KeyMission 360?

[Steven Paulsen]

This is probably the coolest action cam for old farts that just like to sit on their duff.

My biggest quest..... Is there a Droid or Apple device that actually works?

I am using an iPhone SE, iOs 11 something & it works, but not well. I keep having to play back & forth with the wifi connection that keeps cutting out. (The Positive; I can sit the thing on a window sill at the other end of the house & blutooth connects fine, & works with the above mentioned annoyances.

I plan to use it by just setting the thing on a pod in the middle of family gatherings & record video till the battery dies....(roughly an hour.)

The iPhone was my only choice, because there isn't anything semi-modern with a pocket sized screen. If there is a phone/tablet that functions with the thing in a better way, I'll move toward that. (I use a prepaid plan & have cellular data turned off.)

[Akira]

Steven, perhaps you are the only one user of KeyMission 360 here in NG?

According to Nikon, they acknowledges the very "live view issue" you are experiencing with the latest version of SnapBridge360 (1.1.3) on iOS 11.3 and later.

The reputation of the Android version of SnapBridge360 is no good either, according to the user reviews posted on GooglePlay.

I'm afraid I would have to say that switching to Android doesn't seem to solve your problem...

[Steven Paulsen]

I know the novelty of the videos & stills may wear off. On a smaller rez touchscreen display with 4K video, you can actually pan and roll the direction in almost any angle. Pause, & you can zoom or even pull back, creating 2 180 degree, circular images.


I was always a lover of fish eye lenses. The KeyMission 360 has 2 - ~8mm, 180 degree lenses, (circular) with a 20mp sensor behind each. The images, both still & video are in a category of realism that I have never experienced. It's almost like something from "The Twilight Zone," where a black & white, "Rod" narrates, smoking a cigarette in the corner. For the first shot, it communicates OK, so I can get a live view preview on my phone, then click record. It's the second shot and later where it goes rouge & doesn't connect well. Because of bad reports pretty much all around the camera is selling for peanuts, used in the US. You can also buy a new one for $500.

I like to find a quiet wooded spot in nice weather & plop down and shoot random, assorted macro. I believe the 360 (in the same) may make for a weird selfie, however it would produce the overall feeling of being in that spot, all over again. Back yard pod shots, have already proved that.

Despite the complaints, it's one of the coolest, interesting odd pieces of photo or tech that I ever laid my hands on.  < IMHO>

[Akira]

Here in Japan, a brand new KeyMission 360 for around 33,000 JPY (roughly 300USD), due to its discontinuation and unfortunate reputation.

I'm also excited and intrigued by the 360 degree video camera, but now I would look at GoPro Fusion or Ricoh Theta.

[Steven Paulsen]

I have been fooling around on the internet for 25 years. Some things like a spell check or price comparison, I pretty much regard as truth. In the States, it's a 24/7 sales pitch on most anything to ponder or consider. I thought someone here may have dabbled with a KM 360, thus the top post.

I got my hands on a Samsung tablet. Running Droid, version 6 with no other competing apps installed, the camera connected and functioned, quickly and seamlessly. (A hard core Apple person may possibly still complain about wifi connect time.)

I jumped through a lot of Droid System updates, (8 something) and installed several streaming apps. (HBO, Cinemax, Showtime etc) & some Google stuff for my home entertainment systems. (I'm a Hi Fi, Home Theater head too.)


The above slowed some camera connections. I have ultra slow broadband, & I know every app has to constantly "phone home," so I gave my rating a little slack. I also reset my wifi/bluetooth settings & reconnected well. All in all, there is no contest as to which mobile system worked best with the KeyMission 360.


Hopefully, someone may benefit from what I have found. Don't just check the internet and decide to buy what is popular or liked. There are salespeople lurking everywhere. Personally, I had followed online advise on a couple musical instruments..... & ("Boy did I get suckered, really bad.")

MC,
Steve

[Oskar O]

iOS is your best bet and your experience is typical, it's a pain to use the device in any manner. I don't remember if the latest software had some major improvements to the earlier one, I only used the earlier one. The camera itself seems reasonably reliable in stand-alone mode (if you can work out the user interface and figure out if it's actually recording or not), so it's probably best to just set it up using the phone so the framing is right, then just record without the phone connection and retrieve the files when done.

[Steven Paulsen]

I gave the 360 a go on a couple family events.
1. Christmas dinner.
2. Mom's 80th Birthday at a local eatery.
It was an intimate, small group. My Mother, Step Father, Half Brother & Sister and myself. I planted the camera on the dinner table using the "Kit items." (A short selfie stick, eye level on the little nikon tripod.)

The movie clips are wonderful. I copied them to a Galaxy Tab S2, which has less resolution than 4K. It captured the celebration beautifully. During playback I was able to pan, zoom and even pull back. Basically, I could live pan the video to center anyone of the family, also encompassing the entire circle
It captured the entire essence of being there in a first, second, third person sort of way.

While this camera "Bombed" and discontinued sales, may I say Thank You Nikon. You hit a Home Run with the KeyMission 360.