Our Ricoh Theta test: a final mixed opinion

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Main features

• 2 sensors 1/2.3 12 m cm
• Double Lens F2.0
• 360 ° photo at 5,376 x 2.688
• 360 ° video recording in MP4 format
• Wi-Fi connectivity
• Builder: Ricoh
• Recommended price: 350 €

Ricoh Theta s, Kezako?

The Ricoh Theta S is the Third generation of Ricoh 360 ° camera That we discovered at IFA 2015 and the first to offer correct video skills. The madness that virtual reality is currently in full swing, but the accent is put on consumption. The choice to produce its VR content remains quite limited and some products announced years ago (such as Geonauti 360) have not yet emerged.

According to Ricoh’s engineer with whom I spoke to the brand’s stand at the SxSw digital show in Austin (where I got the Theta s for this test), the demand for this type of product is so high that it is simply impossible for them to design them quickly

This is because it is one of the first 360 cameras at affordable prices you can buy and the price, less than € 400, is particularly tempting. The magic formula of Theta S is that it has two lenses and two sensors oriented in opposite directions, which allows you to obtain a spherical 360 °.

With its appearance and use, the Theta S is similar to the flip cameras that had the coast a few years ago. It has a shape of «standing bar of chocolate», so you can keep it as if it were a cell phone. However, it does not have an integrated screen and if you use it as if you were turning with a cell phone, your face will take a large part of the screen.

To avoid this, the best would be to solve it at the end of a monopod that you can keep over your head or hang it ridiculous on the helmet for the practice of extreme sports. In fact, what will hit you after your first use of the Theta S is that I resume in 360 and the rescue of a simple video are two very different things.

The camera must be as static as possible, because the viewer can choose his own point of interest. Only make sure that a goal is well oriented towards the main action area.

What to know about its characteristics

The reason why Thea S is more than a gadget is that its two sensors meet reasonably high standard. With every 1/2.3 e 12 megapixel, Opinion a size of the image when 14 megapixels exit. The size and resolution of the sensor are enough Close to those of high consumption cameras, What is impressive given the price of Theta S.

More than five years have passed now that there are pocket cameras capable of shooting a 360 ° video. This is especially true with Sony Bloggie Touch MHS-St20k. However, he only had a sensor and used a single goal that contained a mirror. The result was a weak resolution. The Theta S, on the other hand, promises a completely different experience. Here we have a file Opening of the goal on F2.0which suggests a good image quality, also to film in low light conditions, with correct sensors.

However, there is not much in the box. In addition to the same camera (which includes an 8 GB of flash memory, enough for 25 minutes of recording, but which is not removable), receive a neoprene coverage to protect the device during transport and a USB cable. A capture micro-hdmi In addition to taking Micro-USB They are found on the lower side of the camera with between the two threaded holes to mount a tripod, but no accessory is included.

Ricoh Theta s Controls

The Theta s himself has only four buttons, three are positioned on the side and another large is on the face of the device. The three small buttons are used to turn on and off the camera, activate Wi-Fi and pass between the fixed methods of acquiring the image and video. The largest button therefore allows you to take a photo or start recording, depending on the mode.

Without a screen, it is not possible to change a parameter on the camera itself and you cannot see what you film. However, it is not necessarily necessary with a 360 camera as it films almost everything. You just have to make sure to keep your device vertically and that there are no voluminous or unwanted objects nearby, which would hide what you want to film (your body for example …)

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Applications, wifi connectivity and smartphones

Like many cameras today, Theta S benefits from an integrated Wi-Fi function and a smartphone application, which is in this case almost essential. Most of its functions are accessible only through the app. In video mode, you can’t do much if not to choose between resolutions 1 920 x 1,080 or 1,280 x 720.

On the other hand, when you take photos, you can make different image adjustments. With automatic mode, the exposure can be regulated between -2 EV and +2 EV. With the priority mode to the shutter, it can vary between 1/8000 and 1/6400. For ISO mode, sensitivity can vary between 100 and 1600. There is also a manual mode in which it is possible to program both independently. With two methods of priority, it is always possible to control the general exposure, all these settings are therefore flexible. 11 The White balance methods are scheduled, as well as an automatic mode. However, there is no manual option.

The app also acts as a 360 viewer with Google Cardboard or any other viewer of your choice (I had the carboard only during the test).

Unfortunately, this only works for immobile images and not for videos. You can download your video directly on Facebook that will identify it as a 360 ° registration. On a computer, you can get a panoramic view with a mouse while on a smartphone, the accelerometer will allow you to tilt the video and move by changing the orientation of the phone.

If, however, you want to download the contents from the Ricoh Theta360.com website or on YouTube, you will have to have the desktop software for Windows or Mac. With the two records you see if you open the RAW video files, the software creates a strange and elongated version used for viewing, a bit like a map of the flattened globe.

What is annoying is that we can download only ten seconds both on Theta360.com, even if youtube gives you the opportunity to download videos in its entirety. You need to download the version of the video coded by the Office software on YouTube, the platform does not support the RAW video file.

Ricoh is currently working on a pilot who would transmit 360 videos. The engineer I met at Sxsw showed me but the project is only at the beginning. Live streaming software is already available, but I was unable to load it on my computer. The team also includes an API developer, so you can expect another software to be created by a third part. For the moment, it is still relatively easy to download and share a video from Theta S, especially on Facebook.

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Quality of the image and performance of Ricoh Theta

Although the great double chapters of Theta are promoting a better image quality than the disparate options of a few years ago, it is really there in image mode. The video is captured in records that are stored side by side in a frame of 1,920 x 1.080, so that the video resolution, once stretched, is much lower. This is a little disappointing since the sensors themselves have a much higher capacity.

You can see a sample of sequences filmed with Ricoh Theta s on theta360.com here.

The YouTube version of the same sequence is available here.

Panoramic photos have a resolution of 5,376 x 2.688 but have a fairly strange appearance if they open them in the software that does not include 360 ​​°. They must be downloaded on Theta360.com or on Facebook to be able to interpret the panoramic display device and extend the images. Having said that, they are much more detailed than the video version.

You can see an example of a 360 image taken with Ricoh Theta S here.

Overall, the quality of the images is correct and that of the videos is acceptable at the beginning of the enthusiasm of the VR, but the devices that create much better quality images are born in the years to come. It is worth remembering that if the HD or 4K videos are a supervision view of the world, capturing 360 images with the same level of detail would require more pixels and professional quality platforms because the Gopros (for example) use six different cameras before gathering their images together.

Do I have to buy the Ricoh Theta s?

For now, if you want to try to film good quality 360 images and videos, few options are available. With its price less than € 400, the Theta S is quite convenient to understand the concept. There is no doubt that it will be supplanted by a better plane in a short time and always remains new. Kodak SP360 4K is an already interesting alternative and costs less than € 100 more.

However, Theta S is easy to use and the results are acceptable for the price. Ricoh quickly recorded and created something that is far from perfect but of good quality to have fun with the tendency to VR increasing. It is not surprising that this camera is sending like hotcakes. It is therefore worth buying it now, but it will surely end up in the bottom of a drawer in a year in which more sophisticated alternatives arrive on the market.

The camera verdict

The Ricoh Theta S allows 360 photos and 360 acceptable videos for the first users, but it is likely that it will soon be obsolete.

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