360 rumors

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 ...

Giroptic has updated the firmware for the iO to add photo stabilization.  They also said that they would be adding video stabilization "soon"! The Giroptic iO is a 360 camera accessory for both iOS and Android (the Android version is being shipped very soon).  The Giroptic iO is targeted toward beginners and casual users, and is the easiest, most user-friendly 360 camera I've tried.  You don't have to do any stitching at all for photos or videos, which are stored in your phone, ready to be shared. Giroptic has now added image stabilization to photos in its latest firmware update.  This means that photos from the iO will always be vertical regardless of the physical position of the camera.  In addition, the live preview will also be stabilized in realtime. Updating the firmware for the iO is easy.  Assuming your app is updated (which should be automatic on iOS), you'll be notified about the firmware update the next time you plug your iO to your phone.  ...

Last week, Essential announced their PH-1 phone and its 360 camera accessory.  Here are sample videos from the camera: As posted last week , Essential PH-1 is a smartphone with cutting edge features such as the latest Snapdragon 835 processor, a titanium-reinforced body, a screen that covers nearly the entire surface of the phone.  It also has a 4K 360 camera accessory that is being offered for only $49 (note: it can be used only with the Essential phone).  Here are sample 360 videos from Essential's 360 camera (it's a playlist, so use the upper left menu to choose between the videos). What do you think of the videos?  Let me know in the comments!

There's a new third party tripod mount for Insta360 Nano that could be even better than Insta360's own Nano Mount tripod adapter. The Aobelieve Security Mount ($13.99) is a tripod mount designed specifically for the Insta360 Nano.  Instead of a clamp like the Nano Mount, it secures the Nano between two plastic pieces that are molded to fit the Nano's contours. I saw the Aobelieve a few weeks ago on Amazon but it was quickly sold out before I could even buy it, and it was not sold anywhere else.  Fortunately, it came back in stock and I snapped it up immediately. The Aobelieve is made of lightweight plastic, with a silvery finish to match that of the Nano.  The bottom has a metal standard 1/4-20 tripod insert. To attach it, you place the top part over the Nano's head then you slide the bottom sleeve over the Nano's body.  The top part clips onto the bottom sleeve securely.  I do mean securely , as you'll see below.   Besides holding the Nano securely,...

You can use the Insta360 Nano  with a modified adapter on an iPhone 5 (with limits), or iPhone 5S or iPhone SE.  The adapter is inexpensive, and the modification takes less than 5 minutes.  It also works with some smartphone cases. Correction: it appears the Nano is not fully compatible with iPhone 5 - photo works, but there are errors when shooting video .  iPhone 5S and SE have no issues.  Thanks to Skip Hunt for bringing this to my attention! The Insta360 Nano is a 360 camera designed for the iPhone 6 series and 7 series.  It is one of the most affordable fully spherical 360 cameras and has very good video quality and excellent 360 livestreaming capability.  ( Here is my review .) However, the Nano has a couple of compatibility issues: First, the Nano won't fit the iPhone 5 or iPhone SE.  The Nano is curved to fit the curved edge of the iPhone 6 and 7 series, and can't fit the flat edge of the iPhone 5 or SE.  Similarly, the Nano won't fi...