360 rumors

I hope you had a great Father's Day weekend.  Over the weekend, I tested the Garmin Virb 360's underwater capabilities in a swimming pool.  Here are videos and photos. The Garmin Virb 360 is waterproof up to 10 meters, without needing a housing.  The Virb is only the second 360 camera for consumers to do that (the first was the Nikon Keymission 360). Of course, just because a camera is waterproof does not negate the laws of physics.  In particular, refraction will often be an issue.  That is why in my list of 12 things to know about the Virb before ordering, I warned that Garmin had not posted any underwater photos or videos, and that there would likely be refraction underwater. I took the Virb 360 to a swimming pool to find out.  As expected there was refraction.  Nonetheless, the stitching looked better than the other 360 cameras I've used underwater, such as the Keymission 360 ( see these samples by Young360 ), the Elecam 360 with its housing ( see...

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 !

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...

The new Garmin Virb 360 is now available for preorder on Amazon or B&H Photo .  But before you preorder it, here are some things you ought to know: 1.  You can only get 5.7K video if you stitch the video with expensive third party desktop software such as Autopano or Video Stitch.  (According to DC Rainmaker, the Virb 360's desktop software, Virb Edit, will be updated "in the near future" to allow stitching of the 5.7K files.) Regardless of whether you use third party software or a future version of Virb Edit, stitching 5.7K is a time-consuming process.  Stitching 5.7K video will take a while, depending on your desktop processor and your RAM (expect it to take hours for around 30 minutes of footage). 2. Since Virb has no desktop software for stitching 5.7K video yet, the buttery smooth stitching you see in Garmin's 5.7K videos appear to be stitched using third party apps.  There's no guarantee that you can get that same quality of stitching if ever Virb Edi...

Garmin has launched the Virb 360 and features stabilization, in-camera stitching, and more, exactly as I predicted ! Key features: - 5.7K video - 15mp photo --> new info - waterproof to 10 meters - 4K video with stabilization - 4K in-camera stitching - voice command --> new info - 360 audio - live streaming and video sharing - G-Metrix overlay - can use Bluetooth microphone as external microphone --> new info - can record nonstop for an 1 hour --> new info - replaceable lens Full specifications here .  In short, the features are as I stated, including the features I predicted ! :D Strangely, the live streaming only works on iOS products, and only at a paltry 1280 x 720, to either Facebook or YouTube. The Price: $799.   Available for preorder here .   Here are some caveats before you preorder.  (Yes I am definitely ordering this.) Here is the promo video: Here are more product videos: Here is a 360 video: Here is the stitch line - ridiculously smooth, if ...

A photographer claims that he dove with his 2017 Samsung Gear 360 12 meters underwater without any kind of underwater case and was able to take photos.... The shooter uses the pseudonym  Aris Tocrate .  According to him, not only did the camera survive, but the photos look excellent, with seamless stitching notwithstanding the refraction of the water. Here's a crop showing the seamless stitching, notwithstanding the water's refraction. He posted two samples.  Here's a screenshot from his other post on the Samsung Gear 360 2017 group. I discussed it with one of my friends and my friend found another post by the same user, showing the exact same photo, but he posted it to the Nikon Keymission 360 Facebook group, also claiming he took the shot without a case: It therefore appears that this is just a prank (1 month and 22 days late I would say).  The truth is that the 2017 Samsung Gear 360 (available here) is water-resistant but NOT waterproof.  If you want to us...

GPS and adventure equimpent manufacturer Garmin is launching the Virb 360, a rugged, waterproof fully spherical 360 camera with 5K 360 video on May 24, 2017.  Here's what we know so far. Key specifications and features so far: - two lenses - field of view: fully spherical - video resolution: 5K - Waterproof to 10 meters, probably without an additional housing - 360 audio - Wi-Fi - G-Metrix captures action data (such as temperature, altimeter, etc.) and may be able to overlay it on the 360 video. Here is a teaser video: So far, on paper, this looks like the camera that people were hoping for the Nikon Keymission 360.  I'm somewhat concerned that the distance between lenses looks quite large.  I hope the stitching is up to par.  I also hope that the stitching in underwater videos takes refraction into account. Other features that I am SPECULATING that it will have: - shockproof up to 2 meters, possibly with replaceable lenses - live streaming - in-camera stitching, po...

I took some 360 photos and videos underwater with the 2017 Samsung Gear 360 using the Ricoh TH-1 case .  I also discuss some other options. The  2017 Samsung Gear 360  has a slimmer shape than its predecessor, which allows it to be used with some accessories that were impossible to use with the original Gear 360, such as the Ricoh Theta water resistant hardcase (TH-1 or TH-2) . The 2017 Gear 360 does fit in the case, although you would need to control it wirelessly with your phone.  Alternatively, you can simply start the recording before you close the case.  Here is a video showing how the footage looks with this case: Although the stitching is not perfect, it is noticeably better than the stitching of the Nikon Keymission 360 or the MGCool 360 (formerly known as Elecam 360) when they are used underwater. See these videos: - Keymission 360 underwater - with standard lens . - Keymission 360 underwater - with underwater lens . - MGCool with underwater case You...

Felix and Paul Studios are raising the ante with an underwater 360 video based on Cirque du Soleil's "O." Felix and Paul Studios have been creating 360 videos that have been featured for the Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR .  They've been commissioned to create several 360 videos for Cirque du Soleil, such as Ka: the Battle Within , Zarkana , and Inside the Box of Kurios . Their newest 360 video for the Cirque du Soleil is a technical tour de force.  Entitled "Dreams of O," it is based on Cirque du Soleil's water-themed show "O," and includes underwater sequences. Besides requiring a 360 camera rig that can be used underwater, the video also created challenges for lighting and color. Dreams of O is available as a free download for Samsung Gear VR on the Oculus Store .

