Seitz Roundshot D3: take a 360-degree panorama in two seconds flat

Remember that ridiculously-sized but utterly awesome Seitz 6x17 Digital that we showed you yesterday? Well, Seitz has another one to wave around at this year's Photokina. This time, though, it's a 360-degree cam that'll capture 470 million pixels worth of color and light, and furthermore, will complete that task in two seconds -- less than the amount of time it's taken you to read half of this paragraph. Like the 6x17, the Roundshot D3 has a ISO range from 500 to 10,000, accepts lenses from 24mm to 250mm and comes with a maxed out Mac mini to act as its oversized flash card. The D3 is more expensive than the 6x17, however, with the mobile version taking a sizeable 46,900 francs ($37,463) from that numbered Swiss bank account of yours, while the studio version comes in at 43,700 Swiss francs ($34,906). In either case, you'll probably want to head over to the Seitz site to get in line to pre-order this bad boy, which is due to hit the streets of Geneva by early 2007. Oh yeah, and make sure to catch a big pic of the D3 on the next page.

Read

[iLLW!L @ Sep 21st 2006 8:16PM]

How many pictures will end up with the top part of the photographers head in the frame as they are trying to duck out the way?!

[matt @ Sep 21st 2006 8:21PM]

That would be crazy if they could adapt this into a video camera, it would have a bad fps but itd still be cool

[Gavin @ Sep 21st 2006 8:30PM]

And how long before there is a Web 2.0 site based around sharing your 360 images? roundrr.com maybe perhaps?

[vectorbug @ Sep 21st 2006 8:36PM]

that model creeps me out, man.

[David @ Sep 21st 2006 8:54PM]

Looks like David Blaine.

[BigD @ Sep 21st 2006 8:36PM]

@iLL aka #1

not really. The screen looks like it pops out and swivels, so the photographer could easily frame the shot from below. Not only that, but at 35,000 dollars, this thing should have a remote shutter release, or at the very least...a timer.

[Volsfan91 @ Sep 21st 2006 9:01PM]

I don't quite understand that audience that Seitz is trying to appeal to with these two cameras, personally.

[tekdroid @ Sep 22nd 2006 1:32AM]

new mums catching little Johnny's first steps, of course
;)

[ScooterJP @ Sep 21st 2006 9:02PM]

Remember those ridiculously-sized ear studs for men?

[whatevas @ Sep 21st 2006 10:05PM]

does it come with the dude? NO THANKS!

[mWMA @ Sep 21st 2006 10:51PM]

The unit has LCD Remote unit (640x480 res) that can be attached to camera and removed from the camera and can be operated wireless to control features of the camera including preview. I don't think anyone will make a highend camera like this and forget remote capability. They also have built network management capability to allow to manage the camera all function via a network connection.

The use of this camera might not be what most people are looking for however they are plenty of uses for it research purpose. Example installing camera in wildlife or higher altitude with special zoom lenses. Ability to taken high res timed photos...Get the idea.
Or maybe Attach this thing upside down to a ballong to do a space imaging ...:-)

[John X @ Sep 21st 2006 11:41PM]

Heh. I believe that the "remote" attached to that thing is a Zaurus C1000. Actually, I remember lurking on #openzaurus sometime earlier this year or maybe last year and hearing someone talking about using the Zaurus for a similar purpose. This could well be what resulted...

[Tim Stanley @ Sep 22nd 2006 12:31AM]

why is that weird guy in the picture

[Jeff @ Sep 22nd 2006 12:43AM]

I'm really starting to like this company.

hmm... time to write myself a $50K research grant to get one of these things. i wonder what i could research.... :P

[Jeroen @ Sep 22nd 2006 4:15AM]

@ Jeff,
I found an possible research subject:

"An experience driven in-vivo mapping of the lumen intensities in a higly variable time/space matrix, as assessed through extrapolated cerebral measurement."

Or
"I'll go places, take pictures and look which ones are nice and bright"

[tekdroid @ Sep 22nd 2006 1:17AM]

a few comments about the "weird guy in the picture". Uhm, as a guy with a flawless heterosexual record, I must call you people morons, for he is quite a good-looking man. Oh how this comment will haunt me forever. But I must right the wrongs; that's my mission.

;)

btw, seems like great tech.

[Rami Selim @ Sep 22nd 2006 1:47AM]

I'd like to know who can read half of that paragraph in 2 seconds as they so claim.

[Dan Seaton @ Sep 22nd 2006 2:09AM]

2 seconds ... AROUND - think about it.

[keith waddington @ Sep 22nd 2006 8:14AM]

If it came with a Dell instead of that mac mini I'd buy it in half a Texan second.


waddo
http://www.waddo.net/

[hotrock3 @ May 21st 2008 2:02AM]

Why would you want a Dell instead? I mean if you are going to get a PC then at least get one that you know will last somewhere as long as the mac. You know something that you put together yourself.

I have had PC's and Mac's and wish I had never used Windows, Linux was nice but took too much of my time to get it to do what I wanted to do. So Mac was a nice middle ground.

[Raj Kamal @ Sep 8th 2008 3:11PM]

Seitz Roundshot D3 360 Degree camera is superb !
I do not know why so many people are not happy with it !

Raj Kamal
--------------------
Raj Kamal Panographics
www.rajkamalpanographics.com