360 Rumors

PSA: 360 Rumors will undergo maintenance; Blogger phaseout

2017-06-26T22:49:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. Just FYI, I am completing the migration from Blogger to 360Rumors.com. As you know, I started the migration process a few months ago and now we're about to complete it.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN?
After the migration is complete, all links to the Blogger site will be forwarded to the same article on 360Rumors.com. After that, I will only be posting to 360Rumors.com. The Blogger site will exist only for historical purposes even though technically, you won't be able to access it anymore.

THE NEXT 24 HOURS
Because we're completing the migration, then for the next 24 hours I won't be able to post anything on either Blogger or 360Rumors.com. You will still be able to read old articles (although you'll be forwarded to 360Rumors.com). For new items, check out the 360 Rumors Facebook page, YouTube channel, and Twitter feed. I am trying to finish up a new video on Insta360 Pro.

If you need to contact me (e.g. to report problems), please contact me via Facebook.com/360rumors. After the migration is complete, rest assured I will resume posting.

Thank you for your cooperation.

"It can do that?!?" 17 remarkable undocumented features of the Insta360 Pro

2017-06-26T16:12:00.001-07:00

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 in Raw format. The Insta360 Pro specs do tell you that you can take shots in Raw (other manufacturers interpret that to simply mean unstitched). These are real Camera Raw photos with full flexibility for white balance adjustment and maximum exposure latitude. But perhaps you're worried about whether Insta360 is using a proprietary Raw format that will take months for Adobe to add to Photoshop and Lightroom. I'm happy to say it uses Adobe DNG format!
So what do you do with the DNG photos? Convert them into JPG and then stitch the converted JPGs? Nah, that would have been any other 360 camera company. This is Insta360's approach: it will stitch the DNG photos into a 360 photo... which will also be in Adobe DNG raw format! In 2D or 3D. BAM!

VIDEO AND LIVE STREAMING
5. High speed 4K 120fps video (not just 100fps).
6. 4K 3D 60fps video.

7. Flat color video mode (for grading). You can also change the settings for the rendering (brightness, saturation, sharpness and contrast).
8. You know Insta360 Pro is the only professional 360 camera with built-in gyro stabilization. What you might not know is that gyro stabilization works even for in-camera stitched videos and for live streaming!

9. Extra long recording time (Insta360 has demo'd a 5 hour live stream). The maximum recording or live streaming time is still unknown.
10. The Insta360 Pro can live stream (in 2D or 3D). But in addition, the live stream can also be recorded at the same time (it can save the individual video of each lens and/or the stitched 360 video).

11. Fan noise cancellation. One issue with the Insta360 Pro is that its fan is quite loud. Insta360 added a new fan noise cancellation feature. It will sample the fan noise and mitigate it. I don't know if this feature could also work for noise in environments...

BOTH PHOTOS AND VIDEOS
12. Individual exposure per lens. Besides auto and full manual exposure, Insta360 can also set an individual exposure per lens to maximize dynamic range. For example, if one lens is facing a sunlit scene while another is facing the shadow, you don't need to find a compromise -- the exposure for each lens can be set independently. You can then blend the exposure in post processing.

13. On other 360 cameras with in-camera stitching, you have to choose between in-camera stitching or unstitched images. With the Insta360 Pro, you don't have to choose. Even if a photo or video is stitched in-camera, you can have the individual photos and videos available for stitching. This lets you have the option to re-stitch afterward. Or you can choose not to save the individual photos and videos.
14. A related feature is that if you record with in-camera stitching at 4K, you can nonetheless get 5K resolution if you restitch the video on a desktop.
15. You can record to a portable USB 3.0 hard drive for economical high capacity storage.

16. The Insta360 Pro package includes a water resistant hardcase with custom foam cutouts (similar to a Pelican 1450 case).

17. Insta360's amazing customer service. I've owned DSLRs, mirrorless, and of course 360 cameras from many manufacturers (including Nikon, Sony, Fuji, Olympus, Panasonic, Pentax, Samsung). No other company has been as responsive as Insta360. It is truly amazing how quickly they respond to customers. And their CEO JK is in the trenches with them, talking to customers directly, on top of his already busy schedule. You will not get better customer service anywhere.

I'm still taking more photos and videos with the Insta360 Pro but so far I have been very impressed! In the meantime, if you already decided to get one, you can support 360 Rumors at no additional cost to you by buying it from these links:
- Insta360 online store. In the promotion code box during checkout, use the referral code: IRPUI4C
- Amazon.
- B&H Photo.

