PanoMoments’ ‘360-degree living photos’ are a kind of mashup between 360-degree images and Apple’s Live Photos. It’s not quite video, and it’s not a static image: PanoMoments can be created using any robotic panorama head (though the company is producing a specialized one), uploaded to their website for conversion and viewed on the web, with a VR headset or on a mobile device. Varying the time it takes for the device to complete a full rotation gives the resulting product a ‘live photos’ feel or a more time-lapse effect.
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| Click to view this PanoMoment. Note that you will need to be running Google Chrome version > 52.x or viewing on a modern Android/iOS smartphone. |
The process for creating a PanoMoment begins with the camera of your choice (ideally a larger sensor ILC) and a circular fisheye lens. Using PanoMoments’ PanoCatcher Loop or any panorama head, the camera is rotated 360-degrees while capturing at least 120 images. Convert your images to equirectangular format, upload them to PanoMoments.com and voila – you’ve got a PanoMoment. You can upload up to 20GB worth of images for free, while a ‘Pro’ membership will get you 500GB.
At the moment, PanoMoments’ creators are looking for funding through Kickstarter to help with building costs. Currently, a $ 270 pledge will get you a PanoCatcher Loop along with a 1 year Pro membership.
Head over to their Kickstarter page to learn more and see additional PanoMoments.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)