This is your one-page guide to your new Samsung Gear 360. Download the full guide at the bottom of this article to takeIndividual instance of a shot; a take = each time the camera is started and stopped. with you on your first shoot, or gift it alongside any YI 360 VR cameras your friends, family or co-workers will be unwrapping this holiday season.
Why this camera rocks:
This super affordable camera was one of the first great 360 consumer cameras–and it’s still great (and made greater by the $80 price tag on Amazon!)
What comes in the box:
Camera, removable battery, charging cable, mini tripod
What doesn’t come in the box:
- Micro SD card (up to 128GB)
- Extra batteries
- Lens cloth
Helpful hints:
- Back up your product key for the camera’s Action Director software. It can be hard to get a new one if you lose it.
- For best quality and access to all features and controls, use alongside a Samsung S7 or S8 phone.
- Use the live preview option to make sure to align people and objects properly and away from stitch linesThe seams in a 360° video where footage from one camera has been combined with another. and lens flares.
- Samsung’s cameras have an issue with balancing exposures across the lens. Try to balance the light across both sides of the device. For example, place the sun in the stitch line. Also, be aware of lens flares–a real issue with this camera.
- Did you know you can record with only one of the lenses–front or back? Now you know!
- Be sure to clean both lenses before recording. The shape of this camera makes it hard to handle without smudging the lenses.
- Know which side of the camera is the front, meaning, which side of the camera will be in the center of your equirectangularStretching a spherical image into a flat, rectangular format. (i.e. the way a world map represents the spherical Earth).... More video.
- This camera has a tendency to overheat. To limit this, turn off Bluetooth.
- Turning off Bluetooth will also improve battery life when not using the phone to preview.
- For better stitching results, stitch your footage on Samsung’s desktop stitching software for Mac and PC. Or, consider using a third-party stitching software, like Kolor Autopano Video Pro or MistikaVR, both of which have templates available for this camera.
- Here is a stitching template for Autopano for the Samsung Gear 360 camera, from Alex Pearce, and here’s a video explaining how to use it.
- Samsung’s Action Director desktop software DOES sometimes have bugs, and it IS faster to stitch on your Samsung S7 or S8 smartphone, though you will lose some quality.
Support:
View tutorials and troubleshooting resources on Samsung’s Gear 360 support website, and contribute to its user forum. You can also call or email support, or use Samsung’s live 24-hour chat feature.
There’s also a Samsung Gear 360 user group on Facebook, showing sample footage, crazy mounts and answering user questions.
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