Review of the Nikon KeyMission 360 action camera: all-around view in the mountains and under water

Action cameras are plentiful. 360-degree too. But a protected 360-degree action camera with the possibility of underwater shooting at a depth of 30 meters seems to be only one.

Nikon KeyMission 360 is a touchstone of the photo giant in the field of shooting video in 360 ° format. In essence, this is an action camera, but with two wide-angle lenses. The image is programmed from two halves to the whole sphere. Such video can be downloaded on Facebook, YouTube and any other service with 360 support. So far it turns out not without flaws, but the ability to “look around” is captivating, and the industry, albeit slowly, but moving forward. Nikon tries to keep up.

What is what

KeyMission 360 does not look like a classic bar-type action camera with a lens in the corner. However, this cube has all the classic action-cam attributes: simple controls, water protection and shock resistance.
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The device is, in principle, well protected, and even buy an aquabox is not required. With this camera you can dive to a depth of 20 meters without prior preparation. And if in two movements to change the standard lenses to underwater, then at 30.

The camera is very simple in principle - KeyMission 360 has only two buttons: for capturing video and photos. Even for inclusion there is no special key. Just press one of the buttons, and after turning on the device will immediately take a picture or start recording video.


This is very convenient, however, this chip has a reverse side - the buttons are easily pressed. Especially wide, for video. Therefore, there is a chance that on arrival at the shooting point on the memory card there will be a long video from the pocket and a discharged battery. Partially this problem is solved by the silicone case-frame that comes in the kit. It closes the corners and makes the buttons more recessed. But if you need to solve the problem radically - you can just pull out the battery.

By the way about the battery. Its capacity of 1050 mAh is enough for half an hour of video recording in maximum resolution. In this case, the characteristics mentioned about the battery life. Most likely, the Russian frosts were not taken into account, and in the summer the gadget will be able to work longer.

Determining by eye how much charge is left is not easy. When the battery is fresh, the LED on the top edge is green, and when it’s running out, it is orange. No intermediate options.

The above disadvantages are compensated for by the detachable design of the battery pack, which can be quickly replaced. To do this, successively move the two latches on the left side. Inside you will find a battery, a microSD card slot, a micro USB for charging, a micro HDMI and a gadget toggle lever in airplane mode.

At the bottom there is a standard thread for attaching the camera to a tripod. It is a pity that there is no such tripod in the kit. When you want to make a video with hands, KeyMission 360 will have to be carefully taken by the edges and hope that your fingers will not fall into the frame. However, to avoid this is almost impossible. Therefore, it is better to go to the electronics store in advance or grab the simplest monopod from home. Also in some cases in this role, you can use the included removable mount for a tripod.

Shooting quality

By default, the camera shoots video at a resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 pixels at a speed of 24 fps. Two 24-megapixel sensors, probably, could have given more, but the processor could not cope with this data flow.

24 frames per second is the ceiling. Through the 8.2-mm lenses (equivalent to 35 mm) with f / 2 aperture, enough light gets on the matrix, and the noise is not so much even in the twilight. However, the smoothness slightly suffers.

An example of shooting can be found here in this our video:



There is a way out of this situation - to lower the resolution through a proprietary application. The manual describes several options: 2160 / 24p, 1920 / 24p, 960 / 30p, 640 / 120p, 320 / 240p, however, in the software of our camera, the following value was 960 pixels in width at 30 fps. The quality of the picture in this case will greatly decrease, and it will not be very pleasant to look at it in the VR helmet. Apparently, this is a software error that will be fixed in the next version of the application or firmware. Fortunately, their updates are stable.

But the most important thing in the current 360 ° cameras is the spikes of two parts of the image. KeyMission 360 has almost complete order with it. That is, of course, the border is noticeable, and it was not possible to get rid of it completely, but this is significantly better than that of most competitors. Even the geometry of objects almost does not break.
Another plus - 360-degree video from the camera on YouTube can be downloaded without any preparation.

application

The SnapBridge 360/170 mobile app allows you to connect to the camera from your smartphone, view your photos and videos, as well as copy them to your smartphone and post on social networks or other places. You can also remotely control the camera itself and its settings, which is very convenient in the absence of an LCD screen on the camera.

However, on different devices (Android, iOS - not important), communication over Wi-Fi is sometimes lost. To “pick up the camera” again, you have to climb into the settings once again and connect to the access point created by the camera.



The Live View tool works in viewfinder mode only when shooting individual frames. But it’s impossible to draw a picture from a smartphone while recording a video: put a frame, clicked on Rec, and then only a still image remains on the screen.

Equipment

Grade is not bad. There is a silicone case-frame for extra protection against shocks, a removable mount-adapter for a tripod or holders, a power supply, a USB cable, two protective tips on the lens (one of them for underwater shooting), a curved support mount and a battery.

The list of additional branded accessories includes a variety of holders, fasteners, straps and covers, which can be purchased separately.

Verdict

KeyMission is a unique product that will be a good companion for any extremal or diver who wants to get a full 360-degree video. However, with all the advantages there are camera and flaws. Some of them are easily removed by finalizing the application. The other is with new firmware. But with the capacity of the battery will have to put up or buy more. On the other hand, with the same GoPro Hero 4 Black, the recording time with maximum settings and Wi-Fi on is also about 30 minutes.

But even in this form - this is a unique offer, because now there are no other 360 ° cameras for underwater photography. Plus, Nikon is a company with a reputation and enormous resources. They are also installing firmwares, and with the next model they will not keep them waiting long.

Pros:

• 4K resolution;
  
• ease of execution;
  
• underwater work "out of the box";
  
• the place of the spikes of the two parts of the video is almost not noticeable
  
• easy to upload video to youtube
  

Minuses:

• accidental pressing of pliable buttons is possible;
  
• non-informative battery indicator;
  
• inconvenient application.
  

Thanks for attention