If you do buy through these links please let me know (send me a screenshot via email or facebook.com/360rumors). I know the Insta360 Pro is a significant investment and as a thank you for supporting the site, I will add you to a secret 360 Rumors VIP Facebook group and give you priority for responding to your questions and requests!

Kodak PIXPRO Orbit360 now available... on eBay; sample non-360 4K video

2017-06-26T11:32:00.001-07:00

Kodak's highly anticipated Orbit360 camera has still not been released in the US. However, it was released in Japan back in May, and predictably, resellers are now selling it on eBay.

The retail price of the Orbit is 59,500 JPY ($532 USD), so the eBay prices have a little bit of a premium, which is not unexpected given eBay's fees.

Meanwhile, a sample non-360 video from the Orbit360 has been posted. One of the unique features of the Orbit360 is that it has asymmetric lenses that allow it to function as three types of cameras: an ultrawide 197-degree, an ultrawide 235-degree, or a fully spherical 360 degree camera. Although other fully spherical 360 cameras can be cropped to achieve a similar effect, their resolution will be significantly lower if cropped to the same field of view as an action camera.

The Orbit360's ultrawide 197-degree lens, however, captures 4K video. It can therefore offer the same 4K video resolution as GoPro or other action cameras for a similar non-360 field of view. In other words, if you get the Orbit360, it is like getting a free 4K GoPro Hero 4 Black in addition to a fully spherical 360 camera. And finally, you will have no more need to answer questions about, "Why does your video look low resolution compared to my GoPro?" lol.

Here is a sample video demonstrating the non-360 front lens mode, in 4K. The video is by KouGa

Garmin Virb 360 vs. Xiaomi Mijia MI SPHERE - which is the best 360 camera for low light?

2017-06-26T00:01:00.000-07:00

I compared two of the best 360 cameras for consumers right now: Garmin Virb 360 and Xiaomi Mijia Mi Sphere for low light performance in typical indoor lighting conditions. Here's the video:

Both cameras did very well in this low light test. As for which one is better, here are my thoughts:

Without editing, the Garmin Virb 360 looks underexposed compared to the Xiaomi. In Premiere, I added +1.0EV exposure, which made the Garmin exposure look more similar to that of the Xiaomi. Remarkably, the Virb video held up to the adjustment and did not show any noticeable increase noise.

With the adjustment, the Virb and Xiaomi look very similar, but the Virb video is actually more detailed. Here are closeup cropped portions of each video:

Nonetheless, there is a huge $500+ difference between these two cameras, so you might say they are both winners in their own way. In terms of absolute image quality, the Virb 360 edged out the Xiaomi, but the Xiaomi is so much more affordable that it is amazing how well its video compares to a camera costing 3 times as much, so it is also a moral victory for the Xiaomi.

For reference, here is another comparison between these two cameras, this time in daylight.

Of course, image quality is just one aspect of a camera. In my next post, I will discuss the other benefits of the Virb 360 to help you decide whether it is worth the extra cost. In the meantime, if you would like to buy either of these cameras, they are available here:
- Xiaomi is available here from Gearbest (they ship to 260+ countries). Full review here.
- Garmin Virb 360 is available on Amazon or B&H Photo.

Thank you very much for using the affiliate links above to support 360 Rumors at no additional cost to you, so I can do more tests and reviews!

New sample from Yi 360 VR, the most affordable 5.7K 360 camera

2017-06-25T19:06:00.002-07:00

Here's a new sample from the Yi 360 VR, the most affordable 5.7K 360 camera.

Here's the sample, posted by Sami Luo:

What do you think of the sample? Let me know in the comments!

Thank you very much to Martin Smith of Roto Studios for bringing this to my attention!

Dolly360 is a radio-controlled stabilized dolly for 360 cameras

2017-06-25T17:22:00.003-07:00

Dolly360 is a radio-controlled and stabilized dolly for 360 cameras.

Dolly360 is a radio-controlled dolly designed for 360 cameras, with both horizontal and vertical stabilization. It uses a gimbal for spherical stabilization and a telescopic oil shock absorber for vertical stabilization.

Here is a video:

Here is a sample 360 video from a GoPro rig mounted on the Dolly360:

The Dolly360 can handle a camera up to 5 kg and will be carry it up to 1 km. It costs 500,000 JPY (about USD 4491 at current exchange rates). The price is for the dolly only and does not include a camera.

DEALS: Ricoh Theta SC now only $199! Best value for 360 photography

2017-06-25T16:37:00.001-07:00

Ricoh has announced a huge discount on the Ricoh Theta SC, which is now only $199! I don't know yet if this is a permanent price adjustment or just a discount for the summer.

