Recently, the popularity of 360degree photos has boomed. Many mobile phones are able to create a 360degree image.
In fact almost anyone can create 360 photos and share them on Facebook.
To create a high-quality 360degree image, you will need to invest in a purpose-built 360° camera setup. There are two main options available with many different camera and setups for each option.
The easiest is a 360degree compact camera like the Theta Z1. The Theta has two fisheye lenses on either side of the camera and captures 2 images that can be stitched into an equirectangular image with an aspect ratio of 2:1.
Below is a sample of an image straight out of the camera from a Theta Z1.
After stitching the image with Theta software or another panorama application the image looks like:
The equirectangular image must be displayed on a site with software that is able to process the interactive capabilities of the image.
These cameras have two or more lenses each facing a differing direction; alternately you can use a DSLR and use the software in post-processing to stitch the images into an equirectangular image. Even with a purpose-built camera like the Theta Z1, two dual fisheye images need to be stitched together. The 360 photos are created by stitching the images captured by each individual lens to create a full 360° image.
I love to create 360photos.
