Garmin VIRB 360 REVIEW - EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW!

Full in-depth review: www.dcrainmake...
Here's everything you need to know about Garmin's new VIRB 360 action cam, which shoots 5.7K video that covers a full 360* sphere. In the video I dive through everything from how that works in real-life, to editing with Garmin VIRB edit suite, to exporting and then how it compares to GoPro's new Fusion 360 camera, plus tons more!
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[@faaffairs]

Hi, congratulations on your review. I wanted to ask you, if you know the brand or type of bluetooth microphone that can be used with Virb360. Thank you very much .

[@pld04]

hmmm, just what I need for a cycling camera. takes front and rear just in case of an accident.

[@ssj3fox]

Not bad but I think I'll wait for the YI 360 to see how it handles 5.7K. I may not need the added bells and whistles in my case...

[@lidarman2]

I love this camera. It gets dogged a lot by many vlogger reviews (not a device for them anyhow) but it has a lot of features and I like the video quality. It's definitely a niche camera given most people don't like using the external sensors. I use mine to document mountain bike trails. Although 360 seems a novelty that never caught on, I am back into it and having a great time. I agree on the Garmin VIRB editor---it's good.

[@TeamMabango]

hi. May i ask what brand/ name of SD card you are using? I heard that not all SD cards are woking well with Virb 360.

[@jaguars004]

John Jarret Mabango I might have this problem. Good to hear this might be what is causing my issues . Thanks !

[@superfly0ne]

A couple of questions. Does the HDMI out show video in real time on a monitor? and how does the compass work? will any of the features like speed, direction etc... work under water? that was a very informative video thanks!

[@markwadsworthphotography]

How sturdy is the mount to the camera? Looks like you mite pop it off on accident.

[@jmmagouirk]

Great video; you've convinced me to buy the VIRM for my upcoming hike of the John Muir Trail (JMT) this year. Quick question though; how much video have been able to get on each of the SD cards?

[@raymiller315]

Hey Ray, great video as always. Your samples seem to show a lot less of the stitching problems that some other 360s seem to have had. A question for you though - is the Edit software actually different to the current VIRB Edit for the 30 Ultra? I'm using a PC and my GMetrix has far fewer options. Actually, that's something I've noticed in general with Garmin products - odd features are left off of different implementations of the same hardware. For example, I can add a nice compass heading on the Android app for my 30 Ultra, while there's not a single GMetrix for compasses on the desktop.

[@Dcrainmaker]

It's the same software, but the version that's out on the servers today doesn't yet include the 360 features. So once it releases, you'll see those options too. I'm not sure why you're not seeing compass though - I'm pretty sure that's always been there. :-/ On stitching - my newer videos are even better too - once I get those published. The cycling one for example is a bit older on earlier beta firmware.

[@raymiller315]

Ah great - I'll keep an eye out for the update...it looked like a much nicer way to organise things. I thought it was odd too - a numerical heading is nice & all, but the templates in the app are much nicer. According to Garmin phone support, there's no way to copy them across. Thanks!

[@halfglassfull]

Very good to have 360 view for incident/accident tracking. Short battery life limits this for those 40-60 mile adventures and so I'm looking forward to a camera geared towards full ride recording with 3-4 hours battery life. Will this allow recording while plugged into a USB power pack?

[@Arrowflyer2]

Can the Virb 360 be used upside down? Or would the Virb edit right the video?

[@Dcrainmaker]

Yes, it'll correct it.

[@Arrowflyer2]

DC Rainmaker Thanks, I would love to put one of these under my airplane.😀

[@Shahaaim]

Let me know if you ever upload a video of it!

[@KarolKrasickiKK]

Can you set it to auto over wright old footage and use as dash cam ? Also can you charg it and record at the same time ?

[@DCFiredawgmedic]

They don’t make action cameras anymore. Do you know where I can find one a 360 or xe?

[@pinchepreacher7279]

my man, there is one thing that we need to know, how good is the stitching underwater, as you can see it can be taked down up to 10 mts, if I dive in a shallow reef the video will be well stitched or it will has the water refraction problem?

[@drobinsingh1]

Please can you compare the Garmin Virb, GoPro Fusion and Insta 360 OneX?

[@ethansalter4489]

This is a really interesting camera system, thanks for the video! I had a couple questions: 1) can it do timelapses and still be stabilized with the software (i.e., make a hyperlapse), and 2) can the software stabilization work if you're only using one side of the camera to create standard video? Or, are both cameras needed to compensate for the motion along with the accelerometers and gyroscopes? Thanks!

