Guide To The Best VR Cameras

Take a look at our list below for the best 360-degree cameras available right now.

With virtual reality finally here and in a never before form, the demand for a variety of content in 360-degree VR videos is also surging.  And to help in the production of such videos, the who’s who of the tech world is coming up with new 360-degree cameras. The hardware behind VR and 360-degree content is evolving with new, beautifully designed cameras seeing releases every year.

For people who don’t want to spend a bomb on high-end cameras like a Nokia OZO, there’s quite a lot of other cameras in a decent budget which you can lay your hands on. Take a look at our list below for the best 360-degree cameras available right now. Already tried and tested, these are few of the cameras that any regular folk like you or me can pick up. 

Ricoh Theta S 

Ricoh has always been in the race of the best 360-degree cameras. The latest Theta S model lets you shoot in 1080p HD at 30fps for up to 25 minutes at a time. You can also live stream your videos and even transfer footage to a mobile device without connecting to a PC. And the best part is that this slim, easily portable camera comes at a great price too. 

Samsung Gear 360 

Combining a pair of 180 degrees f2.0 Fisheye lenses, each with 15 megapixels, the Samsung Gear 360 is helps you shoot two super wide videos or images at once which can later be stitched together and made into a high-quality 360-degree footage. There is a special app designed, to help in this. Once the 360-degree action is recorded, it can be easily shared on Facebook or Youtube by just the tap of an icon. And, as expected you can view the images or video on the Gear VR headset – for which there’s a dedicated mode. 

Kodak PIXPRO SP360 4K 

The Kodak PIXPRO SP360 4K has a splash-proof making and can record Ultra High-Definition content at 30FPS with the help of an ultra wide 235-degree lens. The camera can also survive 2m drops (with the company’s drop cover) and extreme temperatures. To record a 4K quality fully spherical content, all you need to do is pair two PIXPRO SP360 4K cameras together. A mobile app and stitching software is a part of the camera parcel. And just in case, you are not really looking for a 4K quality footage, you can go with the previous model – the Kodak PIXPRO SP360 – which is cheaper at $279 and delivers 1080p. 

LG 360 CAM

The LG 360 CAM can easily be touted as one of the most affordable 360-degree cameras on the list that too, without falling short of specs. It comes equipped with two 13MP, 200-degree wide angle cameras, which surpasses several competitors; a 1,200mAh battery and 4GB internal memory, which can be further supplemented by a microSD card. But that’s not it. This small package will give you 2K videos along with 5.1 surround sound channel recording through three microphones. Another amazing part about this camera is that you don’t need to stitch your footage; you will be able to experience a 360-degree video with the tap of an icon on the app. 

Sphericam 2

The most expensive of the lot, the Sphericam 2 makes up by recording in 4K. You get 60FPS at 4096×2048 resolution, in 10-bit color where everything is stitched internally in real time. Sphericam 2 is a single integrated camera. It’s six sensors are completely synchronized in every way. The camera and software are capable of pushing a 4K pre-stitched 30FPS h/264 equirectangular 360 degrees tagged live stream to a stream that can be configured to send up to 100mbits, making it perfect for live streaming. Maybe, all these are the reasons that even the hefty price is not stopping people from ordering it. 

So, these are just a few of the best 360-degree virtual reality cameras; while there are many other high-end ones, various companies are working out to bring more advanced and budget-friendly cameras in the market soon. Get going and choose your gear smartly. And in case, you are not sure about how to go about making your perfect VR video, refer our previous blog where we have decoded the process for you. 

Happy VR videoing!

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