Although the apps aren’t fully baked, Kandao has been working diligently and providing regular updates with bug fixes and added features. On the right there’s a single memory card slot for a micro SD up to 256GB. Most of us just use other mics and sync in post anyway.

Through Darcelle’s Eyes: Community Engagement, 360 Labs Makes Big Impact at EarthxInteractive, Getting Started Guide: Watching 360 Content in a Headset, Soft focus on far away objects / with heat. All this means this camera is entirely self contained. The process really needs to change, they need to be able to stitch the 16-bit DNG. The added resolution and the 10 bit color depth make for some really compelling shots, with no need to worry where you’ll fit the camera. At just $589, it is the most affordable 8K 360 camera on the market. Kandao are not even a new brand – how could they go to market with a design like this and literally no way of repairing it..? You can hear its processor buzzing away constantly. It’s a fairly low quality stream, especially for 4K. A new “Enterprise” version of the camera is also in development, offering a 5G compatible port for better streaming bandwidth and apparently allows 8K 360 video streaming. A self-timer is available in all photo modes, making it easy to get yourself into position for your pano-selfie. The fisheye lenses cover a 200 degree field of view on each side of the camera.

We’ve previously covered the specs and promised features of the QooCam 8K a while before it started shipping. Thanks Daniel, I guess I was lucky, my camera doesn’t seem to suffer from that issue. The button layout is intuitive and fairly easy to use and figure out. Similar shakiness is also found in just pure walking down the street. Qoocam Studio is very similar to GoPro Fusion Studio and the Insta360 Stitcher, for those who are familiar.

This is a huge improvement in detail and image quality over any camera recording less than 8K. I managed to render a few test files on a much more powerful Windows workstation in QooCam Studio to bring back to my Mac. Current options for 360 video include 8K at 30fps, or 4K at 120fps for slow motion. If you are a hobbyist 360 photographer or a realtor who wants to easily take 360 photos without having to invest in third-party software and spend lots of time learning post-production techniques, the Qoocam 8K is probably going to be a source of frustration. Watch the video towards the top of the article for a rundown on what you can do with the QooCam app. In the past, I have been reluctant to share photos taken from the GoPro Fusion or the Insta 360 One X because I’m just not satisfied with the quality. I have a few concerns about this process. However, a rendered 1920 x 1080 “overcapture” video from 8K source still feels a bit thin. You can batch import both 360 videos or photos by simply pointing the application at your source footage in a folder. The downside is that it’s not as convenient as any of those much smaller, niftier cameras, but 8K resolution gives you so much more quality to play with when editing.

We now finally have 8K 360 in a compact dual lens camera that is easy to use and capable of recording some impressive images. Unfortunately it’s not available for iOS yet, but older versions of studio do work without some of the new features. Should you buy it? Use the jump links below to skip ahead if you'd like. You can leave your phone in your pocket and navigate through everything you need to right on the QooCam 8K itself. Can it create virtual reality (VR)-grade video?

No spam, guaranteed! Is the qoocam 8k capable of producing "viewable/usable/enjoyable" 360 virtual travel videos etc?

Hopefully this issue and having some control over input levels will be addressed in firmware updates in the future. For a long time there’s really been no middle ground for 8K resolution with new sensor technology, without needing to have a bulky expensive camera.

Downloadable 8K samples would be really helpfull.

I actually found FCPX makes a pretty simple task of editing 360 video, and can even output to a VR headset if you have one. (photo from Kandao). The smallest 1/2.3" sensor reference is commonly used in GoPro and other compact 360 action cams. This test compares a photo taken immediately after the camera was powered on (left) and a photo taken after the camera recorded a 10 minute 8K video (right). The lack of a custom kelvin setting makes it harder to dial in the perfect balance. However, accidents happen, especially when swinging the camera around on the end of a selfie stick. When I’m hiking or backpacking and don’t want to bring the full DSLR or mirrorless camera setup, it’s nice to have something small and light. Mistika also allows you to adjust color tone and gamma on each lens, making it easy to compensate for the camera’s failure to match exposure.

This meant that any action packed footage would be limited to 5.7k at 30fps. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Unfortunately, anti-shake doesn't work nearly as well as SuperSteady. Easier, yes, but not particularly quick. When comparing to other 8K capable 360 cameras, the level of detail is just not what we expect from 8K. In practice, even when we followed the tutorials, some of the templates did little more than kick-in manual editing mode. I guess it really depends on if you have a very specific use for it. I feel like everyone has been kidding themselves about this for the past couple years. Only time will tell. However the camera body, like many 360 models, leaves the lenses vulnerable to scratching and scuffing (which happened to mine after using it on only two jobs). Actually, our Fusion weighed about the same as the Qoocam when it had it’s aluminum ¼-20 thread adapter installed. The camera also doesn’t maintain the ambisonic format in it’s recording when you directly connect a spatial audio capable mic, so you will still need to record your spatial audio separately and sync in post. On a minor note, I’m not always happy with the white balance. Our challenge at 360 Labs has always been to capture incredible experiences for 360 and VR, no matter … One side hosts that OLED touchscreen, with the edges bearing a microSD card slot, a USB-C slot for recharging, and an output for attaching a microphone – on a 360 camera where the action may be taking place a long way from the camera, that’s key. But it’s important to note that it wasn’t easy. It’s a must-have if you want to take advantage of the QooCam 8K for vlogger-style video. The first is obvious; it captures 8K video at 30fps and takes photos – in JPEG and the Raw format DNG – in 29.4MP thanks to its two 1/1.7-inch CMOS sensors.

One of our biggest gripes early on was the camera’s struggle to balance between 2 lenses. A timelapse intervalometer mode is offered for JPG or JPG+DNG. This is thanks to the DNG8 mode, which captures eight dng raw exposures. Sadly mine is stuck – languishing in a draw for months. Thank you for the in-depth review! Richard has a passion for cinema technology & beautiful imagery. When comparing to other consumer level 5.7K cameras at a similar price point, we don’t see a huge difference in quality. The QooCam 8K is not perfect, but in the 360 video niche, the ante just got upped. There also seems to be a pretty signifant issue with thermal expansion over time. It is however quite loud, a bit heavy, and not waterproof. The levels are quite low, and there’s no options for a wind cut filter. However, dealing with that much data may be too much for a consumer workflow. To be fair, other 8K capable 360 cameras like the Insta 360 Pro 2 do cost 10x as much. Although for interior shots with extreme closeups, it’s been a useful addition to our tool set.

It’s also got 64GB of built-in storage in addition to a microSD card slot (up to 256GB). I ran ours for nearly an hour without overheating in room temperature (72F), the camera became very warm to the touch but continued operating.