The Theta SC has the same sensor as the Theta S, the most popular 360 camera and almost all of its features, including the best stitching in the industry. But at $199, it is almost half of the cost of the Theta S. This makes the Theta SC quite possibly the best value for 360 photography.

Here is a review of the Theta S - almost all of which applies to the Theta SC as well, except that the Theta SC has no HDMI port, no live streaming, and has a 5-minute limit on videos. The Theta SC has interval shooting (an intervalometer) but I believe it doesn't have interval composite, so if you want to do star trails, for example, you'll need to blend the exposures yourself using tools such as Photoshop or Lightroom.

Thank to you to MS and Tony Anastasi for bringing this to my attention!

Z Cam is joining Google's VR180 program; here is their camera

2017-06-25T02:00:00.000-07:00

Z Cam is the latest company to join Google's recently announced VR180 program. Z Cam also showed their VR180 camera called 3D180.

Z Cam Founder and Chairman Jason Zhang had this to say: "Z CAM is very well positioned in the VR180 camera market. Our solution's precise synchronization coupled with excellent calibration of the footage delivers amazing immersive experience to viewers. I am very excited that the VR180 era has finally come and we are very committed to entering this market."

Z Cam CEO Kinson Loo added, "We are glad to be part of the program and expand our cooperation with Google. VR180 will open up a lot of interesting content opportunities and Z CAM's excellent image quality and ease of use will accelerate market growth. Seeing is believing!"

No other details were available such as price or specifications.

Effortless invisibility: a cheap selfie stick that is also invisible to 360 cameras

2017-06-25T01:48:00.000-07:00

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 one on the left is not invisible. The Monopod brand on the right is invisible.

The Monopod selfie stick is about 43 inches long and has a 1/4-20 insert on the bottom to attach it to tripod legs. The package also includes a smartphone adapter, bluetooth remote, and wrist strap.

If you'd like to buy the Monopod selfie stick, thank you for using the Amazon affiliate link, which supports 360 Rumors at no additional cost to you so I can do more tests and reviews.

VR for journalism and other stories this week on Immersive Shooter

2017-06-23T15:41:00.001-07:00

In case you haven't checked it out, Immersive Shooter is a very useful resource for VR content creators and journalists. Here are some of the stories from the past week on Immersive Shooter:

Intel will be bringing 360 video live streams and replays to the next Olympics

Global Editors Network panel on VR in journalism, moderated by Immersive Shooter's Editor-at-Large Robert Hernandez from the GEN Summit in Vienna. Here's a video of the panel discussion:

McClatchy's 360 video workflow for breaking news

Kandao Obsidian to be launching soon; here are the specifications. You can also check out samples I posted previously.

Jaunt VR camera videos to be offered as stock content through Getty Images.

You can also check out my guest post there this week, talking about the Insta360 Pro, the Garmin Virb 360, and the Lanparte LA3D-VR-01.

7 camera low light comparison: the best 360 camera will surprise you

2017-06-23T14:57:00.001-07:00

Ben Claremont (Life in 360) compares seven 360 cameras for their low light performance! Which cameras came out on top? The answer will surprise you!

Here's the video:

Spoiler alert below!
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In my own testing, I found similar results as Ben did, although I would have a different ranking for these same cameras.

For me, the Insta360 Air (reviewed here) and Insta360 Nano are pretty good for low light because even though they have quite a lot of noise, there seems to be more detail in the shadows in low light. Check out this sample.

The Xiaomi Mijia MI SPHERE (reviewed here) did well because it uses Sony IMX206 sensors which are backside illuminated (BSI) CMOS sensors, which means the wiring for the sensors is behind the photodiodes, allowing more light to reach the photodiodes. However, the contrast curve for the Xiaomi seems a bit aggressive, so it looks good with the highlights and midtones but the shadow areas in low light are almost totally clipped. Here is a sample low light photo at a concert.

As for the Ricoh Theta S (or the more affordable Ricoh Theta SC with the same sensor), it did perform splendidly in low light in my tests as well. Why is that? My speculation is that all of these cameras have the same sensor size (1/2.3 inch) but the Theta has a lower resolution. As a result the physical size of its pixels is larger than those of the other 360 cameras, allowing the pixels to collect more light.

OTHER OPTIONS
Two other cameras with BSI sensors but not tested here are the Kodak SP360 4K Dual Pro and the forthcoming Kodak Orbit360 4K. I don't have the Orbit yet, but I will test the SP360 4K against some of these cameras next time. I will also include the Nikon Keymission 360, which I think performs reasonably well in low light.

