Customer Ratings & Reviews

kind of complicate... just saw the video one time...

Don’t be confused by the description, this camera has NO LENSE! You must have a Samsung phone to use as the lense to view what you are shooting with this camera.

Thanks to Samsung and the Insiders for loaning me a Samsung 360 gear camera in exchange for and honest review. Pros: Stills are easy to take and post using your Samsung phone, and they are fascinating. Windows PC editing software for spherical video provided with the camera. Cons: Locked into using a Samsung 6 or 7 phone to post picture. However, videos can be captured and shared to Youtube or Facebook with only a Windows PC. Cannot review and post photos from a PC. Cannot rotate of videos or photos from their original captured orientation. Possible capability issue: The Gear 360 overheated, in still-air 25C room when recording video to a Lexar Class 10 200GB card in about 10 minutes. This didn’t happen with the Samsung 32GB EVO card. The Soup: Stills: http://tinyurl.com/Gear360Eating http://tinyurl.com/Gear360Smoking http://tinyurl.com/Gear360Drinking http://tinyurl.com/Gear360MoreDrinking Videos: http://tinyurl.com/Gear360Golfing http://tinyurl.com/Gear360Hummingbirds http://tinyurl.com/Gear360Motorcycle Still of the 90 degree mount: http://tinyurl.com/Gear360MotorCycleMount http://tinyurl.com/Gear360GoldenGate The Review Connecting to the camera, setting it up was easy to do with both the Gear360 app or the on camera menus. Sharing images from the phone was easy and quick. Sharing a video on the spot from a phone requires a battery draining amount of power both to preprocess and uploaded – my phone never made it to the end of one. The action director video software is easy to learn and use but could use more feature work, particularly in video rotation. Uploading a 1.7GB video to youtube will make you reconsider your ISP subscription, it took my computer 3 hours to upload the tinyurl.com/Gear360GoldenGate video. At the highest resolution video, a full battery charge lasted between 34 and 42 minutes, which is about 7GB to 9GB of videos. Each video is limited to 8 minutes and 26 seconds, which is about 1.77 GB. The unit is still pocket sized for loose fitting jeans, but could use a 25% shrink to make it comfortable. I look forward to the day when list camera is built into the Galaxy 10. The still images are good quality and impressive. The video is good for the money, but a feels bit low-res on a 15” display. The video and still stitching opera well at a distance but have some issues on near camera object. The video sensors are also run at different auto exposure controls, which is great, say for the tunnel portion of the golden gate video, but some software work to improve the edges between these setting could improve the result. If you have $350 to spend, the stills this can collect on a vacation or a birthday party could make it worth that alone. The videos are good but not great, but are really unique and stand out. #SamsungGear360 #InsidersGear360 Next Generation Wish List: Other than the always desired higher resolutions, the following would be awesome to the hardware and software processing: • Removable lens covers both for protection and filters. A UV haze is first on my wish list. • A power mount with standard screw adapter to allow operation lengths limited only to storage. • Add 360-degree rotation of source spherical image or video to select an "up position" for playback or viewing. Allow the recording of camera mounted at 90 degrees to be rotated back to 0 degrees. The action director 90-degree rotation collapses the video in an unusable way. • Add a 360-degree option to set the default video or image origin • Adding a way to limit the video collection, say to the top 200 degrees of both sensors could save space, battery, and time. The roof of my car isn’t so interesting that it is worth 50% of the video. Also please release the helmet mounts and remote control package in the US market.

