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Posts Tagged ‘Panono’

Panono angers remaining customers by deciding to start charging for its stitching service

12 Aug

When we first saw the first prototype of the Panono 360-degree camera after its launch on Indiegogo in 2013, it looked like an impressive hardware and software product that had the potential to revolutionize some areas of photography.

However, it took almost three years for us to hold a production version in our hands, and although we found a lot to like in our test, by 2016 the number of competitors in the 360-degree camera market had grown exponentially, making it a lot more difficult for Panono to compete in the relatively new market for 360-degree cameras.

It’s probably fair to say that since then the path of Panono has been rocky. In May 2017 the original founders filed for bankruptcy. In July of the same year the company was sold to Swiss-based private equity investor Bryanston Group AG after only managing to deliver around 400 cameras to its backers.

Anyone who took up the offer back then could be forgiven for feeling tempted to smash their Panono camera against a wall, as the company has decided to start charging for its cloud-based stitching service.

In December 2017 the new owners contacted about 2,000 Indiegogo backers who received neither refund or camera during the original crowdfunding campaign, offering them to buy the camera at production cost. In addition they would get unrestricted access to Panono’s cloud features.

Anyone who took up the offer back then could be forgiven for feeling tempted to smash their Panono camera against a wall, as the company has decided to start charging for its cloud-based stitching service. In an email to users the company announced that from September 1st, 2019 the previously free service will cost Panono users €0.79 per image.

This is especially frustrating to users like photographer Nico Goodden, who voiced his discontent on Twitter, as there is no offline alternative to the Panono cloud stitching and the files recorded by the camera are not compatible with any third-party services, leaving users without any alternatives.

If it’s the Panono’s 108MP resolution you are after, there aren’t currently many affordable alternatives, but still it’s hard to recommend the camera to anyone at this point. It looks like charging for a service that is an essential element of the product and was always understood to be free to buyers of the camera, could be the final nail in the coffin of a once promising project.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Panono has new CEO, puts focus on software solutions

16 Feb

Professional360 GmbH, the recently re-named company behind the Panono 360-degree camera and software solutions, has a new CEO. Thomas Escher has previously held a number of top-level management positions in media houses such as Axel Springer and ProSiebenSat.1 Media, and managed the French foreign business of the online toy retailer MyToys, among other roles.

“In Thomas Escher we have found a CEO with expertise both in media and entertainment and in classical e-commerce,” said a spokesperson of Bryanston Group AG, the company who has acquired the assets of Panono and has been running its business operations since July 2017.

With the new CEO at its helm, the company is adjusting its strategy, reducing the focus on hardware and towards customized 350-degree software solutions, with real-estate and construction two key target sectors. Escher explains:

108 megapixels make our camera the highest resolution 360 degree one-shot camera in the market. We will strive to uphold and extend this technological leadership in the future. However, today this is no longer enough: especially among professional users, there’s a growing demand for individual software, cloud and web applications. They desire a first-class virtual presence both for web and mobile applications, as well as the most innovative content solutions.

“At the moment, real estate is still very traditional in its structures and processes, but with digitization moving forward, there are dramatic changes ahead in the next years,” continues Escher. “For one of our customers, we have developed a tool to create virtual tours out of our 360 degree images and to link them to a floor plan. This way, complete houses can be viewed online. Our customers can offer their clients viewings that are independent as to both time and place.”

This is only the latest chapter in Panono’s brief but turbulent history, and a stark move away from the more traditional, consumer focused 360° camera industry Panono started in. We had several occasions to have a closer look and test the Panono camera and were impressed by the technology. Hopefully the new CEO and strategy can help get the company back on track, and push 360-degree imaging technology further.

Press Release

MORE THAN JUST A CAMERA: NEW PANONO CEO TO TRANSFORM THE OPERATIONS

– Thomas Escher new CEO of Panono
– New focus on software solutions and services for 360 degree photos
– Strong customer focus

Berlin, 15 February 2018 – In February 2018, Thomas Escher (36) joined Professional360 GmbH as the new CEO. Under the brand name Panono the company offers professional 360 degree photo solutions for businesses and professional users, including its own award-winning camera hardware and customized software, cloud solutions and web integration.

“In Thomas Escher we have found a CEO with expertise both in media and entertainment and in classical e-commerce,” said a spokesperson of Bryanston Group AG, the company who has acquired the assets of Panono and has been running its business operations since July 2017. Escher has held a number of top-level management positions in media houses such as Axel Springer and ProSiebenSat.1 Media, and, among others, managed the French foreign business of the online toy retailer MyToys. As the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of the Allianz affiliate InstaMotion, an online dealer for second-hand cars, he
was responsible for marketing and sales activities.