If you would like to buy any of these cameras, please use the affiliate links above to support 360 Rumors at no additional cost to you. Thank you very much!

Preorder the international version of the Xiaomi Mijia MI SPHERE, the best 360 camera under $350

2017-06-23T07:27:00.000-07:00

As I said in my review of the Xiaomi Mijia MI SPHERE 360 camera, I found the Xiaomi to have the best image quality for both photos and videos for 360 cameras that cost $350 or less. You can now preorder the international version with English instruction manual, for shipping in July.

The Xiaomi Mijia MI SPHERE is a camera that most people still don't know about, but it has been surprising new users. Nonetheless, the Xiaomi has a number of quirks, one of which is that it feels like it wasn't intended for sale outside of China. For example,
- the App Store listing previously had only a Chinese name (how would English speakers search for it? Note: it's now in English);
- the manual is entirely in Chinese.
- The original app had many options that were in Chinese (but now the app is now almost fully translated).

The downloading page for the Xiaomi app is still in Chinese.

Now however, Xiaomi is ready to release the Xiaomi Mijia Mi Sphere outside of China, with a manual in English. In the meantime, you can check out this album of screenshots of the English manual, which can be found in the iOS app. So if you want to get the International version you can get it here. If you'd rather not wait, you can get the domestic version of the Xiaomi here.

Google invites you to capture the world as you see it with VR180; new cameras announced from partners

2017-06-22T13:15:00.000-07:00

At Vidcon 2017, Google announced VR180 videos and cameras, which are 180-degree 3D videos and cameras that can capture the world from your point of view.
VR180 videos are 180-degree 3D videos, similar to 3D 360 videos but only showing a forward-facing view. While that may seem like significantly smaller view than 3D 360 videos, heatmaps show that most viewers view videos only looking at the forward view.

Here is a playlist of sample VR180 videos (to see them in 3D, you'll need to view them with a Google Cardboard or similar viewer):

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE FROM STANDARD 360 VIDEOS?
VR180 appears to be a separate format from the standard equirectangular 360 videos. If you watch the video above without cardboard, you cannot look around the video the way you can with a hemispherical 360 video (such as from Entapano). Instead, the perspective is fixed until you click on the cardboard icon, which enables gyro viewing. I am supposing it uses a special tag in its 360 metadata so that on Youtube, the non-360 view has a fixed perspective.

VR180 CAMERAS
Google has partnered with Yi Technology, Lenovo, and LG to create the VR180 cameras, which are designed to be easily portable and user-friendly. The cameras are going to be released this winter. You can sign up to be notified of Yi's VR180 camera here.

Here is the official Google announcement. What do you think of VR180? Will 3D finally go mainstream? Does it help or hinder interest in 360 photos and videos? Let me know what you think in the comments!

Unclip 360 Video Cloud Storage Ends Service, Joins Samsung VR

2017-06-22T05:15:00.000-07:00

Unclip, a free cloud storage service for 360 videos (similar to Google Photos but for videos) is ending its service and is being merged into Samsung's 360 video sharing platform, Samsung VR (formerly called Milk VR).

Unclip is a cloud based storage service for 360 videos that allowed you to upload your 360 videos from any of your devices (phone, desktop, etc.). It was a convenient way to synchronize files and was very useful for conserving space on mobile devices. Uploaded photos could also be edited. See here.

Unclip announced that its service would be ending on June 30, after which all previously stored videos and data will be deleted. Instead, you can upload your videos to Samsung VR, Samsung's 360 video sharing platform.

The perfect camera case for Garmin Virb 360

2017-06-22T05:08:00.001-07:00

I found the perfect camera case for the Garmin Virb 360! Look at it -- it even fits both cradles, and there's no wasted space. Here's a video:

The case is the Pelican Micro 1010 (available here). Here are the benefits:

- fits the Garmin and both cradles with no wasted space
- Virb and cradles will not move around
- Transparent cover lets you see if the camera is inside
- You can attach your monopod or selfie stick while the Virb 360 is still in the case (while cover is open obviously)
- The case can be used to temporarily cover the Virb like a lens cap while the Virb is on a monopod waiting between recordings.
- you can attach a strap to it for your backpack, etc.
- includes a carabiner
- Water resistant, dustproof, crushproof
- Low cost
- Proudly made in the USA by Pelican. Comes with a lifetime guarantee.

PLEASE NOTE THE DIRECTION that the lenses are facing. Do not face the lenses to the cradles - they could be scratched!

