Best 360 Camera and What are 360 Camera

The 360 panoramic camera has become a popular personalized professional camera this year. Prior to and including 2015, the most commonly used cameras in sports and outdoor fields were predominantly action cameras. Known for their durability, compact size, image stabilization, water resistance, and high-speed photography, action cameras could operate continuously in extreme or adverse conditions. They became the camera of choice for a wide range of outdoor travelers, sports enthusiasts, and even underwater sports aficionados, or a standard equipment for such groups. This field saw the emergence of many brands, with leaders like GOPRO, DJI, and SONY dominating this niche market.

Before 2015, 360 panoramic cameras began to appear on the market. However, this stage was still relatively nascent. For instance, the 360 cameras of that period were mainly used for static image capture, with a single panoramic capture mode, which had significant limitations. Moreover, the price was relatively high, and the market acceptance was not as widespread as that of action cameras. Additionally, panoramic cameras required multi-camera collaboration for photo overlay and composition, necessitating optical lens components and powerful software for photo editing and composition, which needed to be developed gradually. Therefore, in the early stages, these 360 camera used mainly by photography enthusiasts and professionals with specialized production needs.

In recent years, with the rapid development of multi-camera integration components and multi-image overlay composition technology, 360 panoramic cameras have entered a rapid development phase. With the maturation of optical lens hardware technology and the large-scale use of image composition software, 360 cameras have made significant strides in terms of functional diversity and cost-friendliness. They have gradually been accepted by ordinary outdoor users and extreme sports enthusiasts and have quickly occupied niche markets such as extreme sports, outdoor activities, travel, and group events. Currently, the global annual shipment volume of 360 cameras has reached over one million, and in recent years, it has been growing at a rate exceeding 20% annually.

Having said so much, what exactly is a 360 panoramic camera?

A panoramic camera is one that captures images with no blind spots at 360 degrees horizontally and vertically, except for the area immediately surrounding the camera’s own position. It involves capturing multiple segments through wide-angle or multiple cameras and then using software algorithms to synthesize them, ultimately outputting a single 360-degree panoramic photo.

The currently popular 360 panoramic cameras have gradually integrated some functions of action cameras, such as 360 camera waterproof. Thanks to lithium-ion battery manufacturing technology, batteries suitable for long-duration camera use are becoming increasingly smaller.

Consequently, this is reflected in 360 panoramic cameras by providing long-duration shooting capabilities, with the camera body itself being very compact, comparable to or even smaller than that of action cameras. In addition to the above features, 360 panoramic cameras offer capabilities that action cameras cannot, such as high resolution with 40 or even 72 million pixels, 4K and 8K image quality, and sensor sizes exceeding 1 inch image size of COMS chips. This is why 360 cameras have become increasingly popular in recent years.

In this vertical niche market, current players include RICOH,360 camera X3 of INSTA, DJI, and others. Moreover, veterans in the action camera field, such as GOPRO and DJI, are gradually adding new features to their products. In the future, the application fields and product features of action cameras and 360 panoramic cameras will slowly converge, and their user groups will partially overlap. We look forward to more players entering this industry and creating more innovative works.