From “technology first” to “customer first”

Panono aims to continue the expansion of 360 degree solutions. “108 megapixels make our camera the highest resolution 360 degree one-shot camera in the market. We will strive to uphold and extend this technological leadership in the future. However today this is no longer enough: especially among professional users, there’s a growing demand for individual software, cloud and web applications. They desire a first-class virtual presence both for web and mobile applications, as well as the most innovative content solutions”, explained Escher. “With this in mind we will further develop our platform, software
features and services, both independently and via sector-specific strategic partnerships. We have already implemented some exciting features, and there are more on the horizon.”

Focus on real estate and construction

Panono has been giving special attention to the real estate sector. “At the moment, real estate is still very traditional) in its structures and processes, but with digitization moving forward, there are dramatic changes ahead in the next years,” said Thomas Escher. “For one of our customers, we have developed a tool to create virtual tours out of our 360 degree images and to link them to a floor plan. This way, complete houses can be viewed online. Our customers can offer their clients viewings that are independent as to both time and place.” According to Escher, Panono also offers interesting possibilities
for construction and maintenance companies, for example when it comes to the documentation of building conditions and work progress.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Panono buyer saves the brand, will continue making its 360° ball camera

07 Jul
Panono’s high-res 360° camera lives to shoot another day.

That didn’t take long. Just a few days after announcing that the company would be bought, ending an ‘amazing but also exhausting journey,’ the Panono brand has been well and truly saved. In fact, the Swiss private equity investor who bought the company intends to continue ‘all services […] without any disruption.’

All of this happened with the last few days, marking (hopefully) the end of a tumultuous journey that began with a successful Indiegogo crowd-funding campaign and seemingly ended when Panono declared bankruptcy after delivering only about 400 cameras to backers, leaving many supporters angry and out of luck. Until Wednesday of this week, that is.

Enter Swiss-based private equity investor Bryanston Group AG, the new owner of all Panono’s assets, trademarks, patents and employees.

In a press release published Wednesday, July 5th and sent to DPReview yesterday, the investor announced that Panono GmbH will restart its business operations as Professional360 GmbH in Berlin. The company will continue all of Panono’s current services ‘without disruption,’ and is even planning to release new products and software services.

If all goes according to plan, Professional360 will establish itself as, ‘a global leader in the professional 360-degree camera market.’

Which, of course, leaves us with one very pressing question: what about all of those Panono backers left in the lurch by the company’s bankruptcy? According to a company spokesperson, Bryanston Group is actively working on a solution to that pesky problem.

“While all legal liabilities remain with the old Panono GmbH and its management,” reads the statement. “We as Professional360 GmbH feel morally obliged to find a solution that all early supporters of the Panono technology will be able to enjoy the camera as soon as possible after so many years of waiting. We are working on this and will release new information on this topic shortly.”

So it would seem Panono has been saved, and all of the backers who first supported the ‘world’s highest resolution 360° camera’ may still get a chance to vent their frustration by throwing their very own ball camera at a wall.

Press Release

Swiss private equity investor saves Panono brand, platform and product by taking over all assets and employees – all services continue without any disruption

Panono’s high-resolution 360-degree camera and services will be provided by Professional360 GmbH in the future

BERLIN, JULY 05, 2017. The Berlin-based technology company Panono GmbH, the manufacturer of 360-degree cameras and software, is insolvent as of 1 July 2017. All legal and commercial matters, obligation and disputes will be managed by Prof. Dr Torsten Martini of Leonhardt Rattunde who has been appointed as the company’s Insolvency Administrator.

Bryanston Group AG, a Swiss-based private equity investor has acquired the assets, trademarks and patents of Panono GmbH and will restart its business operations under the new holding company Professional360 GmbH in Berlin.

Professional360 GmbH will continue Panono’s technological leadership by offering the world’s highest resolution 360-degree camera under the Panono brand.

A spokesperson for the company said, “As the new management, we place great confidence in Panono’s groundbreaking technology. Our vision is to be a global leader in the professional 360- degree camera market. We will continue creating and innovating the best 360-degree cameras together with a state-of-the-art platform for our users.

In fact, we are planning to release new products and software services within the next months already. The transition from Panono GmbH to Professional360 GmbH will not be affecting the current users, as the brand and the website will not change, and we will continue to operate the existing platform. Finally, while all legal liabilities remain with the old Panono GmbH and its management, we as Professional360 GmbH feel morally obliged to find a solution that all early supporters of the Panono technology will be able to enjoy the camera as soon as possible after so many years of waiting. We are working on this and will release new information on this topic shortly.”

