Hands On With the Ricoh Theta S By Jim Fisher Sept. 4, 2015, 5:20 a.m.

Hands On With the Ricoh Theta S

By Jim Fisher

  Sept. 4, 2015, 5:20 a.m.

When it was released, the Ricoh Theta was a one-of-a-kind camera that captured the entire world around it with a unique spherical perspective. Since then there have been other attempts to capture similar images and video—the Kodak SP360 action cam captures half the perspective of the Theta, and the Google Street View app for iOS and Android guides you through the process of taking multiple images that are stitched together to capture the entire world around you.

But as neat as the original Theta (and the Theta m15 that followed it and added 15fps video capture) was, image quality was really on the level of a smartphone, which limited its versatility. The new Theta S promises improved image quality—each of its CMOS imagers is a 12-megapixel 1/2.3-inch chip, the same as you'll find in point-and-shoot cameras—and better performance in dim lighting thanks to dual f/2 lenses. It also records 30fps at 1080p (for up to 25 minutes per clip), and can stream a live feed to YouTube via its USB or HDMI output.

Final image output isn't as large as you'd expect—the final output resolution is 14 megapixels. Like its predecessors, there's no memory card slot, but 8GB of internal storage is ample. Wi-Fi is built in, so you can copy photos and video clips over to your phone for online sharing, and you can also download them to your computer via a USB connection for long-term storage.

Long-exposure photography is possible, with exposures up to 60 seconds in length—you'll want to use a tripod or set the camera down on a flat surface for a steady image in that situation. You can either shoot blind, simply by positioning the camera in an interesting place, or set your shot via the app. A Live View feed streams over Wi-Fi at 10 frames per second, and an accelerometer is included in the camera design to determine its orientation when shapping images.

Even though images are saved in JPG format, most browsers and applications can't natively display them in a format that's compelling. With the Theta S smartphone app, available for iOS or Android, you can flick your finger to turn the image about, and zoom in or out on details. Free hosting for Theta images is included with the app via the Theta360 website, which allows anyone to interact with the photos the same way you do so with a phone. The app also has social integration with Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr, but it's limited to sharing links to your photos stored on the Theta360 site. For videos, YouTube is the way to go, as it supports spherical files natively.
https://theta360.com/uk/gallery/

In addition to YouTube, Ricoh has partnered with another Google project, Street View. The smartphone app for the company's popular mapping service already allows photographers to create photospheres using a smartphone, but you can't do that with a single shot. Luc Vincent, direct of Google Maps, was on hand at Ricoh's press event in New York to demonstrate how it works, and to show that the Theta S can make the process simpler—only a single exposure is required.

The Theta S isn't just for immersive location photography. There's obviously a market for it as an action cam, and while Ricoh Imaging Americas president Jim Malcolm stated that this model isn't as tough as a GoPro, he did point out that the company offers an inexpensive ($24.95) waterproof case for the Theta. It's not rated to go deep—its IPX7 designation states that it's good for use at 1 meter depth for up to 30 minutes—but it will protect it inclement weather.

I got a little bit of hands-on time with a pre-production Theta S, and am certainly looking forward to giving the final version a proper test drive. I've used the original Theta at trade shows like CES to capture immersive images of the daunting booths that big consumer electronics companies put together to show off their wares. I was able to take a few test shots and videos at the Diamond Horseshoe Theater where the event was being held, and so far my impressions are positive. Image quality is certainly a big step up from the original Theta, and the added versatility of video recording (I never got a chance to shoot with the m15 iteration of the camera, which added video) at 30fps certainly expands the camera's use cases. Texas-based videographer Charlie Kaye has attached one of the older Theta models to his DJI drone to shoot compelling aerial still images, and has shared a video shot with a pre-production Theta S mounted to a DJI Inspire 1.

The Theta S is set to go on sale in October. It's priced at $349.