Reviewed: The awesome Samsung Gear 360 all-angle digital camera

Samsung Electronics recently unveiled its latest Gear 360 camera, the spherical wonder built by the tech company to create a ”palmable” and lightweight device for on-the-go filming.

In the last few years there has been a steady rise in technology companies making gadgets ranging from phones, laptops, TV sets with upgraded functionalities for their consumers.

Camera devices are not left out of in this disruptive era as the camera market has recorded an influx of high-tech cameras from various companies with different designs, functions and capabilities.

Samsung Gear 360 is made to able to tote around the world and capture your travels all round in 360 degrees as part of plan to offer a light device for capturing memorable moments.

Let’s take an in-depth look at what’s inside this innovative  camera.

Camera Module

The Gear 360 as stated by Samsung features two CMOS 15 megapixel fish-eye lenses, each of which can capture high-resolution images and videos in 195 degrees.

The lenses are stitched together by the software to create uninterrupted 360-degree content up to 3,840 x 1,920 for videos or 7,776 x 3,888 for photos. Both lenses are also F2.0 which lets users capture vivid, bright images in lower light conditions, Samsung says.

The Gear 360, according to its maker offers a variety of shooting modes in addition to regular photos and videos such as time-lapse video (for slow events, like sunsets) and looping video (for creating seamless action that repeats).

Case

The case of the Gear 360 is sturdy and compact and also IP53 dust and splash resistant which helps to keep it safe in most conditions.  The maker says the camera will support the user’s freedom of movement with its spherical and streamlined design, small enough to fit in user’s hand.

Glass 1 Lens

In addition to the durable, elegant casing, Samsung says its Gear 360 features a tempered glass with a circular design. The tough, tempered glass makes the camera good for indoor or outdoor use, to best suit users’ needs.

Connectivity

The Gear 360 features a wide range of connectivity, including Wi-Fi direct, Bluetooth, NFC and USB Port which makes it easy to share videos and photos, make films and edit workflows, right from users’ Smartphone or PC.

The device also works with Samsung Gear 360 Manager- a mobile app that lets users control and view the Gear 360 content from their Smartphone in real time, as well as share those videos and images.

The Gear 360 also works with the Personal Computer (PC) via the Gear 360 Action Director which connects to the Gear 360 for editing, viewing and sharing pictures and videos. Gear 360 Action Director also makes it easy for users to share content, too, whether with YouTube, Facebook, Google Street View or other online services.

Cu Plate

Samsung says that due to Gear 360’s powerful collection of specs, it has included protective measures to prevent the device from overheating. The device has a variety of materials inside to ensure heat is kept under control. One of such devices is a copper (Cu) plate and thermal interface materials (TIM).

Main Board

The main board of the 360 Gear camera houses the CPU and the fast and powerful DRIMe5s image processor which offers superior colour reproduction and reduced noise. It also packs the power that serious photographers need for high-speed imaging, the technology company says.

Memory

The device comes with a microSD card slot that can support memory cards of up to 200GB to enable users have plenty of space to record all the content they want.

Battery

The Gear 360 camera comes with a 1,350 mAh lithium ion battery, powerful enough to record up to 140 minutes of video.

Camera Lens

The Gear 360 features two CMOS 15 megapixel fisheye lenses, each of which can capture high-resolution images and videos in 195 degrees.

Front/Rear Bracket

The Gear 360 features a strong bracket which the maker says is necessary to ensure the Gear 360’s many parts are secure and functioning optimally and also forms the core of the device.

On the front side of the Gear 360 is the 0.5-inch PMOLED display. The 72-by-32 pixel screen is convenient to use, letting customers select image or video and a variety of modes and settings. Users can simply start or finish shooting the video or still image by pressing the OK Key, Samsung says.

The rear bracket houses other key features of the Gear 360, including the microphone, speaker, and the mount, which can connect to a tripod.

Samsung says various third-party accessories can also be attached to the universal tripod hole, like mounts or a release buckle.