Customer Ratings & Reviews

Works great husband is loving it. Perfect for him.

works great. Couldn't ask for a better christmas gift!

I paired this with awesome playback on VR Gear. A+

The camera was way too technical for a beginner camera. Involved using camera and phone at same time. Instructions very confusi g

It was fun to test it out and concept was fun, but the biggest problem was that the picture quality was not good enough.

Been using this for a couple weeks now and overall think its a good buy. PROS -great form factor with easy to navigate on device menu -picture quality for images and video is quite good in most situations and it is adjustable if you wanna tweak it for a certain setting. -able to plug in an external battery to charge it during use. -removable memory stick, it can take up to 200GB! -compatible with google street view so you can upload 360 photos direct to street view, once you have 50 uploaded you can get listed by Google as a provider of 360 images/video. -watch your videos and pics immediately on a Samsung gear headset after transferring them to your Samsung phone. CONS -stitching, since this camera uses two 190 degree lenses it stitches them using the provided pc and app software to produce 360 images or video. this means usually there will be two stitching lines visible. Sometimes it is barely noticeable, other times you would need additional editing software to eliminate the stitching. -overheating. I found even on moderately sunny days it would overheat sometimes in less than an hour but 5-10 minute videos were no problem. I have heard that using an external battery resolves this but I haven't tried it yet. Overall its an awesome beginner 360 camera for the pricepoint but to take full advantage of its capabilities you would need to be familiar with editing software and basic settings like ISO etc

If you want to take full 360 degree photos and video, this is a very reasonable and simple way to do it. With the on camera display and menu system you can easily take pictures, video, time lapse video, or video loops. You can change the settings of each from the device, set a timer, and snap the shot with the push of the button on top without the need of any external device to control it. As for controlling it externally, the only designed way is with one of Samsung’s current phones (S6 and above). There is a modified way to control it with other phones, but that is not 100% and not supported by Samsung. Also, you can’t do 4K 360 video stitching on any phone less than an S7, unless again you use the modified app. However, you can take the pictures and video off the camera to a PC and using the Action Director software provided, or any 3rd party program you can use to make 360 panoramas, you can get the stitched photos for upload to social media or Google Maps. The image quality and video quality do leave a little bit to desire. Though they are listed as 30MP pictures and 4K video, when they are stitched and zoomed to make a 360 sphere details are lost. When a 360 photo is made with multiple pictures from a regular digital camera, they are much sharper in detail, really noticeable when signs with words are present. However, this doesn’t mean they aren’t worth having. When uploaded to social media, I get a lot of comments on “How’d you do that” but looking at the media on a computer or on a phone does not give them full justice. If you view the media through a VR device it really brings out the true effect of having a 360 photo or video. Well worth it when you can really put people in place and let them look around. The Samsung Gear 360 phone app is simple to use and rather snappy. Compared to other devices I did not have any issues with connecting back to the phone when my screen was turned off or I stepped out of range. The app is basic in options though. You can change all the setting of the camera, control it, and save the stitched media to your device. However, there is no real editing. The biggest problem I have had is a slight shift in the image, if the camera is not perfectly level, that can’t be modified using the app or the Action Director software. However, 3rd party apps designed for Ricoh Theta have worked to correct the angels and allowed other modifications. After several crashes each time I load Action Director you find that additional editing options are really limited. Hopefully as time goes there will be Samsung specific options to correct the images and provide additional editing. Another issue I have found, and I don’t know if this is specific to me, but the GPS location is tagged when the media is saved to my phone. If I copy the images straight from the camera to the PC they don’t have location details and if I save them to my phone at a different location, I now get the GPS tag of that location. This has become really bothersome when trying to upload images to Google Street View. I have had to use 3rd party apps to correct the Exchangeable Image File (EXIF) data of the images, just as I did with the slight angel corrections. On that note, you can fix the image correction with PC software such as Photoshop, however, Google Street View uses the Extensible Metadata Platform (XMP) data and when you correct an image visually and not the XMP data you can end up with a really crooked image. The small tripod that it comes with is cute, handy at times, but really makes for some bad angles for 360 media. If you want to give the viewer a perspective of a mouse, it’s perfect. If you want to hold the tripod, you can look like some alien as your hand is merged in the blind spot of the dual lenses. The best way to make use of this camera is with a monopod. The standard tripod threading on the camera makes it easy to interchange with other equipment. There are many types out there, from the simple selfie stick to six foot expandable pole with attached tripod. I prefer the six foot option as it gets the camera high enough to be at a “normal” eye level perspective and gets the camera to a point that the merge lines blend a lot better. On the subject of merge lines, depending on how close objects are to the camera depends on how visible the merge lines are. Understanding the placement of the two cameras and trying to adjust the angle so that you can place farther objects on the sides and closer objects on the front or back can really make the difference. However, you also have to try to find a good balance on light, as you will notice a lens flare if lighting is brighter from one direction. The best option I have found for this is to try and align the bright light source to a side so that both lenses get equal lighting. Also, not as noticeable in photos, but in videos there is a distinction in where the equirectangular (the format the stitched images and videos are save in) lines come to meet. The odd thing is that the rear camera is technically the “front” camera when the stitched media is saved and half of the front is split on each side of that. So not only are there stitch lines where the 2 camera are merged, but there is a stitch line in the middle of the actual front camera. This is extremely noticeable with lots of motion and the motion control feature is enabled. As this is a new market I say this is a great start. However, due to the IP53 rating, this camera does not make for a safest action camera option, not dustproof or waterproof. Currently there are no action cases available, as of this review, like there are for other action cameras that can help change that. However, it does come with an exchangeable battery and expandable memory which is better than some other 360 camera options, so there is some benefit as to why the rating is lower than some others. Bottom line, I really like this camera. With a little tweaking of their software and maybe the firmware, this camera can be a lot better. In comparison to other 360 cameras I have used or seen, for the price this is the best. It takes a little practice to get the perfect angle, but eventually you will start making pictures and video a virtual reality to remember. Sample images can be seen on Google Maps, search Blazer's Fun Zone, Radcliff Ky for my latest pictures or KY Action Park on Youtube for video.

