Known for its teensy-tiny cameras, Indiecam packs 4k power and a whole lot of control into its tiny 360 camera, the nakedEYE.
In keeping with Indiecam’s reputation for “amazingly small cameras”—seriously, check out their homepage—the Austria-based company has launched the nakedEYE 360 camera.
According to Indiecam, the camera, which measures 80mm in diameter and weighs a mere 380g, is ideal for point-of-view shots from moving objects and in remote locations.
The 4K camera’s square high-speed sensors are fully synched and are positioned almost back-to-back for minimal parallax and faster/better stitching (in theory, as I have not tried it myself).
Although Indiecam didn’t have sample footage from the nakedEYE at NAB this year, they did release impressive demo footage recently that shows off the power of the camera’s full manual controls, as well as its dynamic range and low-light performance. Take a look…
It’s also one of the only 360 cameras capable of recording 12-bit RAW formats (DNG) for greater editing possibilities in post-production.
Although Indiecam has a history in the film industry—In the Heart of the Sea and Babylon were shot on its cameras—Managing Director Raphael Barth said the camera drew a bit of buzz among broadcasters at IBC.
Personally, I’d be curious to see the nakedEYE stitching workflow in action. Supposedly, the sensor setup makes stitching so fast and easy Barth said it would be possible to film, stitch, edit and post in a single day!
Like similar two-camera 360 solutions, with custom stitching algorithms, I imagine the single stitch would be relatively well-matched right out of the gate, but can also be stitched with Autopano and other standard software.
Indiecam also hopes to develop a live-review system for the nakedEYE, which allows the crew to watch what the camera captures in a headset as they film.
The nakedEYE was announced at NAB 2016 and became available for purchase after IBC. The entire system, including the camera, lenses, recorder, two SSD cards and cables, costs 9,500 euros and can be delivered four to six weeks after purchase.
For more details, visit the Indiecam website.
