The Nikon KeyMission 360 providing a set of two of 180-degree lenses on its front and rear
faces, and stitching the resultant images together to create 360-degree,4K footage.
The camera itself is a robust small cube:with its focal-length-widening lens protectors
included, it’s water-resistant to 20 metres.Replace the lens protectors with the underwater ones
and – at the cost of becoming capable to make 360-degree footage – it’ll work at up
to 30 meters underwater for up to 60 minutes.It will also stand chills of up to -10°C.
The record button on top doubles as the power button, while a button on the side
will work as a shutter release for the 360’s stills
mode. Otherwise, you will not get very much done without Nikon’s SnapBridge 360/170 app,
from which you can trigger recording, modify video resolution, or opt for numerous time-lapse
modes.Recorded video and photos can also be saved to synced devices.
Technique the KeyMission 360 just like any other action camera and you are in for a hard time
because the footage and stills obtained don’t make a lot sense on their own. It takes a fair
amount of squinting to make sense of an image whose far left and right sides should
join up behind the target audience, after all.Further more, logistical issues also present themselves:
because the ultrawide lenses see almost directly above and below, they inevitably
film whatever form of assistance you are using.
The raw footage – which can be captured in up to 4K resolution – can be uploaded to
YouTube, which is compatible with VR footage, and can be watched on appropriate
devices. An iPhone will be all you need- Nikon bundles a flat-pack cardboard VR viewer,
which operates fairly well,even though global viewers with the likes of Google’s Cardboard
will also be able to enjoy.Still images are a tougher proposition,although their 360° nature implies they work
well for ‘little planet’ photo processing -search online for “stereographic projection
Photoshop” for a tutorial.There is a lot of range for unusual selfies: the 360 has a
two-second self-timer by default – getting the countdown underway and putting the
camera skywards creates exciting results, as well as unintentionally testing Nikon’s
shock-resistance claims. Non-VR viewers can always crop into the huge, 4K video resolution
to excise some of the less helpful bits of footage.
The Nikon KeyMission 360 isn’t inexpensive: at over £400 those twin lenses exact their financial
toll. With the GoPro Hero5 Session capable of the same video resolution and costing close to
£150 less,you’ll need to be committed to the production of VR videos to benefit from investing the extra cash.If that sounds like you though, the 360 is an easy-to-use, rugged device if you would like to push your videography
to a totally completely new spot.
Price-£419 –Nikon- nikon.com Features- 21.14MP 1/2.3-inch sensor,
4K Ultra HD video at 24 frames per second, ISO 100–1600.