About Professional360 GmbH

Professional360 GmbH was founded in 2017 and is a holding company for the Panono brand, web shop, assets and employees, headquartered in Berlin. For further information please visit https://www.panono.com/en or send an email to info@panono.com.

About Panono GmbH

Panono GmbH was founded in 2012 and gained public attention in its early years, especially through its successful crowdfunding campaigns and the eye-catching spherical design of its cameras. The core business of the company was the development and distribution of high-resolution 360-degree cameras, which produce a high-resolution panorama of their surroundings using their own software solutions.

About Leonhardt Rattunde

Leonhardt Rattunde is one of the leading law firms specialised in Insolvency law in Germany. Besides its services in Insolvency Proceedings, the firm also offers turnaround management, court services, contract law and Notary Public services Berlin, Erfurt, Kiel and Cologne. Leonhardt Rattunde employs around 30 lawyers in Germany, 10 of which are Insolvency Administrators and 5 are Public Notaries.

About Bryanston Group AG

Bryanston Group is a Swiss-based global management consulting, technology and investment company. The firm’s investment angle combines an active approach with specific sector focuses where they are able to add value. Bryanston deploys its capital mainly along three verticals, which are Industrial Technology, Clean-tech and Emerging Markets middle-class. For further information please visit http://www.bryanston.ch

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Panono no more: 360-degree camera maker sold after ‘amazing but also exhausting journey’

05 Jul
Jonas Pfeil demonstrates the size and design differences between the working prototype Panono camera (right) and the design model of the final production unit (left). In a letter to backers he has confirmed that the company is to be sold, after only delivering around 400 cameras.

It’s official: Panono, maker of an innovative 360-degree camera, is to be sold after only managing to deliver around 400 cameras to its backers. The company filed for bankrupcy in May, but in a letter to backers, co-founder Jonas Pfeil has confirmed that the sale of Panono’s assets is expected to be finalized very soon.

As he explains, ‘assets’ in this context means ‘inventory, software, the rights to the hardware, almost all employee contracts, IP rights etc., […] but not the obligations towards external parties’. External parties like the Indiegogo backers that funded the Panono camera. In other words: if you backed Panono and you didn’t get your camera yet, you’re officially out of luck.

Thanking backers for their support and understanding, Pfeil called the experience ‘an amazing but also exhausting journey’. He stressed that, as shareholders, ‘the [outgoing] founders will […] not profit from this sale, as the money will be used by the insolvency administrator to pay outstanding invoices and other debt first.’

Meanwhile, there’s some good news for the 400 or so backers that did get their cameras – after some initial uncertainty, it seems that the cloud service supporting the device will continue to be maintained.

We really liked the Panono when we tested it last year, and we’re sorry to see it go. Were you one of the backers? Did you receive a camera? We’d like to hear from you.

Read our review of the Panono 360-degree camera (July 2016)

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Makers of the Panono 108MP 360-degree camera filing for bankruptcy

24 May

German media reports that the founders of the company behind the Panono 360-degree ball camera have filed for insolvency proceedings at a court in Berlin, Germany. Unfortunately this means it’s very unlikely that the backers of the original crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo will ever receive their camera. 

The small number of buyers who purchased a Panono through retail channels after the Indiegogo campaign could be affected as well. At this point it is unknown if the the Panono servers, which power the automatic stitching of the Panono’s 360-degree images, will remain functional for the foreseeable future.  

Initially things had gone well for the German start-up. The Indiegogo campaign generated 1.25 million dollars in 2013. However, it soon became obvious that the team had miscalculated the development time for the camera which back then only existed in prototype form.

The final product was due to ship in 2014 but instead there was only a second prototype in February 2015. A few months later first shipments were announced, but not to the project backers. Instead the cameras went to retail customers who paid a considerably higher prices. It appears at this point the company had already run out of money and was hoping to generate additional funds for mass production and eventual shipping to project backers. 

Now it seems this plan has not worked out either and remaining funds have dried up. We had the chance to test both a prototype and final product of the Panono camera and were quite impressed by the technology. 360-degree cameras are now much more widely available than in 2013 but none of the affordable models offer the Panono’s 108MP resolution and image detail. 

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Real world test: The Panono is a 108MP spherical camera

24 Jul

‘Uh, what is that thing?’

‘What is that thing?’ That’s the question I was asked pretty much every time I took the Panono out shooting. There is a lot of curiosity surrounding 360/VR content and my week spent fielding questions from curious onlookers as I dipped my toes into a new, more immersive photographic world is proof of that. In fact, only once did someone walk up to me and say “Hey I know what that is, its a 360 VR camera!” And it was a 12 year old child.

Damn know-it-all kids making us all look bad…

Yes, it can be tossed in the air to take a picture. 

