By Tati Taylor 13 days ago, Cameras & Lenses
Our choice of the best 360 degree cameras.
A 360 degree camera is a must-have device for you if you to capture the surrounding area while travelling or active sports. Every model described in this review has 360° coverage. Still, there are many differences in features and functionality between cameras.
Among the options we recommend considering are automatic stitching (that prevents you from manual leveling several captures), picture stabilization, live-streaming, and resolution, that sometimes it’s higher than 5K. Keep in mind that even the highest resolution rate won’t always lead to a detailed picture. As pixels are stretched over a 360-degree shot, the tiny area you’re watching may be pretty less than Full HD.
If you aspire to find the best 360 camera that can fully satisfy your needs, read the entire review and you are bound to pick your ideal product.
Type: 360 action camera | Sensor size: Dual 1/2.3" | Resolution: 16.6 MP | Lens: Digital | Viewfinder: Electronic | Screen type: LCD | Maximum continuous shooting speed: 30fps
⊕ Stabilized 360 shooting
⊕ Customizable video quality
⊕ Produces 5.6K, 360-degree video
⊕ In-camera stitching
⊖ Doesn’t support 4K
⊖ Low-resolution 2D footage
Due to the high frame rate, this 360 camera can noticeably affect your slow-motion shooting without too much power consumption and effort. If you're looking for a slow-motion camera, you're incredibly lucky. There are many cameras suitable for this purpose available on the market nowadays. Obviously, the majority of us want to get the top devices that leading manufacturers have to offer.
However, some cinema cameras like the Phantom VEO 1310, which shoots incredibly 10,860fps at 1280x960, isn’t so budget-friendly. Therefore, we suggest you consider more budget options that will work no worse for your slow-mo movies.
The GoPro MAX is one of the best cameras that can satisfy both beginners and professionals alike. If you are planning a beautiful shooting, a kind of cinematic slow-motion film about wildlife, sports competitions, or an action movie where the main character slowly leaves while everything collapsing and exploding behind, you can fully rely on this 360 video camera.
Type: Spherical Camera | Sensor size: 1/2.3" | Resolution: 14.5MP | Lens: Dual f/2 | Viewfinder: none | Screen type: none | Maximum continuous shooting speed: 30fps
⊕ Thin, manual form factor
⊕ Dual f/2 lenses
⊕ Outer microphone support
⊕ Compatible with Android and iOS
⊖ You need a water-resistant case
⊖ High price
The Ricoh Theta V is a 360 degree action camera suitable for hobbyists. The model is compact enough compared to the Insta360 One and the Samsung Gear 360. But its price is slightly higher – $429. Anyway, for the money you get higher quality photos, better software, and detachable memory stick.
Ricoh has created the most convenient camera ever, with a Theta-friendly portable form that is second to none. You can control the camera during handheld shooting, which is not only comfortable but also fun. However, it is worth noting that better pictures and videos are produced when using a tripod. It is difficult to surprise modern clients with features, but this 360-degree camera amazes with its convenience, mobility, and high-quality results.
Type: Video Conference Camera | Sensor size: 1/2.8" | Resolution: 8.5MP | Lens: 360° lens | Viewfinder: none | Screen type: none | Maximum continuous shooting speed: 30fps
⊕ 8 omnidirectional microphones
⊕ 360-degree Mic Array
⊕ Beamforming technology
⊕ 360-degree speaker
⊖ USB connection only
Meeting Owl Pro is an improved version of the standard Meeting Owl 360° camera. Due to its 1080p resolution, it is more accurate compared to the previous model with a 720p resolution. The 360-degree sound system that Meeting Owl Pro offers, works for huge tables up to 18ft, such as in conference rooms, for example. With a single lens, Meeting Owl Pro delivers a complete view of the room, eliminating moving parts or stitching pictures. This USB device is designed to work with the main video-conferencing platforms.
The Meeting Owl offers 1080p output resolution, making panoramic 360-degree videos accurate and clear. This best 360 degree camera has an eight-mic Array that lets hear everyone across an 18' radius. The beamforming option focuses on the person speaking. Due to noise and echo eliminating, you won’t miss the important information and hardly hear ambient noises.