[@MTBIKEXC]

If use just the front camera in 4K, can the footage be nicely stabilized in VIRB Edit and output at 1080p?

[@CavenInToTheWorld]

Can you make a comparison with the gopro max?

[@markbylok7765]

Odd question, but if I had this at the center of a room to watch pets or children (for example), and if something interesting or memorable were to happen, could I then stitch just that section of video into a 1080 clip? Way outside the use-case, I realize, but I'm interested in recording 360 around me but capturing 1080 clips

[@anthonybray-heta6502]

So it is possible to use other stitching software for stitching the video content from the Virb 360?

[@ansonkiek6471]

can this record ordinary video if we dont use 360 feature ? got any disable feature for this ?

[@eddiejames6589]

Hi, I didn't see a mention of the photo capabilities. I just want to mount it to a DJI Mavic and get a 360 degree photo. What would this export as (file)?

[@theadventurebiker]

How does this camera perform in low light conditions?

[@kaeptn_fuzzu]

I am planning the Virb 360 for my velomobile. I have a USB-charging-cable for the cam in the mounting-area, but the question is how to charge it during the ride? It looks like it would ruin the camera if I would charge it going through dust or even rain. Do you have any ideas or experience?

[@MTBIKEXC]

Do you (or anyone) have any recommendations for an external bluetooth microphone for road and mountain biking? Should reduce or eliminate wind noise and be able to hear your voice well. Lapel style desirable.

[@dkphantomdk]

are there any action camera that can "stream" 360 via cable directly to a computer. Iam wondering if its possible to fit/fix a camera in my pond and just view it on the computer in house.

[@CowboysCards]

Which 256 MicroSD card did you get? Think I'll also try to get one that large since it will work.

[@BurgersYum]

Thank you for the detailed video and blog post. After reading the specs I was excited but then read a few online reviews and was worried. My guess is the bad reviews come from people trying to edit using a phone. Looks like Garmin oversold what you can do on a phone. Anyway I will be ordering one very soon.

[@aquapoleby3pv]

Is it still worth buying after 4 yrs?

[@theinstigatorr]

No

[@tribalart88]

Great review.... Do you know how to get rig of the noice in the picture quality of the virb 360?

[@gearbow]

Have you tested underwater? How does that work with stiching? The problem on previous 360° cameras has been that there is a magnification effect once underwater making large black borders in the stiching for underwater footage. I am wondering if this is the case with this model also?

[@Dcrainmaker]

Not yet - mostly as aside from a pool (kinda lame), I haven't been anywhere with warm enough (or clear enough) waters). Good news is I'm headed to a spot that should offer that in a few weeks.

[@360vroomers]

thanks for your very helpful video. did i understand correctly that you cannot get 5.7k unless you use 3rd party software to stitch the video?

[@Dcrainmaker]

That's correct at this time, however Garmin is looking at add the RAW file stitching into VIRB Edit suite.

[@360vroomers]

Thank you very much Ray.

[@Zwikel_VR_Photography]

Can it be powered via USB to get longer run time than the internal battery provides?

[@Dcrainmaker]

Yes.

[@boostenmkiv]

can you take a 360 video and "stabilize" it to a fixed non 360 video that becomes more stable without cropping? (think replacing a hero5 and gimbal whole mountain biking)

[@Dcrainmaker]

Technically, but it'd be a bit of work. Right now you'd have to first export as a 360 video from VIRB Edit (where the stabilization occurs). Then from there you'd need to run it through some other video editing app to punch out the section of video you wanted (VIRB Edit doesn't yet do so). So technically possible, but not ideal (yet).

[@boostenmkiv]

DC Rainmaker thanks for the info! it really seems on par with 360fly 4k, but twice the price :(

[@Dcrainmaker]

It has twice the resolution of the 360Fly 4K, and far more features for data overlay (far far far far more).

[@boostenmkiv]

DC Rainmaker must be KZbin compression because quality looks nearly the same

[@Dcrainmaker]

Well, 4K is mostly 4K. So you'd want to compare the 5.7K footage to that of the 4K footage to really see the differences. By the same token, there's more pixels being used to generate even the 4K variant on the VIRB 360, so you're going to get more quality. Also, the 360Fly isn't totally 360, but 'mostly' 360 (there are dead spots - albeit not usually a huge deal). Keep in mind that 5.7K is double 4K resolution (funky resolution math).

