Leading 360-degree camera maker Insta360 today launched Insta360 Awards, a program to reward and promote the best 360 content from around the world.

Insta360 Awards will collect submissions of raw 360 photos and videos, as well as content edited using Insta360-specific techniques like FreeCapture and bullet time. The best content will be rewarded with cash prizes of up to $2,000, global exposure and opportunities for further collaboration.

“360-degree photos and videos are new forms of storytelling, and they’re being defined today by the creators who pick up a camera and start sharing,” said JK Liu, Insta360 founder and CEO. “With Insta360 Awards, we’re excited to reward the creators who inspire us, and to promote their work to show the world what 360 is all about.” 

Watch the Insta360 Awards video here:

How it works

The Insta360 Awards program accepts 360 photo and video submissions on any theme, from epic aerial videography, to adrenaline-fueled adventure sports, to simple human moments. Edited content, such as a montage of 360 videos, or 360 videos converted into fixed-frame content using FreeCapture, is also eligible for awards.

After submitting content via the Insta360 Awards page, creators will be put into consideration for two award tiers. Pioneer Awards will be rewarded on an unlimited, rolling basis, with winning videos receiving $150 USD, and winning photos receiving $100 USD.

A quarterly Legend Award of $2,000 USD will be rewarded to submissions that rise above the rest with their exceptional artistry or subject matter.

All winners will have their work promoted, with attribution, to Insta360’s global audience. Legend Award winners will also have opportunities to participate in exclusive workshops and events, along with having their content featured in-depth on Insta360’s social channels and blog.

Content captured by all of Insta360’s products – including the Insta360 Pro, Insta360 ONE, Insta360 Nano and Insta360 Air – will be eligible for awards, with a minimum image resolution of 3K for submissions.

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Insta360 has launched the ONE, a versatile 4K 360 camera that represents a breakthrough for both immersive storytelling and for the way that we capture and share traditional framed video.

“We set out to make the easiest-to-use, most versatile 360 camera in the world, and the ONE is the result of those efforts,” said JK Liu, CEO and founder of Insta360. “The ONE isn’t just a step forward for 360 videography. With its unique FreeCapture technology, it stands to change the way we think about cameras in general.”

The Insta360 ONE shoots 360 video and photos at resolutions of 4K (3840*1920@30fps, 2560*1280@60fps) and 24 MP (6912 x 3456), respectively. It significantly advances Insta360’s signature adaptability and convenience, offering three modes of operation: standalone use, remote control via Bluetooth, and control via a direct connection to a smartphone’s charging port.

The iPhone-compatible version is available now, with an Android version on the way.

Shoot First, Point Later with FreeCapture

The Insta360 ONE introduces groundbreaking FreeCapture technology. Using FreeCapture, users can effortlessly hone in on the key moments of a spherical video, translating the original 360 footage into a standard 1080p fixed-frame video that’s ready to share anywhere – all from their smartphone.

The process to create a FreeCapture video on the ONE is as innovative as it is intuitive. First, users hit record and effortlessly lock in every detail of an experience, as though they had a multi-cam setup covering every angle of the scene.

Then, when they’re done filming, they simply connect the ONE to their phone and offload the experience. This is where FreeCapture works its magic.

Leveraging a phone’s onboard gyroscope, FreeCapture lets users simply peer into the original 360 scene using their phone display as a viewfinder. Whatever they see as they point their phone into the original experience is what they’ll capture in a fixed-frame video. In other words, users can stand in the present moment while they film a past experience – using exactly the same hand motions they would always use to capture a video on their phone.

Never before has this editing technique been achievable on a phone, and it opens the door on a new era in videography, allowing anybody – from a journalist to an outdoor adventurer – to effectively act as their own camera crew.

FreeCapture also allows users to seamlessly shift from standard perspectives to the unique shots that are only possible with 360 cameras, such as “tiny planet” and “rabbit hole” effects.

Everything Epic in ONE

While maintaining the mobile-friendliness of all of Insta360’s products, the ONE adds a range of new features that makes it the premiere standalone 360 camera for consumers.

The ONE achieves six-axis image stabilization with an onboard gyroscope, ensuring that it records smooth video without sacrificing quality – even in rough-and-tumble situations.

Advanced stabilization is also what makes possible the all-new bullet time mode, which has to be seen to be fully appreciated. Using only a selfie stick or a string attachment, creators can capture up to 240 FPS slow-motion shots where the ONE circles them dramatically, always keeping them center-frame—while the accessory used to spin the camera is flawlessly concealed. (The ONE shoots at a maximum of 120 FPS, while 240 FPS video is achieved algorithmically with the companion app.) Epic shots such as those innovated by the Wachowskis and Swiss skier Nicolas Vuignier can for the first time be captured by anyone, with no hassle.

The new SmartTrack feature lets users automatically capture a 1080p fixed-frame video where the subject of their choice is always centered. It means users can first capture everything, and then let the ONE give them a ready-to-share, classic-sized video that keeps the spotlight on their key subject.

Meet the Invisible Selfie Stick

After attaching the ONE to a selfie stick, the stick will be automatically erased from the footage. Once the stick’s out of the picture, the ONE works like a flying camera – capturing stunning 360 views from an overhead angle.

