360' camera reccomendations

[Scoobysrt]

Anyone using 360' cameras?
Can you get ones that have less fisheye, maybe they use more cameras.

Love the idea but don't love the round image some seem to have but still want to try one.

Any models to look into? More importantly avoid?

 

[tigger]

GoPro make one (I have the first version Fusion that they released but there are better now)...probably overpriced like most of their stuff but they do have good image stabilisation.
Insta360 make several from hobby to really daft money many-camera 'professional' ones. Insta One is a good basic starting point with some cool features. Ricoh Theta also popular hobby ones.
Xiaomi also do a well regarded one but name escapes me at the moment*.
...None of these are really 'cheap' but all available for reasonable prices second hand as many people seem to buy them and quickly decide it's not for them.

You could make your own out of a bunch of old hero4's for relatively little money.

'Fisheye' - to some extent this depends on how you view/process the resultant images. You can go from the 'tiny planet' extreme to a view that is pretty much like a normal flat camera image with the software allowing you to do everything in between depending what you want at any specific point.

I've soon fairly good stuff done with phone apps...no-where near as detailed as using a DSLR and 360 kit (but you wouldn't expect it to be!).

Biggest problem I have found with 360 cameras is lighting. Outside in decent sunshine they are fine but in low/no light a different matter. I Made a photogrammetic model of a site in '3D' and wanted building interiors to be available as you zoomed in. Buildings were pitch black inside and using a GoPro Fusion I could never get even enough lighting for what I wanted. Ended up dslr route and a LOT of post processing...never again (different if it's your job I suppose but this was meant to be for fun). Of course this is entirely my fault as I was expecting too much from something not designed for what I actually wanted it for.

End result of my own playing about is that I really can't be bothered. If I was into video it would be a different matter as they are fun for that.

Edit:
* sphere?

also another thought....battery life on all the ones I have tried has been chronic.

 

[Scoobysrt]

Thanks for your reply, I didn't thank you earlier because I had hoped more people would give their opinions, looks like it's a very niche area indeed.
I love the idea of giving the viewer control over what they want to see but I don't think I can live with fisheye, it's one of my biggest hates.

 

[Andrew32]

I find a lot of them are either garbage quality or made of multiple cameras so the stitching isn't good.
Just an idea but tried phone apps? Mine runs a custom version of the Google pixel camera APK that has a 'photo sphere' mode, works really damn well

 

[Scoobysrt]

I'll look in to apps, thanks.

 

[Scoobysrt]

Can't actually find anything on the app store (android) just apps for taking 360 pictures. There's an odd one that claims to be video but they have low marks and reviews say they don't work or need external 360 cameras plugged in.

There must be somthing that uses the front and back cameras on a smart phone, I'll research apps properly on the net. I acknowledge tigger also mentioned apps but I spent so much time researching the camera suggestions there I forgot to look.

 

[Andrew32]

There must be somthing that uses the front and back cameras on a smart phone, I'll research apps properly on the net.

Nothing would work in terms of front and back cameras, neither are even close to making a 360 angle
Google one works good but depends on your phone if you can get it ported across, that uses their developments in panorama photos using the accelerometer, you just spin about with your phone and it stitches the photos together quite well

 

[Scoobysrt]

Ah I see, I'm after video, my phone will do decent 360 pictures as standard but never used the setting. It's video I'm after.

 

[Andrew32]

Ah I see, I'm after video, my phone will do decent 360 pictures as standard but never used the setting. It's video I'm after.

No problem, seems these cameras were a bit of a passing fad, I'd say either insta360 or GoPro, all others look like a one off and wouldn't be that good

 

[Scoobysrt]

I wouldn't say passing fad, surely its the thing to use for cctv for starters, one camera but see all directions.
It might not have taken off in the private sector as quickly as something like selfie sticks did but all the major firms seem to still be developing the technolagy so it must still be ecconomically veasable.

Either way, it might not be the thing i need for my projects right now, im going to grab something cheap, maybe second hand, and see how I like it.

 

[Cuuvin]

I've purchased a - iCatch Blackfin 720 Full Panoramic VR Camera + Headset - for under $20.00 USD from amazon. Dual fish eye , acceptable video quality. Primary usage was going to be mounted on motorcycle for videos. Found that the scenery "moves" past to quickly to really see it. plus when in sunlight , one camera has sun in it, while other is in the shade. very apparent when you scroll the view around.Tried it with cam view Fore-Aft & Port-Starboard. Best usage would be for it to be static mounted, as in at a party, ... . thing is, it's not only 360 horz., it's also 360 vert. If mounted on a regular camera tripod the wide shoe will show in the video. Software can get for free on line. can post some snippets of the videos I've taken, along with a link to the viewing software ,if there's any interest. My conclusion is that I'll use my action cam for the motorcycle, the dual fish eye for gatherings. Of course you get what you pay for, but for checking out what types of scenarios it's good for, tells me which direction to move in if I wanted to go upscale.

 

[Scoobysrt]

Yea, i would like to see some footage from that camera.
There's a guy on YouTube that uses a 360 on a motorbike, might be someone called max wrist maybe, his videos from what I've seen are very effective.

 

[Cuuvin]

Checked out max wrist , looks like those vids are his bread & butter...... bet his kit runs hundreds, if not thousands dollars or so. rather steep price if all you want is to see what 360 can do !! mine cost $16.00 USD and I knew what to expect for what I paid for it, but let me check out the medium. Okey... here be som clips. inside, outside, motorcycle with lens front -back & left- right. The files out of the camera are HUGE, in the giga range, So did some screen grabs. Can pan when doing the grab, but you can't after the file is done. output seems to be jerky in places, result of converting and panning at same time. no zoom , but these will give a rough idea what a low end, 360 dual fisheye cam produces.

update; Crappers! convertor only outputs .MP4 files , not allowed on here . put them on u-tuube, just search for my nick that's on here ... Cuuvin .

 

[Scoobysrt]

Many thanks for those, the actual quality looks good but the fisheye is too much for me, the one with the singer inside was worse than outside.
I think considering everything said youre all right, it's not quite what I'm after. I'm going to see if I can find anyone trying it with multiple cameras but file size is something I hadn't considered but something quite important to think about alongside battery power.

You've talked me out of it, for now.

 

[Cuuvin]

Glad to be of some assistance. battery power, yeah I've got a generic go-pro that can hook up a power pack to and still use it. the 3-D doesn't work that way. You'd think that there would be some type of frame/holder to mount multiple go-pro type cameras. the action cam was another inexpensive one. has wide angle, but it won't fish-eye if you're more than 5-6 meters from subjects . have no complaints. ... let's see if Randy Researcher can come up with sumptin' !!!