360 Camera News and Info 3D

Insta360 Pro and Insta360 Pro 2 add 3D 180 mode

Insta360 Pro and Insta360 Pro 2 3D 180 mode
Insta360 Pro and Insta360 Pro 2 3D 180 mode

Insta360 are adding a 3D 180 mode to the Insta360 Pro and Insta360 Pro 2, becoming the first cameras to support both 3D 360 and 3D 180 mode.  In 3D 180 mode, the video will be 4K x 4K per eye.

To convert the video into 3D 180, you can use either Insta360 Stitcher or Adobe Premiere with the Insta360 Pro plugin.   You’ll be able to toggle the 3D 180 mode.

The new 3D 180 feature will be released late October.

About the author

Mic Ty

20 Comments

Click here to post a comment

Leave a Reply to Jon Lindsay Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • I’m probably missing the point, but why is this a feature? I thought 180 3D was a compromise for devices that couldn’t do full 360 3D. Like the Qoocam or Vuze XR that can either be 360 2D, or 180 3D. Creating a 360 3D camera would require more cost and hardware, and 180 3D is much easier and cheaper (and still really immersive).

    With the Insta 360 Pro (1 and 2), what’s the difference between a full 3D 360, and simply recording 3D 360 and then cutting out half of the picture in post production to make 3D 180? Is this new feature simply to make post production easier, or is there some other benefit that I’m not seeing?

      • I am not convinced they restrict themselves to two lenses for 3D 180. They may use three or even four lenses to offer a full 3D effect over the 180 degrees.

        On the other hand , with this model camera, there might be problems with minimum distance because two adjacent lenses are looking outwards – not parallel like on the Detu Max.

    • It’s an interesting feature mainly if you already own an Insta360 Pro.

      The point would be to get lighter files when the subject of interest is mainly at the front of the camera. It may be a requirement if the camera is being used in a production where the production staff and lighting equipment are all in the back of the camera and must of course be invisible to it.

      Another point to keep in mind is that twin lens VR180 cameras don’t record 3D over the full 180 degrees. Assuming that four lenses are used here, one could produce a clip with a constant effective interaxial over the full 180 degrees. On the other hand, there would be more elaborate stitching involved and less possibility for shooting at very close range since the two adjacent lenses are not looking straight ahead.

      I do hope that this is yet another step closer to a true VR180 camera from Insta360. They have been introducing so many innovative concepts and designs that I am surprised they haven’t yet introduced their own VR180 camera. They did show 3D 180 prototypes over the last few years so maybe they are working on their own revolutionary design !

      • hey francois, is there any consumer camera at this moment that you would recommend for shooting 180 VR? And what is the output format of those cameras, do they produce two separate files so I can get them into Unity and render it to two cameras so I can get 180 3D video?

        • Let’s first make clear that VR180 and 3D 180 are not exactly the same. VR 180 is a google standard for recording and displaying 3D 180 clips and photos.

          The problem right now is that there are very few cameras of either type on the market. The only VR180 certified cameras are the Zcam K1 (high priced pro) and the Lenovo Mirage (low cost compact).

          ZCam is the best if you have a budget that allows you to put $3000.00 on a 180 camera. The Mirage isn’t bad but many users report overheating after ten minutes and audio problems within hardly more than two minutes from the start of recording.

          Yi was suppose to introduce the Horizon last spring but still hasn’t released it. There are two other 3D180 cameras on the market that are not Google certified. They are the Qoocam and the LucidCam. The Qoocam has fair video IQ, but low resolution stills. As for the LucidCam, most of the clips I have seen reveal poor sync between the left and right images. Another 3D 180 camera has been announced by Human Eyes – called the Vuze XR. But we’ll have to wait till they post uncompressed clips to judge the quality.

          Personally, I have just been sitting back, watching and waiting till the right model comes along. But if you can’t wait and want to just try something out that is not too expensive, the Qoocam appears to be the most versatile even though it has a few quirks.

          To answer your question, to the best of my knowledge, only the Zcam K1 produces two separate video files.

  • I’m pretty excited that they decided to add this feature. Since I’m concerned with lighting and not wanting to have that in my shot, this will make it easier to still have spatial sound, 3D and good lighting. I see this being very useful when I’m indoors.

  • Hi Mic,

    Just getting used to my Instapro360 and am wondering does it do 180 3D photos? I know it can covert the 360 3D videos to 180VR but just wondering if it can do the same for photos.