Gear 360 - Everything you need to know about the Samsung camera

Summary

• 360 cameras
• The Gear 360
• Gear 360 deconstruction
  • 1 – Case
  • 2 – Glass 1 Lens
  • 3 – Front Bracket
  • 4 – Camera Module
  • 5 - With Plate
  • 6 – Main Board
  • 7 – Battery and Chamber Battery
  • 8 – Camera Lense
  • 9 – Rear Bracket
• Unique characteristics

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360 cameras

The incredible experience offered by 360 videos, which allow you to see a scene while being able to change the viewing angle in any direction and thus enjoy an entire area, is no longer the preserve of professionals but also a new way of filming for the general public. Thanks to 360 cameras, it is today possible to create 360 ​​° content and share it easily with everyone. One of its cameras is that of Samsung, la Samsung Gear 360. The 360 ​​cameras then use several wide-angle sensors to shoot from several angles and stitch the images together to create content that is visible at 360 °, top to bottom and right to left.

The Gear 360

Of course, the Gear 360 can only be used with the Samsung Gear VR, which is already available here, at prices around 100, 150 €. A very reasonable price when you know the price of other VR headsets, although unfortunately, you will have to buy a fairly expensive Samsung laptop. For Samsung's 360 camera, no official price has been announced, but rumors and leaks tend to spin the price up around 400 € and if not, surely below that price. For the release date, again nothing filters, a release this summer seems to be the most obvious of the dates, but nothing is certain.

But let's get to the heart of the matter, the characteristics of this 360 camera. The Gear 360 films with two wide angle lenses, each filming at 195 °, allowing it to have a margin of the 360 ​​° required. Thus, the Gear 360 is one of those cameras offering a true and total 360 ° rendering. It will of course be necessary to think about the angle where the tripod is, the latter will also be sold with the Gear 360. Namely that the Gear 360 can, via its two sensors filming at 15 Mpx, produce 360 ​​° photos 3840 x 1920 pixels and videos 1920 x 1080 pixels. A very good rendering for the current 360 ° camera market, without of course being the best, the Gear 360's rendering seems more than honest. In addition, 360 ° videos of 1920 x 1080 pixels will shoot at 30 fps. Although the best is clearly 60 fps, few cameras can actually offer this 60 fps rendering and most of them shoot at 30 fps, the Gear VR is then placed in the average on the market at this level.

Gear 360 deconstruction

Let's take a look at the different elements that make up the Gear 360 step by step by disassembling the camera to get to the heart of its components:

1 – Case

The outline of the 360 ​​camera was created in a fairly intelligent but above all very practical, small and circular way, it allows to easily hold and be handled quickly and very fluidly, unlike some 360 ​​camera impractical in this domain. In addition, this shape allows it to be posed and used in all possible angles.

Finally, this element was built to protect the device from dust and splashing water, of course this does not mean that we can permanently immerse the device in water under penalty of damaging the camera from Samsung.

2 – Glass 1 Lens

In addition to the outline and just below it, Samsung has added a protection that allows the device to withstand temperature changes but also high or low temperatures.

3 – Front Bracket

Heart of the camera and element of dialogue between it and the user, it allows, via an OK button, to take a photo or stop a video, it also consists of a display 0.5-inch PMOLED 72 x 32 pixels sending information back to the user, such as the various configuration choices or switching from video to photo.

4 – Camera Module

The Gear 360 consists of two 15 Megapixel CMOS fisheye lenses, each of the two lenses can capture high resolution images at an angle of 195 °. Able to generate 360 ​​° content for videos at 3,840 x 1,920 and photos at 7,776 x 3,888. The gyroscopic sensor and the accelerometer ensure a reliable 360 ​​° rendering.

5 - With Plate

Thermal control interface, this element ensures that the heat of the various other elements does not reach a limit that would damage the device.

6 – Main Board

The Main Board of the Gear 360 contains two essential elements, the CPU (the processor) and a second image processor the DRIMe5s. Powerful and fast, the DRIMe5s processor not only guarantees high quality reproduction of recorded colors, but also reduces image noise.

This is also where the microSD card port is contained, which can accommodate 200 GB Micro SD.

7 – Battery and Chamber Battery

Samsung's camera battery chamber can hold a 1,350mAh lithium battery allowing the user to record at least 140 minutes of video.

8 – Camera Lense

The two lenses can each film at 195 °.

9 – Rear Bracket

Used to navigate in the menu and switch for example to a 180 ° to 360 ° shooting mode but also to choose the various parameters.

Unique characteristics

Do not doubt it, the Gear 360 ° will be much better used with a Samsung laptop, if the camera can be used with other types of laptops, some unique features will only be available with the classic high-end Samsung laptops : the Galaxy S7, the S7 Edge, the S6, S6 Edge and S6 Edge + and the Galaxy Note 5. Via these laptops, you can modify the 360 ​​video filmed as you please, by changing its duration, its brightness… but you can also take control of the camera and choose from afar its way of filming or taking photos or adding effects, manipulating the sensors without having to return to the camera and continuing to film. In addition, it will be possible to see the rendering live with a Samsung Gear VR for one of the fastest calculation and creation of 360 ° on the market. With its capacity of 128 GB, it will be possible to keep in memory many images but few videos, it will often be necessary to empty the memory of the camera if you plan to film rather than photograph.

The Gear 360 weighs only 153 grams and has a very useful mini tripod, moreover, the camera of Samsung measures 66.7 × 56.2 × 60 mm. Thus, the Gear 360 is a very discreet and very mobile camera, you can take it everywhere and put it everywhere with its mini-tripod. We can of course add a much larger tripod but also a selfie stick. The camera is then placed as a very pleasant camera to take with either and very versatile in its possibilities of shots.

We must admit, the Gear 360 to enchant, of course remains to be seen what will be the final price to know if it is really worth it, but it is clear that any owner of a Samsung Gear VR should easily turn to this 360 ° camera.