User review of RICOH THETA S and THETA SC

[rty]

In October 2016, Ricoh announced a new addition to its Theta product line: Theta SC. Through a very “influential gentleman” at Clubsnap, yours truly managed to get a hold of ...not only Theta SC but also its older (and slightly “classier&#8221 sister, Theta S.

Black Theta S is in on the left and grey Theta SC is on the right.


For the benefits of those who haven’t heard about them, Theta S and Theta SC are compact or pocket size cameras made by Ricoh specifically to take full 360 degree spherical photos.

Photos taken with these cameras are basically in JPEG format but they have been embedded with some metadata. When used with certain apps or VR headsets, the photos will be displayed in a full 360 spherical format giving viewers a vivid and truly immersive experience. Apart from Ricoh Theta own free photo hosting site, there are other third party blogs or websites capable to host these photos as well .

It is probably worth mentioning that hosting spherical photos at Ricoh Theta gallery website is free but you must have either a Facebook or Twitter accounts. Not a problem for most people, but some may find it troublesome.

Below are the very first few shots taken with both Theta S and Theta SC. Please click on each individual photo to view it in full spherical format.



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Note: I'll be out taking more photos when the sky is blue. So come back to this thread.

Both S and SC models have built-in memory of approximately 7.5GB. There is no option available to expand the memory though but a photo takes only about 3.5MB, so you can store plenty of photos inside. Moreover, the photos can be transferred over easily to your iOS or Android phones using the optional app via wifi (yes, wifi, not Bluetooth). Installing this optional app onto your phone is actually a good idea since the app enables you to use your phone as a remote control. Also via the app, you can change the camera settings such as shooting mode (auto vs manual), shooting method (normal shooting, interval shooting, interval composite, self-timer shooting, Multi bracket shooting), EV compensation, ISO settings (from 100 to 1600), timer-interval (2,5, 10 seconds), etc.


Screenshot of the Android remote control app for Theta

Apps are also available for Mac and PC which will allow you to do various stuffs with the Thetas such as downloading photos to the computer, uploading to Ricoh Theta 360 gallery, updating firmware, sharing to Facebook, Twitter, and Tumbler, etc.

There are also apps made by third parties available for both iOS and Android such as the app to make HDR photos.

Continue to the next post...

 

[rty]

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THETA S and THETA SC

Theta SC is the latest addition to Theta family. It was launched sometime in October 2016 probably to make it more affordable even though the difference is about US$50 cheaper.

Here are the specs for both models taken from Ricoh Theta website:

Feature	Theta S	Theta SC
Shooting mode	Still image: Auto, Shutter Priority, ISO Priority*5, Manual	Still image: Auto, Shutter Priority, ISO Priority *5, Manual
	Video: Auto	Video: Auto
	Live streaming: Auto
Exposure control mode	Program AE, Shutter speed priority AE, ISO sensitivity AE, Manual exposure	Program AE, Shutter speed priority AE, ISO sensitivity AE, Manual exposure
Exposure compensation	Still image: Manual compensation (-2.0 - +2.0EV, 1/3EV step) *5	Still image: Manual compensation (-2.0 - +2.0EV, 1/3EV step) *5
ISO sensitivity (standard output sensitivity)	Still image: ISO 100 to 1600,	Still image: ISO 100 to 1600,
	Video: ISO 100 to 1600,	Video: ISO 100 to 1600
	Live streaming: ISO100 - 1600
White balance mode	Still image: Auto, Outdoor, Shade, Cloudy, Incandescent light 1, Incandescent light 2, Daylight color fluorescent light, Natural white fluorescent light, White fluorescent light, Light bulb color fluorescent light *5	Still image: Auto, Outdoor, Shade, Cloudy, Incandescent light 1, Incandescent light 2, Daylight color fluorescent light, Natural white fluorescent light, White fluorescent light, Light bulb color fluorescent light *5
	Video: Auto	Video: Auto
	Live streaming: Auto
Shutter speed	Still image: (Excluding Manual Mode) 1/6400 seconds to 1/8 seconds, (Manual Mode) 1/6400 seconds to 60 seconds	Still image: (Excluding Manual Mode)1/8000 seconds to 1/8 seconds, (Manual Mode) 1/8000 seconds to 60 seconds
	Video: (L) 1/8000 seconds to 1/30 seconds, (M) 1/8000 seconds to 1/15 seconds	Video: (L) 1/8000 seconds to 1/30 seconds, (M) 1/8000 seconds to 1/15 seconds
	Live streaming: (USB) 1/8000 seconds to 1/15 seconds, (HDMI) 1/8000 seconds to 1/30 seconds
Recording medium	Internal, approximately 8GB	Internal, approximately 8GB
Number of photos that can be recorded, time *1	Still image: (L) Approx. 1600 images, (M) 9000 images	Still image: (L) Approx. 1600 images, (M) 9000 images
	Video (timer per recording): Max. 25 minutes or up to the maximum file size of 4 GB*6	Video (timer per recording): Max. 5 minutes *6
	Video (total recording time): (L) Approx. 65 minutes, (M) Approx. 175 minutes*6	Video (total recording time): (L) Approx. 63minutes, (M) Approx. 171 minutes *6
Power source	Lithium ion battery (built in)*2	Lithium ion battery (built in) *2
Battery life	Approx. 260 photos*3	Approx. 260 photos *3
Image file format	Still image: JPEG (Exif Ver. 2.3), DCF2.0 compliant,	Still image: JPEG (Exif Ver. 2.3), DCF2.0 compliant,
	Video: MP4 (Video: MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, Audio: AAC)	Video: MP4 (Video: MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, Audio: AAC)
External interface	Micro USB terminal: USB 2.0	Micro USB terminal: USB 2.0
	HDMI-Micro terminal (Type-D): HDMI 1.4
Remote release	CA-3-compatible	CA-3-compatible
Exterior/external dimensions	44 mm (W) x 130 mm (H) x 22.9 mm (17.9 mm *4) (D)	45.2 mm (W) x 130.6 mm (H) x 22.9 mm (17.9 mm *4) (D)
Weight	Approx. 125g	Approx. 102g
Lens configuration	7 elements in 6 groups	7 elements in 6 groups
Lens_F value	F2.0	F2.0
Image sensor_size	1/2.3 CMOS (x2)	1/2.3 CMOS (x2)
Effective pixels	Approx. 12 megapixels (x2)	Approx. 12 megapixels (x2)
Output pixels	Equivalent to approx. 14 megapixels (x2)	Equivalent to approx. 14 megapixels (x2)
Still image resolution	L: 5376 x 2688, M: 2048 x 1024	L: 5376 x 2688, M: 2048 x 1024
Video resolution/frame rate/bit rate	L: 1920 x 1080/30 fps/16 Mbps	L: 1920 x 1080/30 fps/16 Mbps
	M: 1280 x 720/15 fps/6 Mbps	M: 1280 x 720/15 fps/6 Mbps
Live streaming resolution/frame rate (USB)	L: 1920 × 1080/30fps
	M: 1280 × 720/15fps
	*The resolution and frame rate in Windows 7 is 1280 × 720 and 15fps.
Live streaming resolution/frame rate (HDMI)	L: 1920 x 1080/30 fps
	M: 1280 x 720/30 fps
	S: 720 x 480/30 fps
	*Automatically changes to match the display
Wi-Fi Communications Protocol	HTTP (Open Spherical Camera API *7 compatible)	HTTP (Open Spherical Camera API *7 compatible)
Usage temperature range	0°C - 40°C	0℃ - 40℃
Usage humidity range	90% or less	90% or less
Storage temperature range	-20°C - 60°C	-20℃ - 60℃
Bundled items	Soft case and USB cable	Soft case and USB cable

