Omar Cruz and Kurt Lin from Radiant Images answer why (and when) global shutterA camera shutter that opens and closes all-at-once, exposing the entire sensor simultaneously (as opposed to a rolling s... More matters for 360/VR video and which camera solutions offer global shutterA camera shutter that opens and closes all-at-once, exposing the entire sensor simultaneously (as opposed to a rolling s... More.
VR has attracted people from all areas of content production, from radio pros to programmers. That means that some things any camera buff would know may not be common knowledge in our industry.
Understanding global shutterA camera shutter that opens and closes all-at-once, exposing the entire sensor simultaneously (as opposed to a rolling s... More is one of those things.
A global shutterA camera shutter that opens and closes all-at-once, exposing the entire sensor simultaneously (as opposed to a rolling s... More uses all its pixels to capture the entire image at the same time, resulting in no motion artifacts, whereas a rolling shutter scans pixels from top to bottom.
The difference in results can be dramatic:
Comparison: global shutterA camera shutter that opens and closes all-at-once, exposing the entire sensor simultaneously (as opposed to a rolling s... More (top) versus rolling shutter (bottom). Image courtesy of Radiant Images.
Global ShutterA camera shutter that opens and closes all-at-once, exposing the entire sensor simultaneously (as opposed to a rolling s... More is preferable for VR video because it reduces skewed images due to motion, and straight lines are easier to stitch.
But only a handful of 360/VR cameras have global shutterA camera shutter that opens and closes all-at-once, exposing the entire sensor simultaneously (as opposed to a rolling s... More, including the Nokia OZO, Jaunt One and Sphericam. When it comes to 2D cameras that can be put into a 360 rig, there are a few more options, including BlackMagic Studio 4K, Alexa Mini, indie Dice, Codex action Cam RED Cameras with Motion Mounts.
The limited number of 360 cameras with global shutterA camera shutter that opens and closes all-at-once, exposing the entire sensor simultaneously (as opposed to a rolling s... More is partially due to its higher cost, and partially because it’s a give-and-take between global shutterA camera shutter that opens and closes all-at-once, exposing the entire sensor simultaneously (as opposed to a rolling s... More and high resolutionThe number of pixels in an image, typically presented as a ratio of the total pixels on x axis to the total pixels on th... More.
In order to transmit the signal for the entire image at the same time, the size of each pixel in a global shutterA camera shutter that opens and closes all-at-once, exposing the entire sensor simultaneously (as opposed to a rolling s... More sensor is normally bigger than in a rolling shutter sensor. Therefore it’s harder to make high resolutionThe number of pixels in an image, typically presented as a ratio of the total pixels on x axis to the total pixels on th... More sensor with global shutterA camera shutter that opens and closes all-at-once, exposing the entire sensor simultaneously (as opposed to a rolling s... More.
Many of the most popular all-in-one 360 cameras don’t feature global shutterA camera shutter that opens and closes all-at-once, exposing the entire sensor simultaneously (as opposed to a rolling s... More and are still capable of capturing a high quality image, so a camera with rolling shutter isn’t a dealbreaker.
But, if you’re shooting VR content that has a lot of fast-moving motion, buying or renting a solution with global shutterA camera shutter that opens and closes all-at-once, exposing the entire sensor simultaneously (as opposed to a rolling s... More may be worth it.
If that isn’t an option, you can reduce motion blur and image skew by filming in higher frame rates and aligning all of your sensors in the same facing direction.
Making sure that each rolling shutter is moving in the same direction is even more important when shooting stereoscopicVideo shot with two parallel cameras (or in the case of 360° video, multiple pairs of parallel cameras) Commonly referr... More video with a lot of motion. If each rolling shutter is moving in a different direction, the Jelly Effect will be even more obvious and awkward in stereoscopicVideo shot with two parallel cameras (or in the case of 360° video, multiple pairs of parallel cameras) Commonly referr... More video.
Radiant Images is an award-winning digital cinema innovator and rental house providing creative solutions in 2D, 3D, VR and augmented reality, leading-edge cameras and equipment and client support, to the motion picture industry worldwide.