With its compact form and a built-in socket for standard 1/4“-20 screws, the ONE is Insta360’s most versatile camera ever. It can be instantly mounted on helmets, drones, cars, tripods and a wide range of other tools and accessories.

The ONE’s IP68 waterproof housing (sold separately) is effective at up to 30-meter (98.4 feet) depths and makes it ideal for filming watersports and underwater scenes.

A purpose-built selfie stick and Bluetooth remote control will also be available for purchase to let users easily achieve the bullet-time effect and other “flying camera” shots, while an included string attachment will make the effect achievable straight out of the box.

Total Creative Control

The ONE offers an HDR (high dynamic range) shooting mode and supports taking pictures in RAW format and videos in Log format, allowing for convenient, precise post production. It also shoots time-lapse 360 video, and its full-featured camera settings offer manual control of exposure value, ISO, shutter speed, white balance and more.

To find out more, please visit: https://www.insta360.com/product/insta360-one/.

Availability

The Insta360 ONE is available now at https://mall.insta360.com/ and via authorized dealers such as Amazon and B&H. Shipments will start September 5.

The US retail price of an Insta360 ONE – including a camera, a two-in-one case and camera stand, a MicroSD card, a Micro-USB cable, a lens cloth, and a string attachment to achieve the bullet-time effect – is USD $299.90.

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There are no brownie points in guessing that marketers love virtual reality. It’s transformed the travel-tech industry and how destinations are being promoted using interactive 360 videos. While the concept of 360 videos started with the likes of Samsung 360 gear and Ricoh Theta etc. there are many distruptive startups which are transforming the travel experience and making it more immersive and interactive.

Insta360, a company with its HQ in Shenzhen, China is causing major ripples in the VR industry with its range of 360 cameras for Android, iOS and pro users. We connected with them to understand the vision of the product and plans for the future.

Can you tell us about the history of the company. Where is the HQ and how big is the team.
We were established in 2014 and based in Shenzhen, China. Currently we have 180+ people in HQ, we also have colleagues based in Tokyo and Los Angeles. We are a young (average age is 27) and highly diversified team with members from US, Canada, German, UK, Hong Kong and all parts of China. Here you may find more information about our history.

In the age of Samsung VR, Ricoh Theta, what led you to the creation of Insta360. In other-words, why should consumers opt for Insta360.
We name our brand Insta360, which stands for “instant” and “360-degree”, and our 360 cameras excel in the market with the accessibility (easy to use, real-time stitching), the availability (best pricing in the market) and especially the easiness to share the visual content to basically all the social platforms – we’re recommended by Facebook as a doorway into 360 content creation and chosen by Twitter/Periscope as the only 360 camera to be natively integrated into its App. Just like the drone market several years ago, we believe the potential of 360 camera market is not quite explored yet. That’s why we have been sharpening our products and Apps constantly. We have a complete product line for both the mass market and professional producers, which differentiate us from every other player in the market, and we aim to make our product delightful to play with for users at all level of professionalism! As you may know, we are launching a new product on August 28th., which has exceptional features that allow it to be used as a selfie drone or action cam. Some teasers of our new product can be found here on engadget, uploadvr and thedigitalcircuit etc..

In-terms of purchase, is Insta360 product line also available in retail or is it online only model?
We have partnered with more than 150 overseas chain retailers and our products are available in more than 1500 offline stores across the world. Our products are also available on major e-commerce websites such as Amazon, Taobao, JD, etc., as well as our official online store.

What is the difference between Insta360 Nano and Pro?
The main difference is that Nano is a consumer 360 camera while Pro is an enterprise-level device. Their specs can be found here and here.

How has the consumer feedback been so far?
We are rated 4 star at Amazon, 99 on Taobao and JD, and have received a lot of compliments from our users, including general consumers, prosumers, 360 junkies, VR professionals, travelers, extreme sport fans and social influencers. We have also partnered with a number of media and universities in promoting VR journalism. We hear from our users and constantly improve our product and App with their feedback, which makes our product more enjoyable to use.

What are some of the unique use-cases you have seen by the customers.
Some interesting cases include users put our cameras into piles of fruits to create funny (weird) 360 pictures, others mount it onto their puppies and have them run around to get some really cool footage. They are also widely used by professionals in 360 music video and movies, real estate showroom and even VR wedding. More exciting ones are from extreme sport athletes and travelers. You can find more on our Instagram handle.

Currently do you offer support for 360 live videos on FB and other platforms?
Yes for FB. We partnered with Facebook in bringing 360 live available for everyone, and three of our products (Insta360 Nano, Air and Pro) are among the ten cameras recommended by Facebook Live 360 Ready program. Instagram now does not support 360 content for now.

VR has completely disrupted the way people travel, how do you see Insta360 playing a role in the future of travel.
360 content has definitely been making travel fuller and more immersive, and we are proud to be able to help travelers document memories so that they can relive them whenever and wherever they like, let alone our products help bring some cool elements (360 and the popular tiny-planet content) for people to post/show off on social media.

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