Type: Action Camera | Sensor size: 1.0"| Resolution: 18.4MP | Lens: Dual f/2.0 | Viewfinder: Electronic | Screen type: LCD | Maximum continuous shooting speed: 60fps
⊕ Great modular design
⊕ Two-camera system
⊕ Solid 4K and 360° picture quality
⊖ Sub-GoPro image processing
⊖ Small screen
⊖ Considerable bugs at startup
The Insta360 One R is an outstanding 360 degree action camera at an affordable price, compared to the competitors like the GoPro Hero 8 Black and the GoPro Max. These cameras don’t deliver 4K or 360-degree video that the Insta360 One R offers.
A significant drawback is a small screen and poor software, which affects users’ choice. Due to the modular construction, you can use extra modules, e.g. One-inch Edition. If you are ready to compromise by accepting all the cons of this 360 4K camera, you can fully enjoy its benefits.
Type: VR Camera | Sensor size: 1.0" | Resolution: 18.4MP | Lens: | Viewfinder: none | Screen type: none | Maximum continuous shooting speed: 60fps
⊕ Robust case
⊕ High-quality videos
⊕ Easy switching between modes
⊖ Limited phone app
⊖ Poor software for PC
⊖ Non-waterproof
⊖ Overpriced
Buying the Vuze XR 5.7K 3D, you get two cameras in one. This 360 streaming camera records video up to 5.7K resolution at 30fps in H.264 MP4 format. Plus, it captures 18-megapixel shots with a resolution up to 5760x3260 with customizable ISOs from 100 to 1600. You can take footage up to 4K at 60fps. Thanks to desktop software, you can perform 5.7K stitching.
You can control remotely your Vuze XR camera over 2.4GHz or 5GHz Wi-Fi using the IOS and Android app. The mobile app lets you edit your creations, add effects, titles and filters, stream videos, and share files on social networks as HumanEyes Zone, YouTube, and Facebook.
The Vuze VR Studio computer app, which is compatible with both Mac and Windows, provides you with the video stitching option and editing, as well as online streaming.
Type: VR Camera | Sensor size: 1/2.74" | Resolution: 20MP | Lens: 210-degree f2.0 fisheye lenses | Viewfinder: none | Screen type: none | Maximum continuous shooting speed: 240fps
⊕ Small size
⊕ Affordable
⊕ Recording with/without smartphone
⊕ Dual lens 360-degree footage and stills
⊖ Disordered app
This 360 video camera films footage at up to 3K resolution and 30fps. But I wasn’t satisfied with the final video quality – I noticed some noise and slightly dark areas, as well as an insufficient level of detail, although the lighting was just fine.
Still, the Insta360 Nano S is a decent 360 camera, in particular, for its price. I hope that they have eliminated all these drawbacks from the newest models and that they will be worth the title of the best 360 degree camera. Going back to the Insta360 Nano S, it produces nice 360-degree travel shots and selfies for all the traveling enthusiasts who are eager to impress others with awesome 360-degree photo and video material.
Type: Spherical Camera | Sensor size: 1" | Resolution: 20MP | Lens: F/2.4 | Viewfinder: none | Screen type: none | Maximum continuous shooting speed: 30fps
⊕ Small size
⊕ Wi-Fi through smartphone
⊕ Splash- and dust-proof design
⊕ A number of color variations
⊖ Absence of mobile workflow
⊖ Films footage only at 30fps
The overall appearance of this 360 degree video camera is sharp. It boasts matte and semi-matte black coating, light weight of 460 grams and compact dimensions of 12x12x3 cm.
All four sides of the Vuze Plus Spherical feature a pair of F/2.4 fisheye. Besides, this 360° camera offers an incredibly wide-angle lens, with picture distortion that appears at the edges of the frame. The eight lenses are placed in such a way as to imitate four pairs of eyes for stereoscopic recording, each being paired with a Sony FHD image sensor.
Four microphones are located on each of the corners. All of them record first-order ambisonic audio, which isn’t the best thing for interviews (you will need an individual microphone and recording device). But it will come in handy for recording spatialized natural sound.
