Do you remember the Orbi Prime wearable 360 camera crowdfunding project? It’s a pair of sunglasses that can capture 4K 360 video. It appears that it has now been shipped to some backers. Here’s an unboxing and some sample 360 videos from this unusual camera.
Orbi Prime is a pair of sunglasses that can capture 4K 360 video. When I first heard of the design in 2017, I thought it was impossible because of the very large distance between the lenses. But I saw it at CES 2018 and I saw sample videos that showed that it could work. At that time, they were running a crowdfunding campaign. However, after many months, the product still had not been shipped, leading me and others to think that it was another abandoned crowdfunding project.
However, surprisingly, it turns out that Orbi Prime is actually shipping. Here’s an unboxing by Philipp Teucher who told me he was backer #742 out of 1106:
The packaging looks like it is ready for retail, which seems to suggest it might be close to production.
Here’s a sample video posted by the manufacturer:
The stitching is nowhere as good as current-generation 360 cameras, but it is much better than the stitching from the prototype shown at CES. I’m impressed that they’re able to stitch it at all, given the very large distance between lenses. There is obvious ghosting along the stitch lines but at least the objects do align (more or less). It appears that it can even adjust the stitching depending on the objects that cross the stitch line.
One thing that was not clear to me was whether the video is stabilized. However, here’s another sample where the user was jogging, which does show that it has stabilization, similar in performance to 1st-generation 360 stabilization such as in the Mi Sphere (reviewed here).
UPDATE: Here’s a sample posted by Philipp:
The detail and stitching look similar to the samples posted by the company, although Philipp’s sample seems to show that the dynamic range is very limited. Philipp confirmed that the stitching software does add stabilization and that the phone app has live view.
Based on these samples, it appears that the Orbi Prime has limited image quality compared to the 5.7K 360 cameras of today, but the convenience of hands-free operation and the unique first person perspective could make this usable for social media or casual videos. The hands-free design could also make it a good camera for people with disabilities.
If you did back this project, please post in the comments if you got yours and what was your backer number. And let me know what you think! If you’re interested in preordering Orbi Prime, it’s available on their website for $399. In the meantime, I’ll see if I can borrow a unit for review.
Very impressed that, whereas most of us assumed this project had been abandoned long ago, it should actually get completed four years after the initial announcement. I too thought it could never work. I still have a copy of their original demo clip and it looked pretty bad compared to what they have recently showed. I am also impressed with the attention that was put into the custom case and accessories. It all looks very well thought out. The question that remains is whether actual users will be able to produce the kind of results that the recent samples suggest.
True that it’s on the expensive side and most people having that kind of money may prefer to put it on a One R, which offers way better IQ. But the advantages of having a wearable 360 camera are many. One immediate advantage of this design is that it is one of the few configurations that allows the user to be invisible to the camera at all times – without having an actual camera attached to the top of one’s head !
Yes I totally agree Francois. I’ll check with Philipp re his own samples.
Best regards,
Mic
Wow It’s amazing best for spy games where can i get this?
Hi Angela. It’s available on their website.
I am wondering if these will also transform into some kind of alien robot when we are not looking…
You never know… 🙂
Contribution ID
1339
Contribution Date
December 4, 2016
I receive the glasses in 2019
I haven’t use them yet. So I can’t say anything. I want to know if I can use them to record normal video and not 360
Hi Daniel. You can convert the 360 video to a non-360 video using a 360 video editor. You can also try Insta360 Studio 2020. https://360rumors.com/insta360-studio/
Just having a little 360 product catch up and this caught my eye….
When seeing video footage on YouTube, this is not the finest quality, but I hope the concept is taken up by a bigger player in the 360 market, maybe in partnership with the ORBI team, to make this a more attractive option.
I think there are practical uses for 360 FPV but I’d want 8k resolution as a minimum.
Thanks Kev! I agree there is potential for this type of product. 8k would be great but would be quite difficult to pull off.
At least 6k and Insta360 software
I will call it the ultimate action cam
Don’t order. I am waiting since 2016 never gat my glasses
I want this 360 camera glass, but is this available in various colors? Actually, I like girlish colors.
I checked their website and it is currently available only in black or black with red highlights. The white model shown in some of their clips is not actually available at the moment.
You are right that they are missing out on a large market due to the very austere coloring. A lot of tech products now come in pastel shades to address a more fashion-conscious market. And this being something that is worn on the face, having more color options is especially important to address the various tastes of clients.
Ahhh I bought mine a month ago (May) they sent me an email with the order number, but nothing else a month ago, communication with them was impossible, nothing at all
They robbed me, I bought through their page and for 5 months they haven’t spoken to me or anything, a total robbery, I tried to contact them anyway and nothing, totally false