Alternatively, you can also remove the red rubber lining and instead use the foam that came in the Virb 360's box (you'll need to cut it to fit the Pelican Micro 1010).

If you'd like to buy the case, you can buy it here. Thank you for using the affiliate link to buy the case, which supports 360 Rumors at no additional cost to you.

Adobe acquires Mettle Skybox, to be included in Creative Cloud

2017-06-21T18:20:00.001-07:00

This is huge! Adobe acquired Mettle makers of the popular SkyBox Suite of 360 / VR editing tools, which will now be included with Adobe Creative Cloud!

Mettle Skybox is a popular suite of plugins for 360/VR editing for Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects. Today, Adobe and Mettle announced that Adobe would be acquiring Mettle Skybox Suite, and Mettle's founder Chris Bobotis would become a director at Adobe.

Skybox will no longer be available for separate purchase, and instead will only be available through Creative Cloud.

Existing Skybox users will get ten activations, other than those who purchased Skybox in the last 15 days will get a refund.

By the end of the year, Skybox will be rolled out to Creative Cloud. But for now, Adobe CC paid subscribers will be able to get Skybox by sending an email to dvaplugin@adobe.com. You need to include your Adobe ID and first and last name as it appears on your account, then Adobe will respond within 24 hours.

Here is the official announcement.

Insta360 Pro: Unboxing and First Impressions of the most affordable and easiest 8K 360 camera

2017-06-21T13:29:00.004-07:00

I just received my Insta360 Pro last night! Here is an unboxing and my first impressions, or otherwise entitled, "How I spent my tax refund!" lol

When Insta360 said they were going to create a professional camera to rival the $5,000 GoPro Omni rig, I honestly wasn't sure if it was just an exaggeration for marketing. Sure, the Insta360 Nano and Insta360 Air were excellent cameras, but they were designed for consumers. Could a young company such as Insta360 really build a camera that could approach the quality of the 8K GoPro Omni?

Those doubts were quashed when Insta360 Pro launched at CES, with specs that could make any 360 shooter drool:
- 8K 360 video
- 6K 3D 360 video
- 4K live streaming in 2D (30fps) or 3D (24fps).
- 4K in-camera stitching, also in 2D (30fps) or 3D (24fps)
- High-speed 4K in 120 fps (for super slow motion)
- 3D photos can be up to 8K (7680 x 7680), whether stitched on a desktop or in-camera
It would be able to do all this for $3500, drastically undercutting the GoPro Omni (the price already includes the stitching software) and most other professional 360 cameras.

Later on, Insta360 also announced that the Insta360 Pro would have gyro-based realtime stabilization, which can keep the horizon level even while live streaming in 4K, the first professional 360 camera with such a capability.

Of course, specs and features alone don't mean much without good image quality. Insta360 posted sample photos and videos that showed remarkable image quality -- so high as to rival even the vaunted $40,000 Nokia OZO in my opinion. See the samples for yourself.

I ordered one (no it was not given to me for free!) and finally got it last night. Here is the unboxing video.

As you can see Insta360 Pro comes in a sturdy hardcase with IP67 water resistance. When you open it, you feel like a super spy on a secret mission. :D

The Insta360 Pro has a beautiful gunmetal blue finish (also available in silver) and feels solidly built. It is a little heavy (1228 grams or 2.7 lbs.) - about the same weight as a professional full frame DSLR such as the Nikon D3 I used to have. It is about the size of a small watermelon. Here is the Insta360 Pro next to the Panono and the Vuze 3D 360 camera so you have an idea of its size.

Although I have many 360 cameras (IIRC seventeen of them at this point, not including two that I've sold), I don't own a rig (except for the Kodak SP360 4K Dual Pro, which is technically a rig). Although rigs generally have very good image quality, they are a pain to use. Besides the very high cost of a rig, and the cost of stitching software, they are too difficult and time-consuming to use and a lot of things can go wrong.

I was worried about the Insta360 Pro being difficult to use as well, and I'm happily surprised to say that the Insta360 Pro is a breeze to use. Of course it's not as fast to use as a 360 consumer camera (for example, starting up takes about a minute), but there are surprisingly only a few steps you need in order to shoot and share a photo or video. In fact, if you use in-camera stitching, it really can qualify as one of the easiest 360 cameras to use (even compared to consumer 360 cameras)! You don't believe me? If you shoot with in-camera stitching, you simply press the shutter and it creates a fully stitched 360 photo or video in the memory card! Most of my other 360 cameras such as the Samsung Gear 360 can't even do that.

