Read our list of the best 360 camera reviews where you’ll find top-quality 360-degree cameras that you can buy.
Having a 360-degree camera is now a trend in the YouTube industry and creating videos. They provide a new way to experience videos in a world of immersion. You no longer have to look at a 2D world on a flat screen, because you will immerse yourself in the 3D experience. These 360-degree videos can be controlled by the audience, moving them to the sides where they want to watch.
In this guide to buying the best 360-degree cameras, we will offer all the information you need to leave your doubts. So you can put yourself at the forefront of the bloggers and creators of audiovisual content. First, we’ll see the best 360 camera reviews to help you find a top-quality spherical camera. Second, we tell you what all this 360-degree video is about, how it works, and what’s the future of it all.
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What is the best 360-degree video camera?
With the intention of going straight to the point, we have made a comparison of the best in the market. Without further ado, let’s see the best models on the market right now.
Insta360 GO Sports Action Camera
I started with this Insta360 Go Sports Camera that I found very special because it only weighs 20 grams. It is ideal for taking first-person videos thanks to its magnetic housing and other accessories that it includes (magnetic pendant, a small tripod or pivot stand, an easy clip system) which makes it possible to place the camera on any surface and use it with hands-free.
The other wonderful thing is that in addition to being IPX4 waterproof, it is very fast and stable. Its barrel turning functions, slow motion at 100 frames per second, hyper lapses at 6x, and the ability to record static time-lapses for hours, make it a unique mini 360 camera perfect to use in any situation.
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Ricoh Theta S Digital Camera
We think the 360-degree Ricoh Theta S camera is one of the best options in the 360 camera market. His two lenses capture the real sphere which should be a 360-degree capture. Not only that, they do it with fidelity to the real colors, perfect picture quality in photographs, and great video quality (even if limited to a resolution of 1080p).
The camera is easy to accommodate in your hand and easy to use on your own, but can also be controlled through a Smartphone application. Editing and sharing clips and photos is an easy process to understand.
The Theta S uses two 12-megapixel sensors synchronized with ultra-wide 240-degree lenses. Thus, they can create videos of 360 degrees with vertical and horizontal axes.
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Insta360 ONE R Sports
This is another best 360 camera to buy. Are you one of those who give the same importance to video montage as to its content? Then this is the right camera for you.
It is the 360 iPhone camera with the best app for iOS devices for post-production. It allows you to modify the video with a wide variety of tools that achieve a result close to the professional.
Examples of this are the adjustment of the point of interest within the video to improve focus, the Smart track so that the camera follows a person by default, the multiple views to offer several segments of the 360 spectra of the video at the same time, and the invisibility effect to the selfie stick, among others.
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Samsung Gear 360
This model of the Samsung Gear changes its design and adopts a much more convenient form for those who want to keep it in their pocket ready to spring. The video quality will increase coming to a true spherical 4K, but decreases the camera. The presence of a small display to change the setting makes it one of the most comfortable on the move.
And, working with images after having taken them with the Samsung Gear application is easy to handle and learn to use. But it is fully compatible with only a few Samsung phones, which prevents us from choosing it as the main 360-degree camera.
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Ricoh Theta SC 360° video and still camera
This is another best 360 camera to buy. A less expensive version of our star choice is the Ricoh Theta SC. It costs about 50 $ less than the Ricoh Theta S and shares many of the same features. In addition, it is available in 4 colors.
It does not have an HDMI port to transmit the captures live (live-streaming), unfortunately. In addition, their video clips are limited to 5 minutes instead of 25, as in the Ricoh Theta S. We believe that this simple limitation makes our choice of a 360-degree star camera worth it.
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Samsung Gear 360 Full HD Camera
The brand Samsung offers the public a mini camera 360 with the curious shape of an eyeball. It comes with two powerful fish eye lenses, but without losing its small, rugged, and lightweight design.
In addition, it has Bluetooth 4.1, NFC, and WiFi Direct and is capable of capturing 360 high-resolution videos (3,840 x 1,920 pixels).
It also captures images with a 180-degree angle of view using just one of the lenses, is resistant to dust and splashes, and includes a convenient tripod. Of course, the Gear 360 is only compatible with certain Galaxy smartphones.
Discover more and the price here
What to look for when buying a 360-degree camera?