[@TDHobbies]

Great.... Now there is ANOTHER camera on my Got to HAVE it list..... Ughhh I can't afford it right now and want it! This would be really cool skydiving.

[@bike_diablo4821]

Great vid! Can you comment if you can live stream to FB/YT with g-matrix overlays? Or are the overlays things you can only add post-production?

[@Dcrainmaker]

Only post-prod unfortunately.

[@dckites]

Thanks for the review but is it Water resistant or Waterproof? Thanks

[@Dcrainmaker]

It's waterproof to 10m/33ft.

[@dckites]

DC Rainmaker Can you test and do a video 360 underwater review?

[@jlebrech]

can you use it in Left/Right orientation on a bike mount or chest mount?

[@Dcrainmaker]

You can use it on a bike mount (checkout the linked videos in the drop-down info thingy), but a chest mount would block half the image, so less ideal.

[@KA0007]

does this upload straight to your phone if paired? and is the bike mount or helmet mount for this camera?

[@Dcrainmaker]

Yup, you can upload straight to phone. And you can use any bike mount or helmet mount, it doesn't come with one specifically.

[@PhilJackson123]

Hi. Great review. The GoPro Fusion reviews claims it has the ability to record 360 and then in post for the editor to choose standard flat video but also pre-set the view the user sees (including panning around). It doesn't look like the Virb 360 has this feature other than locking it to forward or aft views. Is this correct?

[@Dcrainmaker]

Not yet, correct. However, Garmin says it's coming. My bet is that we see it in beta in August.

[@PhilJackson123]

Thanks.

[@DavidBigandt]

Generally speaking what is the file size of a 30-minute video in default mode?

[@Dcrainmaker]

Roughly 18GB (4K stitched).

[@ravneetsingh6620]

Hi, Can you upload some pictures shot by VIRB 360. I am too confused about the decision to buy and I don't know what the quality of the images and video would be like. Also please also tell if I can use this camera to make video calls using Skype, whats-app and other platforms?

[@matcassagne3769]

Great video thank you for tall those details! how come though you never talked about Insta360 cameras and especially their software, which to me is the best.

[@Dcrainmaker]

Insta360 isn't really a competitor here. They've got a super low-end solution in their cell phone variants, and then they have a super-high end solution in their pro offering ($3,500). There are plenty of pro-level offerings in the market. But this isn't set for that, it's prosumer lever, so sub-$1K, but more than the mostly junk offerings that are sub-$400.

[@lawor8]

Is the battery the same one used for the Virb 30 ultra?

[@Dcrainmaker]

No, it's like that one ate too many donuts. Much chunkier.

[@MikkelsenR]

Which sd card are you using?

[@bikerspezi]

Thx for the Video.... is it possible the virb360 useing/filming while accu loading with cable? ill take 360 movies longer than 1 hour on motorbike. ihave an external usb slot for power..... How often stop the cam in 4k mode > overheating? Former i used a Samsung Gear 360 but this cam overheated after a view minutes....thats bad...thx for your answers....best regards

[@Dcrainmaker]

I believe the longest I've done powered in 4K was about 3 hours. No issues. I know from talking to one of the product leads that they spent a fair bit of time ensuring that in a plugged in scenario in non-extreme weather, that it'll continue indefinitely (mainly for live streamining purposes). Obviously, if you're temp is 100*F and in the sun (with no wind/cooling), results may vary.

[@bikerspezi]

Thank you very much for these answer.

[@tmurphy0919]

You could try modifying a small PC heat sink to help draw off some of that heat. Go to a local PC repair shop and you could probably get it free or super cheap.

[@naziurrahman]

Does this "software gimball" or auto stabilization option available on Virb Ultra 30? thanks for making this amazing in depth video btw.

[@Dcrainmaker]

+Nazi Ur Rahman It's actually built into the VIRB 30 itself (up to 2.7K).

[@naziurrahman]

DC Rainmaker thanks for the swift response. Any solutions available for 4k videos then?

[@Dcrainmaker]

Sony's latest action cam can do 4K stabilized, as it's not electronic but actual physical stabilization.

[@naziurrahman]

Thanks again for the swift response.

[@ackthet]

Did I miss you mentioning the MSRP?

[@Dcrainmaker]

$799

[@zfranetta]

Just Quest.....LIVE STREAM from cam or need phone?? and Abdroid can or just iOS???? Ihave LG g5 great phone...