I got a chance to try out the Gear 360 recently, and so far I am pretty impressed with it overall. It opens up a new door for my casual/amateur photography expanding into the 360 realm. Strengths: * Impressive/cool and elegant product design - has a well built feel to it, is pretty, and people notice it. I like the little LED lights indicating which cameras are on. * Splash resistant - which was useful when Kayaking - but be sure to use the lens cloth supplied to clean the lens or you will get an unappealing 180 degrees with wet winshield! * Simple but effective Samsung Gear 360 Android app - allowing live view through camera, trimming of video, quick download of media from camera to phone, and ability to share clips to social media. * PC Software, "Gear 360 Action Director" offers easy downloading and auto stitching of your pictures and videos. It also has some basic production feaures, but I have only used the triming feature so far. * Takes pictures and videos easily with or without your mobile device connected and is easy to switch modes. Weaknesses: * Large external lenses can pick up reflections or lens flare if light source is too close or at steep angles to the device. * Not easy to keep the horizon level, maybe partially because of its spherical design. - As a beginner who did not know that keeping the camera level is very important for the navigation aspect of the stitched image/video, especially in a VR headset, I could have used a level indicator. There is a video image stabilizer option in the settings which is helpful. * On board LED user interface is small and a little hard to navigate to change settings, but how could you put a larger display on a spherical product anyway? Minor issues that could be easily fixed/improved: * Initial connection between the app on my Note 5 took a few tries but after that it was smooth sailing. * Time interval for Time Lapse mode can only be set from the mobile device. (minor, but could have used it when filming without my phone) * The mobile app's "View on Gear VR" button worked perfectly for 360 videos, but did not for 360 pictures. That should be fixed. * When connected to the mobile app the auto turn off feature does not engage even if you are not looking at the live feed. Other findings: I found that the default video resolution 2560x1280 was a little fuzzy more my taste even on a PC viewer, and I preferred the 3840x1920, which I'd say is required for decent view on the Gear VR. The still pictures at 30M (7776x3888) are pretty sharp which makes them a good experience on the Gear VR. Battery life seems decent for my purposes. After an afternoon shooting some short videos and stills on the water it dropped two out of three bars. But you should definitely use the auto shut off feature to save battery life. This may be a factor for any dual camera 360 device, but the greater the brightness difference there is between the two camera views, the more visible the stitching seam will be. I have enjoyed using the Gear 360 so far, and with it you can add easy to shoot, no nonsense 360 panorama stills to your repertoire as well as immersive 360 videos that will impress your friends on social media and capture more of the world than you could have even noticed when you where there!

This is an awesome device! But first you have to do your homework. I was excited to get started but I found out quick that until I watched a few YouTube video tutorials, all I could do was take pics and videos without a clue as to how to make, post, and share them in 360 degrees. It also has issues with stitching. That's the line where one camera's image blends into the next, which can be pretty pronounced at times. But you just have to take that into account when your taking you pics or video. Try to put the stitch line on a wall instead of someone's face. Once you start using one and get the hang of it, it's really fun. That's not to say every picture and video needs to be done in 360 degrees. But there are instances where nothing else will do. Also being able to share your 360 photos on Facebook is a huge deal for me. I'm still trying to get the hang of the PC software Gear 360 Action Director so that I can view and share pics via my Windows based computer but that will come with time and practice. Where the Gear 360 really shines is with the Gear VR. If you own one this is a must buy. It really is the future of photos and video brought right here to the present. Seeing yourself, your home, friends and family in 360 is a blast! So if you're thinking of buying a gear 360, start studying video tutorials now and you'll be ready to hit the ground running once yours arrives. You might also want to consider getting a case and a tripod or selfie stick for when you're on the go. Enjoy!

