This $3,500 Camera Can Help Your Car Shoot Google Street View Photos

Google has just certified the Insta360 Pro 360-degree 8K camera as the first “Street View Auto Ready” camera, capable of contributing to Street View after being mounted to a car.

Insta360 says it has been collaborating closely with Google to ensure a seamless capture and sharing experience between its spherical camera and Google’s popular Street View service.

“Devices recognized in the ‘Street View ready’ program are perfectly suited for contributing 360-degree content to Google Street View,” writes Insta360, “allowing users to put their own stamp on the global patchwork of immersive street-level views that’s accessible via Google Maps, Google Earth, and the Street View app.”

Here’s what the Insta360 Pro looks like when mounted to a car using a RIDIC camera-to-vehicle mount:

While mounted to a moving car, the Insta360 Pro can shoot high-quality images thanks to its stabilization system and optical-flow stitching algorithm. The camera is also getting a new 5fps 8K shooting mode that’s optimized for Street View purposes.

Owners of the camera will soon be able to control it using Google’s Street View app and then upload the 360-degree images directly to Street View inside Insta360’s Stitcher software.

Finally, Google is also planning to loan out 50 Insta360 Pro cameras to photographers through its camera loan program, allowing people to make Street View contributions from around the world.

If you’d like to own an Insta360 Pro for yourself, you can purchase one right now for a cool $3,500.