TL;DR: the best 360° camera for most Avatour users is currently the Labpano Pilot PanoX V2; good less-expensive options that work wirelessly with phones are the Insta360 One RS and One X3. We are always evaluating new devices as they become available, and we update our recommendation regularly. We recommend buying a complete kit from us, but we can also provide a shopping list.
* Most One X2 and One R cameras do not support required wired connection to iOS devices, and cannot be used for Avatour real-time capture. See this article for more information.
† Ricoh Theta Z1 overheats after <10 min of live streaming under normal conditions
The Labpano line of 360° cameras - including the Pilot One and the Pilot Era - boast built-in touch screens and an Android operating system, allowing the AVATOUR app to run directly on the device. They also have higher-resolution sensors than other portable devices, enabling capture at up to 8k resolution. This combination of capabilities provides unparalleled quality, ease-of-use and reliability.
Although the Labpano devices are more expensive than typical 360° action cameras, they don't require a separate phone, so the total system price is comparable. Enterprise customers who want to distribute systems for easy use by personnel without requiring use of personal cell phones should look at the Pilot devices first.
Another option is to combine a 360 "action camera" with a mobile device. Avatour has worked with camera manufacturer Insta360 to tightly integrate their products with the Avatour Host app. This enables us to directly control these cameras, making for a convenient experience for users.
The most recent versions of the One R no longer support direct cable connection to Apple iOS devices! Only the versions sold in Apple Stores still retain support for Apple devices.
Note: Due to continuing thermal issues, Avatour has deprecated live capture support for the Ricoh Theta line of 360 cameras. Theta devices may still be used for offline capture as described below.
The Avatour platform supports sharing and collaboration with any standard-format 360° video asset or still image. Users of any 360° camera, such as the GoPro Fusion or Garmin VIRB 360, may record videos directly on the camera and then upload the files to the Avatour platform via the Host Console.
The Avatour Host app may also be used for live capture with any 360° camera which can deliver an equirectangular RTMP feed to a specified URL. Simply set the Avatour Host camera setting to "Other (Manual)" and copy the "Ingest URL," and paste it into your camera's livestreaming app.
We have seen mixed success with non-integrated devices, however. Some devices simply can't deliver low enough latency to be useful for real-time communications. And even for those that can, when used in this limited integration mode, Avatour is restricted in its ability to optimize visual quality and manage connectivity. The upshot is that if you're not experienced with livestreaming, we strongly recommend using one of the integrated cameras listed above.
We recommend buying a complete Avatour kit from us - we handle installation and testing and provide a turnkey solution that will get you up and running quickly. However if you want to assemble your own hardware, please review this guide to what you'll need.