[@christiankoller80]

Hey Rainmaker, thank you very much for this informative video. I have a question for you regarding the issue with the 5.7k video which can not be stiched with the garmin software. Can I still import my 5.7k footage into the Garmin software, do my editing and stabilization, export the whole thing as a 4k video and save the original 5.7k video for the day I can afford a third party software? Or am I not even able to import the 5.7k footage into the software? I hope you're getting what I'm trying to ask ;-)

[@Dcrainmaker]

Unfortunately not. Garmin's VIRB Edit doesn't do any stitching today, so it needs the files pre-stitched. But that's what the VIRB Edit update is doing coming soonish (my bet is by the end of summer...hopefully), which will allow you to have everything in VIRB Edit, even 5.7K raw files.

[@christiankoller80]

Oh ok it needs a stiched file. That's unfortunate. Thank you very much for your reply.

[@CyberGasty]

Just an update, Garmin included in VirbEdit stitching of 5.7k raw video files. Here is the 5.7K video I exported from VirbEdit to KZbin. kzbin.info/www/bejne/i2OvfWWIjdGYn68

[@360vroomers]

hi Ray. I got the Virb! have you been able to export 4K video from the app? it seems no one i know has been able to. i used a samsung s8+ and a friend used iphone 7+. we both got a message saying something about the resolution being too high and the exports were limited to 1920x960

[@Dcrainmaker]

No problems from the Desktop App (Mac). I wasn't able to do it on my previous phone, the iPhone 6, since...well...it couldn't handle it. But I just got the iPhone 7 last week. I'll find out if there's some limitations I'm not aware of.

[@360vroomers]

DC Rainmaker thanks Ray. i hope they do fix the app... i would love to be able to process my files on the road with my phone. thanks again

[@FaithandActiondotnet]

Great review! You do the best reviews, but I can't endorse the spandex. Sorry.

[@jacklynduff1820]

Can you film and charge at the same time?

[@Dcrainmaker]

+Jacklyn Duff yes. Check out the review link in description for a look at that accessory.

[@jacklynduff1820]

Thanks!

[@Redneckinahat]

It will only charge the battery when it is powered off BUT the charging cable will power camera while turned on. I’m guessing the camera uses to much power for it to charge battery and power camera at same time when plugged in.

[@jkc816]

Looks nice!

[@fotozaspanorama9327]

somebody should tell Garmin not to lie about the resolution... this camera (I own one so I tried) is not capable to do 5.7k video as in RAW mode it records 2 video file both with 2880x2880 resolution... so if there was no overlapping, the final footage would be indeed 5760x2880 but this is NOT the case as there is serious overlapping, otherwise the stitching wouldn't be possible.. so 5.4k is the final resolution, not 5.7k. The advertising and the title of the camera is totally misleading.

[@2010cpb]

The Garmin VIRB 360 editing software crashes, thus making the camera useless as you cannot stitch the 360 together.

[@rkan2]

Does it Is it able to stream the ANT+ data overlays?

[@Dcrainmaker]

Yup!

[@Dcrainmaker]

You can see an example of it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nYirmmaCodt2adk

[@rkan2]

By streaming I meant "livestream". Ain't the data added in post?

[@Dcrainmaker]

Ahh, sorry, no, during a livestream it doesn't do overlays. :(

[@Dcrainmaker]

Ahh, sorry, no, during a livestream it doesn't do overlays. :(

[@soylientgreen7218]

Informative article

[@interworkerlive]

Gopro Fusion ??? your inputs...

[@CGPhotos]

$799..... I was excited until the price

[@MTBIKEXC]

Okay - I've been playing with this camera more and like it a lot better than I initially did - here's my review: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rpnHkHifabx3e9E

[@ronanrogers4127]

Nice overview, thank you...maybe you could branch out into voice overs too, like Kermit the frog??

[@jink6091]

hahahaha punch yourself in the balls! I would choose this over competitors for: Waterproof and image stabilization. 360 video is un-viewable without image stabilization if you use head gear. Make you nauseous.

[@danlux4954]

Still relevant in 2020?

[@Dcrainmaker]

Nope, go with a GoPro Max.

[@danlux4954]

@@Dcrainmaker oh ok thanks, I’m not buying another GoPro. Maybe I’ll get the Insta 360 One x2.

[@gr8motive]

Wow, what a horrible DR and picture quality, thanks for sharing.