But even if you stitch the files on desktop using the Insta360 Stitcher software, I found it is still very easy to use. Definitely easier than the SP360 4K Dual Pro for example. First of all, there is only one SD card to use (not a separate SD card for each lens, unlike for example the Z Cam S1). The photos and videos are saved into a separate folder for each photo and video. Each folder contains all the individual unstitched files, a small preview file, gyro metadata for videos, and the stitched file (if you chose in-camera stitching). If it is a 3D photo or video, you will also get the left eye panorama and right eye panorama in addition to the stereoscopic top-bottom stitched photo video.

Stitching a file is as easy as selecting the folder of a photo or video (you don't need to select the individual files), specifying the desired resolution and other settings, then hitting Stitch Now or putting the files in a queue for stitching. How easy is that???

There were pleasant surprises. For example:
- high speed mode is up to 4K 120fps (not just 100 fps)
- RAW mode for photos is truly Raw. Is it some proprietary raw format that will take months for Adobe to add? No -- it uses Adobe DNG format!!! :D
- one of the modes is 4K 3D 60fps. I didn't even see that mode advertised.

I'm sure you have plenty of questions about it. The geniuses at Insta360 figured an easy way to answer questions without requiring you to slog through a thick operating manual -- using a flow chart!

Insta360 was careful to add that this is part of the first batch of Insta360 Pros, so there will inevitably be a few bugs. But so far I haven't encountered many bugs, and as with Insta360 Air and Nano, I am sure those bugs will be stamped out very quickly.

Anyway, as you can tell, I'm very excited about the Insta360 Pro. I will take some samples and post them asap! If you want to get the Insta360 Pro (yes there is a growing waitlist), it is available on Amazon or B&H Photo. Thank you very much for using these affiliate links to support 360 Rumors at no additional cost to you so I can do more tests and reviews!

Interview about the Z Cam S1 Pro, a 6K 360 camera with Micro Four Thirds sensors

2017-06-21T13:26:00.004-07:00

Personal View interviewed camera rental company Radiant Images about the Z Cam S1 Pro, a high quality professional 360 camera that uses four Micro Four Thirds sensors paired with iZugar lenses. Here is the video:

The original Z Cam S1 (not shown here) is $2,500 while Z Cam S1 Pro is $8,880. Neither camera includes the cost of the WonderStitch stitching software ($1,500), or the WonderLive live streaming software which is a separate cost (note that the license is for one camera only and is not transferable ). Alternatively, the S1 and S1 Pro can be stitched with third party software.

Both cameras have 6K resolution but the S1 Pro's larger sensor means that it has higher image quality than the Z Cam S1.

Lanparte LA3D-VR01 gimbal for 360 cameras is now available

2017-06-20T07:26:00.000-07:00

Lanparte's LA3D-VR-01, a gimbal for 360 cameras (previewed here), the first consumer gimbal without counterweights is now available.

Lanparte LA3D-VR-01 is a gimbal designed for 360 cameras with two lenses such as the Samsung Gear 360 and Nikon Keymission 360. It has an unusual design that places all the motors within the stitch line, making them invisible to the 360 camera (except that the yaw motor and the handle will become visible if the handle is held horizontally).

LA3D-VR-01 is also the first consumer 360 gimbal that does not use counterweights. In theory, this should make it much lighter and easier to setup the gimbal, compared to other 360 gimbals that use counterweights.

The LA3D-VR-01 has a modular design and appears to have parts that are interchangeable with some of the other components of Lanparte's LA3D system, possibly including Lanparte's wearable wireless control kit, although I don't know for sure yet.

Here is an interview and demo by Personal View:

Here is a sample 360 video from last year by Philip Bloom:

The video shows several things: first, if the gimbal is held vertically, the motors do disappear from view, at least for thicker 360 cameras. For slimmer 360 cameras such as the Ricoh Theta S, the arm would likely be visible (I don't know for sure). Second, the video shows that the gimbal can be held horizontally. However, I don't know if it can be used inverted. Third, it appears from the video that the Lanparte is silent.

On the other hand, Lanparte's design has a couple of drawbacks. First, if it is used with thinner 360 cameras such as the Theta S, you can expect the arm to appear prominently in the video. Second, Lanparte's design seems to have a limited range of roll (unlike for example, the Feiyu G360 which has nearly unlimited freedom of movement). Third, since it doesn't have counterweights it might have a shorter battery life and/or a lower maximum weight capacity, although it does have two 18350 batteries, and it seems that the gimbal can be used with one or both batteries (there's another tube that looks like it can be attached to the handle to accommodate the second battery), in which case the additional battery may be able to compensate for the increased power consumption. Fourth, wider 360 cameras such as the Vuze Camera seem like they cannot fit the Lanparte.