I have had the Gear 360 for about a month now and have been using it everywhere. I was a bit skeptical at first on the ease of use as I didn’t know how quick it would be able to take photos. It doesn’t disappoint, this thing is rather fast for a remotely controlled camera and is able to capture what you want when you want to capture it. If you have been trying to take 360° views from your phone by taking a bunch of pictures this will do it in ONE CLICK. I have taken more stills than I have video but have tested out the functionality of taking video, stop action, 360 stills and wide angle stills from the front and rear cameras. I did all of this remotely from my Galaxy S7 Edge, which has been a great phone by the way, and a Samsung 32Gb EVO+ Micro SD Card I have used the camera for everything from camping to workshops and real estate, I even took stop action video while riding shotgun going down the highway. Let’s start with what comes in the box. I received the Gear 360 with the Camera, mini tripod, wrist strap, carry bag, and lens cleaning rag. The carrying bag is a nice accessory, the camera fits in it with the cleaning rag and tripod attached. Setup Connecting the camera to my Galaxy S7 Edge was a cinch, all I had to do was touch the gear to the back of my phone where the NFC would initialize the connection it then connects the camera via Wi-Fi direct in the Gear 360 app. Once the app was open, I just followed the instructions and it was ready to go. I only had to do this the first time, after that it was able to connect once the app was open on the phone and the camera was on. Photos 360° shots with this camera are as easy as can be. Just open the app connect to the camera and start taking photos. First Scenario: I have a friend who was selling a house and I have been seeing a lot of posts about a new company doing 360° tours of homes so I took the camera over and took some shots and posted them to a Facebook page I had created. The nice thing about this is you can give people the feeling of being at the house or in a given location especially when you post to Facebook. Facebook allows you to post the photos one at a time, they don’t have it setup to allow you to upload albums yet but I’m sure that is in the works. Second Scenario: I also took it camping with my son while out fishing and canoeing, I tried to get a shot of the stars at night but this camera is not setup for that as you do not have the ability to adjust the shutter. It does however take extremely clear daytime photos regardless of cloud cover. Third scenario: The company I work for teaches workshops for small businesses in a classroom setting and we take photos of the workshops to post to our social media. The only issue I had in this scenario is trying to determine where to put the camera in order to get a good photo without disrupting the workshop. If you have a place to put the camera that is at a reasonable height like a podium, then it works great. I took a couple of shots while holding the camera and due to the nature of having two wide angle cameras there is some distortion with objects that are at a 90° angle from the lenses, it’s not very noticeable but it can be seen. Overall: All in all, this camera has been a pleasure to use for stills and 360° views. I would recommend it to anyone from a Realtor to a hobbyist or a person just wanting to capture the feeling of being there! Video: Taking full motion or stop action video is just as simple and easy as photos. The camera even comes with a license for Gear 360 Action Director which you can use to slice your videos and edit them create your own experience. I’m not much of a video buff so I haven’t done much more than install and poke around with the software. It has all of the basic features one might want when it comes to minor editing of video. I really didn’t need it as most of the video I took was ready to go straight to social media after taking it. The software seemed to be more for people who wanted to produce something a bit more polished whereas I wanted a raw feeling with what I was doing. On a trip to Atlanta I shot some while driving downtown by simply holding the camera out the window and above the car so I could get a full 360° video. This is a great camera, it is fun and easy to use. The photos it takes are amazing and allow you to capture the entire place that you are in. The simplicity of this device is what makes it great, you can move from taking photos to video very quickly from your phone you can even do it on the camera itself. It makes capturing everything that is happening very easy. I would recommend this camera to anyone who wants to be able to share experiences with others whether it is with your family and friends or on social media for the world to see.

Why watch a video, when you can live a moment. I’m a video producer so I’ve played with all the toys out there, but rarely have I come across a device that redefines an industry like the Samsung Gear 360. I’ve experimented with stitching multiple GoPros together to achieve the effect this single camera does with the touch of a button. At almost 4K, the image quality is better than any single package 360 camera available at the time of this review. The fact that this camera is also shock and splash proof allows me to get some incredible angles I wouldn’t dare bring my other equipment. And since you know the device is recording 360 degrees, you don’t have to worry about missing the shot. A single click of the record button and both cameras start simultaneously, eliminated the need to sync in post. And speaking of post-production, I almost can’t believe how simple it is to stitch the footage. What used to take practically a super computer to do the stitching, can be done on a simple galaxy smart phone. I’m almost convinced it’s done with magic. And since you’re using your smart phone to do the processing, once finished, it couldn’t be easier to share your masterpiece to any of your social networks. Even more impressive, many of the most popular social networks like facebook and youtube already have the technology to display 360 content, placing all of your friends in the action as soon as you upload, no special coding needed from you. If you want to do the processing on your computer, it comes with a program called Gear 360 Action Director, which does an equally impressive job of stitching quickly. Unfortunately, its only available for windows at the time of this review, so that tethered me to my desktop, so apple support would be nice. The program is pretty limited, but I only use it for stitching, then bring it in to my Adobe suite, to do the rest. It comes with a cute little tripod that reminds me of EVE from the movie Wall-e, but I purchased a variety of mounts. Most valuable would be a monopod with feet. Tripods will show up in the scene when looking down. The battery will last about an hour of continuous filming and it all records to a micro SD card. The only issue I had with the camera, was some interior lens fogging after moving it from the cold indoors to the humid outdoors. This was a pretty big problem, because once its fogged up, you’re at the mercy of the elements to clear it up. Your footage will be useless if you try to record with the fog. Time eventually fixed it, but be warned, acclimate this camera before any time critical gigs. That is literally the only issue I’ve come across in the month+ I’ve been using it. I LOVE this camera and believe it’s only the beginning in this exciting and revolutionary new media. The industry is moving fast, but Samsung did a great job getting a jump on the competition. The future is NOW!

