Since its release in 2013 as the world's first hand-held 360° camera 1, "RICOH THETA" has been used in a multitude of environments and offers unlimited potential for image expression. 360° photography has become increasingly relevant, due to the rapid growth of the Virtual Reality market, the increasing number of social media services that are compatible with 360° images, and the growing demand for 360° images in the business market. The Gear 360 takes good photos and videos (up to 4K in size), and livestreams to Facebook and YouTube, too. However, there are a few big caveats: it only works fully with Samsung smartphones (from the Galaxy S6 and up), and while it works with the iPhone 7 and later, not all of the camera's features are supported. If you have a Samsung smartphone, though, the Gear 360 is a fun accessory.

One small external upgrade from its predecessor is the addition of a small OLED display. Although smaller than the screen on the Theta Z1, the OLED display can be used to keep tabs on settings and battery life. There’s also a new self-timer button.

With high-res 60.5MP still images, a 1/2-inch sensor and 5.7K 360º video, the Ricoh Theta X means business

Unlike virtually every other camera I've tested, the Theta Z1 has nonremovable storage. The device has about 19GB of usable storage, but if you fill that up, you'll have to delete files on the camera to keep using it. To be sure, 19GB isn't small; the company says you'll be able to store roughly 40 minutes of 4K-quality video. In my experience, a 2-minute 4K clip took up 950MB. Radio waves from microwave ovens, cordless phones that use the 2.4 GHz band, indoor wireless LAN devices, or other devices, may interfere with the THETA Wi-Fi connection. Try connecting THETA to your smartphone while away from any potential sources of interference to change settings and transfer your photos. If you really want to shoot remotely on the spot, try using the self timer which doesn’t require a wireless connection. Ricoh has confirmed compatibility for the following devices. However, they are not covered by the warranty, so use them at your own risk. Added a function for converting and playing videos shot with the RICOHTHETA (model: RICOHTHETA m15).

The files created by 360-degree cameras record the whole scene. They're a bit big and look unwieldy laid flat as 360-degree cameras are nearly always multiple camera images in one, capturing different perspectives that are stitched together in software. It does that thanks to twin 48mp Sony IMX586 1/2-inch sensors and a Qualcomm QCS605 chip, which is a significant step-up compared to most 360º cameras. However, not being able to capture in RAW is a shame for such a high quality camera. The Z1's magnesium body also feels solid, though the camera is not water-resistant, as is the case with the GoPro Max. An Easy-To-Use 360° camera that's simple to operate and capable of capturing high-quality spherical images and videos Have you found a red light or an error icon on the THETA display panel? If you don’t know the reason or how to solve it, it must be stressful! In case you see an error light, try the following 3 things first.Videos shot with all RICOH THETA models are supported (excluding videos shot with the file size “1280 × 720”). Videos may not be converted depending on the shooting environment and conditions. You can’t edit or transfer the results to a smartphone via the app, which merely displays a thumbnail of 5.7K 30fps and 4K 60fps video. The only way to deal with it is to get it off the device by cabling it up to a laptop and editing it with Ricoh’s desktop software. That software is very basic, doing little more than letting you zoom in and out of 360º photos and straighten it. It’s a shame it can’t recrop 5.7K 30 fps footage into regular 16:9 content. Today, creators reach to 360-degree video cameras to gets shots they can't get with a single-lens model. Software pulls out, warps, and reframes dual-lens footage so it can cut right in with 16:9 footage.

For those who have small children or who want to capture memories on a trip or outdoors, it is good to have a 360 degree camera so you can shoot without worrying about composition or settings, and also keep one hand free.The ability to spit out a great-looking photo from a 360º video is welcome, while the detail, sharpness, and smoothness of video – whether in 360º or cut down to widescreen – itself makes the QooCam 8K a giant leap forward for creative filmmakers. Because the Theta Z1's operating system is based on Android, third-party developers can create plug-ins that add features to the camera. There are currently 42 plug-ins, which include features such as wireless livestreaming and control of the camera using Alexa. You can even have the camera play a bird call right before it takes a picture. That way, you can get the attention of an animal so that it's looking right at the camera when the shutter snaps. What I didn't like For the THETA V and THETA Z1, this function is available only for videos recorded while “Stitching during shooting” is OFF. By comparison, the Insta360 One X takes stills at 18MP (6080 x 3040), and its max video resolution is 5.7K (5760 x 2880) at 30 fps. The GoPro Max takes 16.6-MP photos at 5.6K video.

Two apps form a key part of the Theta X experience. The Theta app controls the camera and puts a live preview on your phone as well as giving access to all the settings. The Theta+ app is for editing 360º photos and videos. We’re not convinced there should be two separate apps, particularly since the Theta app also enables basic editing and uploading of results directly to YouTube and social media. It’s a bit confusing.degree video cameras should appeal most to thrill-seekers who want to go beyond what a single-lens GoPro can capture, as well as to travel vloggers who like to guide viewers through famous locales. But realtors and interior designers who want to show off homes and produce virtual tours are better off with a photo-first model. Ricoh offers virtual tour software for its Theta series, and Matterport is a familiar name in the real estate photography space.