It’s not as rough and ready as some other cameras on this list, without waterproofing or a protective shell, but it’s got a smooth design that’s comfortable to hold and intuitive to use. The Ricoh Theta Z1 produces impressively high-quality 360-degree video – as you’d hope at this price. It’s worth double-checking which one you’re getting before clicking the “Buy” button. Since then, not much has changed, save for a slightly revamped version launched more recently, boasting 51GB of storage rather than the original’s rather limiting 19GB. The first Ricoh Theta Z1 was announced and released in 2019 – back when a 360-degree camera was still at least something of a novelty. Beautifully designed, and producing excellent footage to match, the Vuze XR is an excellent tool for 360-degree imaging though perhaps a little bulky and offbeat for mainstream users.īear in mind that while the Vuze XR is still widely available in the US, it's currently a little harder to find elsewhere, so international readers may want to consider one of the other options on our list. The integrated hand grip makes it excellent for casual day-to-day usage – it’s not waterproof unless you add a separately sold case, so don’t go bringing it on kayaking trips and the like, as you would the GoPro Max. The XR also allows for in-camera image stitching as well as live broadcasting, further opening up your creative options, and the useful smartphone app also allows you to better monitor and control what you’re doing.
360 ACTION CAMERA 4K FULL
With the press of a single button, you can switch between 360-degree (2D) and 180-degree (3D) modes, shooting half a sphere or a full sphere of VR footage as you please. The only reason we've put more recent 360 cameras above it in our list is that newer models offer better quality, versatility or waterproofing – but for casual 360 experimenters and travel videos, the One X remains superb.ĭesigned to make shooting 360-degree and 180-degree photos and videos into an easy and intuitive process, the Vuze XR is effectively two cameras for the price of one. On release, the Insta360 ONE X felt like a massive step forward in simplicity, usability and quality for 360 cameras, and it still works brilliantly now. Even better, if you get the optional 'invisible' selfie stick, it's hidden in the recorded footage and it looks like you're a bystander in your videos and photos and not actually holding the camera at all. Insta360 makes a great play about this camera's 6-axis gyro system and 'FlowState' stabilisation, and it's every bit as good as they say – we got the odd 'shimmer' during low-light shooting indoors, but in decent light it's as smooth as you like, and playback stays level however you angle the camera (just make sure you calibrate the gyros now and again). There is an Insta360 EVO which offers both 360 imaging and 3D but it's boxy and bulky, and we prefer the enduring appeal of of the Insta360 ONE X, thanks to its shirt-pocket design, excellent stabilization and an app that offers advanced video editing and subject tracking on your smartphone. While these are absolutely top-of-the-line 360 cameras, there are plenty of other options to choose from, many of which come at competitive price tags. Once that's sorted, it's time to pick the best 360 camera for you! There's plenty out there – GoPro made its name in the 360 realm with two bites at the apple, first the GoPro Fusion and later the much-refined GoPro Max. If you're new to 360-degree imaging and need a bit of a primer, we have a section you can jump to on how 360 imaging works, which will give you what you need to get your head around the basics. You may already be finding all this a bit confusing. This means you can use a 360-degree camera as a great kind of catch-all camera, for moments when you want to capture the action but aren't sure where it's going to be happening. You don't only have to use them to create 360-degree content you can also dive in post-capture and pick out a slice of the scene that you want to convert into a more traditional "flat" image or video.
360 ACTION CAMERA 4K SOFTWARE
While 360-degree files are big and unwieldy, and will requite the right software to process, they are incredibly useful and versatile.