I've been using the Gear 360 for a couple of weeks now. Creating google streetview 360's, 360 videos for clients, and personal projects. The still quality is surprisingly good. The image adjusted in photoshop and given a little TLC is on par with most average Google Streetview shooters which is taken with much much more expensive equipment. Yes, you do have 2 inches of built in parallax but it's problematic. The 360 video function is great. It's an easy process with the desktop app and everything is already prepared properly for sharing on facebook/youtube. No mysterious exif editing. This is probably the FIRST 360 on shot device with acceptable quality for both stills and video. Yes, the Theta S can do pretty good stills but the video is just way to blurry, unlike the Gear 360. There are just a couple of idiosyncrasies which I expect will disappear with software updates. One such example is with another great feature. Stitching with autoleveling. If you shoot upside side or sideways, say you're using a pole extended under a bridge, and you use the mobile app to stitch.. the image will be stitched right side up. If you use the desktop app, it isn't so. Unfortunately, however the gear360 detects pitch and roll taken during the shot, it stores this in the final corrected stitch. Meaning you have a mostly right side up stitch, but internal data that says it was shot at a 90 degree roll and 45 degree pitch.. So if you use this image in streetview or facebook.. this great auto leveling feature becomes UNDONE. As a workaround, you can download the image to a computer and reset the EXIF manually. Another few things.. very strong light will generally affect the lens cover it's facing and you'll end up with a bit of a difference in image between front and back. Under normal light I've found the images to be very close in color/contrast. Also, in high temperatures, residual moisture can cause some fogging. I think for high end work, it may be a good idea to find a way to remove the lens covers/housings and not have to worry about these issues. Although, you'd have to be extremely careful with storage and use from then on out. Another bonus is the phone app. The live view and connection distance allows me to shoot the Gear 360 mounted to a pole and get off shots with no problem. Stills, videos, timelapse.. I can access all the settings right from the app. OR if I didn't have a Samsung Phone I can use the Gear 360 solo as long as I press the buttons on the device itself. Although you won't have the liveview tethering capabilities. Then you simply eject the SD card and use the desktop app for image processing. The Gear 360 EXCELS at being easy. It can go from my pocket to a completed shot in seconds. My professional rig would take a HUGE amount of time to setup and require forethought on whether I was going to shoot 360's. The Gear 360 is small enough that it fits in a pocket or purse and you can have it always close by. I've shown the Gear 360 now to lots of people. It's a helluva conversation starter. For the convenience, quality, and price it's a no brainer.

