360 rumors

Check out this stabilized 360 video using a third person view mount that is hands-free and makes the camera invisible! To create this video, I created a hands-free third person view mount.  I used the following: 1. a slim 360 camera.  In this case the Xiaomi Mi Sphere , which I chose because it is lightweight and has image stabilization .  It might also work with the Insta360 Air (Type C or Micro USB ), Insta360 Nano , or Garmin Virb 360 , all of which also have stabilization but they're heavier (in the case of the Air and Nano, you need to attach your phone as well).  It might also work with the wearable kit from GimbalGuru .  You need to consider that if they're at the end of a selfie stick, they will feel even heavier. 2. a selfie stick that is invisible even to a slim 360 camera.  In this case, I used a Benro MK10 because it is stiffer than my other selfie sticks, and because the handle is heavier than average, allowing it to act like a counterweight ...

This is Part 2 of this series in which we look at the best 360 cameras for beginners, this time focusing on the best beginner 360 camera for photographers . In Part 1 of this series , I discussed how 360 photos and videos are created, and I explained that my primary criteria for beginner 360 cameras is ease of use, to enable a beginning 360 photographer to learn the craft and avoid frustration. Part 1 was about the easiest 360 cameras to use (not just for taking the photo, but also for viewing and sharing them).  In this Part, the primary audience is photographers who are new to 360 cameras. The primary considerations for this group are the image quality and exposure controls .  I won't limit the choices to the absolute easiest 360 cameras, but the cameras here will still be easy to use. For 360 photography    If you're a photographer trying a 360 camera for the first time, you may be surprised that most of them don't offer exposure controls (beyond exposure compe...

Some updates on the Xiaomi: - Over the weekend, Xiaomi updated the Mi Sphere app for iOS to give it the same features as its Android version, including stabilization! - There's a rumor that Xiaomi is working on a desktop app.  See the evidence. - Meanwhile, I used my Xiaomi Mi Sphere to take some 360 videos while swimming.  Check out the video! iOS APP UPDATE Xiaomi updated the Mi Sphere app to version 1.6.4 which added several features, including: - can export stabilized 360 video - shutter speed up to 32 seconds in photo mode - video editor Here is a short sample stabilized video: However, the 360 video seems to be missing 360 metadata (the Android version has 360 metadata on export). I expect they'll fix this in the next update.  More importantly, the maximum resolution is still 2304 x 1152.  This seems to be a hardware limitation therefore I don't expect the resolution to increase unless perhaps the next iPhone is powerful enough to stitch the Xiaomi's video at f...

Kodak PIXPRO posted a new video highlighting the features of its highly-anticipated Orbit360 camera (also called the 4KVR360). Here is the video! If I recall correctly, this is the same video that they showed at their booth at VRLA. As with the new Orbit360 mini-site , the video places heavy emphasis on the Orbit360's asymmetric lenses, which enable it to function in three different ways: as an ultrawide fisheye, as a hemispherical camera, or as a fully spherical camera. The video also showed a screenshot of the stitching app, which looks like it has the same interface as the current stitching app for the SP360 4K Dual Pro, but with a different name (PIXPRO VR Utility) implying that it is a separate program. One new feature is a "Wi-Fi Control" tab, which is not in the SP360 4K's app.  This seems to imply that there will be a tethered mode, and I *speculate* that it might even be usable for some type of live streaming. As with the current SP360 4K app, the software ha...

Here is a video tutorial on using the Xiaomi Mijia Mi Sphere 360 camera.  I also have late-breaking news on possible workarounds using third party software. The Xiaomi Mijia Mi Sphere 3.5K panoramic camera currently appears to offer the highest video quality for 360 cameras for $300 or less, and it is one of the few that offer manual exposure controls.  Together with fairly smooth stitching, edge-to-edge sharpness, and a 24mp photo resolution, it offers an excellent package for those looking for an entry-level or even intermediate 360 camera. The only problem with the Mi Sphere is that its software is not straightforward and has quite a few bugs.  In this video, I will show how to use Xiaomi and hopefully demystify the Mi Sphere's software. As you saw in the video, the Mi Sphere has a few issues when stitching or exporting videos.  I therefore recommend trying out some files from the Xiaomi on your phone before buying it. iOS app Android app Unstitched samples for yo...

