Newsletter: Underwater 360 lighting, photogrammetry, and stitching

Over the years the Mantis Sub team have spent a lot of time experimenting with the best techniques for photogrammetry and lighting for 360 underwater. In this months newsletter we are excited to share with you what we’ve learnt …

In this newsletter:

  • Photogrammetry: How to create a 3D model from 360 video in an hour or less

  • Tutorial: How to quickly stitch a 360 video with Insta360 Studio

  • Mantis Sub visits the RMS Niagra Wreck at 120m

  • What is the best lighting for underwater 360 video?

  • Stock alert: Only 2 Mantis Sub housings left in stock


Photogrammetry: How to create a 3D model from 360 video in an hour or less

Did you know it's super easy (and affordable) to record an underwater 360 video and turn it into a 3D model?

We recorded a 3 minute swim into a cave with the Insta360 One RS 1" 360 Edition camera & Mantis RS360 dive housing, then used Metashape Standard Edition ($179) to create a complete model in just under an hour.

Explore the details of how we did it here: How to create a 3D model from 360 video in an hour or less.

Explore the cave (Venus Cave, Poor Knights Islands, NZ) here: https://construkted.com/asset/aohalv06yef/


Tutorial: How to quickly stitch a 360 video with Insta360 Studio

With a 360 spherical video a single frame shows everything that’s happening around the camera - 360 degrees horizontal and 180 degrees vertical. Because 360 video from Insta360 cameras is fully stabilized, the result is a super smooth video that includes all the highlights and action.

In this tutorial we show how easy it is to quickly stitch a 360 video with Insta360 Studio.


Mantis Sub visits the RMS Niagra Wreck at 120m

Congratulations to David Pearce, Darryl Lowndes and Andrew Simpson for their successful dive of the iconic RMS Niagara at 120m depth - one of New Zealand's most famous shipwrecks sunk by a German mine in 1940. All documented with three scooter-mounted Insta360 One RS 1-inch 360 Edition in Mantis Sub RS360 housings!

RMS Niagra above water
Divers taking underwater 360 video of the RMS Niagra Wreck

What is the best lighting for underwater 360 video?

Scuba diver with underwater 360 video rig and lights
Two divers with a scooter, underwater camera, and lights

Why do I need lights for underwater 360 video? Which kind of lights are the best? What are the pro’s and con’s of different lighting set-ups?

Learn more about how to optimise your lighting for underwater 360 here: What is the best lighting for underwater 360 video?


Stock alert: Only 2 Mantis-Sub housings left in stock

Mantis Sub underwater 360 camera

If you’ve been thinking about a Mantis Sub, get in quick before our current stock is gone - there are 2 left. We will be building more, but the new housings will only be available at the end of May.


The Mantis Sub housing for the Insta360 Pro and Pro 2 is the world’s first compact underwater 8K, stereoscopic VR system. With applications ranging from VR, dome projection, long-distance live-streaming to photogrammetry, the Mantis Sub is at the forefront of underwater 360/VR technology.

Questions, suggestions, interesting projects to share?

If you’d like to learn more about our products or what we’ve been up to lately, get in touch with us using the ‘Got questions’ button below.

Likewise, if you have interesting projects or use cases and are happy to share them, send an email to info@mantis-sub.com. We love hearing from you!

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Press Release: Advances in photogrammetry reduce cost of underwater 3D modelling

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GSLC and Mantis Sub at Salon de la plongee, Paris