“No camera rigs. No stitching. No cables. 360-degree video at the click of a button,” the Memora Inc. team says on its project page.
Luna features two 190-degree fish-eye lenses for Full HD wraparound video and 5-megapixel stills, and helpfully incorporates gyro-stabilization to aid picture steadiness. Built-in Wi-Fi means you can send captured content to your devices, and onward to social sites, in a snap. Live streaming is possible, too, though one of Luna’s biggest draws is the chance to watch content using VR viewers like Google Cardboard, Oculus Rift, and Samsung’s Gear VR.
“By letting the viewer decide where to look, 360-degree videos create an interactive, immersive environment,” Memora says on its site, adding that Luna’s aim is “to make 360-degree video accessible to everyone.”
Six centimeters in diameter and weighing just over 180 grams, Luna’s aluminum body and scratch-proof glass over its lenses suggest a sturdy design. It also incorporates 32GB of storage and a built-in microphone, and a battery that can keep the camera running for up to 30 minutes.
While Luna’s built-in magnetic connector allows you to stick it securely on various metal surfaces, it’s also possible to attach it to a monopod and other devices using its accessory pack, though this costs an extra $99 on top of your main pledge.
Speaking of pledges, you’ll need to put down $249 to secure yourself a unit, which, if the project proceeds as planned, will ship in October 2016.