Pilot Era is coming to professional camera 360º that records to 8K
While making a strong impression at CES 2018 in Las Vegas, the PiSofttech Pilot ERA is touted as the first true 360 ° 8K all-in-one pocket camera. Since then, Pisofttech has tweaked his camera.
Beyond offering an 8K resolution, this is already an asset, which significantly differentiates this product compared to other 360 ° 8K cameras: its very compact and all-in-one format . Indeed, at the waist, here are its dimensions: 6.14 x 6.14 x 15.9 cm. All for a weight of 690 grams. The ERA Pilot fits in the hand, it is equipped with a 3.1 inch LCD touch screen that offers the advantage of driving it live without having to go through a PC. This can be interesting to view his shots.
Its system also manages live 4K streaming thanks to the integrated 4G antenna, but more restrictively it is possible to broadcast via Wi-Fi (802.11a / b / g / n / ac) or an RJ45 connection. It is inevitable, a camera of this type must be equipped with a stabilizer. This is the case since the Pilot ERA benefits from the stabilization on 9 axes. The image will remain stable and fluid horizontally.
Pilot Era is equipped with four 1 / 2.3-inch Sony 12-megapixel sensors with ultra wide-angle lenses. This allows the camera to shoot 360-degree videos and take spherical photos. The maximum resolution of images is 8K, and video is supported in the following formats: 4K @ 30 fps, 6K @ 30 fps and 8K @ 24 fps. In addition, directly from the camera, you can conduct online broadcasting in resolutions up to 4K without using a smartphone or any other equipment. To access the Internet, there is a Wi-Fi module and a slot for a SIM card in nano format that supports 4G LTE. It also provides USB Type-C and RJ45 connectors for transferring footage through the wire.
With a weight of 690 grams and compact size (159 x 61.4 x 61.4 mm), the camera fits in one hand. In addition, it has a thread for installation on a tripod or stabilizer, which allows you to shoot smooth video and timelaps. Pilot Era has a 3.1-inch touchscreen display, and the camera itself is running Android, so it’s easy to figure it out. Right on the screen, you can select a shooting mode, view the footage or run an online broadcast. The camera was equipped with a 512 GB drive with fast UFS memory, which is enough for storing 6.5 hours of 8K video or 26 thousand panoramic photos. According to the manufacturer, a removable battery with a capacity of 7200 mAh is enough for continuous recording of 8K video for almost 4 hours.
In addition, what can be said more about this 360 ° camera:
– Videos: 8K at 24 frames per second / 6K at 30 frames per second / 4K at 60 frames per second
– Internal storage: 512 GB UFS (6H30 of 8K video)
– RAM: 4 GB
– A 7200 mAh battery (removable) – Up to 3H30 continuous recording
– Photo Modules: Four 12 “Sony CMOS 1 / 2.3” cameras with f / 2.2 aperture
– Microphones: Four also
– Integration of a GPS and compatible shooting Google Maps Street View
Pilot was soon in IndieGogo in crowdfunding
Pisofttech is a company associated with the development of software and hardware for 360º and panoramic image capture. In this sense, the company is preparing to launch the Pilot Era camera, in a collective funding project (crowdfunding). The Pilot Era is thus a VR camera that records 8K and 360º. But there is more, since this is a solution dubbed all-in-one. In addition to capturing images, it still comes with a touch screen and operating system. In this way, the creation of VR content can be done faster, without complications.
The Era Pilot comes equipped with a 3.1-inch tactile screen with the Android-based operating system. This system will allow the user to do everything in real time on the camera, such as monitor, edit, preview and adjust settings. According to the brand name, the Pilot OS, as it is dubbed, is easy to use and upgradeable. It supports updates via OTA and more function extensions. Pilot Era’s design concept is focused on improving efficiency. Unlike other traditional 360 degree professional cameras, no post-processing is required on the computer. In this way, it records videos and panoramic photos at a maximum resolution of 8K, processed directly in the camera.
Artificial Intelligence and other specifications
The Pilot Era is equipped with a high performance AI processor for graphics processing. In addition, for recording features four fisheye wide-aperture lenses and professional Sony sensors, to capture every moment with precision and maximum resolution. It also has adjustable features of HDR, ISO, EV, WB. These and other settings seek to meet then meet all the needs of the professionals. With the inclusion of GPS, the camera can be perfectly used for recording images, just like the ones we have in Google Streer View. In addition, it has Ethernet and 4G connection (with support for 5G module upgrade) and Wi-Fi connection. This will allow you to stream 4K panoramic content live. The Pilot Era is, nevertheless, a relatively compact chamber, yet weighs at 690 g. It comes with 512 GB of internal storage, being able to store more than 6.5 hours of video at 8K or 26,000 panoramic photos. The battery is removable with a capacity of 7200 mAh, so you can record up to 3.5 hours of 8K video, the longest battery life in professional-grade 360 ° VR cameras.
The concept of “smartphone” 360º
The Pilot Era, not being a smartphone as we currently identify them, is also not a mere camera that captures 360º image. This equipment, besides the own capture of image, has software that allows editing and sharing of video of direct form. That is, it is not necessary to transfer all images to a computer, everything can be done in the camera itself. Hence the brand name this smartphone camera, even because it allows connection to the 4G network using a SIM card. It also allows connection to the 802.11a / b / g / n / ac Wi-Fi network.
The reinforcement of the universe of Virtual Reality
Over the last few years we have seen important advances in the creation of content associated with virtual reality. But, unlike other areas of technology, this seems to be somewhat stagnant. Pisofttech, the company responsible for Pilot Era, says it also wants to make a difference in this area with its camera. In this way, it encourages the creation of dedicated content.
Pilot Era, creator of 360º content … live
One of the promises of this camera is the possibility of making live broadcasts on the main platforms in a simple way. That is, the user does not need to be a technology expert to get the camera to transmit. YouTube and Facebook are two good examples compatible with the camera for live broadcasts, which can be made to a maximum quality of 4K at 30fps. Everything that is captured can be edited directly from the equipment and shared. And that’s the brand’s big bet.
Where does it make sense to use such a camera?
The Pilot Era, with its potentialities and ease of use, takes place in several environments: Concerts, Festivals, Conferences, Fairs – large-scale public events have the ideal content for 360-degree transmissions for virtual reality equipment. We have already seen many attempts in this direction. However, in fact, the market still lacks simple solutions, where perhaps this camera fits. Journalism, Breaking News, Demonstrations, Catastrophes – these are some more scenarios where a solution of these can make sense. The news is more and more last minute. In this sense, sharing the whole vision of the scenario where the news is happening is always something in favor of the audience. Constructions, remote monitoring, redemptions – it’s not just for online content creators that this camera can be useful. Google StreetView – one of the bets of this camera is the sharing of content to Google StreetView instantly. There is thus no need for editing on the computer and all the necessary interaction with the map since it also includes GPS.
Availability
The chamber is still a project that will arrive in May at the collective financing platform Indiegogo. If you are interested in this product, you can, however, sign up to enjoy a 31% discount on the purchase and receive updated information on the evolution of the process.
Proposed at 2,999 euros, its price is significantly lower than other market solutions more impressive and more efficient. His weight and size certainly compel him to make sacrifices on other points. The ERA Pilot will not replace the systems of professional videographers, but it may appeal to other professionals, especially those with a smaller budget.
The exact price of the new product will be announced on May 7 on the crowdfunding platform Indiegogo, but in order to save $800, the manufacturer suggests leaving an e-mail address on the official website. An Indiegogo campaign will be launched in early May for the ERA Pilot, which should be an opportunity to receive a significant discount on the price of the camera: Pilot ERA.
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