My 2019 cameras buying guide to create a virtual tour
Yours! Nowadays, there's no bad camera anymore. It's even really unbelievable to have such quality. Well, it's true that 360° devices like the Ricoh Theta SC or the Samsung Gear 360 do not offer a crazy image quality but they are so practical sometimes. To make Google Streetview or friends, to film your next sporting feat, it will be perfect! But it is not unreasonable to want to offer oneself or to offer to its customers a better quality! Here are my shopping tips ...
In the previous page, we identified things to control if you decide to buy a new camera dedicated to shooting virtual tours. In this page, I'll give you my recommendations and my selection through four price categories from less than $300 to more than $5,000, camera + lens...
The key points if you're a beginner...
Here are the key points to remember about the choice of your camera to make a virtual tour. The rest of this page is aimed at those who want to learn more.
First important point: enjoy yourself, because it's possible to make virtual tours with almost any camera with interchangeable lenses.
360° cameras are very convenient (The Google Streetview program advises them) but still do not offer good image quality. If that's enough for Google Streetview, your customers might find it disappointing when you're supposed to bring professional know-how!
The ideal would be to be able to mount on it a fisheye lens because it's noticeably quicker to shoot.
We're living at a wonderful time when there's a lot of diversity at a high quality level. Make the most of it!
The concept is great! Taking a picture of a complete sphere in just one click is almost a miracle! Strongly they put us two real sensors (definition and dynamics worthy of the name) and lenses less mediocre ... (Still not the camera with the latest version V).
My note : 6,5/10 - The concept and ease of use are great! As for the image quality, there you have to go back, even with the last Theta V. The dynamics of a consumer smartphone photo sensor, a still ridiculous definition to display the virtual tour on something else than a smartphone screen and a really poor optical quality. And yet many Google photographers or real estate agents use it because it's so convenient ... and it's true enough sometimes. Your priorities or your customers will help you choose!
Technical specifications Ricoh Theta SC
Focal length: 0,75 mm f2,0 (220°) Expo: auto or manuel mode, Number of photos: 1600, Image resolution : 5376 x 2688 px, Focusing : ∞ - 0,10 cm, Weight : 0,22 pounds.
Ricoh Theta SC
Price
Retailer
$179.95
$179.95
Less than $500...
SONY Alpha 6000
$648.00
My opinion on Sony Alpha 6000 (+ Samyang 8mm fisheye)
This very light and compact camera goes perfectly with the Samyang 8mm fisheye lens for Sony E mount. The budget remains below $1,000..
Qualities:
24 Mpx, format APS-C
Very good dynamic: 13.1 EV (DXOMark);
Compactness and lightness.
Very good client for the virtual visit.
Defaults:
L'ergonomie;
Camera peu polyvalent, notamment pour les photographes professionnels.
My note: 8,5/10 - Certainly his replacement, the a6300 has even more dynamic (13.7 EV), as the last a6500 by the way, but for a price doubled! So for those who want to control their budget to start an activity for example, it will be perfect. Ride it all on a Nodal Ninja 3 and you're done!
His favorite lens: The Samyang 8 mm fisheye for Sony E mount at less than $300
Technical specifications of SONY Alpha 6000
Sensor: 24 Mpx (APS-C) Camera : Hybrid Mount : Sony type E Dynamic: 13,1 EV (DXOMark), Weight : 345 grs,
SONY a6000
Price
Retailer
$648.00
$648.00
Around $1000...
SONY Alpha 6300
$748.00
My opinion on Sony Alpha 6300 (+ Samyang 8mm fisheye)
This very light and compact camera goes perfectly with the Samyang 8mm fisheye lens for Sony E. The budget remains close to $1,000.
Qualities:
24 Mpx, format APS-C
Very good dynamic: 13.1 EV (DXOMark), the same that a6500;
Compactness and lightness.
Very good client for the virtual visit.
Defaults:
Ergonomics;
Camera not very versatile, especially for professional photographers.
My note: 9,0/10 - Offering more dynamics than the economic Alpha 6000, here is an excellent compact housing that will give you complete satisfaction with a Samyang 8 mm for Sony E mount. Mount it all on a Nodal Ninja 3 and it's OK!
His favorite lens: The Samyang 8 mm fisheye for Sony E mount at less than $300
Technical specifications du SONY Alpha 6300
Sensor: 24 Mpx (APS-C) Camera : Hybrid, Mount : Sony type E Dynamic: 13,7 EV (DXOMark), Weight : 1 lb,
SONY a6300
Price
Retailer
$748.00
$748.00
PENTAX KP - New!
