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...

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...

Here are unconfirmed details about the Z Cam V1 Pro, Z Cam's flagship 360 video camera with nine Micro Four Thirds sensors. This information reportedly comes indirectly from the company director, although I can't confirm it. Here are the the reported key specifications of the Z CAM V1 Pro - Cinematic VR Camera Number of Cameras  :   8+1 (coordinated AE & AWB) Lens Specs   :   Premium 190 degree MFT fish eye, f/2.8~11 Image Sensor & ISP   :   4/3” Sony CMOS image sensor Video Format   :   MOV Stitched Output Resolution  :   8K x 4K mono, 7K x 7K stereo ISO : 100~3200, extended to 6400/12800 Frame Rate Supported :  Mono 8K 30fps or 4K 60fps, Stereo 7K 30fps or 4K 60fps Output compression  :   H.264 and H.265 up to 100 Mbps Camera IO  :   Ethernet port (video streaming & control), USB (external audio) Audio/Microphone Specs : 4 X Built in microphone MEMS Storage  :  9 x SD card slots, up to 128...

Apparently, YouTube supports 8k 360-degree videos. Someone uploaded the Insta360 Pro sample videos to YouTube and they were saved as 8k!  I'm not sure how long they'll stay there because it's a violation of Insta360's copyright but anyhow I'm glad YouTube enables sharing of 8k 360 videos. BTW, even my VR-ready PC with a GTX 1060 6GB had a hard time playing the video at 8k. RELATED POSTS Sample photos and videos from Insta360 Pro

IdealoEye presented three 360 cameras and two VR headsets at CES 2017. IDEALOEYE C2 The C2 is Idealoeye's entry-level 360 camera with two lenses, with a new design that looks strikingly different from any other 360 camera (in fact, I initially thought it was just a non-360 camera), and a mode dial on the side.  It can record fully spherical 360 video at 4096 x 2048 @ 30fps , slightly higher than most other consumer 360 cameras (which are usually 3840 x 1920).  The C2 can also livestream in 360 at 4k via RTMP, with 30mbps bitrate. One unusual feature is that it is equipped with a fan for dissipating heat .  I believe the unusual design actually functions as a radiator that further assists heat management.  Idealoeye claims that it can operate for 1.5 hours. The C2 also has two (?) 3.5mm stereo microphone input jacks.  Having even one mic input jack is a rare feature in consumer 360 cameras.  I don't know if it mixes the audio from two microphones or wh...

Pimax 8k is the world's first VR headset with 8k resolution .  I got the chance to try it out at CES 2017. Most of the current desktop and mobile VR headsets have screens with limited resolution.  Their individual pixels and the gaps between them are visible, making it look like there is a screen door over them.  The screendoor effect can be distracting or immersion-breaking for some people. Another limitation of current desktop and mobile VR systems is their field of view.  Current VR headsets' field of view are around 90 to 110 degrees.  In actual use, this means that you see the frame of the headset, so it's like you're looking through a window or porthole.  Seeing the frame around your field of vision constantly reminds you that you're looking through a headset and diminishes immersion. Pimax 8k addresses both of these issues with its "8k" resolution.  Actually, its resolution is 4k per eye (3840 x 2160 per eye), which is 6.4 times higher than the ...

At CES 2017, Insta360 announced the Insta360 Pro , a professional 3D 360 camera.  Insta360 has now provided samples from the Insta360 Pro. Here is a 3D 360 sample photo.  This is only a compressed version on Google Photos and is not the original quality . Here is a 100% crop.  At this close up view, we can see the image looks very clean and detailed, but perhaps a little too smooth.  I will find out from Insta360 whether it is possible to get unprocessed raw photos. Stitching was generally excellent but there was a part with a clear stitching error.   I'm pretty sure this can be fixed by the software .  ( Update : the corrected version is below.) Here is the same scene but without a stitching error. Here is a link to full-resolution samples , including video.  Thank you very much to Steve Swayne for bringing this to my attention!

At CES 2017, Insta360 announced the Insta360 Pro, a 3D 360 camera with 8k resolution and realtime stitching. Here are the key features: - six lenses - 3D 360 video up to 6k (6400 x 6400) resolution (top-bottom 3D format) - up to 8k resolution (7680 x 3840) for video that is four times more detailed than 4k. - high speed video: it can record at 4k (3840 x 1920) at 100 fps. - raw format support: this allows the photographer to control the color temperature in postprocessing without loss of image quality. - realtime stitching up to 4k resolution, with either H.264 or H.265 compression. - Insta360 Pro can livestream in 4k, and the livestream can be shared to Facebook, YouTube, or Twitter. The Insta360 Pro will cost $3,000 and will be available on Amazon.  At that price, it is more cost-effective than the GoPro Omni to which it is being compared.  The Omni also has 8k resolution but its videos must be stitched manually, and it costs $5,000. Insta360 Pro will be shown at Insta360's ...

Insta360 announced that they will reveal the Insta360 Pro, an 8k 360 video camera, on January 5 at CES 2017.  The Insta360 Pro was announced late August at Berlin IFA  as a camera designed to compete with the 8k GoPro Omni.  The Insta360 Pro is supposed to be more affordable than the GoPro Omni, and also have realtime stitching. I will be attending the Insta360 CES 2017 press conference and will be posting the details ASAP.  And FYI, this will not be the only announcement from Insta360 at CES 2017.  Please stay tuned for other exciting news from Insta360 and CES 2017! Thanks again to Pepe Vazquez for bringing this to my attention!

For professional image quality 360 video, a rig is still the way to go.  The 360Heros 3DPro is a 3D 360 rig that can capture fully spherical 3D 360 video that is stereoscopic in all directions, even the zenith and nadir. The 3DPro converts to use either twelve or fourteen GoPro Hero 4 Black cameras.  With fourteen cameras, it has omnidirectional 3D.  With twelve cameras, the horizon is 3D in all directions, but the zenith and nadir are not stereoscopic. The 3DPro allows you to capture 3D 360 video at up to 8k resolution (8000 x 4000).  The minimum focus distance is 4 feet. To sync the cameras, the 3DPro relies on audio syncing.  It includes an audio sync clicker. The 3DPro is available for preorder from B&H for $999.95 with free expedited shipping.  It includes the following: (1) 3DPro 360 Plug-n-Play™ Holder (1) 360RIZE 1/4"-20 to 3/8" mounting accessory/ adapter (1) Audio sync clicker (1) 360RIZE screwdriver/ camera removal tool (1) Velvet holder ba...

​ Facebook posted the instructions for its Surround 360 camera , an open-source 3D 360 camera with up to 8k resolution. The parts cost around $30,000, and took an engineer 4 hours to build.  Is it worth it?  Here is a sample video from the Surround . Meanwhile you may also be interested in: Live Planet , a 3D 360 camera with 4k livestreaming, available for preorder now ($4,995 preorder, MSRP $9,995, due Q4 2016). Orb VR , a 3D 360 camera with livestreaming, available late 2017 (price TBD). Vuze , an affordable fully spherical 3D 360 camera with 4k resolution, available for preorder now ($799; due October 2016). LucidCam , an affordable hemispherical 3D 360 camera with 4k 2k video resolution (4k photo resolution), available for preorder now ($429; due December 2016).