360 rumors

The Insta360 Pro is an amazing camera, and the marketing materials can't even capture all of its remarkable features (partly because Insta360 keeps adding new features!).  Here are 17 undocumented features of the Insta360 Pro.  Since there are so many of them, I tried to group them into Photo, Video and live streaming, and both Photo and Video. PHOTO 1. 60 second shutter speed .  It has full manual exposure and you can specify a shutter speed as slow as 60 seconds -- slow enough to capture night sky photos. 2.   Unlimited intervalometer .  The Insta360 Pro has an intervalometer (i.e., it will take a photo after every time interval), and the time interval is anywhere from 2 seconds to a practically unlimited time interval (I put in a crazy number like 200,000 seconds and it accepted that value).  Note: The intervalometer is in the video mode as "time lapse". 3.   The intervalometer / time lapse can be for 3D not just 2D . 4.   Stitched 360 Photos i...

I compared two of the best 360 cameras for consumers right now: Garmin Virb 360 and Xiaomi Mijia Mi Sphere for low light performance in typical indoor lighting conditions.  Here's the video: Both cameras did very well in this low light test.  As for which one is better, here are my thoughts: Without editing, the Garmin Virb 360 looks underexposed compared to the Xiaomi.  In Premiere, I added +1.0EV exposure, which made the Garmin exposure look more similar to that of the Xiaomi. Remarkably, the Virb video held up to the adjustment and did not show any noticeable increase noise. With the adjustment, the Virb and Xiaomi look very similar, but the Virb video is actually more detailed.  Here are closeup cropped portions of each video: Nonetheless, there is a huge $500+ difference between these two cameras, so you might say they are both winners in their own way.  In terms of absolute image quality, the Virb 360 edged out the Xiaomi, but the Xiaomi is so much mo...

Here's a new sample from the Yi 360 VR , the most affordable 5.7K 360 camera. Here's the sample, posted by Sami Luo : What do you think of the sample?  Let me know in the comments! Thank you very much to Martin Smith of Roto Studios for bringing this to my attention!

Dolly360 is a radio-controlled and stabilized dolly for 360 cameras. Dolly360 is a radio-controlled dolly designed for 360 cameras, with both horizontal and vertical stabilization.  It uses a gimbal for spherical stabilization and a telescopic oil shock absorber for vertical stabilization. Here is a video: Here is a sample 360 video from a GoPro rig mounted on the Dolly360: The Dolly360 can handle a camera up to 5 kg and will be carry it up to 1 km.  It costs 500,000 JPY (about USD 4491 at current exchange rates).  The price is for the dolly only and does not include a camera.

Here is another low cost selfie stick that is slim enough to be invisible to 360 cameras, straight out of the box with no modification required. I've been recommending the Benro MK10 as a selfie stick because if you remove the ballhead, then it becomes invisible to 360 cameras.  The problem is that removing the ballhead takes a lot of effort because the ballhead is glued with loctite or something. Like the Benro MK10, I found  this cheap selfie stick called Monopod  that is slim enough to be invisible to a 360 camera, but you don't need to modify it. I tested it with the Xiaomi Mijia Mi Sphere ( reviewed here ), which is itself a very slim 360 camera, so anything but the slimmest selfie stick will show up in the shot.  Here is how the nadir looks with the Monopod selfie stick: Note that there are selfie sticks that look similar but which are slightly thicker and will not be invisible to slim cameras such as the Xiaomi Mijia Mi Sphere.  In the shot below, the ...

In case you haven't checked it out, Immersive Shooter is a very useful resource for VR content creators and journalists.  Here are some of the stories from the past week on Immersive Shooter: Intel will be bringing 360 video live streams and replays to the next Olympics Global Editors Network panel on VR in journalism , moderated by Immersive Shooter's Editor-at-Large Robert Hernandez from the GEN Summit in Vienna.  Here's a video of the panel discussion: McClatchy's 360 video workflow for breaking news Kandao Obsidian to be launching soon; here are the specifications .   You can also check out samples I posted previously . Jaunt VR camera videos to be offered as stock content through Getty Images . You can also check out my guest post there this week , talking about the Insta360 Pro, the Garmin Virb 360, and the Lanparte LA3D-VR-01.