I am a VR creator, so I have been tuned into the 360 camera scene for awhile. Compared to other cameras, the Gear360 is light, compact, extremely accessible, and user-friendly: perfect for a consumer grade product. And the very best part.... NO STITCHING! The fact that I am able to hit record, film, and upload a complete spherical video to social media in a span of about 3 minutes is incredible and unprecedented. The size and UX of the product are its best assets. It fits conveniently in a small bag so you can take it anywhere, pull it out, and have a beautiful 360 video to share on social media. It was very easy to set up. The menus both on the camera and on the accompanying app are very easy to navigate without instructions. Now, the issues: There is a fairly strong parallax around the circumference of the view where the two cameras meet. I was hoping it would blend away if you shot objects at a long distance, but it's pretty difficult to get rid of. This isn't a problem if you're using the camera for selfies and family photos, but is an issue if you're trying to create a totally immersive 360 degree headset experience. For the time being, I'm just framing the action away from the parallax lines and hoping no one will notice. The picture quality is pretty good, but not quite at the detail level of GoPro rigs like the Freedom 360. You're somewhat sacrificing quality for ease of use, but given how easy and elegant the Gear360 is, that may well be a positive tradeoff! If you're concerned about the quality of your videos, I would suggest purchasing a separate monopod with a sturdy base. The tiny tripod that comes with the camera does not lift it far off the surface it's placed on, so almost half of your video will be filled with a desk/table/floor.

Samsung has done it again. A product that is easy to set up, easy to use, priced right and that takes stunning 360 videos and pictures. I love the way this camera is designed. Very user friendly and packaged very well with everything you need including a desktop Tripod!. The videos look fantastic on your phone and even better in a VR headset. Whether you take professional videos or just backyard get-togethers this camera is right for you. Priced below similar 360 cameras, feature for feature there's no comparison.

If you’re looking to try out VR the Gear 360 is the best currently option under $1k. Others have tried and come close but they all have critical flaws that keep them from becoming a reliable piece of recording equipment. The Samsung Gear 360 isn’t perfect but it does address many of the shortcoming of its competition and has beautiful color to boot. Hardware – 2 lens is a must. Other cameras with a single lens that record one hemisphere simply cannot compete, the dark half of the video kills the VR experience. With the Gear 360 and true 360 recording you get the full VR experience. I use this cam for recording footage on a racecar and even though one hemisphere may be recording the hood or roof having the seamless transition is critical for the VR affect. The build quality of the camera is great with simple button layout and easy menu navigation on the device itself or through the app, on par with go pro and other competitors. The included tripod is fantastic and works great as a small selfie stick when collapsed. Even the included carrying bag is great quality. Very high quality build and accessories. A+ Software – This has traditionally been the weak spot for 360 devices. After all what good is footage if you can’t show anyone. Samsung addresses this with a host of supporting apps and full feature desktop program. The Action/Director software for desktop allows you to clip videos and add transitions and audio while maintaining the 360-ness of the footage. It takes forever to render a video but that is to be expected, I let it run overnight and the results are awesome. Facebook and YouTube have native 360 video players so sharing is easy. B+ until I get a faster computer :p Final verdict- This is the best 360 VR cam you can get right now.

I have the Gear 360 Camera and have been very impressed with it so far. Some things I was questioning and thought others would like to know as well are below. Quick Review: BUY IT if you are in the market for a stand alone 360 degree camera! Pros: The camera is extremely easy to use and set up with a Samsung phone. The battery life has been great for me so far. I've not been filming for hours on end, but the typical 5-10 minute video hasn't drained the battery much. The quality of the image is very good, the best of any stand alone 360 degree camera available today. It does NOT compare to the rigs with 12 action cameras mounted to capture the 360 degree video, but it is also $5-6k cheaper and the trade off is worth it! The stitching of the video when done on phone is very good as long as things aren't close to the camera (see cons for more on that). The Gear 360 feels like a quality piece, nice and solid. The included tripod/hand held thing works well at both! Cons: Picture stitching on things that are close to the camera on the sides disappear for a few frames. This camera is by far better than any other 360 camera that is currently available, but it is something to be aware of if you are wanting to film in small spaces. The microphone on the camera is not good for video when mounted to a car moving above 35mph as all you will hear is wind noise. I don't actually consider this to be a huge deal either since most action cameras have this same issue. Neither of these cons would have me tell someone to NOT buy the Samsung Gear 360, it is a great product! I have not tried the included PC software yet. Once I do I'll update this review with a video and my feedback on that software!