More updates about the Xiaomi Mi Sphere 360 camera! - a low light video sample - a long exposure shot (well, you're already looking at it...) - a list of bugs so far - a discount. UPDATE: Xiaomi has vastly improved the app!  See this amazing video ! LOW LIGHT VIDEO First, here is a low light video: Because the video was in low light, I had to raise the exposure in post by +1EV in Adobe Premiere.  I was expecting the worst because if you push the exposure in postprocessing with a small sensor, usually you get very noisy video.  The only question was how bad it would be.  So I applied the exposure adjustment and.... nothing.  No problem at all....! :-O  There was only a slight increase in noise in the shaded area but most viewers wouldn't even notice it.  Wow this camera keeps getting better... LONG EXPOSURE SHOT I also took a long exposure shot last night.  The Xiaomi Mi Sphere is one of the very few 360 cameras with manual exposure.  And...

All the attention right now is on the 2017 Samsung Gear 360, but there's a less known 360 camera that may actually be better, for about the same price -- the Xiaomi Mi Sphere 360 camera.  In this post, I compare photos and videos from the two cameras, as well as describe the workflow for the Xiaomi to help you decide if the Xiaomi is better for your needs. Here is a video comparing the two cameras: PHOTOS Here are sample photos from the Xiaomi, including a comparison photo with the 2017 Gear 360. Here are my observations: 1.  The Xiaomi has much more detail .  This is not surprising because the Xiaomi's photo resolution is significantly higher (6912 x 3456) compared to the Gear 360 (5472 x 2736). 2.  In shadow areas, the Xiaomi has an even bigger advantage.  The Xiaomi retains detail in shadow areas , whereas the Gear 360 has much less detail in the shadows.  The Gear 360 also has much more noticeable chroma noise in shadows. 3.  The Xiaomi has almost ...

Here are more info on Xiaomi's Mijia Sphere 360 camera, launched a few weeks ago on April 6, which is on sale at GearBest for a limited time. Update: here is my full review . About 3 weeks ago, Xiaomi announced the Xiaomi Mijia Sphere 360 camera while Yi announced a 360 camera a few days ago.  Xiaomi and Yi, who used to be partners for the Xiaomi Yi action camera, are therefore now directly competing with each other.   Much of the attention is now on Yi, with its 5.7K resolution, but the Xiaomi Mijia Sphere should not be overlooked.  Here is some more information about it: - two 190-degree lenses, with f/2.0 aperture - video resolution: 3456 x 1728 @ 30 fps; 2304 x 1152 @ 60fps or 30fps. - photo resolution: 6912 x 3456 - ISO can be manually set from ISO 50 to 1600 in 1-stop increments - Shutter speed can be manually set up to "8" (I hope this means up to 8 seconds?) - 6-axis electronic image stabilization (3-axis gyro and 3-axis acceloremeter) - IP67 water r...

The Polaroid R360 is a fully spherical 360 camera that is being crowdfunded at 699 yuan (around US$100). Here are the key specifications: - two 210-degree fisheye lenses - f/2.4 aperture - photo resolution: 3040 x 1520 - video resolution: 1920 x 1080 @ 30fps - realtime stitching - uses Micro SD memory cards up to 128GB The Polaroid R360 is being crowdfunded at a price of 699 yuan (around US$100) for the camera by itself or 749 yuan (around $108.50) for a camera with a case .  As with any crowdfunding case, it's not a preorder and you are not guaranteed to receive the camera. I don't know if they plan to release the camera in other countries.

