360 rumors

I saw several 360 cameras for consumers at CES 2017, but the one that I am most excited about is the Kodak Orbit360 4k .  Here's why. In 2016, there were several 360 cameras, but all of them had one or more significant issues.  For example the Ricoh Theta S has great photos, but its video resolution is too low.  The Samsung Gear 360 has great photos and good videos, but is compatible only with high end Samsung phones, and needs an S7 or a desktop to get the full video quality.  The Nikon Keymission 360 is actionproof and stitches videos in-camera, but it's soft at edges, and has connectivity issues.  Kodak PIXPRO's own SP360 4k Dual Pro stands out for its video quality but it too has many usability issues. The new Orbit360 4k (formerly called the 4KVR360 -- thank goodness for the name change!) is a new intermediate-level 360 camera that seems to check all the boxes. The Orbit360 4k has an unusual design.  It uses the same lens as the SP360 4k with a 235...

One of the 360 cameras I was most excited about at CES 2017 was the Orbit360 4k , Kodak PIXPRO's successor to the SP360 4k Dual Pro .  Here's a video showing the realtime stitching quality: Here is a larger version of the video . In the video above, I was about 3 to 4 feet away from the camera, which was raised around 8 feet above.  Overall, I thought the stitching was quite good.  Obviously at very close distances, the stitching looks harsh but you can't expect Kodak to suspend the laws of physics.  At farther distances, the stitching looks seamless.  At around 3 to 4 feet, the stitching still looks decent.  You have to be pretty much exactly halfway between the lenses before there is noticeable stitching error. exactly half way between the lenses (Reminder: please note that these are photos of a TV showing a livestream -- it is definitely nowhere as good as the actual image quality of the camera.) Note also that this stitching was in realtime, using a tem...

The Kodak Orbit360 4k ( formerly called the 4kVR360 ) is now available for pre-order, and you can get a promo code! UPDATE :  Kodak now stopped taking actual orders, and instead will just take preorders .   If you sign up on their page , they will email you a promo code that will give you a discount. Sorry for not being able to post this morning - I've been crazy busy with all the interesting things I've seen at CES... but this couldn't wait! I've seen the Orbit360 4k and they have a demo unit livestreaming at the Kodak booth.  And it looks pretty darn good! Here are the key specs: dual 20mp sensors one 235-degree lens, and one 155-degree lens f/2.4 aperture on both lenses photo resolution: 7360x3680 with RAW format video resolution: 3840x1920 @ 24fps (desktop stitching) or @15fps (in-camera stitching). As you know, the  SP360 4k has the best video quality among all the cameras I've tested  and one of the Orbit360's lenses is the same as the one in the...