Ricoh Theta: 360 Degree Hands-On Review

Two Lenses, One Image

With its pair of opposite facing fish eye lenses, the Theta pushes the envelope for digital cameras and how we present our images. Speaking candidly, this camera is A LOT of fun, and shooting with it presents a number of new variables to consider when making an image. First, everything around the camera will be in the shot, including you, the background behind you, the ground below you and the sky above you. Keeping that in mind, composing your images takes more pre-visualization than a standard ultra-wide angle lens.

Set on a homemade dowel monopod, this image was taken straight out of the camera with minimal color correction.

Taking advantage of this immersive camera, Ricoh developed a comprehensive smartphone app to sweeten the experience. The Theta app for Android and iOS gives (almost) full control over camera operation and wireless transfer. The intuitive interface makes it easy to manually adjust exposure, set up interval shooting, and trigger the shutter, all from the same screen. It’s even set up for wireless transfers via its own proprietary WiFi network. It takes a few seconds, but the real magic happens after the image wirelessly downloads to your phone and you finally see what the camera sees. The stitched image from the two lenses is transformed into a three dimensional spherical viewing experience. Using some familiar smartphone gestures, pinching your fingers allows you to zoom out and view it as a spherical globe, where you can swipe up, down and side to side making your tiny globe spin to your heart’s content. Zooming in a little more allows it to fill your entire screen for a more traditional presentation.

Set for ISO priority at ISO 100 with no exposure compensation, this image shows the Theta’s reliable auto-exposure abilities.

The exporting options are somewhat limited with the current apps and software. If you want to share the spherical experience with your friends, you can load your images to the Theta website and share your images by linking to its embedded viewer. You can also take screenshots on your computer or smartphone when you find the perfect angle to share. This is a convenient option for quick sharing on social networks, and apps like Snapseed or VSCO Cam make it easy to manipulate before uploading. The images for this article were created taking screenshots and doing post-work on a smartphone. The caveat with this method is that the resolution of the final image is limited to the resolution of your phone. The Theta also totes video recording abilities, although its use will be somewhat limited until they can get it above 15fps. Stick to using it for photos and you won’t be disappointed.

One note worth mentioning is the Theta lowers the resolution and downsamples each image before sending them over its own wifi. To maintain the highest resolution of all your files they should be transferred with the supplied USB cord to your computer. The above image was taken remotely with the Theta app triggering the camera and sending the image from about 30m away. At this distance the download speed was affected by only a couple seconds, but the file still transferred flawlessly and made for another surreal capture. The Theta has a very solid build, although great care should be taken not to damage either of the lenses and be sure to protect it by always putting it back in its included soft case.

The Ricoh Theta360 is available now in blue, yellow, pink and white.