Kodak PixPro SP360 4K
Want 360-degree 4K video? This could be for you
$500 (single pack), $633 (dual pack) Manufacturer Kodak, kodak.com Features 12.76 megapixels, 235-degree field of view, 3840x2160 resolution, Wi-Fi
When you film movies on an regular video camera, you point at what you want to film, and the camera will capture a flat frame’s worth of image in a set resolution. Where a VR camera differs is that it can capture a 360-degree scene – everything that happens around you. Kodak’s new action-oriented Pixpro SP360 4K has two cameras bolted together, the lenses pointing away from each other. This captures every ounce of detail around the device. Naturally, this sort of imagery is perfectly suited to VR: don a compatible pair of glasses and you can look in all directions as the video plays. You’ll feel like you’re actually there, experiencing the action first-hand.
The SP360 4K comes as either a single pack or a dual pack, the latter of which we tested. This gives you full spherical video capture, while the single pack manages only half that. If you go for the dual pack, you get the advantage of a wrist-mounted remote control, but mounting options are limited to a suction mount or an extending selfie-type stick.
There are a simple set of controls on one side, an LCD on the other, and access to the ports and memory card slot underneath a plastic tab. The case is splashproof, but you’ll need an underwater case for proper wet-weather activities. We found the buttons to be a little flimsy at times – particularly the record button, which would occasionally get slightly stuck within the housing. The LCD screen is tiny, too, which makes reading on the fly a little tricky.
The software side of things is, frankly, just not that good. If you’re planning to edit via a Mac, you have two separate programs to download and install – one for editing videos and one for stitching two videos together – and neither is great. There are no help guides within the software either, so you just have to fumble your way around until you figure out what to do. The mobile app does much the same thing but is a little more refined, and a mite more intuitive.
Even with the power of double 4K, the video quality doesn’t rival the static image you get from a regular 4K action cam, so we were left slightly underwhelmed. It’s good, it’s just not exactly awe-inspiring. Of course, having to cover such a huge amount of picture real estate, the quality is always going to take a hit; it’s probably why GoPro has settled for three times the number of cameras in its own VR setup.
THE BOTTOM LINE. If you want to bring your action videos to life, the SP360 is a good option, imbuing incredible depth to scenes. It’s also a relatively inexpensive way of jumping on the VR bandwagon.