BACKGROUND INFO:
Samsung Note 8, VIRB Mobile App Build Version 4.3.3.0
I typically shoot "out the window" shots from indoors, and I'm having difficulty getting the exposure right nearly all the time. I recognize that this is a bit of an unusual situation since most people shoot exclusively outdoors or exclusively indoors.
With other traditional cameras, this isn't much of an issue since you can typically choose "spot metering". With the VIRB360, there is no such thing as spot metering.
I've been trying to work around that problem with "Exposure Compensation" and "Exposure Lock" under "Pro Settings" with limited success.
THE ISSUE:
Anyway, the real annoyance is that any changes made in the app takes up to 9 seconds to take effect. This is a problem for me since I have to mess with Exposure Compensation and Exposure Lock to get usable footage. I had to scrap hours of footage because the scenes were overexposed.
A single change takes 9 seconds and making multiple adjustments can take up to a minute, and that is a problem when I want to start shooting RIGHT NOW. Even if I pre-plan the adjustments, it still means waiting 10~30 seconds for the settings to take effect and app to refresh.
If I get anxious and try to make multiple setting changes at once before each change takes effect, the App fails to refresh and hangs in circular loading icon in the middle of the preview area. When that happens, if I simply quit using Android "Home" button and re-enter the app, the apps is crashed. If I quit to "Home", use "Overview" button and close the VIRB app fully, and then re-open the app, the app will take a few seconds to reconnect but otherwise work fine with the change I made intact.
Hypothetically speaking, if I were to change Exposure Compensation from -2.0 EV to +2.0 EV, it'll take me ~2 minutes since it's 12 steps of change multiplied by 9 seconds each if I don't want to crash the app. Although in that case, it'll actually be quicker for me to make the whole changes at once, crash the app, then reload.
I've been working around the problem that shouldn't exist in the first place.
POSSIBLE SOLUTION:
Have the app wait a second or two before trying to apply the changes so that the user has enough time to make all the changes.
In current form, it'll add a second or two for the settings to change, but at least it won't crash the app.
ACTUAL SOLUTION:
Make it so that the changes take effect immediately without delay and allow multiple setting changes without crashing the app.