Garmin Virb 360: Unboxing In Addition To Showtime Impressions

After a few delays, I finally got the Garmin Virb 360! I've been genuinely excited nearly this photographic television set camera because of its many features. In fact, I would nation that it has the most features of whatever 360 photographic television set camera I've encountered, bar none, non the to the lowest degree of which is its unique picture stabilization that follows the user's management of displace instead of beingness locked inwards ane direction.

Here is a recap of the primal specifications together with features of the Garmin Virb 360:
- video resolution: 5760 x 2880 (unstitched) or 3940 x 1920 (in-camera stitched)
- photograph resolution: 5640 x 2816 (no, that is non a typo)
- gyro-based picture stabilization
- waterproof to 10 meters without a housing
- G-Metrix overlay
- alive streaming
- 360 audio

The Garmin's box is smaller than I expected. Maybe I expected a bigger box just because of the terms of the camera. Here's what's inside:
- the Virb 360
- a mini-tripod / handle
- ane battery (it appears to live specifically exclusively for the Virb 360)
- a proprietary cradle amongst a 1/4-20 tripod mount
- a proprietary cradle amongst a GoPro-style activity mount
- a micro USB cable
- warranty together with quick start guide.

The Virb 360 is rattling compact. It is exclusively slightly larger than a GoPro Hero camera. The distance betwixt the lenses is exclusively slightly larger than those of the master Samsung Gear 360.

Besides its size, I was impressed yesteryear the attending to particular given to the Virb 360. Even though it feels to a greater extent than oft than non plastic, it feels rattling enterprise together with good made. For example, the battery door together with the door to the Micro SD card together with ports are both saltation loaded. The cradles for the 1/4-20 tripod together with GoPro mountain are also saltation loaded together with are released yesteryear pressing a button. Details similar those arrive experience similar a meticulously designed slice of precision equipment.

SHOOTING WITH THE VIRB 360
The photographic television set camera has a 3 buttons for navigating the in-camera bill of fare together with for taking 360 photos, addition a split dedicated slide switch for recording 360 videos. There is an LCD that is non backlit but is reasonably slow to regard typical ambient lighting conditions.

The bill of fare is elementary plenty to navigate. The left together with correct buttons deed equally cursor controls spell the middle push is for selecting OK inwards the menus.

The Virb 360 is slow to shoot fifty-fifty without the app. Just agree downward the ok push to accept a 360 photograph or slide the side switch for a 360 video. Or you lot tin purpose the vocalism control. Just say, "OK, Garmin," followed yesteryear a command such as, "Start recording" or "take a photo." It industrial plant pretty good fifty-fifty amongst my non-standard accent.

One observation is that startup takes equally much equally v seconds together with shutdown takes equally long equally 10 seconds. Using the instant-on characteristic (which allows you lot to purpose the tape push spell the photographic television set camera is off) takes nearly seven seconds from the fourth dimension you lot slide the switch to the fourth dimension it starts recording, although shutdown from instant-on is a picayune faster at some 8 seconds.

I also noticed that the battery drains quite rapidly peculiarly if the Wi-Fi is on. I volition try turning off the Wi-Fi together with GPS to regard if at that topographic point is a pregnant improvement inwards battery life.

CONNECTING WITH THE APP

Connecting amongst the app is pretty easy. For ane thing, it has NFC that genuinely works, dissimilar many other cameras that I receive got where I receive got to try repeatedly to tap my telephone against the photographic television set camera earlier the NFC connects, if it connects at all. On the Virb 360, the NFC but industrial plant equally expected. I but plough on my camera, launch the app, together with tap my telephone on the camera.

The app's controls are intuitive. By default, the controls are simplified, but you lot tin tap an icon that looks similar a photographic television set camera aperture to convey upwardly a bill of fare that enables the pro trend for the consummate hit of settings. I was disappointed to regard that there's genuinely no manual exposure per se. In terms of exposure, you lot tin specify the exposure compensation (+/- 2EV inwards 1/3 halt increments) and auto ISO limit. However, at that topographic point seems to live no direct command over the shutter speed (except yesteryear lowering or raising the ISO limit). Fortunately the auto ISO bound tin live laid to 100 (its base of operations ISO), hence indirectly letting me irksome downward the shutter speed equally much equally possible for long exposures. The bracketing also appears automated (you can't specify the bracketing intervals).

The alive preview industrial plant together with provides a preview of the exposure, although I was surprised at how much lag at that topographic point was -- maybe equally much equally two seconds or so.

SHARING PHOTOS AND VIDEOS

One of the primal features of the Virb 360 is that photos together with videos are stitched in-camera. It is exclusively the minute 360 photographic television set camera to live able to sew 360 videos inwards 4K (the start ane was the Keymission 360). True enough, if you lot access the retention card directly, you'll regard fully stitched photos together with videos (unless you lot alter the default photograph trend to unstitched). However, the photos don't seem to receive got 360 metadata. Another quirk is that the photos aren't precisely the measure 2:1 ratio. Their resolution is 5640 x 2816, together with on some apps, it results inwards a minor dark spot appearing at the zenith of the 360 photo.

Sharing photos together with videos from the app is elementary - inwards theory. By default, photos together with videos rest inwards your camera's retention card. Not until you lot export them from the app are they downloaded to your phone. Exporting is fast for 360 photos. For 360 videos, it takes a picayune spell - together with to a greater extent than importantly, equally of Android make 4.0.0.0, I cannot export videos inwards 4K. Instead, when I try to, I larn a message maxim my telephone (Samsung S8+ amongst Snapdragon 835) has "trouble exporting" at 4K resolution. Really now, Garmin? This appears to live a põrnikas since no ane I know has been able to export from the app at 4K (even amongst an iPhone 7+).

Fortunately, the desktop app (Virb Edit) industrial plant pretty well. As I mentioned, Virb 360 videos are already stitched but you lot tin purpose the desktop app to edit videos, add together stabilization, G-Metrix overlays, music, titles, transitions, etc. Exporting amongst the desktop app seems pretty fast.

Anyway, these are my start impressions then far. I was testing the photographic television set camera lastly nighttime then it was also dark to larn whatever skilful photos or videos, but I volition accept some today together with this weekend to banking concern stand upwardly for the picture quality, peculiarly amongst a persuasion to determining how it compares to other 360 cameras such equally the Xiaomi Mi Sphere.