360 Camera Reviews

XPhase Pro S: the 134 megapixel, 25 lens 360 camera – review by Ben Claremont

Here’s a review of the XPhase Pro S by Ben Claremont, Youtube’s most popular 360 camera reviewer.   XPhase is of course the highest resolution 360 camera with 25 lenses and 134 megapixels.  But is it a good camera?  Here’s Ben’s review:

As Ben noted, the XPhase has extreme sharpness – it is far more detailed than any other 360 camera, including the Theta Z1 (reviewed here).

Theta Z1 vs. XPhase detail
Theta Z1 (left) vs. XPhase (right) detail

On the other hand, the straight-out-of-the-camera images from the XPhase have some issues: some blown out highlights, magenta flare artifacts, and some warping or other stitching errors, usually for objects closer than 3 feet.

Theta Z1 (left) vs XPhase (right) - SOOC dynamic range
Theta Z1 (left) vs XPhase (right) – dynamic range with simple edits

I am a fan of the XPhase but I agree with Ben that often, it is not easy to edit it.   To truly get the most out of the XPhase, and get its full dynamic range while reducing color issues, you need to use 3rd party software and sometimes extensive editing.

Another issue is that XPhase is harder to use because it has no live preview.  You need to wait for the photo to download to your phone so you can review it and adjust the exposure as needed.

The one thing I somewhat disagree with Ben about the XPhase is its use for casual shooters.  I don’t mind use the XPhase for casual shooting because small stitching errors and color issues won’t matter for my casual shots.  I always bring the XPhase with me whenever we used to go to theme parks to capture extremely detailed 360 photos that I can post at full resolution even from my phone.  For those who want to capture extreme detail, there’s no substitute for the XPhase.

About the author

Mic Ty

4 Comments

Click here to post a comment

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