Another day at IFA 2015, and another 360-degree camera has been given a video resolution bump. Yesterday the Ricoh Theta S made the move to Full HD video recording, today it's the turn of Kodak's spherical-shooting action camera, which has jumped to 4K. The upcoming Pixpro SP360-4K also gains a new wrist-worn remote controller.
As with its SP360 predecessor, the Pixpro SP360-4K - which was announced by JK Imaging Europe - features a quirky cube design topped off with a dome lens. This allows it to capture immersive 360-degree photos and videos which can be panned 360 degrees horizontally, and (to a lesser degree) up or down. The lens boasts a respectable F2.8 aperture and is this time paired with a 1/2.3-inch 12-megapixel BSI CMOS sensor.
The camera is capable of recording videos at resolutions of up to 4K 2880 x 2880 pixels and also boasts time-lapse and burst shooting modes. It features 10 different viewing modes to make the most of the footage including: Dome (235 degrees), Front, Global (360 degrees), Ring, Segment (180 degrees front, 180 rear) or Panorama. Using the Pixpro PC and Mac desktop editing software, users can save videos as seen from a variety of vantage points, as well as produce 360-degree footage which can be seen on YouTube.
The new camera is said to be aimed at professional users, with makers seeing applications beyond the 360-degree capture of extreme action activities that the original camera was pitched as being for. These uses include: estate agents letting customers virtually visit a property, video conferencing, or use as a dash-cam or security device.
As such, it's not surprising that the bright yellow of the original SP360 has made way for a more sedate black. The new camera measures 46.5 x 50 x 53 mm (1.8 x 1.9 x 2 in) and weighs 121 g (4.3 oz) and while it's only rated as splash-proof, the selection of accessories available includes waterproof housing (up to 60m (197 ft) and various mounts.
While there are a number of physical buttons and a mode display on the device, the camera is NFC and Wi-Fi enabled, and most people will probably make use of the iOS/Android apps for remote shooting. However, the camera will also be compatible with a new remote control which can be worn on the wrist and is able to start and stop recording, switch between movie or still shooting, and is waterproof to 3 m (9.8 ft) and shock-proof to 2 m (6.6 ft).
The Kodak Pixpro SP360-4K is due for release in October, with varying accessory bundles, priced from around US$500.
Source: Kodak Pixpro
