360 Designs, a company backed by the experts who come from various industries including filmmaking, live show concerts, and TV production, has come up with Mini Eye 360 camera which claims to deliver the best image quality of all 360 video cameras available in the market. Mini eye 360 Camera is a modular 360 degree camera kit which can be used for high cinematic quality 360 degree footage capture. The Mini Eye series consists of two camera systems launched by 360 Designs; Mini Eye 3 and Mini Eye 4. All the cameras, cables, and mounts provided in the package provided to customers are completely interchangeable and allow easy switching between the two camera systems.
The Build and Design
The Mini Eye 360 camera is a professional camera rig for professional videography. The hand assembled and custom calibrated camera system as per required specifications allows individual customers have a Mini Eye 360 camera that best suits their requirements. The output quality is that of professional standards and suits the professionals that strive for perfection in their work. The Mini Eye 360 camera comes in two variants, Mini Eye 3 and Mini Eye 4, both of them offer excellent specifications along with the benefits of easy switching between the two.
‘The Mini Eye 3’ consists of a fully spherical professional live 360 video rig that renders 10 Bit colors having Black magic quality. The camera also includes broadcast grade genlock sync generator that takes every capture with perfect frame synchronization that can go up to 60 frames per second. This Mini Eye 360 camera variant supports 3k or 6k output with HFOV of 450 degrees which are perfect for live use and allows 30 degrees of overlap per stitch line for the post production process and a VFOV of 380 degrees giving a fully spherical video output. The camera system comes with custom lens package with per-camera lens matching for all the cameras. Mini Eye 360 camera 3 sports 360 designs J-box which simplifies all the connectors and power.
The build quality of the camera is quite rugged with an incredibly durable anodized CNC Aluminum frame with extra 1/4-20, 3/8-16 and M6 mount holes on bottom and top. The camera system can be powered on using a single AC adapter. The output generated is readily stitched able with Autopano Video, Videostitch Studio, Vahana, Nuke (Cara VR), Blackmagic Fusion, and PTGUI. The package includes 3 Mini Eye modular camera mounts with 180-degree features, a custom made pelican case, 360 Designs accessory kit, J-box, professional calibrated and per camera matched lens barrels. The rig consisting of Three Blackmagic Micro Cinema Cameras weighs 5.1 Lbs, and the rig has a dimension of 10.5″ x 10.5″ x 4″.
‘The Mini Eye 4’ comprises of 4 cameras for increased image overlap and a fully spherical 360 X 180 equirectangular coverage. The camera sports a modular design that allows 180 degrees of camera rotation. Mini Eye 360 camera also supports advanced stitching through its HFOV 600 degrees’ image overlap and VFOV 380 degrees with no zenith aberration. 360 Designs provides its customers an option to choose from the CNC Aluminum or Rugged Nylon 12 rig frame. The high-quality package includes Fisheye lenses with custom barrels and professional calibration, 4 six-foot heavy duty rubber XLR cables, four twelve-inch SDI to SDI adapter tails, 4 six inch heavy duty genlock wires and a panicle case for portability which makes it ready to photo-shoot straight out of the package. The system provides easy switching between the two variants as the package includes the cameras support both the options with certain add-ons.
The Pros and The Cons
The Mini Eye Professional Camera provides its users certain exclusive benefits which make it their first choice ahead of top individual names in the VR market. The first being its usability straight out of the package and camera lenses being professionally calibrated. The rig being in a modular design allows for flexibility while adding new kids. All the cameras in the rig are powered through a single source through a high duty connector. The Micro cameras provide 13 f-stops of dynamic range, and the genlock box is capable of syncing the footage up to 60 frames per second. Mini Eye 360 camera comes pre-installed with Belafonte camera control system designed exclusively for this rig.
But there are a few downfalls of the Mini Eye 360 cameras as well, especially the requirement for an HDMI monitor that is not included in the package. The camera also requires a tripod to work which also has not been provided. 360 designs do not provide a stitching solution for their rig, and hence one needs to make use of commercial stitching software which increases the cost significantly.
The Price
The Mini Eye 360 camera is best suited for special events which require great depth and clarity in the image and for perfection striving videographers. This unique camera system costs from $9000 to $55000 to buy the full package which includes cameras, recorders,lenses , flight case, and accessories, depending on specifications. All the mini cameras are hand created after the user places the order which is done according to individual requirements to suit best his work which takes customization in 360-degree cameras to a next level.
The Verdict
Capable of creating 360 productions up to 6K, Mini Eye 360 camera is what you need for creating professional grade VR content with increased overlap to support advanced post production techniques. Features like 60 frame per seconds capture, smooth rotation due to modular design and immersive 360×180 coverage makes it ideal for action sports and music concerts. Though the camera carries a high price tag for one to own it, Rental facilities come to the rescue in this scenario for low and medium budget videographers who want to create professional grade content using a high-quality camera system that is capable of rendering content at an output resolution up to 6K.
Do I miss anything? What is on your mind, good information is like nutrition to our brain, share your thoughts with our readers here!
[Tweet "Mini Eye 360 Camera Review"]
No comments:
Post a Comment