The whole world around: five cameras for shooting spherical panoramas

The young and ambitious company Nomi has been operating since 2013. Its product range includes not only smartphones and TVs, but also more interesting devices, among which it is necessary to highlight the camera for shooting spherical panoramas Nomi Cam 360 D1.

The device is a small cube with a ribbed body shape that prevents it from slipping out of the hands. The device looks at the world with two convex lenses with a viewing angle of 180 ° each. Images from both lenses are glued together programmatically, and sometimes gluing artifacts remain visible on the final result. However, they do not interfere with the holistic perception of the picture and are not very striking.

Movies are recorded by the camera in FullHD (1920x1080 pixels, 30 fps) and HD (1280x720 pixels, 60 fps) formats. But the picture does not shine with detail at all - the overall quality of the video recording can be assessed as mediocre. Files are recorded on removable media, which is a microSD SDHC memory card (up to 32 GB). The speed class of the flash drive must be at least 6th.

The main shooting parameters are displayed on a miniature 0.96" display located on the top edge of the body of the model. More detailed settings are accessed from the associated SYVR360 application. In addition, it serves to view the footage and download it to the smartphone's memory.

In parallel with the camera, the manufacturer released a whole line of accessories, which included mounts familiar to many owners of action cameras and a box for underwater shooting. In addition, a miniature tripod is included in the delivery set of the model straight out of the box. And the fact that the camera occupies the position of one of the most affordable solutions for shooting spherical panoramas, makes it the preferred option for purchase by anyone who is not indifferent to getting new unusual angles in photo and video shooting.

Excellent photo and video quality, as well as sound recording, many settings in the associated application, long battery life, compact size and light weight.

Small range of Wi-Fi connection, no stabilization system.

Externally, the camera for shooting spherical panoramas from the South Korean brand LG resembles a kind of periscope with a wide handle for a comfortable grip. Only the eye of the periscope is not one, but two at once - each looks in its own direction, which ensures a 360 ° viewing angle.

The body of the device is assembled from soft-touch plastic and you can find just a couple of controls on it: a shutter button on the front panel (the only difference from the back of the camera) and a power button on the right side. The last element also serves as a shooting mode switch - with its help, the camera's viewing angle can be reduced from 360 ° to 180 °. More in-depth settings are made in the associated LG 360 Cam Manager application, which is available for download for owners of smartphones running Android and iOs.

Through a mobile application, you can manage the entire shooting process and set its parameters manually - the shutter speed, ISO value and white balance setting are subject to change. Also through the programme it is possible to upload the captured videos directly to YouTube or Facebook. The maximum resolution of video files is 2560x1280 pixels at a recording speed of 30 fps.

The camera boasts not only high-quality photo and video recording, but also good sound recording - three built-in microphones record sound both in stereo and in 5.1 format. Almost any device can read files from the LG 360 CAM: photos from the camera are saved in JPG graphic format, and videos are saved in MP4. All footage is stored on a microSD flash drive, the slot for which is located at the bottom of the case next to a standard tripod thread and a USB Type-C port for charging the gadget and exchanging data with a PC.

The equipment of the model lacks only an image stabilization system and a stronger Wi-Fi module, since from a distance of more than 5 m the signal from the network created by the camera is lost. But the lack of a removable battery raises almost no questions - a built-in 1200 mAh battery provides up to one and a half hours of continuous video recording at maximum settings. The main purpose of the LG 360 CAM is everyday use, because thanks to its compact size and light weight, the camera fits easily into your pocket.

3.5K video recording, waterproof, durable case, tripod and case included.

Heats up during long continuous video shooting, problems with localization in the associated application.

The panoramic camera from the Chinese company Xiaomi is more like a car DVR than a camcorder for active shooting. The similarity with the family of devices for video recording of road conditions can be traced in the form factor of the device, enclosed in a thin plastic case with metal frames around the perimeter.

A convex lens is located in the center of the front panel of the case. A similar lens is located on the back of the camera. The viewing angles of both modules are 190° each. When overlaying the images received by each "eye" into the final image, it is possible to get coverage of the entire surrounding space without dead zones. Panoramic shooting mode allows you to take both photos and videos. The maximum frame resolution when recording video is 3456x1728 pixels, which corresponds to an atypical 3.5K format - the camera's capabilities fall short of the trendy UltraHD resolution.

