UK-based filmmaker Nick Driftwood has been busy, making a 360-degree video rig using six Panasonic Lumix GX80 (GX85 in the US) bodies, each fitted with a 3.25mm lens, covering a field of view of 243-degrees. With each camera shooting 4K video, 2880 X 2880px X 6 equals 12K footage. He showed it off to our friends at Photo Gear News.
The super-wide lenses come from Hong Kong 360 company iZugar, and the camera takes advantage of the 1:1 video capability that Panasonic offers in its 4K Photo mode.
Even if you're not interested in 360-degree video, it's worth watching just for the guy in the background at 0:53.
A sample of the output from Nick's 12K rig can be found below.
Interesting technology, but not something I would be interested in, either creating or viewing. This tech could take bad home movies to a while new level.
Who has no ideea about 360 videos on youtube: - You can look around with the mouse or the W A S D keys - You can zoom in/out with the plus/minus keys on the numeric keypad Practically you can frame the view by yourself. Best experience on a VR headset
Some commenters below are unfamiliar with VR. Unlike 360 pano photography, this isn't an art form. It is a TECHNOLOGY meant for VR headsets. It can't be adequately consumed in front of a monitor.
Convincing VR needs 12k indeed as this still is just FHD per 60 degrees FoV.
However, this rig cannot deliver true 12k. With the lenses this wide and more the 180 degrees FoV per 4k capture, you'll end up with something around 6k for the final VR capture. The rig seems ill-specced and the article is short on technical details.
IMHO, the rig is overkill vs., e.g., a 6 GoPro rig which delivers stunning 360 video too.
Moreover, the true hot topic of today is 3D VR rigs, like the Odyssey. They tend to use rings of cameras plus top (plus sometimes bottom). 3D VR rigs need to create left eye plus right eye 360 degree video footage simultaneously. A cheaper alternative to the 17 camera setups would have been worth a news article. Spotted anything of that sort out there?
Thanks for the enlightenment! I keep on forgetting that you need VR headset for immersible environment! I dont want to keep on the mouse clicking on the video for 360!
I had no clue what was 360 video, no I know, thank you. My major problem was that I had no clue where and what to look; I simply missed the "anticipated guy at 0:53" where was he? It's terribly easy to miss the interesting moments. To me it's more like a basically static scene with some motion to make viewing more interesting. Honestly, this seems to me like a gimmick. I'd rather spend minutes watching and browsing with my eyes a nice panorama picture with the pace/speed/relaxation I want. Very few things I can see less meaningful than 360 video (360 high-detailed panorama is OK, nevertheless). Absolutely love the chance that I had a chance to have look.
There can be places and situations when it's interesting. I have no idea what was about the gut at 0:53 as well, even i looked a second time at that time point to catch it :)) This is an interesting (in my opinion) use of 360 video. Also, being rendered there are no stitching artifacts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-7qq8n2iqw
I agree... though the idea is certainly intriguing, I don't find it particularly interesting to look at. It's like if I know the spot being filmed it might have more meaning for me but without knowing anything about the locations it just comes of as oddly distorted and not particularly compelling...
I could see this being used in conjunction with VR so that the viewer can explore the scene but as a static video I don't really get the point.
I've watched the 0:53 segment many times now & I still don't get it. What am I supposed to be entertained by or find visually interesting? Is it the guy in the FOREGROUND that kinda morphs a little at :53? If yes, then the teaser text in the article is misleading because he first shimmers/kinks/morphs at 0:51....Same stitch artifacts that make for "google earth" & "street-view" conspiracy theories.
"The major problem was that I had no clue where and what to look" Fixed to sum up why VR "Movies" are much more hype than substance.
Imagine saying "I don't want to compose an photograph for the viewer. I just shoot the widest possible image and let them zoom in on it to create their own photograph!"
the video is 4k (as youtube can't stream 12K), but even if it is low res, it looks pretty good. Probably if you could see the 12K version, it would look really nice, and downright impressive for the price.
I've seen it in 2160s. The problem is not the resolution. I don't question it would look good in 12K. The thing is that the 243º coverage doesn't aesthetically translate into something engaging, something conceptually different. Not only are the framings poor, visually-wise, but the overall experience is similar to what we get from seeing a rectilinear fisheye shot, except for the "what the heck is that?" in what comes to stitching artifacts.
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