Would chose another for this price. No live streaming

Update after Kwanzaa. Bought w/ Visa Checkout deal

Unboxing the device led to some specific expectations. The packaging reminded me of the Go-Pro range of cameras, and their action-capturing brethren. The eyeball-esque camera sits in a clear cylinder, with the accessories (tripod, battery, micro-usb cable) below. On a non-descript slip of paper resides an important code – the serial number for Gear 360 Action Director. This is the PC based editing software, necessary for those who are not pairing the camera to a compatible Samsung phone. It’s easy to lose, and the forums where Gear 360 users gather are full of people who have misplaced theirs. Be careful with it! There are no vehicle, helmet, or other mounts provided with the camera, but it is fitted with a standard ¼ inch tripod thread, so compatibility shouldn’t be a problem for those who need to attach the camera to something specific. One charge later (an LED on the side of the camera will switch from red to green when it’s done), and I was ready to set forth on my 360 degree adventures. But what to record? And here the film studies lecturer steps in. 360-degree filming is a new paradigm. The entirety of film making up until now has revolved around the cinematographer’s choices, and key among these has been ‘what do I include and exclude from my frame’. With 360 degree filming this choice has changed. We can still choose where to place the camera relative to the subject (or subjects), and we can include or exclude things depending on where we put the camera, but the concept of the frame has vanished. What sort of recording would benefit from allowing the view to make far more of the decisions when it comes to the camera? I’ve found myself using the camera for a few things, and all from a ‘documentation’ perspective. A few clips of a concert to show the crowd’s responses to the return of the 80s ‘most dangerous band’, photographs of my home to send back to my family abroad and, most effectively, recordings of the opening lectures of my classes this semester. These seemed to strike a chord with late-adding students, who’ve commented both on the technology and the way that the felt that they hadn’t ‘missed out’ as much as they would have usually by not attending the first class. Whether or not they truly gained anything by viewing a ‘virtual lecture theater’ is something I need to look into, but the fact that they could use a Gear VR, Google Cardboard or even the gyroscope in their phone to turn and follow questions and answers around the room seemed to engage them in ways a straight forward video would not have done. Its presence in the classroom also prompted questions which allowed me to expand on my usual section on technology in film making. From that perspective alone it was a worthwhile experiment. I’ve yet to use the Gear 360 to record footage of my daughter. She is close, but hasn’t yet begun to crawl, so a normal camera is more than up to the task! However, once she does become mobile the Gear 360 should come into its own, allowing me to share video with her grandparents of her early explorations without having to lock myself behind the viewfinder. I’ll get to be part of the experience, rather than watching it remotely on a tiny screen, and that makes the camera worth its weight in gold. From a technical standpoint, I’ve discovered a few things as well. I quickly switched the included tripod out for a slightly larger model (I opted for a Manfrotto PIXI, which would also be useful with my mirrorless camera), and paired it with a ‘selfie stick’(an X-Shot Pro, as it has a tripod thread on the base) to make a compact tripod system that I could collapse to take around with me. This has served me well, getting the camera up high enough that I’m not treating my viewers to an ‘ant’s eye view’ of the world, while not preventing me from wanting to take the camera out with me. For the lectures I mentioned above I opted to mount the camera on a lighting stand – effectively a lighter, slimmer version of a normal camera tripod. This helped to minimize the amount of the stand that was in the shot, giving a cleaner, less distracting recording. So, how has the camera performed. There are a few things that I want to cover, including image quality, camera controls, recording duration and stitching. For the first, there are a few things to be aware of. The device, by necessity, is working with small, dense sensors. These do limit the low-light performance. You will get far better images, with less blocking in the shadows, if you can capture your images and video in bright light. Outside, on a bright Santa Barbara afternoon, the images were great. They aren’t going to put your DSLR to shame, of course, but your DSLR can’t capture the world around you in motion. Think of a reasonable (not outstanding) cell phone camera, if that cell phone camera could see in all directions. Indoors, and especially when the lighting is lower, you’ll get exactly what you’d expect – lower contrast images and some crawling/blocking in darker areas which will clip quickly to black. However, for the price, and at the size of the camera, I was more than happy with the results. The controls are a little bit of a mixed bag. I’ve been pairing the camera to a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. Once the connection is established, it’s been very successful for the most part. However, if you’re in a ‘noisy’ Wi-Fi environment be prepared for long delays in pairing and occasionally in getting the camera to respond when you want it to record. In those instances, I found the physical controls on the camera were more effective. They are certainly straight forward – a power button, another to switch modes, and one more to start and stop recording or take a picture. They are quick to respond, and the small OLED screen does a great job of letting you know what is going on. A word of warning here though – when you are recording 360 video, think of that display as being like the LCD on a normal camera. Despite what the instructions say, and contrary to what happens when you select the ‘front’ camera for a 180-degree recording, that display goes at the back of the camera. With no way to alter the default viewpoint with the supplied software (phone or PC), it’s a hard lesson to learn if you get it wrong. I was lucky enough to have access to Adobe Premiere and was able to correct my mistake, but you may not have that luxury. Recording duration is subject to a variety of issues. The first problem you’re likely to encounter is recording ending due to excess heat. In a cool, air conditioned room, I was able to run the camera until the end of the supplied battery (around 90 minutes), but in warmer circumstances I ran into ‘overheating’ warnings and impromptu shutdowns at around the 25-minute mark. If you are recording a series of short shots and can let the camera cool down between takes, or just grabbing a quick photo or recording of the family for posterity, this is something you’ll likely not have issues with. If, on the other hand, you are trying to capture something longer (like a lecture), you’ll want to bear this in mind. I’ve a second battery on order to try some DIY cooling tricks on, such as adding a small heat-sink to the battery and leaving the side door open, but so far I’ve had to limit longer recordings to colder situations. Finally, then we have the stitching. This is the process where the two fish-eye images that the camera has recorded are converted into one cohesive image for viewing. Be prepared for some lengthy conversions if you like to record longer chunks of footage. Whether processed on the phone, or on a PC, this will take quite some time. My desktop is hardly cutting edge, but 8 4Ghz AMD cores and 16GB of RAM still left me taking most of a working day to render up 90 minutes of footage. If you do it on your phone, try leaving the phone on a metal surface (making sure to protect delicate parts from scratches) to carry the heat away and keep things moving along at a reasonable pace. If your clips are shorter, in the 1-2 minute range, then you’ll not run into these issues, and your phone will have you video ready for upload within 10 minutes or so. The stitching is most successful when the lighting is similar for the front and back cameras. When there is a marked difference I sometimes found a noticeable ‘line’ in the final product where the two cameras seemed to have worked at different exposure settings. The phone software also seemed to produce slightly better results than the PC did, though at the expense of additional rendering time. You should be careful when positioning the camera to make sure that a) your main subject is in front of one lens, rather than being positioned on the axis between the two, and b) that the subject is at least a foot from the camera. There is a small ‘dead zone’ to the sides of the camera, extending a few inches away, and you don’t want to lose your subject in that. Once you’ve finished you can send your video on up to Facebook (giving support for the Gear VR) or YouTube (Cardboard and Gear VR) with ease. The files can be large, but neither service has balked at the so far for me. This will allow you to share the videos remotely, though you can of course just pass your phone around. This latter might be my preferred method, though only so I can see the wonder on the faces of those new to the 360-degree video experience! All things considered, the Gear VR is an astonishing device. We are at the very beginning of a new form of video recording, and to see such a consumer friendly device so early on is very surprising. I’d love to see the quality of the images step up, and I’d like to see work done on the overheating issues, but right now there is nothing in the price range to compare. You’ll be spending thousands of dollars, and many more hours in an editing suite, to exceed what this little sphere can do.