Unclip, a free cloud storage service for 360 videos (similar to Google Photos but for videos) is ending its service and is being merged into Samsung's 360 video sharing platform, Samsung VR (formerly called Milk VR). Unclip is a cloud based storage service for 360 videos that allowed you to upload your 360 videos from any of your devices (phone, desktop, etc.).  It was a convenient way to synchronize files and was very useful for conserving space on mobile devices.  Uploaded photos could also be edited.   See here . Unclip announced that its service would be ending on June 30, after which all previously stored videos and data will be deleted.  Instead, you can upload your videos to Samsung VR , Samsung's 360 video sharing platform.

I just received my Insta360 Pro last night!  Here is an unboxing and my first impressions, or otherwise entitled, "How I spent my tax refund!" lol When Insta360 said they were going to create a professional camera to rival the $5,000 GoPro Omni rig, I honestly wasn't sure if it was just an exaggeration for marketing.  Sure, the Insta360 Nano and Insta360 Air were excellent cameras, but they were designed for consumers.  Could a young company such as Insta360 really build a camera that could approach the quality of the 8K GoPro Omni?  Those doubts were quashed when Insta360 Pro launched at CES, with specs that could make any 360 shooter drool: - 8K 360 video - 6K 3D 360 video - 4K live streaming in 2D (30fps) or 3D (24fps). - 4K in-camera stitching, also in 2D (30fps) or 3D (24fps) - High-speed 4K in 120 fps (for super slow motion) - 3D photos can be up to 8K (7680 x 7680), whether stitched on a desktop or in-camera It would be able to do all...

Personal View interviewed camera rental company Radiant Images about the Z Cam S1 Pro, a high quality professional 360 camera that uses four Micro Four Thirds sensors paired with iZugar lenses.  Here is the video: The original Z Cam S1 (not shown here) is $2,500 while Z Cam S1 Pro is $8,880.  Neither camera includes the cost of the WonderStitch stitching software ($1,500), or the WonderLive live streaming software which is a separate cost (note that the license is for one camera only and is not transferable ).  Alternatively, the S1 and S1 Pro can be stitched with third party software. Both cameras have 6K resolution but the S1 Pro's larger sensor means that it has higher image quality than the Z Cam S1.

Lanparte's LA3D-VR-01, a gimbal for 360 cameras ( previewed here ), the first consumer gimbal without counterweights is now available . Lanparte LA3D-VR-01 is a gimbal designed for 360 cameras with two lenses such as the Samsung Gear 360 and Nikon Keymission 360.  It has an unusual design that places all the motors within the stitch line, making them invisible to the 360 camera (except that the yaw motor and the handle will become visible if the handle is held horizontally). LA3D-VR-01 is also the first consumer 360 gimbal that does not use counterweights .  In theory, this should make it much lighter and easier to setup the gimbal, compared to other 360 gimbals that use counterweights. The LA3D-VR-01 has a modular design and appears to have parts that are interchangeable with some of the other components of Lanparte's LA3D system, possibly including  Lanparte's wearable wireless control kit , although I don't know for sure yet. Here is an interview and demo by Persona...

Double 2, two-wheeled self-balancing 360 Camera Dolly is now available. An increasing number of 360 videos are using movement.  Among other things, slow forward movement can be used as a subtle way of directing the viewer's attention, as demonstrated for example in Felix and Paul's documentary, "The People's House." The challenge for 360 filmmakers is that a 360 camera sees everything around it, therefore it is not ideal to use traditional methods for moving a camera such as a camera operator carrying a camera or using a camera track dolly. There are dollies available for 360 cameras that perform very well but they tend to have substantial cost. See here (Vroomcam) and here (RigRover) . Double 2 is a two-wheeled self-balancing 360 camera dolly by Double Robotics.  It is a modified version of the Double 2 robot which was designed for telepresence. The modified version of the Double 2 is designed specifically for use as a 360 Camera Dolly.  Instead of an iPad and c...

