Here are full resolution 360 photos from Xiaomi’s 360 camera, the Xiaomi Mijia Sphere launched a few hours ago.
A reader who prefers to remain anonymous shared these sample photos from the Xiaomi Mijia Sphere. Check them out:
The photos show good levels of detail, even in low light (it appears the 23.88 megapixel resolution is real, not merely interpolated). The stitching is quite good, no doubt due in large part to the very slim profile of the Mijia Sphere.
The white balance looks accurate for artificial lighting. There is some chromatic aberration that is noticeable in areas with bright light.
As for 360 videos, there are a few samples included in the app (here is the link for the Android app).
How do you like the quality of the photos and videos so far? Let me know in the comments!
Dear Mic,
This could be the camera that I’m looking for: while everyone is taking about 360° videos, I’m looking for the best (affordable) still spherical camera to make my own ‘streetview’-like photos.
Or would you recommend another camera? It has to have a tripod attachment hole too so the Insta360 Air is probably not my choice (I’m watching your review of it as I write this!) even though you seem to recommend it.
Hi Marc. For still photos, the camera I like best (other than the Panono) is still the Theta. I like it because of the manual controls and the best-in-class stitching. Theta SC is good for most people, although if you also want to try night sky photography, then you could look into Theta S instead. Here is my review of the Theta S (Theta SC is almost identical): https://360rumors.com/2016/06/ricoh-theta-s-a-long-term-review-plus-10-advantages-over-its-competition-in-2016.html
Meanwhile, there are a couple of cameras that you ought to pay attention to: the 2017 Gear 360 and the Kodak Orbit360. I should receive the 2017 Gear 360 hopefully today and will be posting sample photos among other things. I believe they’ve resolved the blurgate issue with the new design.
As for the Kodak Orbit360, it looks promising as well, and is due sometime this month.
As for the Air, if your priority is photos, then it is not what I recommend (it’s what I recommend for videos and for social media).
I hope this helps!
Best regards,
Mic
Thank you for your reply, Mic. The Kodak really looks promising with its super high resolution. The price should be between 400 and 500 bucks — well I guess it’ll be 499 then …
I’ll be awaiting that review.
The Ricoh also looks good as it’s slim design will prevent from stitching errors of nearby objects which is great for indoors photography. I have yet to compare more new Gear 360 pictures to make up my mind.
Kind regards,
Marc
This samples look good, do you know if this new camera will have an intervalometer? (Sorry this is the same question I posted for the Gear 360, but it is really important to me and it seems this camera has better Still resolution than anything else) Thanks
I can find out! When it becomes in stock at GearBest I will also be able to review it.
Best regards,
Mic
Hi Mic,
Thanks for the reply on my previous comment in the Theta S post.
Niticed the sample image of Xiaomi Mijia 360 and image looks sharp. Definitely one of the best in the price range. The image is uploaded in a hosting site *Roundme ? I see there are options to change the camera view modes which is pretty awesome.
Would be glad if you can tell me the post process of this so i can learn a few tips. Thanks in advance.
Regards,
Ray
Hi Mic, I have been glued to your channel (youtube and here) since considering upgrading from my Gear 2017 to the Xiaomi Mijia Sphere…and now it has arrived. Have you tried long exposures in extremely dark environments? I have tested the exposure values of 8-32 seconds at ISO 100 and have found a large number of white pixels which are not there in reality. They appear as stars on virtually black backgrounds. I wonder if this is just my unit or others too. I can send you samples if you would like? I believe this is a software and not hardware issue but would like to test this theory.
Hi Alan! Thanks for your ongoing support and congratulations on getting the Mi Sphere! Sounds like hot pixels. Even DSLRs have them but DSLRs have a feature for mapping them out. Lightroom also has a feature for automatically removing them. Anyway you could try using ISO 50. That might or might not decrease the hot pixels. You could also use multiple shorter exposures at high ISO with stacking. For other suggestions, I highly recommend the Facebook Mi Sphere group, which has knowledgeable people including Madv engineers. facebook.com/groups/mijia360cam
Best regards,
Mic
I joined the group. Also bought that plug thing you recommended with the strap and added a silicone case which is really good. Couldn’t work out why my lens kept getting smudges when I was being so careful not to touch it. Turns out that the included lined bag is fatally flawed – the rubber lip opening on the case leaves a dry residue each time they make contact. This can be got around if you pinch the case so it opens widely in the centre and avoids contact with the lens. Much easier was just use the silicone case I found on ebay as contact with the lens leaves it clean. Thought I would contribute back.
In the meantime I bought another identical camera on Amazon to test the hot pixel issue. Turns out this one had a weird magenta tint when I did the Pepsi challenge between them in the slow shutter speed photos and it also hot pixels. So I stuck with the original one which was better quality but seems that there is some wild unit to unit quality issues.
Hi Alan. I don’t recommend the silicone case because it could increase heat and I’m worried about affecting stitching. Best regards, Mic
Stitching seems fine with it now after shaving a few mm at the base where a mount was initially causing it to bulge in that area. Your concern about overheating depends largely on usage but air is a poor conductor and the thermal conductivity of silicone and air is very similar.