GoPro previewed their new 360° degree capture Fusion VR camera last spring, but up until now you still needed 6 GoPros to capture the full virtual reality experience. That will end soon as GoPro just announced a delivery date for 2017. Fusion works with two spherical cameras one facing forwards & one backwards to record a fully immersive experience in all directions at one at super high 5.2K resolution.
The GoPro Fusion is the latest in 360° virtual reality video capture. And it looks like the next direction that action cams are generally headed.
It gets what GoPro is calling Overcapture – their tech of capturing the full immersive VR experience in video, and then being able to come back later to reframe the shot you want. No more thinking that you perfectly lined up the shot to see the edge of the trail cropped out. GoPro knows that most of the time you are watching video from one perspective so with the Fusion and Overcapture you can film everything and move through & choose the views as you easily edit a film even through the companion GoPro mobile app. So, it’s not just about reliving the full immersive video experience.
GoPro thinks this is where all action cam filming is heading, so you will no longer have to worry about framing the shot. So now go back and watch that same video in this VR version. Click and drag anywhere in the video to change the perspective you wan to see.
Fusion visual effects
Beside regular capture, the Fusion also introduces a few unique shooting effects that will come through the GoPro app to get some amazing shots. Angel View is maybe the most bizarre, where you mount the Fusion on an extension pole. The offset lenses overlap their capture and basically edit out the pole, so you get a view that seems impossible where it looks like the camera is floating off in front of you. Little Planet gives a stylized view that has become iconic of spherical shot panoramic videos. Pano Flow lets you make easy, smooth panning shots that would have otherwise required at least a tripod.
Tech details
The GoPro Fusion features two offset lenses in its compact body to create a more smooth, error-free & automatic stitching of the full spherical view. It also includes automatic video stabilization that GoPro claims is on par with physical gimbal setups.
Its 5.2K video at 30fps means the Fusion will record horizontal resolution of about 5200 pixels across or around 5280 x 2640px.
Of course it is a GoPro, so it is designed to go into harsh environments to get the shot. The Fusion is waterproof and mountable just like a regular action cam. It even gets voice control and works together with the GoPro mobile app.
GoPro has made the Fusion available now for preorder for $700, with deliveries promised before the end of November 2017. It will come with the Fusion camera, a traveling case, plus a couple of stick on mounts and a small tripod that doubles as a mini handheld pole.
