New 4K 360-Degree Camera is Designed for Virtual Reality

Sphericam 2 is a 4K spherical camera launched recently as a Kickstarter project with the intent of providing photographers, cinematographers and consumers with a means of easily capturing high-quality 360-degree video. The developers behind Sphericam see the camera is an ideal solution for producing content for VR hardware including Oculus Rift, Samsung Gear VR and Google Cardboard. The camera features six built-in 4K lenses and records 360-degree video at 60fps. With 23 days to go in the campaign, the project has already exceeded its $150,000 goal.

“Sphericam 2 will also have Wi-Fi, allowing you to live stream video to desktop or mobile devices,” reports TechCrunch.

According to the Kickstarter project page, it is the first camera “to offer Global Shutter capture at 60fps and 4K spherical vision.” The camera is about the size of a tennis ball and is housed in rugged anodized aluminum. The camera can be positioned on its own, on a stick or on eight removable legs that are invisible to the camera.

Sphericam_4K_VR_Camera

The first iteration of Sphericam shipped in 2013, following a successful Kickstarter campaign. The camera’s inventor, Jeffrey Martin, created a 320-gigapixel photo of London that holds the current world record for Largest Panorama Photo.

“VR has been steadily gaining popularity, especially with YouTube recently adding support for 360-degree video,” notes TechCrunch. “The music industry specifically seems to be quickly embracing the medium, with musicians ranging from Paul McCartney to Hardwell… releasing video of concerts shot in 360 degrees.”

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