While this is my first 360 camera, I have thoroughly enjoyed using the Gear 360. I have been using the camera for couple of weeks as a Samsung Insider #‎Gear360‬ ‪#‎insidersgear360‬. To start my review, I want to point out what I did like:‬ • The camera pairs easily with the Note 5, Note 7 and S6 Edge+. • The camera is really easy to use. Take your photo or video and enjoy your results. No high tech experience needed to enjoy this camera. • This camera takes really nice photos and videos and the Gear 360 software on the phone does a really nice job stitching the photos and videos together. • Looking at my results with the Gear VR is really amazing and takes the 360 camera to the next level. If you plan on purchasing this camera, my recommendation is to spend the $99 on the Gear VR to be able to fully immerse yourself in the 360 experience. • I also found that sharing my photos on social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) was easy. • The battery is removable and lasts several hours. If you plan on going on a long trip, you can purchase an additional backup battery and pop it in if needed. • You have the option of taking 360 photos/videos or using the front lens to take forward facing photos/videos, or using the rear lens for selfies. Really nice so you don’t have to carry a second camera. Here is what I didn’t like: • The photo/video capture button placement. I think there is almost no way you can use the 360 option without the use of your phone as the capture button is located on the top of the camera. Why is this an issue? Because your arm or finger will almost always be in the photo is you use the Gear 360 standalone. That button should have been on the bottom or on a monopod with remote provided by Samsung. • This may not be a big issue to many, but there is not viewfinder. So like my first point, you have to use this camera with a phone as this is your viewfinder. The last thing anyone wants is to take several photos or videos that have a poor angle. • The time to connect. I used this camera at a sporting event (Texans game) and wanted to video a play. The camera was paired to the phone but the camera was powered off. It literally took 20 to 30 seconds for the camera to connect to my Note 7 before I could start taking a video. As you imagine, the play was well over and I missed my chance. My hope is that this is fixed on an upcoming software/firmware update. • Objects that are distant in photos come out blurry. The best use for this camera is up close. Overall Samsung did a really nice job with the Gear 360 and I highly recommend purchasing this camera. It is really easy to use and you will enjoy both the photos and videos that this camera takes.