So uh, what exactly is it? The Panono is the highest resolution 360-degree still camera currently on the market. A grapefruit-sized ball constructed of tough plastic, the Panono contains 36 separate cameras. Each camera uses a 1/4″ sensor (a bit smaller than the sensor likely found in your smartphone) and when the files are combined, the result is a 108MP 360-degree image that allows one to pan and zoom around the scene. 

Panono started off as a thesis project, but was later successfully funded via crowd-sourcing campaigns (DPreview field-tested an early version in 2013). Designed in Germany and constructed in Poland, everything about the camera is surprisingly frustration-free and the controls are intuitive. I say ‘surprisingly’ only because Panono is such a new company and good UI often takes time to get right. But once paired with a smart device, taking shots, processing  and sharing them is all a breeze. 

For optimal viewing, open the 360 in full screen mode. This image was shot using the HDR-setting, which combines a properly-exposed image with one exposed for highlights. 

The design 

The Panono only has a single button on the top. Holding it down for a second turns the camera on and off. When it’s switched on, the button can also be used to take images without the need for a smart device. However, for the best user experience, you’ll want to use the app to set up and control the Panono remotely from a phone or tablet. 

Around the periphery of the Panono’s one and only physical button is a glowing LED. It lights up when the camera is switched on and blinks whenever a photo is taken. If battery or internal space is getting low, part of the LED ring will illuminate red next to the corresponding symbol. While useful in dim conditions, the LED ring is near impossible to see in bright light.

There is a micro-USB port located at the very bottom of the camera for charging. It doubles as a mounting point for the Panono Adapter (to mount it on a tripod) and the Panono stick (a selfie stick). However when plugged into a computer via Micro-USB, the Panono is not discoverable. 

The app

Pairing with a device simply requires turning the Panono on and connecting to it via Wi-Fi. The password to connect is written directly on the side of the unit. Once connected, open up the app. At the bottom of the screen there are five icons. If you’ve properly paired the unit, green lines will appear above the camera icon (which is the shooting screen), indicating you are connected.

Most of the shooting controls are accessed via the center-most camera icon on the bottom. The app is also used to push images downloaded to your device to the cloud for processing. You can also view your processed 360s. 

 Simply tap the green camera button to fire a shot. For more control over the camera’s exposure and color parameters, tap the gear symbol. 

To take images from within the shooting screen simply tap the green camera button bottom center. By default the camera will beep and blink when a photo is fired (the beep can be turned off). For more controls, tap the gear symbol in the lower right. There you can control a number parameters, like dialing in a white balance or specific exposure. I found the auto exposure and white balance modes largely worked fine for the majority of the places I shot. But it’s nice that those additional manual controls exist.

There is also a switch to toggle HDR mode on and off. If you’re mainly photographing static subjects, HDR mode is very useful. You can see an example of it on and off below:

The above image was shot as an HDR file, the one below was not.

The camera has 16GB of internal storage. Once an image is taken it is stored locally within the camera and a low-resolution un-stitched version of the image will appear within the app’s shooting screen for quick viewing. If you’re please with the preview, simple tap “download from camera,” and the files are transmitted to your device, but only temporarily – more on that in a moment.

It’s worth noting that if you are shooting a non-HDR image, there is a 10-sec black out time between when a shot has been fired and when an additional shot can be taken. When shooting an HDR image, that time gap is closer to 30 seconds. When the camera is ready to shoot again, the circle around the camera symbol/trigger button will turn from white to green. 

Once back in the comfort of a proper Wi-Fi connection open the “Task” screen (2nd icon from the right). There you’ll find all your transmitted 360’s. With the tap of a finger you can upload them to the Panono cloud where their servers do all the hard work of stitching and processing – you can simply sit back and make yourself a cocktail. In about 10 minutes, your 360s will appear in your Panono account where you can share them either via a direct link, iframe embed or Facebook/Twitter/Google+. It’s really that easy.

Go to page 2: Thoughts from the field

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Panono announces pricing and availability for rolling ball camera

26 Oct

German startup Panono has announced availability and pricing for its ball-shaped Panono Camera. The device shoots spherical panorama images and will cost $ 549/€549 when it ships worldwide in the spring of 2015. The first to receive the camera will be the backers of the crowd-funding project the company used to get started before the camera goes on general release. Learn more

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Hands-on with the Panono panoramic ball camera

26 Dec

panono.JPG

The Panono is a ball-shaped panoramic camera with 36 individual camera modules and a built-in accelerometer. We got our hands on a prototype and met with its Berlin-based creators. See what we thought of the crowd-funded camera on connect.dpreview.com.

News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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