Liiv360 is a hemispherical 360 camera with 4k video and can be used underwater up to 100 feet deep, with its waterproof housing. Here are the key specs: - V3+ Sony IMX179 sensor - Video resolution: up to 3840 x 2160 @30fps - Photo resolution: up to 16mp Functions include: - time lapse - loop recording - slow motion (720p @ 120fps) The Liiv360 comes with several mounting options included, and includes a waterproof housing with a depth of up to 100 feet. I didn't see anything that indicates a function for exporting the video to equirectangular mp4 format, so I don't expect you'll be easily able to view the video in VR / gyroscopic view. Liiv360 is now available from B&H Photo for $220.50 in black .  Other colors are available by special order.

Koroao is a waterproof case for the LG 360 Cam  (there's also an identical case from Holaca). The case looks very similar to the Ricoh Theta TH-1 waterproof case .  However, the LG 360 Cam cannot be used with the TH-1 or similar 3rd party cases because its 1/4-20 tripod insert is offset from the center (to allow space for the memory card slot and USB Type C). The Koroao case resolves this with an adapter which you attach using an Allen key: Interestingly, it appears that the adapter does not obstruct the use of the LG's own case / sleeve, so it can be left on the LG 360 Cam until you're ready to use the memory card or charge the camera. I haven't tried the case yet so I don't know how well it performs, although at least one user has confirmed that it is waterproof . At around $25, the Koroao case costs much less than another waterproof case for the LG 360 Cam called the Voia .  There is also an identical case from Holaca at a similar price .  BTW, some photos show ...

Boxfish 360 is a professional 360 camera rig designed for underwater use. Update : here are the details on the Boxfish 360 ! Boxfish 360 consists of three cameras in a waterproof housing.  Here are the specifications at a glance: - up to 300 meters depth (MSW) - resolution: 2520 video lines. - weight: 6 kg I'm not sure but I think 2520 is the vertical resolution, so the resolution in equirectangular format would be 5040 x 2520, which is higher than 4k. Here is a sample video: The video quality looks impressive, although hopefully the stitching could be improved. For purchase inquiries, please contact Boxfish Research directly.   Here is the official website .  Thank you very much to Jim Jensen  (the very knowledgeable moderator for the Photo Sphere Community on Google) for bringing this to my attention!

The Samsung Gear 360 (reviewed here) has a waterproof housing but it seems to be available only in Europe so far.  Meanwhile, you can use the Samsung Gear 360 underwater with an inexpensive waterproof case / pouch, which also works for other 360 cameras.  In this post, I'll show two of them. It's fun to use a 360 camera while swimming or underwater! Having fun @terranearesort #Theta360 #RicohTheta #360camera #TinyPlanet #spherical #ultrawide #FisheyeLens #TinyPlanetBuff #photosphere A photo posted by Mic Ty (@360rumors) on Mar 29, 2016 at 12:03pm PDT I've used smartphone waterproof pouches for the Ricoh Theta S and Insta360 Nano .  Besides being waterproof, these pouches are soft, which allows me to press the buttons on the camera without needing a remote.  Here's a sample shot with a Ricoh Theta S. I found that it's best to use a waterproof pouch that is totally transparent to avoid the bag showing up in the shot, as in the photo above. I searched for a wate...

Here are underwater videos from the Samsung Gear 360 using a self-made underwater housing.  They were captured by Sdoin?  in the Maldives. I found this video on 360CamerasForums.com , a forum for discussing 360 cameras and techniques. Meanwhile, Samsung has a dedicated underwater housing   ( see also an actual photo here ) for the Samsung Gear 360, but so far it has only been available in Europe.

The Nico 360 is touted as the smallest 360-degree camera ( previewed here ).  Moreover, it is waterproof, has 25mp photo resolution, and several other features.  The Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign is doing very well (so far, more than 3x the funding goal, with a month left).  Hit the jump to see the sample and other good news. In response to requests from backers, Nico 360 provided a sample photo.    Here is the full resolution photo sample .  It has a resolution of 6912 x 3456 (around 24mp), a little less than advertised but close enough, imo.   You can see the 360 version here . a portion of the sample 360 photo The colors, contrast, and stitching need to be fixed, but the resolution looks legitimately 24mp (as opposed to be merely interpolated as in some cheap 360 cameras ).  Nico 360 also said that there will be a stretch goal to upgrade the video from 2k to 4k.  If the stretch goal is reached, the price will increase, but current backe...

Would you be interested in an extremely compact, fully spherical, waterproof 360-degree camera with live streaming?  Did I mention it's only $199?  Check out the Nico 360 ! ​ The Nico360 is claimed to be the smallest fully spherical 360-degree camera.  It competes for that title with 360 cameras such as the Luna and Nikon Keymission, but it's definitely one of the smallest, if not the smallest I've seen. It has very interesting key features: two 16mp sensors photo resolution: up to 25 megapixels video resolution: 2560 x 1440 @ 30fps electronic image stabilization live streaming without a PC Adobe RAW/DNG format available Bluetooth and 5G wi-fi waterproof compatible with iOS and Android 32GB internal storage MSRP: $199 This is frankly, quite incredible.  Other than the ho-hum 2k video resolution and internal non-expandable storage, this seems very close to ideal 360 camera for consumers.  The raw capability is quite impressive - it's one of the very few 360 camer...