It isn't that good. Battery goes out quick and it isn't exactly seemless. You would actually see how the picture isn't connecting 100 percent.

   For years I have been interested in trying to capture life's moments in 360 degrees. What was formerly the domain of truly expensive cameras and hobbyists, has now been made available to consumers. (At least those using the last two generations of Samsung phones.)     I am not going to write about all the technical specs. This information can be found on the Samsung site as well as the product description itself. I am here to share my thoughts on this incredibly easy to use camera. When I received the product I was a bit worried about having to sync the camera to my samsung Galaxy S6 phone. I followed the set up guide. Before I could even attempt to sync the camera by "pressing the button" on the camera as stated in the guide, the camera and phone were already synced. I had simply installed some software  (Gear 360) from the Google Play Store and it just worked. It not only worked but it amazed me at how intuitive the capture software's to use. I was taking video and pictures within 2 minutes of opening the package and inserting the included SD card.    The picture quality is much better than I expected. The camera works great inside as well as outside. I have shot in low light situations inside as well as sunny bright days outside. The videos are incredible. On a Samsung phone the images can me moved with the swipe of your finger or by activating "Motion View" whereby you can simply move your phone and the image moves with you. Up, Down, or Around in a Circle! Amazing and fun!    The camera is fairly portable and I have been transporting it in the provided cloth bag. The bag is thick and sturdy and I have never felt afraid of the camera being damaged while taking it on short or long trips. The cameras built in tripod is sturdy but you might want to invest in a larger tripod if you want to stand the camera up at a higher height without your arm appearing in the shot like a bad selfie.    I will admit, I may not use the camera as often as my Samsung Phone camera, but when I am going somewhere special or simply out where I think i might be taking pictures... the Gear 360 definitely comes along for the ride. Everyday snapshots are not what this camera exists. It does take a second or two to sync the camera if it was not already on, but if left on between shots, there is no delay between pressing the button on your phone and the camera activating. There is a 3 second timer built in which gives you plenty of time to set up the shot. There is also an included live view of the image on your phone before you snap the picture to help plan ahead for your perfect photo or video.   Truly the only downside I have experienced is forgetting to transfer the photos directly to my phone to show off to family and friends. Even strangers have been blown away by the 360 degree photos and videos I am able to take. I have even had a few people suggest that they may consider a Samsung phone in the near future instead of their current iPhone. Posting on Facebook and Youtube is seamless and any problems with 360 degree videos are inherent in the various web browsers and are no fault of the Gear 360.     Overall, a great technology and something that will continue to amaze people wherever I go!

This is one amazing little camera, simple to use, fast setup charge last a couple of hours of recording and has a removable battery. Now think about all the moment you won’t miss because you weren’t facing the right direction. You get it all even if you missed it, it doesn’t. It feels real solid, not like it will break easily like some cameras I’ve had in the past and comes with a micro tripod. The setup to shooting from storage is less than 30 seconds; you don’t even have to use the phone app. I used this during work for office space review prior to renting more office space this made so much easier in showing the office then explaining all the details. I have used it during a picnic capturing all the festivities with the piñata. I am planning on using this for a wedding in the very near future which I think will replace how we capture life’s events. The Camera comes with an activation code to editing software which makes it easy to produce quality video of you adventures. The Downloadable app for your Samsung phone makes controlling the camera remotely a breeze. Pairing was really quick only took a few seconds and your off and running. One feature I liked was the power saver mode so when you’re shooting video the screen on your phone goes dark to save power and comes back quickly when you need it. Now viewing the video on your s7 or note7 phones with the use of Gear VR is quick except for the download from the camera which will take some time depending on the size of the video. The one thing I found that it depends on the camera being level during recording is the stitching of the 2 videos to come out smooth. The camera comes with almost everything to get started so there is little to add to it but as time goes on I can see accessories coming along to improve the usefulness of this produce. Bottom line is this Being able to shoot 360 in 4K for less than $400 is a bargain

