Giroptic, creator of the standalone ‘360cam’, today announced the launch of the iO 360 camera which attaches to any Lightning-enabled iPhone or iPad.
The Giroptic iO 360 camera for iPhone/iPad is available starting today for $250. With two counter-facing lenses, the camera enables Apple devices to capture full 360 degree photo and videospheres. The camera currently supports 360 degree livestreaming via YouTube, and support for 360 Facebook Live is planned (non-live 360 video from the camera can be shared to Facebook and elsewhere per usual).
Specs include two 195 degree lenses with an aperture of F/1.8, onboard stereo microphone and a rechargeable battery. Video is captured at 1920×960 resolution at 30 FPS (not ideal for VR viewing) though it is stitched in real time with no post-processing needed. Photos are shot at a higher 3840×1920 resolution.
While the dual cameras capture only a monoscopic sphere which lacks depth, the company says that the Giroptic iO is “fully VR compatible,” though it isn’t clear yet precisely what that means. Presumably you can use existing methods to view the captured 360 media through a headset, but it isn’t clear yet if the soon-to-launch accompanying app will have any VR-specific features for capture, playback, or sharing.
The Giroptic iO currently only supports Apple devices, but the company is considering the Android platform going forward. Giroptic’s standalone 360cam product sells for $500 and captures higher resolution 360 footage across three cameras, and is designed to be more rugged than the iO.