Lanparte LA3D-VR01 is available for $279 from Amazon and includes the gimbal, a charger, a carrying case, and a 1-meter control cable for wired control.

Double 2 self-balancing 360 Camera Dolly is one of the most affordable dollies for 360 cameras

2017-06-20T04:38:00.000-07:00

Double 2, two-wheeled self-balancing 360 Camera Dolly is now available.

An increasing number of 360 videos are using movement. Among other things, slow forward movement can be used as a subtle way of directing the viewer's attention, as demonstrated for example in Felix and Paul's documentary, "The People's House."

The challenge for 360 filmmakers is that a 360 camera sees everything around it, therefore it is not ideal to use traditional methods for moving a camera such as a camera operator carrying a camera or using a camera track dolly.

There are dollies available for 360 cameras that perform very well but they tend to have substantial cost. See here (Vroomcam) and here (RigRover).

Double 2 is a two-wheeled self-balancing 360 camera dolly by Double Robotics. It is a modified version of the Double 2 robot which was designed for telepresence.

The modified version of the Double 2 is designed specifically for use as a 360 Camera Dolly. Instead of an iPad and camera, it includes a camera mount with 1/4-20 adapter and a holder for an iPhone or iPod Touch. When used with an older iPhone (iPhone 6 or older) or iPod Touch, the Double 2 can be remotely controlled via Wi-Fi, LTE or Bluetooth. The 360 Camera Dolly can carry a camera or rig up to 5 lbs at the top of the monopod, You can also add a few pounds at the base of the monopod.

The Double 2 is self-balancing and because it only has two wheels, it has a very narrow nadir and can remain vertical as it goes up and down inclines. Its aluminum monopod has a shock absorber to dampen lateral movements.

Here are a couple of sample videos from the Double 2:

There's another new video here (it's unlisted so I wasn't sure if they were OK with me posting it here).

The 360 Camera Dolly is $3,000. The price includes a hardcase. If you already have the Double 2 Telepresence, you can just buy the Camera Kit for $249.

If this is out of your budget, don't worry. I will post about lower cost DIY alternatives.

Varjo is an experimental VR headset 70 times sharper than HTC Vive or Oculus Rift

2017-06-19T13:53:00.000-07:00

Varjo's VR headset is as detailed as human vision with a 70 megapixel resolution.

The crops you see above are crops from the view with an experimental VR headset from Varjo, comcompared to the Oculus Rift desktop VR system. Simply put, it looks incredible. Varjo's resolution is 70 megapixels per eye compared to the 1.2 megapixel resolution of the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.

Varjo is a startup formed by former Nokia employees and their goal is to create a headset with as much resolution as human vision will allow. That will require tremendous amounts of data, which they aim to reduce through foveated rendering, which means that it will track your eye, and only the parts that you are looking at will be rendered at full resolution.

Here is another crop:

I'm curious how the extremely high resolution affects a viewer's sense of immersion. Will images become much more convincing? We'll see. In the meantime, you can check out more samples on Varjo's official website.

Garmin Virb 360 underwater test (sample 360 video and photo)

2017-06-19T13:25:00.000-07:00

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 these samples from Elecam), the Gear 360 2017 (with a waterproof pouch, and with an water-resistant case), the 2016 Gear 360, and the Nano, Xiaomi Mi Sphere. (Please note the water conditions were not identical.)

In the case of the Virb, as long as the camera is vertical and nothing is passing over the stitch line, it looks smooth. If the camera is vertical, the stitching looks weird. And obviously if anything passes over the stitch line it will look split because of refraction.

Anyway here is the video:

Here are full resolution underwater photos (along with other photos):

Without an underwater housing with spherical lenses, I think this is as good as it gets.

65 megapixel 360 photos in RAW format with Pano 5+1 Mark II

2017-06-19T10:11:00.004-07:00

You can take 65-megapixel 360 photos in RAW format with no parallax stitching error with the Pano5+1 Mark II, a panoramic head for GoPro Hero 5 (with an included adapter for Hero 3 and 4).

The Pano5+1 Mark II is the new version of the original Pano5+1. The new version has several improvements including:
- compatibility with GoPro Hero 3, 4, or 5 (natively compatible with Hero 5, and an included adapter for Hero 3 and 4)
- fully spherical (the original version required manually holding the camera for a downshot).
- transparent body casts less of a shadow
- the Pano5+1 doubles as a case for the Hero 5.
- includes a carrying case.

