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The world's smallest 8K 360 camera can fit in your pocket
When it comes to pocket 360 cameras these days, we tend to look to the likes of Insta360, GoPro and Ricoh. The adventurous folks may also tap into the lesser-known KanDao, which has today released its second pocket 360 camera, the QooCam 8K. As the name implies, this $589 device packs the highest video resolution in its class, beating the 5.7K Insta360 One X and the 5.6K GoPro Max. It even does real-time stitching, and afterwards, you can do "8K express edits" on your phone by way of smaller 4K proxy files. It's a cunning way to maximize the user's mobility without sacrificing output quality.
The best 360-degree camera
By Geoffrey Morrison This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, Wirecutter and Engadget may earn affiliate commission. Read the full 3060-degree camera guide here. After 70-plus hours of researching over nearly three years, including days of hands-on testing for this update and two months using our main pick, we've found that the Insta360 One X is the best 360 camera. It produces attractive, high-resolution, 360-degree, fully spherical images and videos that you can scroll around to show a view of every direction surrounding the camera, plus unique non-360 "FreeCapture" 1080p videos that show just the most interesting sections of your 360 content. The camera is small and easy to use and has excellent apps for your phone and computer. The Insta360 One X is the camera that does everything well. The specs on the One X read like a 360 camera wishlist: 5.7K resolution (the highest you can get in this price range), removable battery, on-camera display, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, an app with advanced editing methods, and more. It's as if Insta360 looked at everything people wanted in a 360 camera, and stuffed it all into the One X. Even better, it performs as well as you'd hope looking at the features list. The camera isn't waterproof, but two waterproof cases are available, along with numerous other accessories. Though it lacks some of the advanced features of the Insta360 One X like robust image stabilization, a removable battery, and 5.7K video, the Ricoh Theta V is a solid alternative if our main pick is sold out. The Theta V's simple design belies the complexity within, offering high-quality images and videos that look more natural and immersive than those taken by most other cameras. Though its resolution isn't as high as that of some others, the quality of its lenses and image sensors let it take excellent photos and videos. If you're looking for something you can take surfing, swimming, mountain biking, or otherwise action cam-y, the Garmin Virb 360 is waterproof to 33 feet (10 meters), records 5.7K video, and has a number of cool editing features. It's significantly more expensive than our other picks, but offers a lot more for people looking for a 360 action cam. While the similar GoPro Fusion has a bit better image quality, it is significantly more difficult to use and live with. So for most people, the Garmin is the better option.
Insta360 Evo captures 180- and 360-degree content for VR headsets
Following the powerful One X 360 camera (and some fun updates), Insta360 is now back with a rather eccentric device that aims to make better use of your VR headsets. The new Insta360 Evo is a dual-mode camera that captures 360 content when folded into a cube, as well as 180 3D content when unfolded (remember Lenovo's VR camera?). What's more, this convertible camera can stream freshly captured content directly to the likes of HTC Vive Focus, Oculus Go and Samsung Gear VR, which will likely motivate users to create more VR content.
Facebook's 3D photos will work with Insta360's 'tiny planet' images
Insta360 rarely disappoints when it comes to adding new app features for its 360 cameras. In the latest update for the One X, users will be able to upload "tiny planet" photos as 3D photos to Facebook, so long as your Facebook app is also up to date. The process is simple: Just pick your desired 360 shot, choose to share via Facebook, and you'll see the new "3D Planet" option which exports your image as a 3D photo. Then it's just a matter of creating a new post in the Facebook app, select "3D photo" and then pick your freshly made 3D planet.
Panoskin makes it easier to post GoPro footage to Street View
Uploading your own Street View Photos -- even with a 360-degree camera -- can be a pretty laborious process. Google introduced "Street View ready" standards in 2017 to make things easier, and now things are set to become even more straightforward. Chicago-based company Panoskin is launching a desktop app that lets anyone with a GoPro Fusion 360 camera convert and publish their footage directly to Street View.
