising the heck out of my new camera. Just like my first 2, they paid for themselves in a matter of 2 months. This one will too.
Post 4 IP   flag post
StevenHattan private msg quote post Address this user
We all have our thoughts and I've been married for FOREVER so I'm somewhat familiar with disagreeing. It doesn't faze me. :-)

I hope it's money well spent for you. Too bad the MLS and auxillary sites won't recognize 4k. The MLS (in my market) *JUST* upgraded to high definition pictures. Two month ago, it didn't matter what the quality of pictures was submitted to the MLS because they downgraded it to 760x425.

Realtors spend hundreds of dollars for 'great' pictures only to have the consumers see $10 pictures. It's better now but there is no way the MLS will recognize 4k. hahaah...it's laughable.

In any event, spend away...and let me know how that rush of NEW business is going. You don't want to pass up that $200 offer!!

Who knows...perhaps in a few months if I see *evidence* an investment into a new camera will ""Put Money In My Pocket"" my customers will have to settle for just ordinary high definition. :-)

(My secret hope is Matterport has something up their sleeve besides a better picture and what I've heard through the grapevine. If not, oh well...I'll just keep doing what I'm doing!)
Post 5 IP   flag post
Rootsyloops private msg quote post Address this user
I'm more excited about the time savings thank the 4k. Can't argue with the numbers - time is money. I'm sure waiting won't hurt anyone's business though. I just tend to be an early adopter and that is part of my general pitch. Realtors are woefully behind the curve with tech and are grateful to have a provider on the cutting edge.

I agree with Steve that photos are displayed in reduced res on virtually every relevant site, which is why I've found 90% of the time I can grab acceptable shots from the tour and I only shoot high contrast scenes with my d810. If I can bump that up to 95% with the new camera, that's even more time savings. Not having to go back through the house to reshoot stills has been a MASSIVE time saver. Not just in field time, but with editing. The Matterport shots are so well balanced out of the camera that I literally can add a blanket Lightroom preset that instantly renders them into useable shots.

My local mls bought a camera about 6 months ago and they've been renting it to agents for $50 per month. I've been waiting for a camera upgrade so I can pitch that I have the "new improved version". Time will tell if that will create conversion, but either way I'll take the extra hour saved each week spent scanning.

I love the result Matterport creates, but must admit the process of scanning a home reminds me of flying charters in the en route phase (I was a pilot in a past life); utterly boring, but requiring just enough attention that you can't effectively brainstorm or daydream!

It will be really interesting to hear feedback as the early adopters report back real-world result she with the new camera.
Post 6 IP   flag post
JonJ private msg quote post Address this user
@Rootsyloops,
Just out of curiosity, how large on average are the houses you shoot? On average, I can cover a 4000sqft-5000sqft home with 100 scans. Has this been your experience as well?
Thank you,
Jon
Post 7 IP   flag post
StevenHattan private msg quote post Address this user
I just did 33,000 sf unit and it was about 225 scans.
Post 8 IP   flag post
JonJ private msg quote post Address this user
@StevenHatten,
It always amazes me how much space you are able to cover with so few scans. Based on your numbers, you are covering over 140 soft for each scan or 1000sqft in just under 7 scans. @Rootsyloops, if you want to maximize your time savings, you may want to reconsider your scan technique.
Post 9 IP   flag post
StevenHattan private msg quote post Address this user
I did the project in six hours. I do have to go back as the front entrance door wasn't open and I deleted a connecting bathroom shot.

On the Northeast corner, there is an issue with the dollhouse view missing data but no one seems to care.

You can check out the model below.

33,000 sf unit

No...I did *NOT* take those awful pictures below the model.

(BTW...today I did about 1400 sf with 7 scans).
Post 10 IP   flag post
justinv private msg quote post Address this user
@StevenHattan

I am with you, I cannot imagine buying a new camera. I am surprised as many people are going to buy it as much time people complain about stitching errors, colors and whatever else they spend time whining about.

That isn't even talking about the ball and chain TOS!

