360 rumors

Ricoh has announced a huge discount on the Ricoh Theta SC, which is now only $199 !  I don't know yet if this is a permanent price adjustment or just a discount for the summer. The Theta SC has the same sensor as the Theta S, the most popular 360 camera and almost all of its features, including the best stitching in the industry. But at $199, it is almost half of the cost of the Theta S.  This makes the Theta SC quite possibly the best value for 360 photography. Here is a review of the Theta S - almost all of which applies to the Theta SC as well, except that the Theta SC has no HDMI port, no live streaming, and has a 5-minute limit on videos.  The Theta SC has interval shooting (an intervalometer) but I believe it doesn't have interval composite, so if you want to do star trails, for example, you'll need to blend the exposures yourself using tools such as Photoshop or Lightroom. Thank to you to MS and Tony Anastasi for bringing this to my attention!

Ben Claremont (Life in 360) compares seven 360 cameras for their low light performance!  Which cameras came out on top?  The answer will surprise you! Here's the video: Spoiler alert below ! . . . . . In my own testing, I found similar results as Ben did, although I would have a different ranking for these same cameras. For me, the Insta360 Air  ( reviewed here ) and Insta360 Nano are pretty good for low light because even though they have quite a lot of noise, there seems to be more detail in the shadows in low light.  Check out this sample . The Xiaomi Mijia MI SPHERE ( reviewed here ) did well because it uses Sony IMX206 sensors which are backside illuminated (BSI) CMOS sensors, which means the wiring for the sensors is behind the photodiodes, allowing more light to reach the photodiodes.   However, the contrast curve for the Xiaomi seems a bit aggressive, so it looks good with the highlights and midtones but the shadow areas in low light are almost totall...

This is Part 2 of this series in which we look at the best 360 cameras for beginners, this time focusing on the best beginner 360 camera for photographers . In Part 1 of this series , I discussed how 360 photos and videos are created, and I explained that my primary criteria for beginner 360 cameras is ease of use, to enable a beginning 360 photographer to learn the craft and avoid frustration. Part 1 was about the easiest 360 cameras to use (not just for taking the photo, but also for viewing and sharing them).  In this Part, the primary audience is photographers who are new to 360 cameras. The primary considerations for this group are the image quality and exposure controls .  I won't limit the choices to the absolute easiest 360 cameras, but the cameras here will still be easy to use. For 360 photography    If you're a photographer trying a 360 camera for the first time, you may be surprised that most of them don't offer exposure controls (beyond exposure compe...

Here is a 360 video comparison between five 360 cameras, by Aram Pan of plus720.com !  Here are the cameras Aram compared: - 2017 Samsung Gear 360 - Nikon Keymission 360 - Entaniya 280 on a GoPro Hero 4 Black - Giroptic 360Cam (their first camera, not the Giroptic iO) - Ricoh Theta SC Here is the video comparison: What do you think?  Let me know in the comments!  You can check out the cameras here: -  2017 Samsung Gear 360 -  Nikon Keymission 360 - Entaniya 280 on a  GoPro Hero 4 Black -  Giroptic 360Cam -  Ricoh Theta SC ABOUT ARAM PAN Aram Pan's YouTube channel is quite popular.  One of his past projects was a 360 video of North Korea (!).   Here is the story of his trip .  And here is his 360 video from North Korea  (captured with the Entaniya 280 + GoPro Hero 4 Black).  You can follow Aram's YouTube channel here .

Ricoh had TWO booths at NAB Show 2017 - one at the VR Pavilion at North Hall, and another at Central Hall.  Here's the news from Ricoh. Ricoh is #1 in the growing 360 camera industry Industry analyst Strategy Analytics confirmed that Ricoh has the highest sales in the 360 camera industry , followed by Samsung and LG.   This is consistent with what I found previously for sales ranking  (except that Samsung is doing much better than in the results I found). Strategy Analytics also forecast that sales for 360 cameras will grow 350% over the next two years.  This is pretty impressive, considering that the market for point-and-shoot cameras has all but disappeared, and even interchangeable lens camera sales are declining (with the exception of Sony mirrorless cameras). Ricoh Theta 4K demo At NAB Show, Ricoh showed the highly anticipated new 4K Theta, which features 4K video @ 30fps, live streaming at 4K 30 fps, 4-channel microphone for spatial audio, and an Android operat...