720VV's O3 is a 360 camera with near-4k resolution and livestreaming. Here are the key specifications: - three lenses - 1/2.3 inch sensors - video resolution:  3500 x 1750 @ 25 fps - livestream or realtime stitching resolution: 2560 x 1280 @ 25 fps - mic jack input - AC adapter available - 3 hours battery life - 380g The manufacturer posted this computer generated picture to illustrate its size: There are sample videos here .  The field of view is not exactly fully spherical because of the large nadir.  I  estimate  around 330 degrees FOV.  The stitching looks very good, although the dynamic range looks quite limited. It appears that the O3 will retail for 7,000 yuan (around US$1,015).  The O3 is being offered on a Chinese crowdfunding site, for 5,000 yuan (around US$725) with an early bird price of 4,000 yuan (around US$580) .   Update :  the price in the US will be $699 .  According to 720VV's representative, they will be shi...

TwoEyes VR is now live on Kickstarter .  The good news is that it's really $199 for the Super Early Bird ($219 to $239 for others).  The not-so-good news is that the shipping is $50.   Ouch.  Nonetheless, even with the $50 shipping, it is currently both the most affordable 3D 360 camera and for backers up to $219, the most affordable 4k 360 camera.  The next cheapest 4k 360 camera is the Samsung Gear 360 at $275 ( reviewed here ). The release date is planned for August 2017 .  The caveat is that it's a crowdfunding project which are usually delayed and moreover, it could fail completely and in the worst case scenario means that you might lose the money you paid. Some updates: - I asked TwoEyesTech about the flickering in their sample video and their Director of Business Operations said the flickering is from the artificial lights used in the room and not the optics or sensor of their camera. - TwoEyes uploaded some new photos, including photos that show ...

Here's a simple technique: if you add a 360 photo at the end of your 360 video, your viewers will be able to look around and enjoy your 360 photo after watching your video. I used this technique in a video I took yesterday.   My family and I went skiing, and I took some photos and videos with the Nikon Keymission 360 (reviewed here) .  Here's the video I took: BTW, one part of the video looks a little bit "foggy" -- that's because my Keymission lens got scratched and I haven't bought a replacement lens yet.  I should have bought a lens cap ! My face looks a little foggy because my Keymission lens got scratched. Anyway, I edited the video using Cyberlink ActionDirector (the free 360 video editor included with the Samsung Gear 360 ), but the same can be done with many other 360 video editors including Cyberlink PowerDirector 15 Ultra , which has the same 360 video editing capabilities as ActionDirector. In the storyboard, I added the 360 video of us on the lift...

Mark your calendars: TwoEyesVR (hands-on here) will launch on Kickstarter on January 16 .  I'm still not sure about the exact price.  The reps said would be $399, but the Kickstarter draft preview still seems to show an early bird price of just $199 (???).  Even at $399, it would be the most affordable 3D 360 camera by a significant margin.  If it really is available at $199, it would not only be the cheapest 3D 360 camera but the lowest cost 4k-capable 360 camera.

Detu, makers of the F4 camera and the  Sphere 800 hemispherical 360 camera , launched the Detu Twin at CES 2017.  They also hinted at two new 360 cameras. DETU TWIN Final versions of the Detu Twin were available to demo at CES.  The final version looks a little wider than the prototype version I posted about way back in May .   Here it is next to the Theta (any resemblance is coincidental, I'm sure). Here are the final specs: - two 200-degree lenses, fully spherical field of view. - two 4mp "low-illuminated" (BSI?) sensors - f/2 aperture - photo resolution: 8mp - video resolution: 3k @ 30fps (3040 x 1520) - live preview - 360 livestreaming up to 3k resolution - uses removable Micro SD card - 120mm x 46mm x 24mm, 82 grams. Photos are stitched "instantly."  I believe videos are as well, but I haven't confirmed this. Although I was able to use the camera to take photos and videos, I could not actually see the photos and videos themselves.  However, there ...