Best 360 Camera Buying Guide and 360 Camera Comparison Tool by 360 Rumors (updated May 21, 2021)

Xiaomi Mi Sphere (reviewed here; $199): This 360 camera has the highest detail for 360 photos, for cameras under $500. It has manual exposure and can shoot DNG, and its desktop software can stitch DNG.  As for videos, it can shoot 4K 30fps with decent quality, although the stabilization is not as good as the current generation.

GoPro Fusion (reviewed here; $199): This has the best dynamic range for 360 photos for cameras under $500. However, it does not have manual exposure. It does have a raw mode (GPR format) and its software can stitch in raw, but its raw workflow is tedious.  Fusion also has excellent video (see below).

Madv Mini $99 (Android only): this is a smartphone 360 camera that takes photos with similar quality to the Ricoh Theta SC. Because it connects to your phone, it can transfer photos automatically to your phone, simplifying the workflow.

Ricoh Theta SC $179 (iOS, Android): this 360 camera can take standard or HDR photos with realtime stitching. The files from the camera are ready to share, no stitching required.

Ricoh Theta Z1 (reviewed here; $999): This 360 camera uses 1-inch sensors (more than 4 times larger than typical 1/2.3-inch sensors in other 360 cameras). It can capture HDR photos with realtime stitching (no need for manual stitching or manual HDR), with excellent image quality, no editing needed. Theta Z1 has manual exposure and DNG mode. The DNG mode is not stitched in realtime, but has an easy workflow that enables editing and stitching in Lightroom.

Qoocam 8K (reviewed here; $599): With its new SuperHDR mode, the Qoocam 8K has the best dynamic range for 360 cameras when no third party software are used (e.g. Lightroom or HDR software).  The Super HDR mode can stack, merge and stitch photos from within the phone app, all in one step. It has less detail than Theta Z1 but is still fairly detailed.

Insta360 One R (reviewed here; $479 Twin Edition): The Insta360 One R is a modular 360 camera that converts to an action cam, drone camera, or a 1-inch sensor camera.  For photos, it has a 9-shot HDR  in both Raw and JPG, which can be batch stitched and fused in its desktop app, in one step.  It also has a 9-shot Raw DNG stacking mode for low noise and high dynamic range, which can also be batch exported in one step.

Ricoh Theta SC (reviewed here; $179 for iOS, Android): as mentioned above, this 360 camera can take HDR photos with realtime stitching, no editing needed. The quality is not as good as the Z1 but this is much more affordable.  As for video, the Theta SC does have a video mode, but it is limited to a paltry 1920 x 960, which is far too low for 360 videos.  The Theta SC is almost identical to the Theta S, except that the SC’s videos are limited to 5 minutes per video.

Ricoh Theta Z1 (reviewed here; $999): As discussed above, this 360 camera uses 1-inch sensors. It has the highest dynamic range for photos among 360 cameras I’ve tested. It also has very high exposure latitude and in bright light, is ISO invariant, with shadow recovery up to 5EV. It is also sharp and detailed, with very good stitching (although not perfect).

Qoocam 8K (reviewed here; $599): For quality, the Qoocam 8K’s SuperHDR provides excellent dynamic range, although the photo is in JPG. For users who want maximum quality, you can use Qoocam 8K’s Express DNG8 mode or in-camera DNG8 Raw+ to create 16-bit DNG photos with in-camera image stacking (no need to use Kandao Raw+).

Insta360 One R (reviewed here; $479 Twin Edition): The One R’s photos are not the most detailed but they have amazing dynamic range because of the 9-shot HDR in both Raw and JPG, which can be batch stitched and fused in its desktop app, in one step and exported as Adobe DNG.  It also has a 9-shot Raw DNG stacking mode which enables you to shoot a burst of 8 Raw DNG photos, eight of which reduce noise through median stacking, plus a ninth shot which is underexposed -4EV to preserve highlights.

XPhase Pro $879 (reviewed here): This is a new 360 camera with 25 BSI CMOS sensors that are each 8mp, for a total capture resolution of 200mp (stitched resolution: 135mp). With more than double the capture resolution of the previous record holder, Panono, the XPhase is the highest resolution 360 camera as of December 2019. Stitching quality is good, although there is occasional warping. The photos can be exported in 16-bit PNG format for editing and conversion into JPG.  Surprisingly, the XPhase costs much less than either the Aleta S2C or the Ricoh Theta Z1.

