The Samsung Gear 360: A 360-degree glimpse into the future.
The Gear 360 arrived well-packaged and secure, so any chance of damage was minimal. Inside was the camera itself, a mini plastic tripod, a small bag, wrist strap, a USB cable for charging, a battery and a quick set-up guide. You ought to additionally buy a Micro SDXC card which is quite indispensable because photos and video take up a great deal of smartphone memory. Note that transferring files to the smartphone or cloud is quite time-consuming. The instructions for setup are very clear so the process is quite straightforward.
The Gear 360 is an impressive looking, unusual camera with two 4k lenses, so it can take good quality photos. My four year old grandson was most intrigued and reckoned it belonged to Star Wars! When you take the camera out with you do expect interest from onlookers. You may feel rather self-conscious but there is genuine interest and a useful source of conversation. People want to know what it can do so do tell them. It is rather futuristic but neat and elegant camera. I like the design and find it aesthetically pleasing. It is small, reasonably light and can be easily popped in the pouch and placed in a pocket or handbag. So, it is easy to carry. It feels quite robust and for safety can be attached to the included wrist strap. It is supposed to be both dustproof and water resistant and I do note that there is a rubber seal around the door but I cannot confirm the claim. Recharging is straightforward using the USB lead provided but when using the camera, the charge is very quickly used up.
The Gear 360 is use-friendly and flexible in most respects. You can photograph with just one camera instead of two, take a video, use time-lapse and alter the file quality, settings, timer and camera resolution. It can be used quite independently of the smartphone by harnessing the side buttons and viewing the LCD on the top. You turn on using the âbackâ button and then adjust modes via the âmenuâ button. Notice the red LEDS. When both are illuminated both cameras are operational. However, the menu is not too clear so prefer to operate the 360 via my smartphone using the 360 Manager app. This is extremely useful for stitching, trimming and saving files but note that this app is only currently available for use on recent Samsung phones and I find it works well on my S6 Edge Plus. I save to the cloud but it takes a long time to upload. There are obvious limitations which might irritate the keen photographer such as the lack of flash or zoom facilities although these are not problems for me. However, as I have Smartthings, I would love to be able to integrate this camera into a home security system and hope this becomes possible because it would extend the 360âs utility and justify the price. So, further improvements and developments may make the 360 more marketable.
I have made countless mistakes whilst investigating the 360 which are quite avoidable. Do remove the label from the mini-tripod foot otherwise it appears in all your photos. Remember to remove yourself from photos if you donât want to be in them. Hide behind a tree but get as far as you can from the camera. Just a few feet further away from the camera can really make a huge difference. The min-tripod is rather inadequate. You really do need to use a selfie-stick, tripod or monopod combination to get the best out of your camera and to remove photo clutter. However, using a piece of garden cane in a plant pot full of sand is dodgy and I will not repeat! Using the Gear 360 Action Director to produce and edit videos is not easy. There is a steep learning curve involved so expect it to be time-consuming. To help, you may find it useful to check out the many on-line reviews and help forums. You can learn how to attaching the 360 to a baseball cap to safely and securely taking pictures from the top of your head but you might get some strange looks! Donât misplace the input code to access the Action Director App. It comes on a small strip of paper and could be easily thrown away. I took a photo of mine.
Iâve enjoyed trialling the 360. It has its limitations and professional photographers may find these frustrating but, for beginners like me, it has provided something quirky, different and fun to play around with. This is because it is easy to use and provides 360 quality photographs and videos. Quite an innovation! Â It has its undoubted uses including the recording of special family occasions, holidays, panoramic views, sporting and other memorable events. Indeed, I have taken some panoramas and interiors of impressive churches that look stunning. I probably would not have bought it because it is quite a lot of money for a product that will only be used occasionally. Now that I have tried it, Iâm not so sure. Using 360 photos and videos with a VR headset would be interesting to try and with such technological developments like this, the Gear 360 may well become very mainstream and a must buy.
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