$796.95
My opinion on Pentax KP (+ Pentax 10-17 mm fisheye)
This lightweight SLR combines perfectly with the Pentax 10-17mm Pentax KAF fisheye lens. The budget remains below the $1,300 mark.
Qualities:
24 Mpx, format APS-C
Very good dynamic: 14.6 EV (DXOMark), identical to the D7200;
Compactness and lightness.
Very good client for the virtual visit.
Defaults:
The "curious" braking mode
Ergonomics.
My note: 10/10 - Featuring perhaps even more dynamics than the Nikon D7200 (cleaner in "burned"areas), here is an excellent compact case that will give you complete satisfaction with my big surprise, the excellent fisheye Pentax 10-17 mm, mount it all on a Nodal Ninja 3 MkIII and you're done! Probably the best quality/price ratio available today for virtual tours, my favorite!
Sensor: 24 Mpx (APS-C) Camera : Reflex Mount : Pentax KAF2 Dynamic: 13,7 EV (DXOMark), Weight : 700 grs,
Pentax KP
Price
Retailer
$796.95
$696.95
NIKON D7200
$684.00
My opinion on Nikon D7200 (+ Nikkor 8-15 mm fisheye)
Combined with the Nikkor the new Nikkor 8-15mm fisheye lens, this is the perfect set for high quality professional virtual tours, but especially fast as these lenses Stitch very easily or perfectly and its dynamics will often avoid double exposure thanks to its comfortable 14.6 EV. The budget of the whole is about $2,000 according to the chosen objective.
My note: 10/10 - One of the best boxes to make the virtual tour with its fisheye lens Nikkor 8-15 mm fisheye, its incredible dynamic of 14.6 EV (DXOMark), its 24 Mpixels and ergonomics very practical in the field. It's my heart stroke ... and I chose it!
Technical specifications of NIKON D7200
Sensor: 24 Mpx (APS-C) Camera : Reflex Mount : Nikkor DX Dynamic: 14,6 EV (DXOMark), Weight : 765 grs,
NIKON D7200
Price
Retailer
$684.00
$696.95
NIKON D850
$3,096.95
My opinion on Nikon D850 (+ Nikkor 8-15mm fisheye)
Combined with the new 8-15 mm Nikkor fisheye lens, the best fisheye lens on the market, by optical quality and ease of stitching without stitching artifacts the Nikon D850 becomes the best choice at Nikon - the best choice at all! - to make a large professional virtual tour. The budget of the whole exceeds $5,000.
Ma note : 10/10 - The best current Nikon camera - the best camera ever! - to make a professional virtual visit in which you will be able to comfortably zoome (Museums, luxury hostels, etc.) grace to its 47 Mpixels and its record dynamic.
Sensor: 47 Mpx (24x36) Camera: Reflex Mount: Nikkor FX Dynamic: 14,7 EV (DXOMark), Weight : 2.02 pounds/1000 grs,
NIKON D850
Prix TTC
Boutique
$3,096.95
$3,096.95
Canon 5D Mark IV
$2,799.00
My opinion on Canon 5D Mark IV (+ Canon 8-15mm fisheye)
Combined with the Canon 8-15 mm fisheye lens, the best fisheye lens on the market with the new Nikkor 8-15 mm, by optical quality and ease of stitching without stitching artifacts the Canon 5D Mark IV becomes Canon's best choice for a professional virtual tour large size. Without dethroning Nikon if you have to invest. The budget of the whole exceeds $5,000.
Ma note : 9/10 - The best current Canon camera for a professional virtual tour in which you can comfortably zoom in (Museums, etc.) thanks to its 30 Mpixels and its comfortable dynamics - for a Canon! - but still significantly less than Sony or Nikon. And it's not a detail ...
"Find the nodal point or no parallax point accurately in less than an hour"... whether you are photographing a simple panorama or a 360° photo - PDF of 100 pages -More information...
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First important point: enjoy yourself, because it's possible to make virtual tours with almost any camera with interchangeable lenses. 
My note : 6,5/10 - The concept and ease of use are great! As for the image quality, there you have to go back, even with the last Theta V. The dynamics of a consumer smartphone photo sensor, a still ridiculous definition to display the virtual tour on something else than a smartphone screen and a really poor optical quality. And yet many Google photographers or real estate agents use it because it's so convenient ... and it's true enough sometimes. Your priorities or your customers will help you choose!