Just like any type of audio or video recording device, there are some things that you will have to keep in mind in case you are about to buy one of these 360-degree cameras. We are talking about the following.
Glasses
The most important part of any camera is the lenses. In many cases, the 360-degree models will have 2 or more, and the truth is that if you have more than this amount does not help much to the image quality, so do not look for the number of lenses. Apart from this, you will have to look for standard specifications like diaphragm, shutter, and ISO range. The better these characteristics relate to lenses the better.
Image quality
Another important aspect of a good 360-degree video is image quality. This will be judged by the number of pixels, the more you have the higher the quality. More things that come into play are the lenses, the internal hardware, and the last specifications that we said in the previous paragraph.
Frames per second
If you want any 360-degree video to be viewed without the familiar lag or without standing, you should look for a model that records at several frames per second as the higher the better. Still, some record more than 15 per second but are a bit slow. In this aspect you have to pay attention that the other features do not fall far behind when you are looking for a good model, that is, do not focus on just one aspect before making the purchase.
Capacity and memory
The internal storage capacity of a camera indicates how many photos or videos you can save. This also depends on the image quality you are recording, since you may be doing it at the highest resolution, and for this reason, you will end the internal memory in a moment.
As you probably already know, there are the typical SD cards, which you can use in most cameras to extend this memory, and the 360 does not have to be an exception, so make sure you have the slot before you buy it.
Size and weight
These two factors of a camera that records 360 degrees can be very important depending on how you use the camera. Recording while traveling or doing other activities can be difficult with one that weighs, but if for example, you intend to put on a tripod, it does not matter as many grams as you have. Most consumer cameras can be held in a hand without problems, they are also light and compact. If you plan to use it a little extreme, it may be desirable to be water-resistant but also to shock.
Battery
If you plan to use it for extended periods, it is important to consider the capacity of the battery. Some models have a battery that is exchanged so you can change it quickly with one that is already charged and you do not need to rely on cables.
360-degree videos
The so-called 360-degree videos or simply 360 videos are those in which the viewer has control of the viewing direction and can look around as if he were the body of the camera. To give you an idea of what it is in words, think of Google Streetview. So a 360-degree video is recorded the same way, you just need a camera you do it. The result is a perspective where you can look around with your mobile, or in virtual reality glasses.
The 360-degree videos allow those who are watching to experience new sensations from the comfort of their home. You can feel that you are spending the day with the person you have recorded, whether at a concert or making it look like you are on the back of a motorcycle or doing extreme sports without risking your life directly.
How do I record 360-degree videos?
They are recorded with cameras that have 2 or more lenses. These are positioned in opposite positions so that they can record at a very wide angle. Then what happens is that the images overlap and automatically come together with the internal software to create a single 360-degree video.
It is true that the technology has existed for a few years, but has not been used for the consumer market due to two main reasons. First, they were more expensive than they are now. Second, we have the separation of files once something had been recorded, because they had to be put together in post-production, so there was enough more work.
Due to the rapid advancement in the technology of these videos, the price of the 360-degree cameras goes down quickly, in addition to internally, they can put the recordings together without leaving separate files, eliminating the need to do it manually. Just press the button and record a video 360 degrees without any need to edit. This means that these cameras will become more and more popular.
The future of the 360
Thanks to the recent rise in interest in virtual reality, we are witnessing an intense fascination not only between the audience and creators of content but also among companies that create both 360-degree cameras as headphones and glasses to enjoy the environments that these Appliances provide us.
About a year ago, Pentax introduced Theta from which we have already spoken above. It is relatively recently, it was Nikon’s turn with its Keymission 360. It is therefore not surprising that GoPro, the leader in action cameras on the market, presents a 360-degree camera at the end of the year.
Some users will not even consider buying these kits for the price and the little use they would give them, but for those more advanced or who want to explore the world of the periphery, you have to think that these cameras can not record in 4K and you can enjoy them at Maximum using, for example, Google Cardboard or other types of glasses. In addition, in a couple of years, prices will surely drop.
As an example, we have the GoPro Odyssey, which costs about $ 15,000 and is exclusively designed for Hollywood and ESPN professionals. It would be quite expensive, but you could still reach the most motivated in the industry. At least that’s what GoPro expects with a 360-degree camera of these features.
If you are looking for different products from 360-degree cameras, here’s a selection of other great devices: