The META Four - VersAtile 360 Video Camera with swappable lenses
7k x 7k 3D at 120 fps
20k Mono at 60 FPS
10k x 10k 3D at 60 FPS
The Story
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.
You can buy or rent (UK only at present) the camera with one set of lenses for one purpose or with multiple options.
3D
The Meta Four is our first 'stereoscopic' (3D) camera - as with all things here at Meta Camera, we didn't want to make just any steroscopic camera, we wanted to make the very best.
The Meta Four is designed based on humans, that's right, you. We have the sensors and lenses as close together as they can be, close to the human inter pupilary 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.
Features
By default the Meta Four comes with wider angle lenses for 3D content capture. 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. (N.b. this setup will leave a small hole that needs patching at the top of the content)
The camera's lenses are placed at the perfect distance apart for comfortable 3D. If they are too far apart (look at other big 3D cameras in the market!) then you will have 'giantism' the effect of objects/people in the scene looking small. The lenses must of course also be perfectly in sync and all consistent in their exposures and calibration. Bad 3D is uncomfortable, get it right and the content just 'pops'.
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 noticable on VR headsets.
The Meta Four can live stream through its ethernet port or HDMI ports using 3rd party software such as Voysys; locally for a 'director's view' or online to YouTube, Facebook or private servers.
We have a Meta Controller for Desktop/Surface Tablet for both PC and Mac and have recently launched a version for iOS and Android. The controller gives you granular control over the camera, from choosing variable framerate settings, picture profiles, encoding options, full shutter, WB and ISO controls along with a whole host of other settings and features.
We show you battery voltage, camera temperature and quick shortcuts to the key features you will want to adjust quickly.
With so many internal components for the 8 sensors and processors the camera kicks out a lot of heat - so we have designed a completely custom cooling system. Heat is transferred from the body of the camera to an extremely quiet fan on top, we've also added in the ability to change the speed of the fan to reduce the volume - if you want to capture some crucial audio over a shorter recording period.
360 cameras suffer from small sensors and therefore poor quality in low light, not ours! We fitted eight whopping 4k MFT sensors to our rig, meaning great detail and a high noise floor. It’s just how it should be with any camera, let alone a 360 one.
Head to our footage area and have a look at some examples.
Features
We hate small internal batteries that don’t last so we built the camera to work with V-Lock batteries - the industry standard for pro shooters. Simply plug in to our solid LEMO socket and get rolling.
The camera has eight HDMI sockets, for uncompressed live 4k DCI output in beautiful 10bit 4:2:2 during recording. Eight USB C connectors for storage extension, a gigabit port for wired camera control and live streaming.
We've added a new sync port to our camera, allowing you to connect another or multiple cameras. For example, this would be great for shooting from drones - having a fifth lens on top of the UAV and making post-production seamless.
The camera has an internal router, allowing you to connect directly and control over 5G.
Other Features
The Meta Four can accept two channels of audio, via mini XLR, in sync, directly to the cards. Or you can use the internal mics for 'scratch' / sync audio.
We have an additional port at the bottom of the camera, allowing it to be controlled via serial commands. This could be used when the camera is on a drone or wildlife shoots where it could be paired with a motion detector for example.
All eight sensors are line-level syncronised, meaning action/motion shots will always seamlessly stitch.
With 14 stops of dynamic range, you can preserve detail in both shadows and highlights in all but the most challenging situations.
Working closely with the ultimate stitching program, Mistika VR, footage can be stitched in no time at all, allowing you to focus on creative.
No Hyperbole
The META Four is a professional 360 camera with a resolution 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.
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
Everything on this page is shot on our camera. We’re tired of taking leaps of faith and looking at examples from sun drenched locations that would suit even an action cam. These are real world examples, watch on YouTube (please select the highest quality!!), download the footage, have a look for yourself.
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
Purchase
The META Cameras are custom built. If you’re interested in owning or renting part of the VR industry’s best kept secret then fill out the form below and we’ll be in touch.