A new state-of-the-art offering from the UK-based manufacturer, Meta Camera Limited, follows in the footsteps of its previously launched workhorse cameras – the Meta One and the Meta Two, and this latest one is titled, you guessed it! The Meta Three. Could Meta Three be next? best camera for live streaming†
Not to be confused with the new name for Facebook, Meta is primarily a camera-centric company, but it’s also rumored to be working on innovative projects like a dual-camera smartwatch that could rival that of the Apple Watch. series.
Priced at a staggering $42,000 / £35,000 (+VAT), this custom Meta Three camera is described by the company as the VR industry’s best kept secret. Meta’s website (opens in new tab) states that it is a pioneer in immersive technology, specializing in creating and supporting large-scale VR and 360 productions.
In addition to a sharp 12.5K resolution on an equirectangular projection at 30 frames per second, the Meta Three also comes equipped with four back-illuminated Super 35mm, dual native ISO, 6k sensors – which in simple terms means this camera performs well. can perform in low-light situations, with great detail and a high noise floor.
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The camera lens array is also described as low parallax, meaning the four 6K sensor lenses are stitched beautifully close together, with a large overlap, and cover the entire 360 by 180 degree sphere.
Parallax is also a photographic and videographic term used to describe the visual effect when the camera records movement, but where the foreground and background appear to be moving at different speeds. This effect may vary when the background moves faster than the central subject, or vice versa.
The test footage above was taken by the company using the Meta Three and shows a car with the 360 camera on it, driving through a number of London Broadwalk roads. When adjusting the quality to 8K when watching the video on YouTube, the quality and sharpness of this camera really impresses.
The Meta Three can stream images live in 8k resolution, via the HDMI or Ethernet port, using third-party software and online platforms to stream the content to. The Meta Three is also super controllable, with settings like focus and aperture adjustable digitally and on-the-fly via the Meta Controller, a companion feature to the camera for PC and Mac.
The Meta Controller can enable detailed remote control of the camera and can also be used to check things like battery percentage, camera temperature and quickly adjust settings via saved shortcuts. The Meta Three can also record images in the ProRes 422 format and record a high bitrate of h265.
Other great features of the Meta Three include synchronized sensors, wide dynamic range, electronic focus and aperture control, extensive connectivity, easy post-production, serial command control, silent operation and options for further camera synchronization via the sync port.
There are a whole host of other great features of this 360 Meta Three camera, probably too many to list in detail in this article, but thankfully the Meta website (opens in new tab) has all the information you need about the latest camera products and encourages potential customers to contact the team directly for more information or with intent to purchase.
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