Insta360 Titan is an 11K, eight-lens beast of a VR camera
Insta360 already has a line of 8K professional VR cameras, but apparently there's demand for an even higher resolution. After the teaser at last year's CES, this time the company is officially bringing out the Titan, an 11K VR camera consisting of eight lenses. Not only that, but the device also uses Micro Four Thirds sensors -- the largest available on any standalone VR camera -- with 10-bit color support. Priced at $14,999, this device is clearly aimed at folks who take VR cinematography very seriously.
'Aftermath' is a 360-degree walkthrough of the Camp Fire devastation
Camp Fire, the tragedy that killed at least 85 victims and destroyed around 14,000 homes across Paradise, California, continues to torment as residents start returning to the ruin as of yesterday. News channels around the world have been offering a sober look at what little is left behind the walls of fire, but not long after disaster struck, former Lytro exec Steve Cooper already sensed the need to capture a proper first-hand account of this unprecedented catastrophic event. With help from his firefighter friend at the scene plus CAL FIRE's media team, the filmmaker eventually arrived in Paradise on November 13th -- day five of Camp Fire -- with his SUV and 360 camera to commence his two-day shoot. The result was the aptly named Aftermath, a seven-minute 8K 360 video documentary now available on YouTube.
Red Bull puts an entire mountain in your living room with AR
It's too late for you to catch a plane to Utah and watch Red Bull Rampage, a freeride mountain bike competition featuring some of the best riders in the world, live in person. But you can bring all of the ridges, slopes, and rocky terrain of the Virgin, Utah mountains into your living room using the new augmented reality features in the Red Bull TV app.
Insta360 turned a Nerf rocket into a VR camera holder
Insta360 did a pretty impressive job with its portable 4K VR camera, the One, with its handful of unique tricks that barely any rivals had kept up with, especially when it came to stabilization. Well over a year later, the Chinese startup is now back with a follow-up model dubbed One X, which is what it has been teasing over the past two weeks.
Insta360's next VR camera is made to be thrown around
With the Insta360 One marking its first anniversary earlier this month, it's no surprise that the company is preparing a follow-up model to this standalone 4K 360 camera. But first, we have a teaser (as usual). From afar, the first video appears to be yet another sample that shows off "FlowState" video stabilization combined with slow motion and FreeCapture editing, so nothing new in that sense. What actually caught my attention were two brief moments when the camera operator's shadow gave the game away -- that person was throwing the camera, as opposed to waving it around on a selfie stick. Later on, you can also just about see another person holding an upside-down umbrella for catching the camera.
Insta360 Pro 2 captures 8K VR video with stabilization
Back in December, Insta360 managed to prolong the life of its professional VR camera, the aptly-named Insta360 Pro, with a significant firmware upgrade. But of course, since there is only so much that software can do, the company is now bringing us the Insta360 Pro 2 to offer a bigger performance bump, while also aiming to simplify one's VR production workflow. Most notably, this 3.42-pound camera can capture 360 video at up to 8K 3D at 30 fps, and thanks to its new 9-axis gyroscope, it's backed by the company's impressive FlowState stabilization technology, thus offering more creative freedom to users. Another major addition to the kit is the dedicated "Farsight" 5.18GHz video transmission system, which is plugged into the camera via the LAN port, has a 300m range and is said to be a more reliable alternative to the old WiFi for live monitoring on a mobile device; hence the higher price tag -- $5,000 instead of $3,499.
Insta360 One update adds 'pro-level' video stabilization
The Insta360 One made quite an impression when it launched about half a year ago, but even with its 4K 360 capture and bullet-time trick, there was always room for improvement. Today, this camera is receiving a major update that adds a much improved "FlowState" video stabilization, along with two new tools that should make fix-frame video editing more intuitive. The company went as far as calling this "pro-level" package a "gimbal killer," and indeed, the official video does show some impressive sample clips, but it wasn't until I tried it myself -- thanks to the help of my dog -- that I was convinced.
Insta360 Nano S does multi-cam video with 4K spherical capture
Before the Pro, One and Air, Insta360 was already known for its relatively affordable 360-degree camera dongle, Nano, which was released for iOS devices since 2016. For CES 2018, the Chinese startup brought out a Nano S, which makes use of the same form factor (so it'll work with existing Nano accessories) but has upgraded guts to capture 4K video and 20-megapixel photos -- a notable jump from 3K video and 4.6-megapixel stills on the previous-generation device. There's also a new matte-black option in addition to the original silver offering, while the microSD card slot remains for standalone camera mode.