Samsung offers an easy entry into a consumer-friendly 360-degree action VR camera world! The Samsung Gear 360, will be priced at US $349 upon release on August 19th this year, and will allow consumers to enter this brave new world of 360-degree capture and exploration. PROS: The two separate 15MP CMOS sensors on either side of the camera's shockproof, weather-resistant body capture a 360x360 degree Field-of-View resulting in fully spherical recording. Simply turn the camera on, select the photo or video mode using the Menu button and hit the red capture button up top which is situated next to the bright, easy to read LCD status screen. This screen will also give you a read out of the battery life, estimated number of pictures or hours of video you can take, and is also used to navigate the simple menus. The first time you power on the device, select to record in 4K. The Gear 360 is supremely easy to use, offers little customization but the most simple way to capture and share photos and videos in 360-degrees. You can select to capture using both lenses for full spherical video/photo or use one side for hemi-spherical (imagine half a globe instead of a full globe of video/photo) capture. The package comes with a nice, padded carrying bag, a microfiber cleaning cloth and a wrist strap that can be attached securely to the included, cute & adorable, mini-tripod/selfie (all-ie?) stick. This ingenious design really helps in being able to use the camera in a variety of situations from clubbing to dash-cam(ing) to capturing while walking (et al a walking tour if you will). The included li-ion battery seems to last easily for over an hour of recording 4K video and the microSD card slot will accept up to 256GB easily. There's also a microUSB port on the body of the camera hidden behind the weather-resistant flap on the side which will allow you to connect the camera to a computer so you may use the Action Director desktop software to quickly process captured videos to have them stitched and become ready for uploading to YouTube/social media. For on-the-go, Samsung provides a mobile app only available on its compatible Galaxy phones; Galaxy Note 5 & 7, S6 and S7 family. It can be assumed the Galaxy S8 in 2017 will be supported too. The app acts as a sort of remote control via Bluetooth/NFC and will allow you to capture, setup and share. Speaking of the battery lasting a good duration to capture, the Gear 360, for as easy as it may be to do what it does well enough, had an issue I've seen in other 4K-capture devices: shutting down due to overheating. During a drive around town and also during a TV wall-mount installation, the camera overheated and had to shut down for about 5 minutes to cool down and be used again after recording for about 20+ minutes. The Kodak PIXPRO SP360 4K cameras do this as well, and many mobile phones that capture 4K video have also done this in the past, either shutting down the app or the device itself to cool down due to overheating. It's just the nature of the tech itself, the nature of the beast that is 4K and shouldn't be considered detrimental to your decision in choosing to buy one of these devices or not. The software that is bundled with the camera is actually quite awesome! It's very easy for an inexperienced individual like myself to be able to produce an almost professional quality edited 360 video and post to Facebook and YouTube directly. It's created by Cyberlink, same team behind PowerDirector video editing software suite for the past 15+ years. A product code to activate your copy is included inside the packaging. CONS: In comparison to the SP360 4K Action VR Cameras as well, the picture quality on Gear 360 is not as clear or sharp as it is on the Kodak PIXPROs. But it is still a world better than the LG 360 and Ricoh Theta S. Other thoughts/Conclusion: The real benefit here for the Gear 360 is the performance per dollar you are getting here. Which will be sure to draw in alot of attention at launch. I give the device and it's solid experience an 8.5/10. The points I've docked are solely for the lower image quality than competition and the isolated user crowd Samsung has pioneered this camera for - which is Galaxy phone users. Sure with a little bit of extra out-of-your-way work, any computer user can also make use of this camera, but it should've been available to be used with Android-wide and iOS-wide apps. Bigger target audience = bigger sales. Note: I received the product as part of an early reviewer program and my eligibility does not depend on the direction of my review. The product was not free, nor do I get to keep it unless I pay for it.

