The Meta Four
Versatility and Power
Versatile 360 Video Camera with swappable lenses
There's a whole new generation of VR headsets out there that need a new generation of content, the camera needs to be 3D, high resolution, high frame rate, high dynamic range and of course, highly controllable.
We wanted to produce a camera system that could adapt to the needs of the next project. Swapping out the lenses on the camera could allow you to jump from highly comfortable and high frame rate 3D to extreme resolutions of mono.
20k Mono at 60fps
10k x 10k 3D at 60fps
7k x 7k 3D at 120fps
Key Features
3D
The Meta Four with it's default lenses is a 'stereoscopic' (3D) camera. We have the sensors and lenses as close together as they can be, close to the human inter-pupillary distance. This is vital for getting real and comfortable 3D.
Next we had to think of the heasdsets - these have fast refreshrates - we needed to make sure our camera could shoot fast too - so the Meta Four can shoot up to 120 FPS! More than enough for silky smooth action playback on the top headsets, you can even use the footage for slow-motion.
Interchangeable Lenses
By default the Meta Four comes with wider angle lenses for stereoscopic 3D with huge overlap. This gives a 7k by 7k 3D video, however, by swapping out the lenses for units with lower FOVs you can capture up to 20k resolution in mono (not 3D).
This could be great if you're producing content for immersive rooms and virtual production stages where resolution is king.
Comfortable
The camera's lenses are positioned at an ideal distance for a comfortable 3D viewing experience. When lenses are spaced too far apart (as seen in some other large 3D cameras on the market), it can create a "giantism" effect, where objects and people in the scene appear unnaturally small.
The images from each lens must also be perfectly in sync with each other and consistent in their exposures and calibration. Poorly captured 3D is very uncomfortable to watch and costly to fix.
High Frame Rate
As standard we shoot at 60FPS on the Meta Four, it can also go up to 120FPS with less overlap but still produce 3D content. These higher frame rates make for much better quality of movement, something that is particularly noticeable on VR headsets.
The sensors are in 'portrait' orientation, but capable of shooting up to 160fps. Frame rates over 60fps reduce the overlap between the lenses, but still offer full 360 stereoscopic 3D at 120fps with the default lenses.
No Hyperbole
RESOLUTION
The META Four is a professional 360 camera with a resolution by default of 7K x 7K with an over under export of it's 3D content. The eight lenses have great overlap and cover the full 360 by 180 degree sphere.
We can also supply the camera as a 10.5k x 10.5k 3D camera with a different set of lenses, this will though leave a small hole at the top of the 360 that can either be filled in post or you can buy the 'top-hat' camera and capture the full sphere.
If you swap out the lenses you can reach a whopping monoscopic 20k resolution. Please get in touch to find out more about this version of the setup (we can take orders for these lenses too).
Footage
THE PROOF IS IN THE PUDDING
Everything on this page is shot on our camera. It's brand new, so we've only got captures of our local park so far! We will be adding more to this library as we test new lenses and setups. Please contact us for more examples.
Here's 30s from our local park in London. Select '8k' in YouTube and have a look at the sharpness and dynamic range in the shot. Shot Rec709. Watch in a headset to see the wonderful, natural 3D.
This is the park test footage, shot at 60FPS download and try to stitch for yourself.
Gallery
