Until a few years ago, professional 360° photography was only possible by means of a nodal point adapter (for stable rotation of the camera around a freely selectable axis) and complicated graphic processing. In the meantime, this type of photography has evolved and changed so much that it is now possible to film 360° videos in real time and even have them streamed live with a special camera.

360° videos can provide completely new perspectives in classic advertising, music videos, viral videos, conferences, events and even feature films, and literally draw the viewer into the action. There are various video cameras on the market that allow very good 360° recordings. The main distinguishing criteria are functionality and image quality.

The camera should ideally offer 4K resolution to deliver really good pictures. In combination with a modern smartphone (ideally with Firefox, Opera or Google Chrome browser), VR (virtual reality) glasses and a good Internet connection, any desired perspective in the film can be experienced by simply turning the head - as previously only known from Hollywood films or computer games. The best 360° cameras currently include the Ricoh Theta S Full HD, Kodak PixPro SP 360 4K and Samsung Gear 360 4K models.

 

Here are two great examples from this lightning-fast evolving video space:

"Wingsuit Experience"                                                                                        "Shark Shipwreck"