Guide: Start shooting VR with ZCam K1 Pro POV and non-POV rigs
We are launching a series of posts to help producers create a VR rig with the Zcam K1 Pro, K2 Pro and Vuze XR cameras. Here you will learn how to build a POV and moving camera rig.
Follow @deovr for more
Also recommended for VR creators at DeoVR:
- The DeoVR guide to VR cameras
- How to edit VR footage for DeoVR
- Workshop: Zcam K2 Pro camera 6K 200º FOV fish-eye stitching in Mistika Boutique
A POV camera represents the viewer. Everything recorded on the camera will be later watched in a VR headset. The people and things in the video will be experienced realistically at a lifesize human scale.
The ZCam K1 Pro is a semi-professional VR camera with the following specs: 5800x2700px sensor @ 30FPS, 8-bit color, h.264 available with 220º VRCA, 200MKX or 160MKX fish-eye lenses. A one-man team can operate it successfully.
Be sure to record in 2880p@30FPS mode, h.264. Equirectangular projection results in 5400x2700px 180º video. It comes with proprietary stitching software which makes stitching and rendering easy. Otherwise follow 200º FOV stitching tutorial for advanced field of view. For enhanced movement perception, interpolate the footage to 60FPS that matches refresh rate of many VR headsets.
Alongside the camera, additional components might be required to build a full rig (see below) and to set up lighting. If you aren’t yet familiar with setting up a lighting rig, try to use daylight.
We recommend watching what's being filmed in VR while recording to make sure the scene is properly set. It's already supported by the manufacturer software in Google Cardboard headsets.
Make sure to double-check all the connections to ensure all cables are connected correctly. Feel free to send us a sample video for review.
ZCam apps are known to work better with iOS devices so we recommend using iPads. Setup your iPads to watch left and right K2 cameras separately.
The process of VR video production:
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Camera rig setup
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Lighting setup
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Shooting (optional: monitoring in VR while shooting)
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Optional: Interpolation to 60FPS
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Editing video and audio
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Stereo stitching (recommended: Mistika VR or Mistika Boutique)
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Color grading
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Rendering output file in 60-80 Mbps
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Watch in VR headset to make sure frames are in sync
This is a basic camera setup:
- Zcam K1 Pro (check lenses VRCA or MKX)
- 2*128Gb SanDisk Extreme Pro SDXC UHS-I U3 V30 SD cards (170/90 MB/s)
- Apple iPhone or iPad with a holder and lightning (type-c) ethernet adapter
Audio:
- Stereo recorder
- Free Space Binaural Microphone (recommended)
Power:
- Lemo-Dtap adapter
- Extension Dtap cable
- Vmount Battery
Tripod:
- Manfrotto MK055XPRO3-3W tripod
- SmallRig Magic Arm 10 Inch 2066
- SmallRig Small Ball Head 2163
- SmallRig Barrel Nut 862
Light:
- Led Ring Yongnuo YN208PRO and NP-F770/NP-F750 battery (or similar)
Moving rig:
- Gimbal FeiyuTech a2000 Dual or similar
Troubleshooting:
- Make sure the left and right eyes are not swapped (where the left eye footage captures the lens on the right and vice versa). You can fix it in Wonderstitch software coming with the camera.
- Use Ethernet cable instead of WiFi, otherwise the camera will stutter.
- Manage camera settings before with iOS or Windows app. The Android app is missing multiple features.
- Format SD cards in exFAT before the first use.
