Update on Scallop Imaging Panoramic Camera

Scallop Imaging has provided additional technical and pricing information [link no longer available] on its Digital Window 7MP 180 degree camera [link no longer available]. This updates our original overview of the product from January 2009.

The 3 most important new pieces of information disclosed are:

• 1 frame per second is the maximum frame rate for full resolution (7MP), which is an extremely low frame rate. For normal viewing (what they call the Situational Awareness Window), the maximum frame rate is 15 fps and the resolution is 1280 x 320. 
• The MSRP of the camera is announced at $1,695 USD. This is significantly more expensive than the projected price we were told in January (about $1,000 USD).
• The product is now scheduled to ship in Q1 2010.

The high price and the low frame rate for full resolution are likely to be an issue. The strongest competition may come from ArecontVision's AV8185 - a 8MP camera system comprised of (4) 2MP cameras which has an online price of about $1800 USD and 5.5 fps for full resolution. The main advantage of the Scallop Imaging product may be its far smaller form factor.