Looking for a 360 photographer in Montreal for the virtual tour of your store, property or business? This guide explains what this professional does, the two technologies to know, the criteria that matter, the prices and the five questions to ask before you sign.
What is a 360 photographer?
A 360 photographer captures a place in full panoramas, then assembles them into a virtual tour: you move from one point to the next as if you were there. In Montreal, people mostly hire one in five situations:
- Real estate: sale and rental of residential and commercial properties
- Retail: shops, restaurants, showrooms
- Hotels and tourism: hotels, inns, attractions
- Businesses: offices, plants, training centres
- Institutions: museums, schools, municipal buildings
The two technologies to know
1. Matterport 3D
The camera measures distances by laser while it photographs. The result is a complete 3D model: a dollhouse view, a floor plan and measurements taken directly in the tour. It is the right choice to sell, rent, document or measure a place. See our Matterport 3D virtual tour page.
2. Google Street View
The panoramas are published on Google Maps and attached to your Business Profile. There is no 3D model or floor plan, but the tour appears where your customers already look for you, and Google hosts it with no annual fee. See our Google virtual tour page.
The two can be combined: a Matterport tour can also be published on Google Maps.
How to choose
- Work you can actually visit. Ask for links to live tours, in a place similar to yours. A tour is judged by walking through it, not from a screenshot.
- The equipment. A laser-sensor camera such as the Matterport Pro3 gives reliable measurements. An ordinary 360 camera gives images, not a survey.
- Publishing on Google. Ask the photographer whether Google's Street View program recognizes them, how many tours they have published on Google Maps, and to show you some on their clients' profiles. The photographer should handle the publishing.
- What the price includes. Hosting, floor plan, retouching, embedding on your website: everything should be written in the quote.
- Reviews. Read recent Google reviews and see whether they come from clients in your industry.
How much does it cost?
The price depends mostly on the floor area and the type of tour. At Panosphere 360, a Matterport 3D tour starts at $395 and a Google virtual tour at $495, for a place under 1,500 sq. ft. The first year of Matterport hosting is included; after that it costs from $150 per year. The full price list is on the Virtual tour pricing page.
Be wary of a price given without the floor area: it is what sets the capture time.
Five questions to ask before you sign
- Can I see three tours you produced in a place like mine?
- Which camera do you use, and will the tour allow measurements?
- What is included in the price, and what does hosting cost after the first year?
- Will the tour be published on Google Maps, and who takes care of it?
- How soon will the tour be delivered, and what happens if a room has to be redone?
A serious photographer answers these five questions in writing, in the quote.
Going further
- Matterport 3D photographer in Quebec: who is behind the camera
- Google Street View and Google Maps photographer
- Request a quote