Pilot Era: 8K 360 VR camera with real-time stitching, touchscreen and Android OS

Pilot Era: 8K 360 VR camera with real-time stitching, touchscreen and Android OS

The world of 360 cameras is increasingly cramped and competitive, but the Pilot Era from Pisofttech – an innovative new 8K 360 VR unit with real-time stitching, touchscreen and a smartphone-like Android interface – looks set to shake things up. 

Entering the final stretch on its crowdfunding campaign, the Pilot Era has raised $173,045 – smashing its $20,000 target by 865%.

We've seen some impressive new contenders this year, such as the Insta360 Evo and Vuze XR, but nothing else on the market offers the unique combination of features of the Pilot Era, which looks sure to make our list of best 360 cameras.

While it boasts four 1/2.3-inch Sony 12MP sensors, capable of recording 360-degree video at 8K resolution, the camera's main selling point is that it enables you to do everything in-camera, as if you were using a smartphone. 

With an Android OS and touchscreen, the Pilot Era makes using a 360 camera more like using a smartphone

With an Android OS and touchscreen, the Pilot Era makes using a 360 camera more like using a smartphone

This starts with the 3.1-inch touchscreen, which gives you full control and a live preview of your footage using an Android operating system. The killer feature, though, is that the Pilot Era stitch footage 100% in-camera – and even in real time. 

The real-time stitching is limited to 6K video at 15fps, but that's still a remarkable feature – and a real game-changer for 360 shooting. 

While 8K video can't be stitched in real time, the Pilot Era can still stitch 8K footage at 24fps in-camera. It does so super fast, too; according to 360 Rumors it takes about 2 minutes to stitch a minute of 8K video, in comparison to the Insta360 Pro that takes 14.4 minutes. 

With 512GB of integrated storage that can record 6.5 hours of 8K footage, and a huge (literally and figuratively) 7,200mAh battery that lasts up to 3.5 hours, it can be used for marathon recording sessions.

The Pilot Era can live stream without a computer connection, making it ideal for live events

The Pilot Era can live stream without a computer connection, making it ideal for live events

The Pilot Era can live stream over a Wi-Fi, 4G (or 5G modules) or ethernet without needing a computer connection – and it can record while it does so, making it a great option for streaming live events and then uploading full-quality footage after the fact. 

It's also Google Street View-ready, with GPS technology and one-click Google Maps uploads enabling users to create native Street View with blue lines on the map.

In addition to 9-axis gyroscopic stabilization, it also features AI stabilization and Pisofttech plans to add further AI features including face and gesture recognition, and the ability to create depth maps from 2D 360 footage.

The Pilot Era has four days left to run on its Indiegogo campaign, where it's available for an Early Bird price of $1,999 – a $600 discount on its $2,599 retail price. It's due to start shipping in June and we already have a review unit in hand, so we'll deliver our full verdict soon.

Read more:

The best 360 cameras in 2019
How to take 360-degree videos and photos
Insta360 Evo review

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James Artaius
Editor

The editor of Digital Camera World, James has 21 years experience as a journalist and started working in the photographic industry in 2014 (as an assistant to Damian McGillicuddy, who succeeded David Bailey as Principal Photographer for Olympus). In this time he shot for clients like Aston Martin Racing, Elinchrom and L'Oréal, in addition to shooting campaigns and product testing for Olympus, and providing training for professionals. This has led him to being a go-to expert for camera and lens reviews, photo and lighting tutorials, as well as industry news, rumors and analysis for publications like Digital Camera MagazinePhotoPlus: The Canon MagazineN-Photo: The Nikon MagazineDigital Photographer and Professional Imagemaker, as well as hosting workshops and talks at The Photography Show. He also serves as a judge for the Red Bull Illume Photo Contest. An Olympus and Canon shooter, he has a wealth of knowledge on cameras of all makes – and a fondness for vintage lenses and instant cameras.