Insta360 Pro goes 'V2.0' with image quality boost plus new tools
It's only been half a year since the $3,499 Insta360 Pro VR camera started shipping, but the Chinese company is already offering a "V2.0" release right before the holidays. To be exact, this is actually more about a "major" firmware update with significant improvements on the same hardware, and existing users can already download the beta firmware for a spin (though it's also possible to roll back should something go wrong). Once updated, the device will benefit from much improved image quality, as well as a 12K "Super Resolution" still photo mode, optical flow interpolation for double frame rate output plus a few new professional tools.
Insta360 One is a 4K 360 camera with smart tricks
For those who haven't been following, earlier Insta360 released a montage of cool sample clips to tease its upcoming camera's bullet-time video capability. What baffled me at the time was how those slow-motion shots orbited around a person with his upright arm seemingly holding onto something, except there was no visible string nor selfie stick to suggest that the camera was being swung around. Well, as it turns out, I was wrong, but there's no need to be disappointed -- it actually takes a lot more than just a piece of string to achieve this bullet-time effect.
Insta360's next camera may shoot orbiting video while stationary
If you've tinkered with a consumer 360 camera lately, chances are you have already tried the "round view" or "little planet" viewing mode in the companion app for a good laugh. But what if you could take things to the next level so that rather than spinning a 360 video on a fixed spot, you could actually spin around a subject such as yourself? That's the impression we're getting from an exclusive teaser video provided by Insta360 today.
Motorola's newest Mod is this $300, 360-degree camera
You didn't think Motorola was just going to announce a new phone, did you? The company also unveiled its latest Moto Mod — a 360-degree camera that magnetically attaches to Moto Z phones — here at an event in New York City. Details are still pretty sparse, but we do know some of the juiciest bits: it'll record video at resolutions up to 4K, not to mention 3D sound for more immersive audio. (In other words, be sure to use headphones when watching the stuff you've recorded with this thing.) Oh, and it'll set you back $300 when it launches alongside the Moto Z2 Force on August 10
Meet the small 360 camera module that will fit into phones
You're probably not aware of this, but a Chinese company dubbed ProTruly has already released the world's first two "VR smartphones" with a built-in 360 camera last December. Don't worry if you missed the news, because chances are you'd be put off by the devices' sheer bulkiness, but according to Wuhan-based HT Optical, this may no longer be the case with the next release. At MWC Shanghai, I came across this company which appeared to be the 360 camera module supplier of ProTruly, as suggested by the presence of its two phones at the booth. The phones' brands were actually covered with tape, but given their distinct designs, the link between HT Optical and ProTruly was hardly a secret.
Insta360's 'affordable' 8K VR camera is up for pre-orders
With the recent VR announcements at Facebook's F8 conference, things are certainly getting a lot more interesting in the 360 content space, especially with the new hardware that can shoot in six degrees of freedom for an unprecedented level of immersion. However, the current wave of professional-grade 360 cameras are still cost-prohibitive for many studios, with the Nokia Ozo asking for $40,000 and the original Facebook Surround reference design costing about $30,000 to build. This is where Insta360 comes in with its $3,499 8K VR camera, the Pro, which is now open for pre-orders ahead of tomorrow's NAB Show in Las Vegas.
The new Gear 360 camera streams live video, works with iPhones
Make no mistake: Samsung has been really busy lately. Beyond the Galaxy S8 and S8+, the company also built a new Gear 360 camera that's both cuter and more feature-rich than before. The new Gear 360, for instance, shoots video in true 4K. By comparison, last year's model shot video at 3,840 x 1,920, which was so close to 4K we're not sure why Samsung didn't close the gap. And in an about-face from last year, this new model also supports iPhones right out of the box. Just make sure you have an iPhone 6s or newer (including the tiny SE) and that it's running iOS 10. Though I saw the camera ahead of today's launch event, however, I didn't get to see this particular feature in action, so consider me cautiously optimistic.
