Casio's latest 360-degree camera has a detachable lens for remote operation

Casio's latest 360-degree camera has a detachable lens for remote operation ,

How often do you see or share a 360-degree photo? Not often? Never? Well, nobody cares, because companies keep on making 360-degree cameras in the expectation that they'll be A Thing someday soon. (And given support for the format from companies like Facebook and YouTube, they might be right). One such company is Casio, which has unveiled the new EX-FR200 (link in Japanese), a successor to the EX-FR10 and EX-FR-100.

Compared to 360-degree cameras we've seen from Nikon, Samsung, and Giroptic, the most interesting feature of the EX-FR200 is its detachable, 185-degree lens. This can be fitted to the top of an LCD touchscreen control module (that's "selfie style" says Casio), clipped onto the rear of the screen like a camera (below right), or operated independently over a Bluetooth connection. You can also clip two of the lenses back to back to to capture true 360-degree footage.

The EX-FR200 in selfie and camera mode. (Image credit: Casio)

According to DP Review, the EX-FR200 shoots in four different modes, capturing a 180-degree 3888 x 3888 fisheye image, an unwrapped 360-degree 7456 x 1864 panorama, a super-wide 208-degree photo, or that back-to-back 360-degree image. (More specs can be found here.) The camera can also capture 4K video and is waterproof, freeze-proof, and drop resistant. It's not clear how much it'll cost or if it'll be released outside of Japan, but Casio says it'll go on sale there mid-September.

Two EX-FR200 lenses clipped back to back. (Image credit: Casio)