Samsung Gear 360 Degree Cam Spherical Camera SM-C200 for Galaxy S6, S6 Edge, S6 Edge+, Note 5, S7, S7 Edge (International Version - No Warranty)

If you bought an early version, and got instructions in Korean like me, read my comment on this review to see a website that will help you get started.I'm very impressed with the value this 360 cam offers. It takes true VR-grade spherical pictures with it's two fish-eyed lenses, and automatically stitches the two into one sphere photo of the world. Prior to this camera, I could take such pictures, but I would have to use "photo sphere" or Cardboard VR camera functions in my Android device. While that worked, it required taking dozens of photos in a row with my phone, and the app stitched them together, but never very well. Lighting, focus, and point-of-view were always off-kilter, errors often occurred, it was very time-consuming, things moved before I could complete the photo, and the process was a little complicated. No longer.The 360 is very easy to use, and works nicely with the associated app on the phone. But you can also use the cam as a standalone, and it's very simple as standalone - I learned to use it in minutes. There are three buttons to control power, mode, and shutter. The screen on the cam is basic, but tells you what you need to know. It looks like they copied a bit of the UI design of the GoPro, which is good.The built-in tripod is removable to reveal a standard 1/4"-20 photo tripod hole. I use an adapter with it, and can use all my GoPro mounts for this cam.I have a SG7, and I think a powerful phone is probably needed to crunch all the data this cam sends it. You can use the cam with your phone, or without. When used with the phone, the phone can access a live view feed from the cam, can remote control the cam, and can adjust a bunch of settings. It seems that the phone control is best for tweaking or adjusting settings using the phone's big screen instead of the cam's small display.As of today, June 2016, the weakest part of the cam is the Android app. I wish it could do a little more, and that it was just a bit better UI design, but it's not bad, just OK. I think over time, Samsung will update the app, and add features and improve it.The feature that I think is most lacking is better integration with Gear VR goggles. Currently, I cannot get a live view from the cam to my phone if my phone is in the Gear VR goggs. However, once I take VR video or photos, and transfer them to my phone, I am able to view them in the VR goggs. Just not real time (which I WAS able to do at a trade show Samsung booth in Feb. 2016).At the 2016 MWC show, I also tried the LG VR camera, but though it far inferior and cheap feeling in the hand. I knew I would buy the Sammy when it came available.As of today, June 2016, the cam is still not offered at retail in the USA, so there aren't any accessories, waterproof cases, etc. But the cam can handle some splashes as it is.I have not done much yet with post-processing of the images and videos. Soon, I'll start using the desktop software Samsung offers to edit and post my videos to Youtube, etc. Youtube how has the ability to host 360 VR videos, where the viewer can use the mouse to look around the video. Should be fun.I'm not sure what price this will be when it's offered officially, but I am an uber geek, and want things early, so I paid $500 for a Korean version with no warranty...and I'm completely satisfied. This kind of stuff will surely drop in price over the next few years, but for now the Gear 360 is the clear best mix of quality and value for the private user. The pros will need to spend thousands to get their VR rigs, but this is accessible to many of us.

This has so much potential, but as it stands it's a waste of time and money. It only works with Samsung phone, which sucks because I have a Nexus, but I also knew this going in. The Action Director software, which you can download instead of using a Samsung phone doesn't work. You can't view any videos in a 360 view, including there sample video(the option is grayed out). I tried to import a couple of videos I did from the Gear360, and the stitched video was just black, ie no video, but audio When I tried importing an image, it just froze the program. I saw another review that said the stitching for images could only be done on the phone. So if I were you I would wait to the Nikon Mission 360 comes out, and someone else reviews it. Or maybe Samsung will fix the issues with this one.

There are a lot of things right about the Gear 360 camera (depending on your perspective, no pun intended) But there is also MAJOR flaws with it.Lets start with the basics. I bought this camera as we're migrating to more video focused reviews for our website, and the 360 camera that records in 4K is a great idea for a lot of reasons. I'll start with the "good".1- The integration with your (applicable) Samsung Phone is pretty great. You can zoom in, you can change the resolution or FPS.2- The picture quality is far superior than several other 4K cameras I tested, including the 360 Fly. I can't argue against Samsungs photo technology, they've been doing it long enough and have some of the best cameras on the market. This should be no surprise to anyone.3- I get a lot of questions about the device, it seems to make me really popular. The base can screw off and I placed it on a custom standing monopod I created, (not a tripod because you'll be able to easily see the legs due to the angles this camera catches.)4 - It's extremely light, as you could imagine, it's very tiny.5 - Supports Micro SD cards, I have a 32GB I use in it, but I believe it can go all the way to 256GBs. You would never fill that up though, but we'll get to that.6 - It comes with its own PC software, it's rudimentary, doesn't have a ton of features, but it is basically required if you want to utilize any advanced editors in the future.7- It allows for Live Viewing, and you can zoom in and out ... most 360 cameras don't give you that option, or it's very tough to do.Now some bad things...1 - It overheats. That is its main issue. It's not the battery life, or that you look like a wizard if you carry it on a monopod, it's the overheating. I will be completely honest here, if I knew that the maximum amount of time I get recording 4K is about 8 minutes when I'm outdoors (with it often times lasting far below that, I've had 2 and 4 minute overheats) it can get extremely frustrating. What's worse is that I never know when it turns off!Yes - you can stare at your phone in live view and see when it shuts off, or you can look at the camera -- basically the Red BLINKING light means it is recording... BUT if you plan on doing anything "action-y" with this camera.. for example I walked around a festival... you won't be staring at your phone or camera to ensure it's doing its job.The camera is basically the worst employee ever.Me "Hey are you recording?""Yeah, man, I'm recording I got this.. go do your thing."Me "Okay I'm going" ------ "Hey did you record what I just did.""OH no man, sorry it's too hot outside, I just took a nap."2 - Editing with the cyberlink software is kind of a chore. When you import files it's supposed to automatically stitch them, but I've run into a bug more than once where it wouldn't stitch them... which can get frustrating. Usually restarting the application fixes it. I only use the software to stitch the videos, then I use Adobe Premiere to edit them. Don't waste your time with the Cyberlink software any more than you have to.3 - Samsung support is just sad. I lost my product key for the software, contacted samsung, and did their live chat support. The live chat support agent asked me for the serial number. I gave it to them, in plain text, exactly how it shows ... "We cannot find that serial number." 5 times we tried this, but they continued to tell me they didn't have it, contact their phone support. Called their phone support, and waited on hold, after about the 5th minute, I hung up, got up.. and searched the house for the product key. I ended up finding it. Samsung is the champion of "Do it yourself", heaven forbid I actually did lose the product key, I'd have spent half the day trying to retrieve it.Overall - at my recent event someone asked me - "Hey do you guys do weddings? Can you record my wedding with that?" And I said - NO. I wouldn't trust this camera to anyone that really expects to catch those vital, important moments in their life they want to remember. I'd have said this camera is a kind of false advertising but, they never really state a recording time. ALL pre-thousand dollar 360 4K cameras overheat. I knew this going in, but I was told I'd get 30 minutes out of it, which is better than 8.This camera is unreliable. It's still the best camera you can get for the price (even the best camera you can get for under 800 right now). This will eventually change as the technology progresses, but for now, buy this with the knowledge that you'll have to micromanage this device.