At CES 2017, Ricoh demonstrated their recently-announced Ricoh R livestreaming camera .  Here are my hands-on impressions. The Ricoh R looked a little larger than the Ricoh Theta S and its grooves gave it a very industrial look, in sharp contrast to the Theta's sleek outline. The other significant difference between the Ricoh R and the Theta is that the Ricoh R has no internal battery and must be powered by an adapter, making it unsuitable for use by most consumers and limiting it primarily to professional or industrial use. The Ricoh R performed pretty much as advertised.  They had a couple of Ricoh R cameras showing a livestream and it was stitched smoothly.   In contrast, the Theta S requires its videos to be stitched on the phone or desktop app. There was a lag of a few seconds from the time of capture to the time it is shown on the screen, although I wasn't sure how much of that lag is due to the Theta's stitching or from YouTube. One thing I found out is that the Ri...

Ricoh announced a new 360-degree camera called the Ricoh R.  It bears some resemblance to the popular Ricoh Theta but has a different purpose. The Ricoh R has 2k video @ 30fps and can livestream in 360 continuously for 24 hours.  Videos are stitched in-camera, unlike the Theta, which requires videos to be stitched on a phone or desktop.  Earlier reports said the video was 2k but I saw it at CES 2017 and they said the video is the same 1920 x 960 resolution. The Ricoh R has no internal battery and requires an AC adapter.  This suggests that the Ricoh R is not intended as a consumer camera but as a camera for industrial use such as for security / surveillance, or for livestreaming special events. Here is the official website . Thank you to Pepe Vasquez for bringing this to my attention!

If you are using the Ricoh Theta desktop app, please do not update your Adobe AIR to version 24.  There is an incompatibility between the Theta app and version 24 of AIR which will prevent you from viewing photos or videos.  Until Ricoh issues a fix for their software, please hold off on updating Adobe AIR to version 24.

If you're going on a vacation, a 360 camera is a must-have for your trip.  But there are now several 360 cameras on the market.  Which one of them would be the best? The best 360 camera depends on your specific needs: If you are just starting out and want the most affordable 360 camera, that would be the LG 360 Cam (originally $199, on sale for $99 ; reviewed here ).  The LG 360 Cam is compatible with both iOS and Android.  Photos are stitched in-camera, while videos are stitched on your smartphone via an app.  It has decent image quality for both photos and videos.  However, in low light, there is a lot of chroma noise.  You also need to keep it charged at night because the battery drains even during standby. If social media is important to you, and you'd like to be able to share photos and videos easily , and even do a livestream in 360 , the best camera at the moment is the  Insta360 Nano ( $199 ; reviewed here ).  The Nano connects to y...

Ricoh updated the Ricoh Theta S app to add multi-shot bracketing. With this feature, the Theta can automatically take a series of shots at exposures that you select.  You can also use it for white balance bracketing.  This is useful for HDR and other applications.  The update requires that your Theta be updated to firmware 1.82.  It also works only for the Theta S (it won't work on the Theta SC ).  HOW TO USE MULTI-SHOT BRACKETING. 1.  First, you need to connect the Theta S with your smartphone and run the Theta S app.  Under shooting method, select "multi bracket." 2.  In the multi bracket shooting dialog box, click on the plus sign to add a desired exposure: 3.  In the next screen, select the exposure you want and tap on "Done." 4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 to add more exposures / settings as needed: 5. Press the shutter button on the app to begin the bracketing shots. OBSERVATIONS The multi-shot bracketing affords a lot of con...

One of my 360 photos was published in a calendar!  =D It was taken at Los Angeles International Airport with a Ricoh Theta S (reviewed here) .  Here is a small edited version of the photo:

" Hi my name is Mic and I've gotten 1.1 million views from just fourteen 360 photos. "  Sounds like a late night infomercial, right?  But it's true .  And yes, as cheesy as it sounds, you too can get thousands of views on your 360 photos.  Here's the secret (yes, it's for free and it's easy ). There are now dozens of platforms for sharing 360 photos that I've given up making a directory of them.  But one thing that hasn't changed is that if you want the most views on your 360 photos, there's no better way than through Google Streetview .  On Streetview, I uploaded just fourteen 360 photos and have gotten 1.1 million views from them (see screenshot below).  And some skeptics still think 360 is just a fad...  As they say, denial ain't just a river in Egypt! :)) BUT WAIT - THERE'S MORE! Now Google is making it even easier for you to get thousands of views on your 360 photos through an update to the Streetview app....