By using a Hero5, it is possible to take photos in RAW for maximum image quality and then stitch the edited images together. Please note the kit does not include stitching software. I believe you should be able to use PanoramaStudio 3.

Here is the video

Here is a sample 360 photo. The photo is of a car interior, which is usually a difficult subject for larger 360 cameras such as the Panono.

Here is the crowdfunding page. Here is the official website. Given that this company has already produced a previous version of the Pano5+1 and because it is not complex, it is a low-risk crowdfunding project. I backed it and will post a review if/when I receive it.

You might also be interested in the new Panohero H5B for Hero 5, which is also a panoramic head for GoPro Hero 5 Black.

YouTube adds heatmaps to 360 videos, showing you where viewers are looking

2017-06-18T10:12:00.002-07:00

YouTube has added heatmaps to popular 360 videos, showing where viewers are looking.
Update: Scott of Foundry 45 shared a video of a heatmap. See below.

YouTube added 360 heatmaps to analytics tools, letting you see where viewers are spending the most time looking. Last year, heatmaps were added by Facebook, but the threshold was quite high at 50,000 unique viewers (not views). YouTube's heatmap has a threshold of only 1,000 views.

To see the heatmaps for your videos, click here. You can also go to your Video Manager and then see the new 360 Heatmaps tool under Analytics. You can see the heatmap and how it changes as the video plays.

Update: Scott of Foundry 45 shared this video of a heatmap:

There is a separate heatmap for desktop viewers and for mobile viewers. In my videos, it seems that desktop viewers are much more likely to look around, while mobile viewers stay mostly in the original view.

Sample 1 (top: desktop; bottom: mobile):

desktop view heatmap (sample 1)

Sample 2 (top: desktop; bottom: mobile):

desktop views heatmap (sample 2)

mobile views heatmap (sample 2)

The heatmap function still has a few bugs. Sometimes I will get a message saying I don't have enough views for any of my 360 videos (even though as you can see above, there are heatmaps available for my 360 videos):

Another bug is that some videos that have over 1,000 views nonetheless still show "insufficient number of views." Here you can see that some videos that have more view have no heatmaps, even though other videos with fewer views do have a heatmap.

Notwithstanding the bugs, the addition of heatmaps is a very welcome feature for 360 content creators, and I'm glad YouTube set a much lower threshold for views than Facebook. This will help creators refine their 360 videography techniques.

Thank you very much to Upton North for bringing this to my attention!

Garmin Virb 360 vs. Xiaomi Mi Sphere photo and video comparison!

2017-06-17T02:54:00.002-07:00

Here is a quick informal photo and video comparison between two of the best 360 cameras at the moment: the Garmin Virb 360 ($799; first impressions here) and the Xiaomi Mi Sphere ($250 to $300; reviewed here).
When I reviewed the Xiaomi Mi Sphere, I found it to have the best photo and video quality among consumer 360 cameras around $350 or less. Meanwhile, the Garmin has launched the Virb 360 with 5.7K video* (4K in-camera stitched), which is the most feature-rich 360 camera I am aware of, bar none.

Both cameras feature image stabilization, which puts them heads-and-shoulders above the competition, IMHO. No doubt the Xiaomi is a great choice, but is it worth spending the extra to get the Virb 360? To help you answer that, I took a quick sample of photos and videos from these two cameras for comparison. (Note: the Virb is using firmware 2.70, while the Xiaomi is using firmware 12494).

Here are the videos. The first is a montage that alternates between the two cameras. The other two videos in the playlist are the Virb 360 by itself, and the Xiaomi by itself. The videos are unedited with default settings except that I added titles and I dovetailed the videos using Adobe Premiere Pro, rendered at constant bit rate of around 80mbps with "maximum depth":

Here are 360 photos for comparison:

I will take more sample photos and videos. Of course, photo and video quality are just two of the factors for choosing 360 cameras, not including other issues such as features, workflow, and of course, price. Watch for my full review of the Virb 360!

In the meantime, if you would like to buy either camera, I would appreciate it if you would use the affiliate links below to support 360 Rumors at no additional cost to you so I can do more tests and reviews:
- Garmin Virb 360 ($799) is available at Amazon or B&H Photo.
- Xiaomi Mi Sphere ($255 to $300) is available here: To get the best price, usethesecoupons:
Coupon1: GBMijiaCa , Price: $244.99 (while offer lasts)
Coupon2: 9dnyemqq , Price: $249.99