Gear Guide: The Latest in 360° Cameras

If you’re interested in experimenting with 360° video or upgrading the camera you already have, you’re in luck. Access to great 360° cameras keeps getting easier and cheaper even as the camera quality has continued to improve. Most 360° cameras made today can film and even livestream in 4K with real-time stitching.

With VR headset sales expected to increase to 76 million units in 2020, up from 10 million in 2016, there hasn’t been a better time to work on developing your 360° filmmaking skills with some of the newest gear.

Smartphone Cameras

If you want an easy-to-use and transportable 360° camera without sacrificing image quality, you should look at the ones that work as attachments for your smartphone. The top three on our list with the best value and specs are the Samsung Gear 360 (2017), Insta360 ONE, and the Essential360.

Professional Cameras

While the Ricoh Theta V is billed as a consumer camera, it’s a small, inexpensive, and powerful camera that can record quality 360° footage in 4K. If 4K isn’t enough for you, the Garmin VIRB 360 — double the Theta’s price tag, but still inexpensive as cameras can go — will record in 5.7K. However, the Insta360 Pro is more impressive with six lenses and 8K recording, which means your 360° footage is going to look even more clear and realistic.

If you’re looking for a heavy-duty filmmaking camera, then most of the cameras above probably won’t cut it. Meet the Nokia OZO+. This camera will set you back over $27,000, but with eight lenses capturing 4K per eye stereoscopic 360° images and eight on-board microphones for full spatial audio, it could be worth the price. Or you can sign up for the early-purchase program for the JUMP YI HALO, which promises the best 3D-360° recording out there with seventeen cameras shooting in 8K.

Upcoming Releases

A lot of 360° recording is done with multiple GoPro cameras on a rig, and now GoPro is taking that idea and condensing it into a singular piece: the GoPro Fusion. It’s available for pre-order now and ships in December, so you won’t have to wait that long before getting it. And if you’re looking for something really different next year, check out the ORBI Prime, an indiegogo-funded 360° camera eyewear.

Now, you know what cameras are available, you can start working on filming your 360° masterpiece — and even more importantly, knowing how to that stitch 360° footage.

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By D. Simone Kovacs, Storyhunter Editor