What I find funny is the people who use it on every listing, only get a couple of hundred views. I am thankful they don't know that! I have one girl that gets new listings because of it but hardly no views.

To me, it serves to let people get an idea of the house to see if they want to tour it in person. The image is plenty of good for that. As for the doghouse, I honestly don't think many people look at it. The few realtors I said something about it to, they hadn't even seen it!
Post 11 IP   flag post
StevenHattan private msg quote post Address this user
@justinv - I let my clients know IMMEDIATELY that there is almost NO VALUE in relation to Matterport and selling a home faster, getting more showing, etc.

Instead, I explain that Realtors, for at least the last 21 years, bitch and complain *C.O.N.S.T.A.N.L.T.L.Y* that it's hard to distinguish themselves from the hundreds (or thousands??) of competing Realtors and that MATTERPORT is a very affordable solution to completely separate themselves from the pack.

There are a few more things that I mention (top secret) about value but it has NOTHING to do with selling or marketing their property.

I've said it before and I'll say it again...

Statistically, agents don't give a darn about the dollhouse. Look at my 33k unit I just did. There is an OBVIOUS mistake in the dollhouse (NE corner) but the client said he couldn't care less.

This client paid a few thousand dollars for this and you'd think he'd want a clean dollhouse...NOPE.

My decision isn't made in stone but I think I'd rather have diarrhea and a stick in my eye before buying a camera at this point.

Perhaps MATTERPORT would send me a new camera. I'll do the 33k unit again (no charge to the client) and send the camera back the next day.

From here I'd send the old/new to my 13,000 Realtor list and ask if they care or would pay more.
Post 12 IP   flag post
justinv private msg quote post Address this user
@StevenHattan

I know my realtors wouldn't pay more, they already think it is too expensive!

I am wondering if people are going to change their pricing structure when they get a new camera? That would really be a wake up call if they raise prices and they lose business to the pro1.

I am not one to trade a car when a new model comes out, so I am fine with it was good enough when I first got it!
Post 13 IP   flag post
Rootsyloops private msg quote post Address this user
JonJ - I'm about in the same ballpark as you; around 100 scans for 4000-5000 a
Post 14 IP   flag post
Rootsyloops private msg quote post Address this user
When I shoot new construction I can almost cut that in half and still get a smooth flow. I've been gradually cutting my number of scans to hit max quality/min time. I love the idea of a quicker transfer time. That will really add up to serious time savings doing several scans per week.

There's plenty of business doing this and it's relatively lucrative, but if I stop doing it, it will be due to the time spent on-site. It just feels so inefficient watching the camera spin and waiting for it to transfer. I'd pay double for a camera that could shoot and transfer in 3 seconds (and maintain the current quality).
Post 15 IP   flag post
Rootsyloops private msg quote post Address this user
@StevenHattan - I can't cut my scans much lower because most agents I work for request a package I offer that includes drone video flowing into the matterport walkthrough. I've tried cutting down lower than my current number of scans, but the transitions start to get whacky. That doesn't seem to be an issue as a stand-alone walk-through, but stands out in transition to the smooth aerial video. It's about a 10% difference in the number of scans. The payback is there because I can shoot the aerial video in minutes, and then I pay a local high school kid to patch it all together - minimal time invested. In the shoots where I'm not doing vid I can get the number down closer to where you are shooting - but I haven't quite hit your numbers yet. I definitely agree that doing as few scans as possible is the way to go.
Post 16 IP   flag post
mike02h private msg quote post Address this user
@StevenHattan I can live with 13 minutes extra compared to the pro2. That number of minutes is not money saved imo. All I gotta say is.. All this hype and they couldn't even add a removable or bigger battery? Really?

Quick question: how did you do that awesome overlay you click on before you get into the MP presentation?
Post 17 IP   flag post
StevenHattan private msg quote post Address this user
@mike02h You'll have to ask Ross about that overlay. I'm not sure how he does it.

https://wp3dmodels.com/
Post 18 IP   flag post
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