Ultracker Aleta S2C (reviewed here) is rapidly becoming the 360 camera of choice for virtual tours, with constant improvements to its image quality. The latest update is firmware 1.04 which improves the stitching and enables a slower shutter speed for night HDR mode.
To test the new stitching mode, I shot in a small space — in this case a typical sized bathroom in a hotel. Here’s a bathroom shot with firmware 1.03 (shot in HDR mode and processed with Photomatix):
Here’s the same bathroom shot with firmware 1.04 (also in HDR mode, processed in Photomatix):
Until now, there had been a tendency for the nadir to appear distorted. The new firmware corrects the distortion:
Note that the toilet bowl in the issue has a slight stitching error, but that is because it was closer to the camera than the minimum distance of around 3 feet.
For this shot, I used the Bushman Monopod (reviewed here). Its small footprint makes it easier to patch the nadir.
I also saw that the LED banding is gone, but I don’t know if it just so happened to be the right shutter speed to avoid banding, or if there was some other change that somehow avoids LED banding in any situation:
You can learn more about the Aleta here, including how to update the firmware.
How to get $240 discount
For a limited time, you can get a $242 discount (20% discount) on the Aleta. Just use this link and during checkout, use the code 29R8EDJT (while supplies last). Thanks for supporting 360 Rumors at no additional cost to you, so that I can do more tests and reviews!
Interesting to compare with Panono in small rooms (especially with windows).
Again some stitching errors but the bathroom is very tight.
Panono cannot handle this tiny bathroom without serious stitching errors. i’ll take a comparison shot later.
What would your suggestion be for doing just 360 photos. The Insta360 Pro or the Aleta for the best quality photos? Not just best MPs…. but overall quantity.
Hi Casey. If you care about 3D, then Insta360 Pro. If you don’t care about 3D, then the next question is do you care about fast workflow? If you care about fast workflow, I would choose either Aleta. If you don’t care about fast workflow (your priority is quality) then or if you are willing to have a longer workflow, then either Panohero or pano5+1 (if you want a low budget) or a cropped fisheye + dslr/mirrorless (if you can afford it)
S2 is improving the picture quality very fast. Be prepared, because more (good) surprises are about to come… 😉
Hi Mic,
Perhaps I am really bad at taking photos, but I am not that impressed with the Quality of the Aleta. I was hoping it would be as good as most of the images I see on Google Maps (when in VR), but it just doesn’t seem that way. Is that Pano worth the extra money? Or do you think I am just not shooting correctly?
I would love to see any photos taken with the Aleta on Google Maps. That way, I can view in VR.