YouTube has added heatmaps to popular 360 videos, showing where viewers are looking. Update : Scott of  Foundry 45  shared a video of a heatmap.  See below. YouTube added 360 heatmaps to analytics tools, letting you see where viewers are spending the most time looking.  Last year, heatmaps were added by Facebook, but the threshold was quite high at 50,000 unique viewers (not views).  YouTube's heatmap has a threshold of only 1,000 views . To see the heatmaps for your videos,  click here .  You can also go to your Video Manager and then see the new 360 Heatmaps tool under Analytics.  You can see the heatmap and how it changes as the video plays. Update : Scott of Foundry 45 shared this video of a heatmap: There is a separate heatmap for desktop viewers and for mobile viewers.   In my videos, it seems that desktop viewers are much more likely to look around, while mobile viewers stay mostly in the original view. Sample 1 (top: desktop; bottom:...

Here is a quick informal photo and video comparison between two of the best 360 cameras at the moment: the Garmin Virb 360 ($799 ; first impressions here ) and the Xiaomi Mi Sphere ($250 to $300; reviewed here ). When I reviewed the Xiaomi Mi Sphere, I found it to have the best photo and video quality among consumer 360 cameras around $350 or less.  Meanwhile, the Garmin has launched the Virb 360 with 5.7K video* (4K in-camera stitched), which is the most feature-rich 360 camera I am aware of, bar none. Both cameras feature image stabilization, which puts them heads-and-shoulders above the competition, IMHO.  No doubt the Xiaomi is a great choice, but is it worth spending the extra to get the Virb 360?  To help you answer that, I took a quick sample of photos and videos from these two cameras for comparison.  (Note: the Virb is using firmware 2.70, while the Xiaomi is using firmware 12494). Here are the videos.  The first is a montage that alternates between th...

The Xiaomi Mi Sphere has emerged as a dark horse 360 camera that has surprising photo AND video quality (it appears to have the best of both compared to consumer 360 cameras ).  However, one issue is that it has limited compatibility with smartphones, requiring a Snapdragon 625 or better processor in order to export the full video resolution.  Xiaomi's app has limited iPhone exports to 2304 x 1152 -- less than half of the full resolution. One solution to get the full resolution out of the Xiaomi is to use a third party software to stitch the videos, and Muvee Stitcher is probably the most affordable such software.    Ulf Brusquini shared this tutorial for stitching Xiaomi Mi Sphere videos in full resolution using Muvee Stitcher for Mac. Here is Ulf's tutorial: Be sure to check out Ulf's YouTube channel ! Besides using a third party stitcher, another solution is to buy a fully compatible smartphone just for rendering purposes.  Previously it seemed that you wou...

Underwater housings for 360 cameras can be expensive and/or hard to find.  However, reader Kimmo Kiiveri shared this ultra low cost DIY underwater housing for 360 cameras, and his housing is immune from refraction. Kimmo was looking for an underwater housing and it occurred to him to use a plastic water bottle. "I thought that the bottle keeps the water inside so why not the other way round."  And that's exactly what he did -- check it out! Kimmo added an O-Ring to improve watertightness.  Here are a couple of videos shot with his DIY underwater housing and his LG 360 Cam: Thank you very much again to Kimmo Kiiveri for sharing this technique and these videos!  You can check out his YouTube channel here !

