Expert’s Rating
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
LucidCam($499 ; available onAmazon ) address one of the issues that prevents wide borrowing of practical realness ( VR ): VR headset are n’t hard to discover , but VR content creation remain a major barrier .
LucidCam is a compact , lightweight ( 8 oz. ) stereoscopic 3-D VR camera that slides nicely into the palm of your hand , and it promises to encourage sake in free-and-easy content creation by and for mainstream viewer .
The whole , whose tranquil , fashionable exterior sport two front - facing fisheye lenses — like a pair of eyes with peripheral vision — gives you a 180 - degree spherical 3D visual field of operations of aspect ( go forth , right , up , and down ) for each lens . It captures both video and still fancy with a unmarried button and switches modes easily . Both the still and video record book at 4 K per lens , with video seizure at 30 Federal Protective Service .
A clean 3D view .
LucidCam records 180-degree 3D
One thing that sets LucidCam aside is that it register 3D 180 - degree VR , as oppose to 2D 360 - arcdegree footage . Lucid VR is betting that its method acting will better attend recreational videographers by develop more dynamical footage with a well - limit , compositional detail of eyeshot . The 3D quality makes it deep and immersive , but the 180 - degree angle also makes shooting and producing more approachable because the output is internally stitched , and it is compatible with conventional photo and video software . The television camera generates some 50 MB per minute . It also records stereo audio via 48Hz microphones , which make non - flat , editable 16 - bit audio .
you’re able to preview your images and videos subsist and also adjust some setting .
LucidCam is functional right out of the box , packed with 2 GB of RAM and 32 GB of onboard storage , though you could plug away an additional 32 GB into it on a microSD card . If you require 360 - level 3-D contentedness from this whole , it can be done , but you ’ll need three cameras loaded onto a getup .
LucidCam ease of use
LucidCam has no viewfinder , so you ca n’t see what you are filming with the camera . The best elbow room to learn how to film , without the supporter of the companion Lucid VR iOS app , is to try out with shoot to see what the camera fancy , and thus put it properly without an aid .
To preview and pip , you call for to hold the photographic camera and the phone like so . It ’s not easy .
With a 180 - degree field of view , the photographic camera consider what is in front of it in wide angle ( f/2.2 ) . Workflow instructions , linked from the LucidCam site , take you step - by - gradation through the process of shooting both image and videos .
The caller enunciate its lithium - ion battery lasts about 1.5 hour of shot , but if you make certain the photographic camera is off when not in use , it can last for the twenty-four hours .
Lucid VR app
LucidCam works with its own mobile helper app , which lets you ensure the camera from your phone , honor previews of your shooting , view your finished stills and videos , and even share the finished output via Facebook and YouTube .
The app also have you view photo and video from the tv camera on its picture gallery page , but you must choose the selection you want to make unnecessary and download them to your phone .
You have a choice of view ; this one is 3D.
The app works by a peer - to - equal Wi - Fi connection to enable photo or picture transcription . you’re able to instantly preview the fit before shooting , adjust basic circumstance like picture and white-hot proportionality , and consider and manage your library . you could view photos and videos in 2D , 3D , and equirectangular formats . The split screen mode lets you watch the VR action with your favorite headset , complete with drumhead trailing and image stabilization , which lets you move your iPhone in any direction to navigate the scene . you’re able to also view footage by connecting a micro HDMI cable to a screen .
2D view .
You have a choice in how to regard your output : 3D , 2D and equirectangular . you’re able to swap dynamically between the modality on the fly ball so you’re able to always view footage in the most optimal mode .
LucidCam connection issues
Overall , the tv camera do work well with the iPhone app , readily connecting for stream the shot to use the tv camera as a outback ascendancy , but now and then the connection acted cranky , and send an error notification that say I could not tie in to the connection . Subsequent adjudicate generally exploit , but that ’s frustrating when you ’re juggling a camera in one hired hand and an iPhone in the other while at the same fourth dimension trying to get a fleeting scene .
link your tv camera with your phone via Wi - Fi .
You might choose to keep your connection and camera going until you ’re land up shooting , but because that will drain both the camera and the earpiece battery , perpetual connection is not an optimum solution . However , having to connect each clock time you found the television camera can get tedious . Plus , as a aim issue , the connection clitoris butts up like a shot against the shutter , which increases the likeliness that you will hit the haywire button .
Shooting with LucidCam: Watch your fingers
While the surgery of the camera itself is send away dead simpleton , stay fresh your fingers out of the shot is more intriguing than it may first appear . Because of the wide field of view , you call for to be witting of where your hands are at all times or you will bankrupt your shot . It ’s good to hold the camera more or less in the same manner as when you shoot with your iPhone .
you may keep your fingers out of the shot , but sometimes the camera lens is there to detain . See the lens on the left side of the correct range .
obligate your iPhone preview in one hired man and your tv camera in the other is tough to do both simultaneously and single - handedly . Often I had to enquire my pic helper ( a.k.a . my husband ) to bear the telephone prevue while I positioned the camera and made sure my sticky fingers were n’t in the agency . The company does deal aPhone Clipfor $ 49 that lets you sequester your phone to the back of the LucidCam , which solves the problem of how to hold both the camera and your phone . But you have to spend the extra cash .
The best room is to just turn off the trailer , or locate the television camera on a surface like a breeze mesa , and then concentrate on your live provender before force the Record button . Even then , sometimes the lense protrudes into the shot , but that ca n’t be helped .
Bottom line
Anyone who is connive by the prospect of bring forth VR shots and movies the same way they do with a digital photographic camera , may want to explore LucidCam as a option . The decision to prefer for a 180 - level tv camera that shoots three-D will appeal to family memoirists as well as infotainment crap-shooter . However , fritter with the television camera and the app presents issues that normal photographic camera do n’t , so be disposed to finesse your technique to get the shot you want .
