This New 360 Camera Won’t Come to the US. I Went to Berlin to Test It

19 hours ago 5

I traveled all the way to Berlin to test out DJI’s new 360 camera. OK, not just for that, but it was definitely one of the reasons. You see, due to the ongoing FCC block on new DJI products by the US government, it’s likely the new Osmo 360 II won’t be available in the US. Which is too bad because, as was the case with this camera’s predecessor, the hardware is top-tier.

The 360 II improves on the older Osmo 360 with new image sensors, dual, square 1-inch image sensors, as well as a maximum resolution and frame rate of 8K60. It bests Insta360’s X6, which maxes out at 8K50. Those 10 extra frames per second might not seem like a big deal, but in many situations, they can be the difference between having usable footage and not. Probably the biggest improvement, however, is the addition of user-replaceable lenses.

Unfortunately, the prospect of availability in the US through official channels is gray. As gray as the market where you’ll inevitably find this camera. With fingers crossed for future US availability, DJI loaned me a 360 II for a few days in Berlin to check it out.

The Osmo 360 II’s hardware is too different

On the outside, the second-gen model is similar to its predecessor. There are some exposed screwheads that give it a slightly tougher look, but the screen and buttons remain the same. There’s also a larger mic opening on the front.

The most notable change is the switch to user-replaceable lenses. As someone who’s used and ruined numerous 360 cameras over the years, I’d advise you not to overlook this feature. It’s all too easy to accidentally scratch a 360-degree camera lens since they stick out from the body. Repairs, when possible, can be costly, too. So being able to replace them yourself should be considered a must-have “feature” for most people.

The other major change is new, square, 1-inch sensors. DJI says these have 14.5-stops of dynamic range. I didn’t get a chance to do much low-light testing, but it seemed solid. The earlier 360 was already good in this regard.

Thanks to these new sensors, better processing or both, the Osmo 360 II is capable of 8K60 video. This bests Insta360’s flagship X6, which maxes out at 8K50. For most people, this isn’t a big deal. Most phones can’t edit 8K video, and for social media, the lower 6K-resolution video is plenty unless you want to zoom in.

That said, in the US, our displays are on multiples of 30 or 60. So 50 doesn’t work as well, potentially leading to stuttering movement or strobing background lights. Also, for more advanced users who can edit 8K, the extra resolution will help with more flexible framing and cropping options. If those same pros are recording sports or other fast movement, 60fps is far better than 30. Which is to say, for most people, 8K60 versus 8K50 isn’t a big deal, but for certain people, it will be a very big deal.

Despite this being a “first look” and not a full review, there are a few features found on other 360 cameras I wish the Osmo 360 II had. Being able to select the aspect ratio for single-lens photos would be great. Sure, you can do this in the editing process, but seeing your frame ahead of time helps, as does one less thing to edit later. Similarly, there are limited options to change the field of view with single-lens photos; the option is merely cropping in and reducing resolution if you don’t want an ultrawide, almost fisheye FOV. The X6 can double as a regular, wide-angle camera far more easily with these features.

The software

As with other DJI gear, the hardware isn’t the problem. You’ll need to download the DJI Mimo app from DJI directly on Android phones and disable some security settings. Not ideal. It is available on Apple’s App Store, so that’s one less issue if you’re on iOS. The app itself works well, letting you crop and edit photos and videos. There aren’t quite as many options here as there are on Insta360’s app, but it’s also not as bloated.

Full circle (well, sphere)

Competition is important. Insta360 is the biggest name in the 360 camera space, but with GoPro’s future uncertain and Kandao’s output slowing, we on the consumer side need Insta360 to have a big competitor to keep driving 360 camera development. While the X6’s 8K50 isn’t a huge deal for most people, it’s interesting that a camera released mere months later can do 8K60 just fine. I have no doubt that a future X7 will have 8K60, so why this interim step?

The geopolitics of DJI in the US is far above my pay grade to write about. For now, it’s making getting this interesting camera overly difficult. If it does get approved for sale in the US, or is at least reasonably easy to get, we’ll give it a full review. For now, I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Geoffrey Morrison

Contributor

Geoffrey Morrison is a writer/photographer about tech and travel for CNET, The New York Times, and other web and print publications. He's also the Editor-at-Large for Wirecutter. He is the author of Budget Travel for Dummies as well as the bestselling sci-fi novels Undersea, and Undersea Atrophia. He's NIST and ISF trained, and has a degree in Audio Production from Ithaca College. He spends most of the year as a digital nomad, living and working while traveling around the world. You can follow his travels at BaldNomad.com and on his Instagram and YouTube channel. See full bio

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