Record the Outdoors in 360 Degrees with the VSN Mobil V.360° Camera
OutdoorHub Reporters 12.22.14
These days, it seems like everyone and their brother has a GoPro. The handy little camera has become the Kleenex of amateur and professional videography, and it’s hard to find a single “outdoors” video on YouTube that was made without one. But if you’re looking for something unique to change up your videos and present a whole new angle on the action you record, you need something different. Enter the VSN Mobil V.360° Camera.
Simply put, the V.360° is a compact, durable camera capable of recording HD video in a complete 360-degree arc. It captures video at a resolution of 6,480 x 1,080 pixels at 30 frames per second, and it can take still images. It’s waterproof for up to 30 minutes at three feet deep, and weighs a little under nine ounces. The V.360° is compatible with GoPro camera mounts and most standard camera mounts, making it very versatile. It captures video in one panoramic image, requiring no stitching to put the final product together. The V.360° saves data to a microSD card. The camera can be operated with an included remote, an iOS app, or an Android app (not available at the time of review, though it is now available in the Google Play store). We utilized the iOS app on an iPad to control the device during our time with it.
VSN Mobil sent OutdoorHub a V.360° to test out in a more traditionally “outdoorsy” capacity (videos already abound of the V.360° being put to task in more extreme environments). Not ones to let an opportunity to pass us by, Edward Pierz and I took the camera with us to the northern reaches of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula for a rural shooting trip. As we certainly fell into the “amateur” category of videographers (I’ve strapped a GoPro to my head for a nighttime 3-gun competition and a half marathon, but that’s about the extent of my experience with video cameras), we were curious to see whether we could even capture quality footage with it.
We walked away from the range quite pleased with the results. If you’d just like to see some of the footage from our outing, scroll down. Some boring text precedes it.
We first set up the V.360° in between the two of us on a “firing line” some 90 yards away from a group of hostile milk jugs and a steel plate. Then, in a risky maneuver that truly tested our marksmanship, we placed the camera downrange atop a broken piece of particle board some 10-15 yards in front of our targets. To round out the day, we brought the camera back to a second firing line 200 yards away from the targets to try to capture some cool-looking, longer-range shots.
Throughout the entire exercise, we were impressed at how intuitive and easy-to-use the iOS app was to control the camera. When we got back to the office and examined the footage we had recorded, we were very impressed. Check out a cut of it embedded below.
Just as promised by the camera’s promotional literature, the V.360° captured some very nice-looking panoramic footage of Eddie and I at the firing line(s) and of the targets. It was very neat to look back at our footage from the firing lines and watch milk jugs fly into the air as we popped them.
One of the surprising things about the clips we recorded was how crisp individual gun shots were. I was concerned that, like many other devices’ built-in mics, the V.360°’s wouldn’t be able to record the sound of gun shots well enough. However, the audio was clear and high-quality regardless of close our rifles’ muzzles were to the camera.
All in all, I think that the V.360° would be a great asset to any outdoor videographer—whether they’re an amateur or a professional. They’re priced at a comparable point to their competitors ($399 MSRP) and produce some truly unique visuals. Give one a try during your next range day.