Here are hands-on impressions of the Moza WK , the world's first wearable 360 gimbal, and the most compact gimbal available for 360 cameras. The Moza WK is an accessory for the Moza Mini series of gimbals, which includes the Guru 360 gimbal for 360 cameras, the Mini-C gimbal for smartphones, and the Mini-G gimbal for GoPro cameras.  The Moza WK allows you to mount the head of any of the Moza Mini gimbals in a very compact and wearable base. The WK base has its own battery but can also be powered by USB.  It has a 1/4-20 tripod mount at the bottom, but the kit includes a 1/4-20 to GoPro adapter to use it with the many action mounts available. USING THE WK To use the WK, you simply unscrew the handle from your Moza gimbal and attach the head to the WK base.  No tools needed!  Using the WK is just as easy.  To turn on the WK, you simply hold down its power button.  That's all. By default, it will startup in all-lock mode which maintains the camera's direction ...

The Guru 360 is the most affordable gimbal for 360 cameras.  It also has one of the smallest nadirs and in some cameras, it can even become almost invisible .  Here's a demo and tutorial. Stabilizing your video with a gimbal is one of the most effective ways to improve its quality and to enhance your viewers' experience.  Among gimbals designed for 360 cameras, the Guru 360 is the most affordable and it also has one of the smallest nadirs to date. The nadir is small enough that it is possible to make it almost invisible.  Here's a 360 video demo and a tutorial: As I mentioned in the video, the most visible parts of the Guru 360 in the nadir are the motor and the counterweights.  To make them disappear, you need to do two things: 1. Move the camera off the center of the gimbal and toward the pitch/roll motor.  The goal is to put the motor between the lenses. 2. To hide the counterweight that is on the opposite side of the pitch/roll motor, you need to split...

Insta360 Pro, Insta360's 8K 360 camera, is being released soon.  Meanwhile, Insta360 has been posting more samples from Insta360 Pro, including some new low light samples that show the Insta360 Pro's incredible low light performance. Insta360 Pro is a professional 360 camera from Insta360 with 8K 360 video.  It also features 6K 3D 360 video, 4K in-camera stitched video (2D or 3D), and 4K live streaming. It is also one of the very few 360 cameras with gyro-based image stabilization that can maintain a level horizon regardless of how the camera is rotated.  It does all of this at an unheard-of price of $3,500 (the price already includes stitching software), far below professional 360 cameras such as the $5,000 GoPro Omni rig, which has up to 8K resolution but requires tedious stitching of six video files from six GoPro cameras, and has no 3D capture or live streaming capability.  As far as I know, this is the lowest cost 8K 360 camera. Meanwhile, Insta360 recently post...

360 videos give the viewer total freedom to look around, but sometimes viewers can get "lost" and not know where to look.  In this tutorial for Adobe Premiere Pro, we will learn to guide the viewer's attention by controlling the heading and orientation dynamically as the video plays.  This technique can also be used to fix "drifting" in Xiaomi Mi Sphere and other gyro-stabilized 360 cameras or even gimbals. The subject in the middle of an equirectangular 360 video will be the initial heading of a 360 video. As you know, you can change that heading using the "Offset" effect in Adobe Premiere Pro.  However, you can also change that heading dynamically in the middle of the video by using keyframes . The same technique can be applied to fix drifting issues (if any) in stabilized 360 cameras or gimbals (when not correctly calibrated).  Indeed, this technique can also be used to apply a very basic form of image stabilization to non-stabilized 360 cameras. H...

I got an inexpensive third person view mount / harness from eBay  for GoPro, action cameras, and 360 cameras.  Here's a sample 360 video from this mount.  UPDATE: found on Amazon a nearly identical mount . Here's how the backpack mount looks: The harness has clamps that you can use to configure the two included pipes and elbow to choose an angle for the camera.  It uses a GoPro style adapter, so you may need a GoPro to 1/4-20 adapter. For this sample video I used the Xiaomi Mi Sphere yet again because it's lightweight and stabilized.  Here's the video: I would say the harness did its job and I like that you can position the camera in many ways.  The issue is that when walking, the camera will move side to side.  Fortunately, the Xiaomi Mi Sphere's stabilization keeps the horizon level.  Without stabilization, I imagine it would be difficult to watch.  The mount is much smoother for videos while riding a bike, or other wheeled vehicle as you ...