Pairing Xiaomi Mi 360 Panoramic with a smartphone is done through the Mi Sphere Camera application. It contains typical problems with the localization of the interface for Xiaomi products, associated with a large number of hieroglyphs in the menu. Although the very capabilities of the programme for managing the device do not cause any complaints. With it, you can set shooting modes, view and share footage, set a timer for photos, and more.

The manufacturer took care of the convenience of shooting from different angles, for which a miniature tripod was carefully placed in the box with the camera, which turns into a convenient handle when the legs are folded. In addition, Xiaomi Mi 360 Panoramic comes with a storage case with a water-repellent exterior and soft suede lining on the inside.

Despite the waterproof qualities of the cover, it is not necessary to hide the camera in it when exposed to heavy rain - its body is also reliably protected from moisture penetration according to the IP67 standard. Well, one of the drawbacks of the model is heating during long continuous video shooting at maximum resolution. The duration of video recording on a single battery charge can reach one and a half hours, which is more than enough for amateur shooting scenarios.

4K video recording, video streaming support, IP53 dust and water protection, comfortable grip, futuristic design.

There are no significant downsides.

The update of the panoramic camera from the Samsung Gear family of devices was a success - even though the device with the all-seeing eye lost the complete tripod, which was included in the equipment Samsung Gear 360 , but instead, he got a comfortable handle with a shutter button and a miniature display.

Two modules with a resolution of 8.4 MP and f / 2.2 aperture allow you to shoot video in full-frame 4K format (with a resolution of 4096x2048 pixels) or make spherical photo panoramas. Traces of gluing images from two cameras are almost imperceptible and in the vast majority of cases do not attract attention at all. Content is stored on a microSD flash drive with a maximum capacity of up to 256 GB.

With an active Wi-Fi connection, the camera supports live streaming of 360-degree videos on YouTube and Facebook. An even more spectacular way to consume panoramic content is to use a virtual reality helmet — it allows you to fully immerse yourself in what is happening and feel yourself in the place of the operator.

The camera is not afraid of dust and water splashes, since its body is protected from negative impacts according to the IP53 standard. The Samsung Gear 360 2017 package also includes a rubber ring for better stability of the case on flat surfaces, which is worn on the base of the camera handle. And the presence of a standard tripod thread makes it possible to use the gadget paired with selfie sticks or classic ones . The full capabilities of the camera are revealed in conjunction with Samsung's flagship smartphones, and slightly reduced functionality is also supported by other mobile phones, incl. Apple devices running iOS 10.0 and later.

4K video recording, instant start, all-encompassing, wide range of accessories, excellent build quality.

The large button to start recording video is often pressed spontaneously, there is no LiveView mode when shooting video.

Unlike the vast majority of direct competitors, the device for shooting spherical panoramas from the Japanese company Nikon is positioned more as an action camera. The all-protectiveness of the miniature camcorder clearly hints at belonging to this class - it is not afraid of falls from a height of 2 m, diving under water to a depth of 30 m and exposure to low temperatures down to -10°C.

Starting shooting on the Nikon KeyMission 360 is very simple - to start video recording, you just need to press the large button located on the top of the camera. However, the instant launch function also has a downside - the key is easily pressed spontaneously, so some users sometimes find a video from their pocket or bag and a dead battery upon arrival at the shooting point.

Control of shooting parameters, as well as the transfer of footage, is carried out through the associated Nikon SnapBridge 360/170 application. But for some reason, it doesn’t allow you to look in the process of video filming - you will have to record videos blindly, because in parallel with the start of filming, the picture on the connected smartphone freezes or even changes to a black screen. When photographing, this problem does not arise.

By default, the camera shoots video in 4K format (3840x2160 pixels) with a cinematic frame rate of 24 fps. The same frame rate is supported in FullHD. Technically, it is possible to realize even greater speed, but then the "baby" would need a more efficient image processor. The processor installed in it generally copes well with its duties, providing good picture quality with an almost invisible seam at the place where frames from two lenses are glued together.

The result obtained with the help of the camera does not require practically any further interventions - MP4 video files are immediately ready for uploading to social networks or video hosting, and JPEG photos can be easily opened in any viewer. And if you don’t need such a wide view of the world, there are a couple of models in the Nikon action camera range with a narrower field of view: Nikon KeyMission 170 and Nikon KeyMission 80.