Just like drones, 360 degree cameras are expensive content creation devices, but they are just so fun to use and you will definitely want to show off to your friends what’s around you when you are on a road trip. Here’s a product that we’ve received in our office a couple of weeks back, the Jolt Duo 360 action camera by Gigabyte Communications, this is a fairly affordable 360 camera that comes with a lot of accessories as a sales package and retails for less than RM1000, if you are the type of person who wants to create 360 degree content without breaking the bank, you may want to continue reading this review.
Hardware and Build
The Jolt Duo 360 looks like a typical action camera with its boxy form factor, it is a little bulky as it houses two 4-megapixel cameras and you will definitely feel the weight when you have it in your pockets. The build of this camera is rather solid and it seems capable of withstanding any accidental drops, however don’t just drop it into the pull or bring it to the beach just yet, because you will need the included waterproof casing to do just that.
The camera features a LCD display that shows you the status of the camera with information such as battery life, remaining amount of photos and video duration that can be taken depending on the size of the memory card inserted. In addition, there’s a rather simple menu that can be easily accessed by holding the WiFi button.
On the left, you will find a rubber flap that hides away the MicroUSB port and MicroSD card slot very well, the camera doesn’t support connecting an external display and microphone.
The accessories that come with the camera is very comprehensive and useful, it comprises of a selfie monopod, a mini tripod, a floating stick with a waterproof case and bike mounts, saving you a lot of cash if you compare to other action cameras, very commendable indeed.
Software and Features
Viewing the Jolt Duo 360’s footage is straightforward by downloading the companion app on your Android or iOS devices, although the app requires very minimal effort to learn with very straightforward navigation, it would be great if Gigabyte could include contextual menus to help users understand better the features of each button.
The app is rather limited when it comes to features, there’s no support for live streaming platforms and no additional camera modes such as time lapse and slow motion videos, the software also doesn’t allow shooting with a single lens so you are stuck with taking 360 videos all the time, which can be rather annoying when you merely want to use it purely as an action camera.
Gigabyte has also provided a free PC suite for PC and Mac for converting videos taken with the camera to be used with video editors.
Image Quality and Samples
The Jolt Duo 360’s takes stitched 360 photos with a 3008×1504 resolution with its dual 4-megapixel cameras combined, which is a lot lower when you compare to devices like the Samsung Gear 360 and LG 360 Cam, pictures are a little grainy but looks OK when you view it on your phone, however when I upload it to Facebook, it compresses the quality so much that my 360 degree photo looks really pixelated.
Since the camera takes 360 content with both its cameras, I have expected the resolution to remain the same as still images, but sadly the camera records video at an even lower 1920×960 resolution at 30 fps, which you will not enjoy watching on YouTube or with a pair of VR goggles.
