iPhone Models
An iPhone 13 or newer is recommended. If filming soccer on a full-size field, an iPhone 15 or newer is preferred for the lossless 2× zoom.
Tripod
A tall tripod is highly recommended for a better view angle. There are many heavy-duty light-stand tripods available on Amazon. For large fields, a 15-foot tripod such as https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F8B71P6R is recommended.
Gimbal
FoloCam requires a DockKit compatible gimbal. One of the following 3 gimbals is supported:
-
Insta360 Flow Pro
-
Insta360 Flow 2 Pro
-
Comitok Mogo
DJI Osmo Mobile 8 is another popular DockKit gimbal. Unfortunately there is a bug in their DockKit implementation. FoloCam implemented a workaround whose effectiveness has not been confirmed with extensive testing.
Please refer to the gimbal’s user manual for instructions on connecting via NFC.
Mount the phone on the gimbal and press the 
button to rotate the phone into the landscape orientation. The bottom of the phone should face right.
For Insta360 Flow Pro or Flow 2 Pro, the clamp should be positioned as close to the center of the iPhone as possible. Do not shift the clamp away from its central position over the phone buttons, as doing so creates unnecessary strain and instability. The clamp is designed not to touch the buttons even when positioned directly over them.
Press the button on the back of the gimbal handle once to connect or disconnect from the iPhone. Press it twice to return to the initial position. When the gimbal is connected to the iPhone, the circular green LED ring should be lit, and the app will show “gimbal ready.” If the app says “gimbal disconnected,” press the back button once.
At this point, the iPhone should begin following the action on the field. Tap the screen to bring out the record button, then tap the record button to start recording. To stop recording, tap the screen again to reveal the stop button and tap it.
Gimbal Orientation
The most important factor for getting a good recording is the orientation of the gimbal. Make sure the dial on the handle is pointing backward. The Y value (meaning yaw) shown in the top-left corner of the screen indicates the pan angle in degrees. When the Y value is 0, the iPhone should be facing straight ahead, aligned with the center line.
This is extremely important because the pan range is limited to about 180 degrees. For example, if the gimbal is angled too far to the left, it may not be able to pan far enough to capture the right side of the field.
Remote Control
If the gimbal is mounted on a tall tripod, it can be convenient to use another iPhone to monitor and control the recording iPhone. Install FoloCam on the second iPhone. When the camera view appears, swipe left to access the remote view. Tap the broadcast icon to see a list of available iPhones.
When you attempt to connect, a popup will appear on the recording iPhone asking you to accept the connection. Once connected, you can start/stop recording, pan/tilt the gimbal, and more.
Recorded Videos
Recorded videos are saved in FoloCam’s app folder. There is a built-in player—simply swipe the screen to the right to access it.
To copy videos to a Mac, connect the iPhone via USB, open Finder, and navigate to iPhone → Files → FoloCam. You can then copy and paste the videos to a folder on your computer.
If you’re using Windows, the Apple Devices app is recommended and can be downloaded from the Microsoft App Store. Once installed, you can find the videos under FoloCam’s folder.
Beta Testing
To beta test the FoloCam app, send your email address in a message to me, and I will invite you to Apple’s TestFlight program. You’ll need to install the TestFlight app on your iPhone, after which you’ll be able to install the FoloCam beta app.