Best solution for 360 gopro mounting

[tomasz wozniak]

Hi,
I want to buy one of the 360heroes mounting device and I have a question concerning the number of gopro cameras. I want to know whether their number – more or less (6, 10) – affects the final video quality and how it affects the stitching process?
Thank you for your time.

[Luc Villeneuve]

Your best bet would probably to contact 360Heros. orders@360heros.com

May I suggest that you also contact the guys from Freedom360 who are very experienced people.

http://freedom360.us

Luc Villeneuve
Professional Photographer

President IVRPA 2016
IVRPA - Québec 2016 conference organizer
IVRPA - Prague 2015 conference organizer
Board of directors 2014 - 2016, 2020

[Sam Rohn]

the “best” 360° video gopro mount would depend on exactly what you are shooting, more cameras does not automatically equal better quality, but more cameras does mean more time stitching ;)

you can cover a full sphere with between 2 (requires 3rd party lens) and 6 (normal lens) gopros, and 6 cameras vs 2 will give more pixels in the end, but more than 6 will not increase resolution or quality for a final full spherical image

camera arrays with more than 6 gopros are intended for stereoscopic (stereo or “3D”) shooting, which will always be much more complicated to stitch vs a monoscopic non-stereo configuration, and shooting with a stereo rig would NOT give higher res vs a mono rig

a normal monoscopic spherical 360 video gopro array like the Freedom360 Mount is probably your best bet for most situations, this rig is very well tested by hundreds of users and has excellent customer support

http://freedom360.us/shop/freedom360/

there are also 1, 2, & 3 camera arrays from entapano and iZugar which might be better in some situations like close action shots, lower final resolution vs 6 cameras, but quicker and easier workflow with fewer seams to stitch

https://www.entapano.com/jp/

http://www.izugar.com/index.html#products

sam

[tomasz wozniak]

Thank you for your answers guys!
And what about the stitching process? Is it better/easier with more or less cameras?

[Sam Rohn]

ease of stitching any 360 video camera rig depends on a few different factors, subject, etc, but in general, fewer cameras will stitch easier vs more cameras, and will certainly take less time stitching 3 videos vs 6 videos etc

stereo rigs with over 6 cameras are really for specialized situations, if you are just starting out you should stick with a simple and well tested monoscopic (normal non-stereo) configuration like the Freedom360

also note that stitching still or video is a skill unto itself which require practice, patience, and experience, if you are just starting here choosing a simpler rig will make your life easier for sure ;)

another simple and inexpensive 2 camera 360° video option is the kodak pixpro SP360 4K dual pack

http://kodakpixpro.com/Americas/cameras/actioncam/sp3604k/

http://cameravr.co.uk/review-of-the-kodak-sp360-4k/

http://www.cnet.com/products/kodak-pixpro-sp360-4k/

sam

[Nick Blauvelt]

This is a question we’ve been asking as well, and experimenting with different rigs to determine the most optimum rig for the task at hand.

We’ve generally found that more or fewer cameras can be helpful for different shooting environments.

We actually shot this video with a mix of a 7 camera rig and a 10 camera rig. The different in perspective is sometimes evident, but it definitely affects the production and post production process.

Take a look and see if there are shots that stand out to you as “better”, so to speak.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2NstcwPjMw

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