Not just for VR180
By steve
Rated 4 out of 5
Date: 2024-05-07
I have been using the K1 Pro for a while. I got lucky and snagged one off ebay for $125. You can shoot vr180 with these, which its ok, but they are also totally normal 3d cameras. You can simply swap out any micro 4/3 lens you want, as long as it fits the closely paired sensors. I am shooting Laowa 7.5mm f2.0 lens. This camera works perfectly as a 3d camera. You get 2880x2880 30fps per eye. This is the same # of pixels as 16:9 4k, just in a square format. Since 3d is ideal in a headset, the square format works totally fine. Its a nice and simple way to have a 3d camera. When used as a VR180 camera, it works fine, its just that there are not really enough pixels to really have top notch images. You really want close subjects. Landscapes and travel is NOT what this is good for in VR180, but it is totally perfect when you swap the lenses to something like Laowa 7.5mm or Meike 7.5mm. VR180 works fine if you have the right content, like comic con where you need the feet and head all in frame close up. I find that not much stuff really lends itself to vr180, so I use this camera with 7.5mm or greater focal length lenses for 3d stuff, and its great.
Image quality is pretty good. The biggest downside is the square format. This camera can shoot 16:9, but at a much lower resolution that doesnt look great. When shooting at 16:9, its 60fps, which is nice. If it had a normal 16:9 4k resolution at 30fps, it would have been a 5 star camera for sure. I am sure the firmware could do that, but they just didnt make it happen. The camera is old and is just starting to look a bit dated in the quality as it shoots in h264 at 100mbs. Color and Contrast are good, but not great.
How does it compare to others:
The price is a bit high, but there isnt much in this price range. You can also sync two Z cam e2 cameras easily, as long as you are happy with 90mm being your stereo spacing. Used those go for about $800 each now on ebay, plus you need a sync cable. You can buy an iZugar twin Z Cam E1 setup, which also works well, for about $2000.
Is it worth $3000? That depends on you as there is very little activity in the 3d space. Just dont assume this camera can only do VR180. The lenses are on normal mounts. Old versions had a sticker that said your warranty is void if you remove the lenses. This is odd, but hey, they are a chinese company. Allowing the lenses to be removed and others put on there makes it not just a vr180 camera, but a 3d camera also. This was a huge miss in the target market. I know they do not want the lenses to be removed due to focus issues with the lens and mount combo, but pros understand this and can adapt. I have manual focus lenses with index marks on the lens for the focus points as the mount does not hit infinity right.
Power options are simple as you can hook up a sony NPF battery plate using an L bracket. No screen at all, but generally, if you shoot super wide angle you are fine. It does support wifi to an IOS phone, sorry Android, they have an app, but it does NOT work. I have tried on 3 android apps and no dice. They are not android people at z cam for sure and it shows with the android app. IOS app works fine and you can see real time and change all the settings in the app. You need to rig a phone holder onto the camera as I have in the picture if that is your thing.