Type: Action Camera | Sensor size: 1/2.3" | Resolution: 20MP | Lens: Dual wide-angle lens | Viewfinder: none | Screen type:none| Maximum continuous shooting speed: 30fps
⊕ Remarkable picture stabilization
⊕ Effortless keyframe editing
⊕ Top-notch mobile app
⊕ Trustworthy and speedy USB connection
⊕ Compatible with GoPro mounts
⊖ Water-resistant case is extra
⊖ Absence of multi-clip editing
Even though this 360 4k camera isn’t supposed to be held in the palm of the hand, it fits there perfectly. By getting the camera further away from the body, you will achieve stunning 360 footage. Besides, the camera is supplied with an Everyday Case – it is pretty much a selfie stick helping the user keep the fingers away from the Rylo’s dual lenses.
Thanks to the integrated stabilization technology, the camera’s editing capabilities are on point. The incorporated gyroscope measures motion and fixes it in real time, enabling the system to operate. Somehow, it doesn’t really differ from the principle of operation of Hyperlapse, using the analysis of the data from the smartphone’s accelerometer.
The Rylo is probably the most exciting 360 degree action camera on this list. It left a positive impression on me with its functionality, as well as sleek design. You will definitely be tempted to use this camera again and again.
| Image | Name | Features | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
GoPro MAX
Our choice |
CHECK PRICE → | |
 |
Ricoh Theta V
Budget |
CHECK PRICE → | |
 |
Meeting Owl Pro
Professional |
CHECK PRICE → |
Speaking of 360-degree stills, they are pretty simple and don’t feature any motion. The picture navigation is limitless – you can concentrate on any desired part. As for 360 videos, they are more complicated. You are free to view them in any place, but their action will keep going no matter what the perspective is. Therefore, viewers can get a “wrong” idea of what is happening in the footage. Although there is always a possibility of rewinding, streaming platforms, which are becoming more sophisticated, deny this possibility due to the increasing popularity of live 360-degree broadcasts.
While you won’t surprise anyone with a 360-degree camera, experiments with 3D imaging within the same camera is something of a novelty. It is a smarter modification of the well-known 360 camera design. A 360 camera has back-to-back lenses, each of them covers more than 180 degrees in order to result in “hemispherical” pictures. After that, they are combined to achieve a 360-degree “spherical” picture. Thanks to the 3D models, the lenses are rotatable, with the ability to face forwards, side by side, to snap pictures of twin “stereoscopic” 180-degree scenes.
In order to correspond to the HD quality of regular footage, 360 content calls for rather high resolution. The basic video resolution necessary for HD footage in regular cameras is 1080p. 4K resolution is a must to film and view 360 footage in HD quality. A decent 360 camera has to be capable of recording footage in 4K or higher. The resolution requirement for pictures is at least 15MP.
To produce 360-degree shots and footage, you will need to stitch two or more pictures together with the help of several lenses. The best 360 camera is supposed to stitch pictures automatically through the camera software or a dedicated smartphone application. Pay attention to how qualitative the stitching is. If you spot noticeable lines in the intersection of two pictures while viewing 360 footage recorded by all cameras, I suggest that you neutralize those lines.
In case you plan to record with the 360 camera while being in motion, you can’t do without software stabilization. Certain 360 cams offer remarkable stabilization software that excels at smoothing out vibrations and uneven areas.
Figure out whether the chosen camera is intuitive enough to use, whether the offered application operates stably and what is the working way to control the camera. It is hard to imagine decent hardware without efficient software. If you are going to record with the camera outside pretty often, find out whether it is water-resistant and whether it is supplied with extra accessories, for instance, a protective case.
Nowadays’ market presents models at different price categories. You can get a cost-effective and decent option for under $100 or shell out for a more expensive camera – it all depends on your preferences, needs and budget.
To turn an iOS-based device into a full-fledged 360-degree panoramic camera, you need 360 Panorama. You will be able to snap striking panoramas in no time and share them immediately with others. Just pan the camera and see how the pictures are being smoothly stitched
A 360 camera, which is sometimes referred to as an omnidirectional camera, features a 360-degree field of view and is able to shoot the scene that surrounds the sphere. Such a camera is a must whenever you need to snap pictures of big visual areas, for instance, panoramas.
Yes. The process of installation isn’t difficult. If you decide to set up such a camera, it will provide you with an entire array of visual aids for car blind spots, along with the ability to control front, rear, right and left views.