You can now use your Ricoh Theta S  or Theta SC to shoot tethered with photos and videos downloaded to your desktop using Theta S Control , a free app for Windows. Theta S Control is an app for Windows (desktop, mobile, and holographic) that allows you to control the  Ricoh Theta S  or Theta SC from your desktop or Windows phone.  Among the functions supported are: - Get preview thumbnails and download camera files to your device - Get camera state and info - Remote photo shutter - Remote video shutter - Live stream view - Option to sync time and gps information from your device to camera - Silent shutter option Unlike conventional tethering via USB cable, Theta S Control uses Wi-Fi, i.e., your PC connects wirelessly to the Theta's Wi-Fi signal. Theta S Control is available for free download from the Microsoft Windows store .

In celebration of winter, you can now add a 3D snow or 3D snowflake effect to your Ricoh Theta 's 360 photos!  To add the effect, upload your shot to theta360.com then add the hashtag #snow3d for snow or #snowcrystal3d for snowflakes. Here is a sample of a photo with 3D snow . Here is a sample with 3D snowflakes . The falling leaves effect is the latest among other 3D effects that were added to the Ricoh Theta: -  cherry blossom petals (#sakura3d ) -  fireflies (#firefly3d ) -  rain (#raid3d) -  butterflies (#butterfly3d) -  UFOs (#ufo3d) - falling leaves (#momiji3d)

You can now connect the Ricoh Theta S or Theta SC  to a Playstation 4 to see your Theta photos and videos in VR with a Sony Playstation VR (reviewed here) . Ricoh and Sony announced that you can now view photos and videos on the Ricoh Theta S or Theta SC directly with a Playstation VR, without having to transfer the photos or videos to a memory card. You will need to update the Theta S/SC to the latest firmware, and you need to update the free Media Player app on the PS4 to the latest version.  1.  Once the Theta and Media Player are updated, you connect the Theta by turning it off, and connecting it via USB to the PS4.  2.  You then hold down the Wi-Fi button on the Theta until the LED on the camera starts flashing. 3.  On Media Player, a list will popup and you select “Ricoh Company, Ltd. RICOH THETA S” (or SC, as the case may be). 4.  On Media Player's options menu, look for “VR Mode" and switch it to "On." 5.  Choose the photo or vi...

You can now add a funny 3D UFO effect to your Ricoh Theta photos on Theta360.com.  Just add the hashtag #ufo3d to your description when you upload your photo to Theta360.com.  Here's a sample: #ufo3d #theta360 - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA Ricoh has previously added other 3D effects.  You can try: #sakura3D #firefly3D #rain3D #butterfly3D

Here are a couple of videos comparing the video quality between the Samsung Gear 360 (reviewed here) and the LG 360 Cam . Here's one under different lighting conditions, including both outdoor and indoor.  Be sure to change the setting to 4k: Here's another comparison between the Gear 360 and LG 360 Cam.  This one is on Facebook (please click on "HD").  This comparison also includes the Ricoh Theta S (reviewed here) , and includes both videos and photos:   https://www.facebook.com/360rumors/posts/1243007549056615

One of the few complaints I have about the Ricoh Theta S (reviewed here) , besides the low-resolution video, is the temperamental wireless connection.  Occasionally, I'll connect to my Theta's Wi-Fi signal, and the Theta will show that it's connected, but the Theta app will act as if there's no Theta connected.  Here are some solutions. Here is a sample complaint from another user: The official Ricoh solution is to forget the network and reconnect.  But in my experience, once it happens, the app won't connect for a long time, even if I go so far as to reinstall the app. Here are a couple of ways of working around this problem. PREVENTING THE PROBLEM To prevent the problem, I follow a specific procedure: 1. Make sure the Theta is off and the Theta S app is closed. (To close an app, double click the home button and drag off the Theta S app to close it.) 2. Turn on the Theta, and make sure its Wi-Fi is on (there should be a blue Wi-Fi sign). 3. On your phone,...

The Insta360 Nano (reviewed here) is a new 360-degree camera for the iPhone.  It competes with other consumer 360-degree cameras, such as the popular Ricoh Theta S (reviewed here) , and the Samsung Gear 360 (reviewed here) . Here are a couple of sample videos showing their image quality (be sure to switch to 4k first).  The first set is with cloudy skies.  The second set is with sunny skies.  Click on the playlist icon to switch between the two videos. The videos also show the effect of the Nano's calibration.  The Nano's stitching on one side wasn't perfect, but it was remedied by the calibration.  In the first set of videos, I didn't calibrate the stitching on the Nano.  The children's slide shows a slight stitching error.  In the second set, I calibrated the Nano.  The slide has no stitching error. Here's how they look in a headset ( Samsung Gear VR ).  In this case, I copied the video into my Samsung S6 then played them with MoonPla...