I've never really gotten the chance to play with 360 cameras before the Gear 360. I've actually always been kind of skeptical at how they work and the quality I can expect. That being said, I was very impressed by the Gear 360 when I finally got the chance to try it out. I've seen other 360 VR camera rigs like the one from GoPro which is super expensive compared to the Gear 360, so that's why I was initially skeptical about the quality that Samsung could provide at this price point. Indeed, it turns out the quality was very good. The camera was able to record videos with not only very good resolutions, but also really good framerates. It should be very good for all kinds of uses. Aside from the camera itself, the package also came with a lot of good accessories. The tripod is really nice, it came with a memory card as well as a bag to carry the camera. Overall, I'd highly recommend this camera for anyone looking into recording 360 degree videos. It's great performance at a great price point.

Ok, being that this is my first 360 camera, I am mightily impressed!! I've also got the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and it pairs nicely. I've had several play tests with it and I can say, the video as well as the picture quality is great! You barely see any stitching and if you do, you'd have to look very closely to see any discrepancies. I've taken this thing out to NYC where I was getting looks and curious people were interested. I've taken it to a basketball game and took it to some parties. Someone asked me why I was bringing my webcam around. :) All in all, everyone was asking me about it. In fact, I may have gotten Samsung a few sales because of it. It's not cheap, but you do get what you pay for. If you've got any of the Samsung phones (particularly the more recent ones), it's even better. I just bought a selfie stick and longer tripod for better video/picture taking. So if you're in the market for a 360 camera, this definitely should be on your list. Samsung has been known to make some quality electronics, and I look forward to more of their offerings. Buy it if you have the money!

When I finally received my Gear 360 I was super excited as it came just before a trip to the beach. But once I started taking photos and videos with the camera I was very disappointed. The quality was not that good. The images are a little pixelated and grainy and when I showed the photos to friends they complained that it made they nauseous because of the super fish eye effect. The camera captures literally everything from the top of the celling down to part of the tripod it's sitting on. This creates a very strange vertigo effect if not viewed correctly. I went from showing off the camera to hiding it. The problem as I learned was not the camera but I was using it wrong. This is not a normal camera and shouldn't be treated as such. It's best to keep it stationary. For me the Gear 360 is best used for capturing "memories". Normally, you'd feel awkward with someone holding a camera in front of your face during a group conversation. With the Gear 360 you just place the camera in the middle of the table and wait a minute or two for the awkwardness to go away and that is when the magic begins. What you get are real uninterrupted conversations. There's no selfie stick or "that guy" with his phone in your face. Just put the camera down and hit record and it captures everything. You can go back and see not just one person's point of view but everyone's. Every smile, laugh and facial expression captured. There's no staring at the back of someone's head or phone constantly moving around to focus on the person talking. The Gear 360 gives everyone equal camera time with zero effort. This is where it's value lies for me. Playing the videos back is like travelling back in time. The Gear 360 captures memories in their truest form. Group photos are super easy. Although, you might need a selfie stick for this as taking photos or videos are best with the camera at eye level. As much as I like the Gear 360, I'm not a fan of the way Samsung is locking this camera and it's content exclusive to recent Samsung phones. The battery life seems very short when taking 360 videos at full resolution. It's also awkward to carry around and hold since it's round and keeping fingerprints off the lenses is next to impossible. There is also a seam where the 2 cameras meet. The stitching is off and the two images do not meet correctly. Video transfers from the Gear 360 to my phone were painfully slow. Photos on the other hand are much more bearable and relatively quick. My biggest gripe is with the software and lack there of. The editing software is protected by a key and must be activated so it can't be shared. There needs to be some kind of player so that everyone can view the content the way it was meant to be viewed. Despite these issues with the camera, I really do like the camera. It allows for a new way of making memories with minimal effort. Just add friends, food and drinks. If you're planning to use the Gear 360 like a regular camera or camcorder you'll likely be disappointed like I was. The Gear 360 should be an additional tool in your kit not a replacement. It pairs nicely with a good phone camera like a Galaxy S7 and allows you to do thinks you normally can't with a phone. Oh and the friends who complained about the nauseating effect of the camera at the beginning of the trip, they requested that I bring the Gear 360 for the next trip. As for the nauseating effect, just zoom in and don't pan slowly.