Samsung Gear 360 was the first 360 degree video camera I had a pleasure to use. After opening the oval and half transparent boxing I realized how small the camera is. I was expecting it to be a little bit bigger considering the functions it has. My second positive surprise was the included tripod – very handy for still shoots and once it is folded it works great as a handle for the device. The package also includes a padded pouch and usb cord, unfortunately no charger. On Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge setup was straight forward and camera was connected to the device within one minute. Later on during some additional testing I wasn’t able to connect the camera, it turns out when I was connected to 5GHz wifi Gear 360 couldn’t connect to the phone – hopefully this issue will be resolved in later software update. Recording videos and taking pictures was an easy experience. Built in small display shows remaining video time or picture count during stand by or elapsed video time while recording. Downloading videos to the phone took very long time, even short 1 minute videos – not to mention longer ones. It is due to the file size, which is understandable. Also during the import videos and photos are stitched to the proper format. Unfortunately that process for videos shrinks the resolution. Same thing happens while sharing videos either to Facebook or YouTube. Uploaded videos are in very low resolution and lack details – comparing to viewing originals on the phone or VR glasses. Other drawback is that recording close shoots will result in uneven stitching, so if you are recording people or important subjects make sure that camera is facing the subject. I had few cases when camera overheated and it shut down itself until unit chilled down. Overall quite a good camera. #insidersgear360 Pros: - Small product with handful of included accessories - Good resolution for videos and photos - 2.0f aperture is great for low light shooting Cons: - Lacks dedicated charger (you have to use one from your phone) - Phone needs to be disconnected from 5GHz WIFI when accessing gallery or live view - Gear 360 app shrinks resolution and quality of exported videos. - Sometimes overheats - Winding wind noise when recording in higher speeds (ex. outside a car)

I've read and re-read the instructions and I'm about to lose my mind. I'm going to call Samsung to see why the item won't connect to my iPhone but simply put... if I have to take the time to call customer service to learn how to use this camera, then MAYBE it's not that user friendly.

This is a great little camera. Well-designed, well-built and easy to use. I'm a VR professional, and all cameras and systems have strengths and serious weaknesses. This one seems to avoid most of the pitfalls. It's a great entry level camera, but I am also able to use it professionally. It took a while for samsung to actually get the app to work, but now that it does, it's very easy to connect, shoot and edit on the Edge 7. This is the camera I always have with me, and I can go from in my bag to shooting in about 8 seconds. The action editor makes the importation of footage pretty easy. But this is where the biggest downside it...it takes a LONG time to import footage. You can view the raw output right from the SD card without having to do anything, but when you import the footage, it is also stitching it, so it takes a long time. But this is the case with any VR workflow, so I don't see that as a huge drawback, it's just something to be aware of. If you're savvy with Adobe CC, AutoPano, Mettle SkyBox Suite or other software there are ways to work with the footage as well. The resolution and record time are better than it's closest competitor the Ricoh Theta S. Price is comparable, but the Gear is a little bigger, where the Theta can easily fit in a pocket. But the Gear360 has a lot more features going for it and I highly recommend it for anyone interested in getting into shooting VR. Even on my shoots with a higher-end camera, this camera has proven invaluable both on set as well as doing pre-production of grabbing photospheres for 3D rendering. I did get mine for a discount in exchange for my honest review. Even if I paid full price for this, the Gear 360 would be totally worth it. Next stop is to get this on my drone!

I have had an amazing time using this camera. It's so easy to use, and works great! First off, the packaging and design really makes it feel like you're holding the future in your hands. The companion app is ridiculously easy to use and the options available are great, although I'm hoping they release an update to allow for live streaming. I do feel like there should be a better case option available. It comes with a carrying bag which, while nice, isn't really going to protect the beautiful lenses for too long. I have the Samsung Galaxy S7 and from unboxing and charging to recording I was very surprised how well it all worked. In the live view on the phone you can set the camera to record many different ways. -With dual lens 360, you have 3840x1920, 2880x1440, 2560x1280 (60fps), 2560x1280, and 1920x960. -There is a countdown timer you can set for off, 2 seconds, 5 seconds, or 10 seconds. -There is a general brightness adjuster -A White Balancer with settings Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Incandescent, Fluorescent, and Aqua. (Here's hoping for a custom) -HDR on and off You can also film in 180 using either the back or front lens. All in all I'm very happy with it and will be even happier if they upgrade the few settings I mentioned.