A lens add-on capable of shooting panoramic 360º video in a single take has been developed for digital cameras, writes Adrian Pennington.
The GoPano Plus from Eyesee360 will be available later this year and complements a smaller version already available for the iPhone.
The sub-$700 GoPano Plus uses a specially curved mirror to gather light and reflect it into the lens.
It has a 67mm thread for fitting to an existing lens, and will work with a wide range of cameras including DSLRs and Reds. Step Rings can be used to adapt any lens with a filter thread to connect directly to the GoPano Plus.
For post, Eyesee360 supplies software for stills (PhotoWarp) and $299 VideoWarp Director (pictured) for 360° video editing on a Mac or PC.
This quickly turns the warped image into conventional video that can be viewed interactively, allowing viewers to spin through the full 360º during playback.
The 360º panorama can also be viewed as a highly letterboxed image. It is viewable on a PC or Mac, or on iOS devices (iPhone or iPad).
“The GoPano Plus lens will work on just about any digital camera and its use case is best in daylight,” said CEO Brad Simon. “The new lens will fit all Red cameras (Scarlett, One and the Epic) and larger DSLRs from Canon and Nikon. This lens will be available later this year and can be used in varied light conditions.”
Also from EyeSee360 is the GoPano micro accessory lens for the iPhone 4. It allows users to capture 360° images or video with the help of the iPhone 4’s built-in camera and a GoPano app.
“The GoPano micro will record everything around you simultaneously,” said Simon. “You can go back to the recorded video and choose to view any perspective, any angle at any point in time.”