This is my first 360 camera, It is a very sleek camera and easy to use. Using a mono pod to maximize the viewing angles works well while using a S7 as the controller. I have been using the camera for couple of weeks as a Samsung Insider #‎Gear360‬ ‪#‎insidersgear360‬ This camera is water and dust-proof, included mini-tripod is extremely interesting . It works and pairs perfectly with my Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. I have uploaded videos to Facebook without any problems Pro: Small & easy to use. Able to capture a moment from all directions instead of just one. Con: Most viewing programs on the computer are not set up to view 360 images. Will take time, but eventually they will. Just don't like waiting.

Anyone can take a picture. But not everyone can playback an experience. This camera is NICE! I've shot several events with this camera. My friends can put on my Gear VR headset and feel like they're standing in the middle of the event. I have shot 2 classic car shows and a classic boat show. Both sides of the field can be visualized as if you are there and spinning in a circle. It' an EASY TO USE camera that has the ability to film and playback in several resolutions. When used with a Samsung S7 and Gear VR Headset you get the full experience of a fast emerging technology. I recommend having a 360 swivel chair to sit in and enjoy the show! Buy one and change the way you look at the world.

This is by far the best 360 camera on the market today. Before buying this camera, I did some research on about 5 different 360 cameras. The specs on this Gear 360 beat everything else out there. When I got the box the first thing I noticed was how neatly everything was packaged. Samsung took the time to make sure everything was well protected. I really like that you have dual cameras that you can use at the same time or just use one. The tripod is great and works perfectly as a handle to hold the camera up. I especially liked that I could control the camera remotely with the Gear 360 app on my cell phone. Samsung makes the best products out there.

As a professional VR director, I've loved having the Samsung to start working with. Compared to larger rigs, the Gear is a lot easier to do run and gun work and the ability to quickly review footage on the phone and headset is a huge advantage to quickly see camera positioning. Resolution is good at ~4k and the phone controls and interface are fairly intuitive. It would be nice if their Action Director software ran on Mac hardware but I end up using another high end stitching software anyway so this is not a deal breaker. Overall a great 360 camera.

Virtual Reality has become the next big thing. This camera allows you to immerse others into the exact place and time as you when using it. With 360 degrees of view you get the chance to see everything around you, no longer being restricted to what is just in front of you. I have shown all of my friends pictures and video that I have taken with this camera and everyone is blown away with the amount of technology packed into such a tiny product. You will have to retrain yourself while taking pictures and video with this camera, as you will have to take into consideration everything around you while capturing the moment. The only downside to this camera is needing a high-end Samsung phone to view a live feed from the camera, when trying to setup a shot. However, that same integration works flawlessly with my Samsung S7, and allows you to do post processing without every plugging into a computer to post to social media.

I have been using the Galaxy Gear 360 about a month through Samsung insider program. I have used with a Note 7, Galaxy S7 edge and it work wonderfully! What Like the best is the how much better of a job it does taking a 360 image, when compared using surround shot or the google camera application. Having the 2 of the 180 lens help a lot in this category! I also enjoy the: • Interface of the Samsung Gear 360 • The ability to control the camera with the phone • More space can be added with the SD card. • Make a very nice VR experience • Nice quick video camera with a stand The items I didn’t like: • Lighting makes a big difference when trying to have photos stitched together. Have one lens facing the sun and the other facing away. • In photos it tends to focus better on closer object like the table it is resting on Vs the people in the shot. • There is no way to manually focus the lens on a certain point in the image in the software. Overall it is a fun camera and a unique experience to have on trips and capturing those family moments. Then being about to share them with loved ones who are not able to be there.