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!

Some news on the Ricoh Theta: the Theta apps for iOS have been updated to add support for 4K timelapse videos.  Ricoh also posted some spectacular 360 photos from Everest. Ricoh updated the Theta+ and Theta+ Video apps for iOS to allow 4K time lapses on iPhone 6S and above.  No word on an Android update. There was some speculation on whether this could be a sign of the impending release of the 4K Theta.  I personally don't think so...  but I could be wrong. Meanwhile, Ricoh shared these 360 photos from Everest by a Ricoh employee Olivier Vriesendorp . Here is one of them: Post from RICOH THETA. #theta360 - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA

Here is a full review of the Xiaomi Mijia Mi Sphere 360 camera, which has become one of my favorite 360 cameras for its excellent image quality and incredible image stabilization. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Xiaomi Mi Sphere is an excellent 360 camera that has the highest image quality for both photos and videos among cameras around $350 or less (for photo quality, I would say there is no better 360 camera unless you are willing to buy a Panono).  On top of that, its image stabilization really works, and it works very well.  On the other hand, the Mi Sphere has significant drawbacks that you should review before buying it. Here is the video review: WHAT'S IN THE BOX The Xiaomi Mi Sphere includes: - the camera - a mini tripod / handle - a Micro USB cable - a water resistant pouch The Xiaomi is very well made, with a sleek matte black outer finish with hidden LED indicators (like the Theta).  The frame is metal, which makes the Xiaomi feel solid but also helps to radiate heat (...

I just received my order of the Xiaomi Mijia Mi Sphere 360 Camera from GearBest!  Here are my first impressions. Update : Part 2 of my first impressions (with unboxing, sample 360 video, and image stabilization preview) is here . Here is a comparison / review of the Xiaomi versus the 2017 Gear 360 .  It also has a guide for the viewing and exporting from the Xiaomi. A few weeks ago, Xiaomi Mijia announced the Mi Sphere camera, a fully spherical 360 camera.  Here are the key specifications: - two 190-degree lenses, fully spherical field of view - f/2.0 aperture - photo resolution: 7K (6912 x 3456) - video resolution: 3.5K (3456 x 1728 @ 30fps) - IP67 water resistance - 6-axis image stabilization - removable Micro SD memory - compatible with iOS and Android The box was surprisingly small.  It included: - the Mi Camera - a sleek carrying pouch (seems made from a water resistant material, but with a fabric interior lining) - a mini tripod / handle - micro USB cable ...

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...