Ricoh Theta Z1 (reviewed here; $999): Although the Theta Z1’s nominal resolution is only 24mp, it is one of the most detailed 360 cameras I’ve tested, with better detail than the Qoocam 8K’s 29mp photos.

GoPro Fusion (reviewed here; $299): Now under $299, the GoPro Fusion is one of the most affordable 360 cameras with 5.6K resolution.  At the same time, it also has excellent video quality.

Yi 360 VR (reviewed here; $159 to $199): The Yi 360 VR is the most affordable 5.7K 360 camera, and is even more affordable than some 4K 360 cameras.  It has been heavily discounted from its original $399 price because it appears the manufacturer is no longer updating it.  Nonetheless, the Yi 360 VR still has excellent video quality.  Its primary drawbacks are: lack of a Mac stitcher, and very slow stitching.

Insta360 One (reviewed here; $199): If you want the convenience and features of the Insta360 One X at around half the price, the Insta360 One is for you.  This is the predecessor to the One X with many of its features, including 2nd-generation stabilization, no stitch editing, hyperlapse, manual exposure for photos and videos.  The video quality is limited to 4K though.  Another issue is that when shooting wirelessly, there is no live preview.

Insta360 One R (reviewed here; $479 Twin Edition): The One R is one of the easiest 360 cameras to use and edit, which is remarkable considering its unmatched array of features.  It features a touchscreen with an intuitive menu and gives you access to almost all of the features without overwhelming you.  It is also unique in enabling you to edit and share your videos without having to download them to your phone.  For editing, the One R has a class-leading app that can use AI to edit your video automatically.  For desktop editing, the One R has the unique Insta360 no-stitch workflow that enables editing in Premiere without having to stitch videos beforehand.

GoPro MAX; $499): GoPro MAX is one of the easiest 360 cameras to use.  It has a touchscreen, which makes changing settings easier.  It is also the first 360 camera to feature a stabilized non-360 mode with realtime stitching (de-fishing and stabilization).  Finally, it has fast stitching, although the Cineform format takes up a lot of space.

Insta360 One X (reviewed here; $399): Although the Insta360 One X does not have realtime stitching, it does have a no-editing workflow on both mobile and desktop, which makes it almost as easy as having realtime stitching.  At the same, it also has class-leading video quality.

Yi 360 VR (reviewed here; $159 to $199): The Yi 360 VR is inconvenient for stitching at 5.7K resolution due to its slow stitching speed.  However, the Yi 360 VR has a realtime stitching mode at 4K 30fps.   In realtime stitching mode, the video is not stabilized.  However, the Yi 360 VR does include a sidecar file that includes stabilization data, which enables stabilization to be added after-the-fact with the desktop software.

360Rize Penguin ($149): This 360 camera has realtime stitching for both photos and videos.  The videos are 4K 30fps, although it can also shoot 6K at 12fps.  It also has a slimmer profile than the Yi 360 VR, which means it has less parallax stitching error.  However, its videos have no stabilization.

Qoocam 8K (reviewed here; $579): The Qoocam 8K has the best video quality among consumer 360 cameras, with slightly better detail and has less compression than the MAX or One X.  It is also easy to use, thanks to its touchscreen.   It also features a mic input.

GoPro MAX; $499): GoPro MAX has the second best video quality at the moment, with similar detail to the One X and better low light performance.  It is also easy to shoot with, thanks to its touchscreen.  Its weakness for performance is that it does not have a slow motion mode for 360 videos.  If you’re willing to live with that, it’s a good choice for a camera with high performance.

Insta360 One R (reviewed here; $479 Twin Edition): The One R has excellent video quality and at the same time, has the most features among all consumer 360 cameras as of February 2020.  It also has a very easy workflow.  You can edit and share videos without downloading them or stitching them beforehand.  And on the desktop, you can edit its videos without stitching them when you use Adobe Premiere.

Insta360 One X (reviewed here; $399): The Insta360 One X is the most popular 360 camera at the moment because it has excellent video quality and is also easy to use.  It has the second longest list of features, such as slow motion, bullet time, time shift (speed ramping), hyperlapse, HDR Video, and more.  Although it has flaws, it has no major weaknesses that could be truly considered dealbreakers.

GoPro Fusion (reviewed here; $299): The GoPro Fusion has video quality that is comparable to that of the Insta360 One X, although the stabilization in anti-shake mode is not as good as the One X’s direction lock.  The Fusion doesn’t have as many features as the One X but is waterproof.  Please note Fusion requires a graphics card, and exports only to Cineform or Prores codec.