The problem is not so much the cameras themselves. The lenses are generally quite good for promsumer cams for the money one pays. The problems lay more in the software that is used to stich the images together.

If no pro versions, I would wait until something good comes out. The trend is hot but it's still too soon.

Check YouTube for info.

Alan II :

Yes, does appear at the moment that most options have a disadvantage that may reduce their appeal!

Most articles / reviews indicate that to get equivilent of 1080p video quality; 360 camera needs to be capable of 4k video quality, (because the image is 'stretched' round the sphere) which does cut down the affordable options.

Samsung Gear 360 gets good quality reviews; and records at near 4k quality, though its dependence on the more recent model Samsung phones (S6 / S7) is the limiting factor; there are rumors of a 'pro' version coming out in early 2017; so maybe something to watch out for! Also it may make the original model very appealing on price! Director Suite 365
AMD FX-8320 3.50 GHz Eight-Core
Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250gb (OS)
Seagate 2TB SATA-III Hybrid 7200RPM Hard Drive (Data)
Toshiba 4TB SATA-III Hard drive (Archive)
24GB Memory
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Microsoft® Windows 10 (64-bit)

Ed71,

I bought the LG360, but had to return it because i never got to see how it looked. When it booted up it said it needed firmware update but then when I connected it to the PC and tried on and off for four days to do the update it kept saying server connection error. Tech support was called three times and offered NO help. Several other people on another forum experience similar issues.

I should have known better. There is quite a bit of standard info that LG doesnt publish in their sales material or manual. Basic information such as whether it takes standard or micro SD card... or a table stating the estimated recording times for different card capacities. After a 45 minute call to their support line I still had NO answers to these basic questions either.

After this experience, I went with the Ricoh Theta and have been very happy with it.

Good luck,
Brian

Hi Brian

Thanks for the reply; how do you find the video quality of the Theta?

My camera that I use generally (Canon SX60HS) for both video and stills; produces 1080p @ either 30fps or 60fps; ideally in a 360 camera would like to find something that visually gave a similar quality appearance.

The Theta records at the same quality @ 30fps but I understand that by the time the footage is stretched may look somewhat less clear?

Have downloaded some test footage from the Ricoh site, see how it looks in PD,

Interested to hear a real user opinion; assuming you are then going onto edit in PD15?

Many thanks



Ed Director Suite 365
AMD FX-8320 3.50 GHz Eight-Core
Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250gb (OS)
Seagate 2TB SATA-III Hybrid 7200RPM Hard Drive (Data)
Toshiba 4TB SATA-III Hard drive (Archive)
24GB Memory
Nvidia GeForce GTX 650 2gb
Microsoft® Windows 10 (64-bit)

I have honestly only shot a few scenes with it. I got an Inspire Pro drone a few days later, so that's what I've been working with the most.

I think that the footage I shot looks pretty decent. I would like to edit in PD15, but am waiting to hear that the laggy behavior and other issues have been removed before I upgrade. I've been fairly happy with 14 so I dont want to end up taking a step backwards with everything else just to add the 360 functionality.