As we can see from the comparison table above, the differences between S and SC are not many. Maybe this explains why the price difference between the two is also not much, i.e. about US$50 only.

Theta SC has no HDMI port which is required for live-streaming and can only record the video for 5 minutes. While the S can record video up to 25 minutes and has HDMI port to do live-streaming.



Continue to next post...

 

[rty]

BEST IN PORTABILITY

Ricoh is by no means the only one who makes 360 full spherical cameras. Nikon, Samsung, LG, Kodak, etc, are in the game as well. They all come with various sizes and shapes. Coincidentally, Ricoh Thetas appear to be the best in terms of size and shape. As you can see in the specification table, both Theta S and SC are just like the size and shape of average chocolate bars that fit easily into a shirt or jeans pocket. I believe if you value portability the most, you should only go with the Thetas for there’s no other similar product available right now that is as small and as portable as the Thetas.

Just to give a better idea how small the Thetas are.

IMAGE QUALITY (... and HOW TO BE HAPPY WITH IT)

360 Spherical cameras that are made affordable for mass market are relatively new. From my observation, image quality (IQ) seems to be somewhat not up to par for all spherical cameras available in the market today. If you are super fussy about IQ, definitely you will be able to spot many imperfections on the photos right away, such as chromatic aberration, image noise, lack of sharpness and dynamic range. These, however, appear to be common and pervasive in all other brands as well. To be fair, I think Ricoh still deserves an accolade on making Thetas S and SC as they are, considering the cost and technology constraints to make such small 360 spherical cameras for mass market.


Manual Mode, ISO 100, 1/3200, F2.0
Click on the image

If you are interested in getting into the bandwagon today for one of these spherical photo cameras, you might want to keep your expectation in check. They are not DSLR. Chances are your phone would most likely score better in terms of IQ. Just keep in mind what 360 spherical cameras are best for. They are best for preserving the memory of place and moments in a way that is more vivid and immersive than regular cameras.

CONCLUSION

In terms of size and portability, Ricoh Thetas are the best available in the market today. Like other brands of such similar products, image quality of Thetas as of today, in my humble opinion, still have not reached the level of great refinement yet. If you are not too fussy with image quality and care more about taking 360 spherical photos/videos, then I believe you would be happy with the Thetas.

Get Ricoh Theta S if you need live-streaming of 360 spherical video and you need 25 minute video recording time. Otherwise Theta SC, which is about US$50 cheaper than Theta S, is good enough since it basically can do almost everything Theta S can.

Pros	Cons
Relatively affordable	Average (So-so) image quality
Best in portability/size	Wifi range is about 3-5 meters only

Update Dec 18, 2016:

Some new findings:

* I used Huawei P9 Android phone as a remote control for the Thetas. The connection was lost several times whenever the distance between Theta S and my phone is more than 3-5 meters.

* Theta is rather fussy with chargers. It refuses to take any charge from all my newer 2.1A chargers: Anker multiport 2.1A charger (with IQ), Mi 10400mAh powerbank, Mi 20000mAh powerbank. But it seems to be happy with my puny 10-year old Eveready 0.5A powerbank.

 

[rty]

Click on the THETA logo at the bottom left of each image to view its larger version.
[theta360]dILdhNaAsQIzGLlbQQNTpmYIG[/theta360]

[theta360]grwQEqxOUExUa5W9HFzFb5q5s[/theta360]
Tampines River

[theta360]p1sYIcGpjbbAhhYcBZJxCZwyC[/theta360]
Tampines Eco Green is on the other side of the river. I don't know why I started to hate my own thumb.


Some of the photos were taken using this DIY monopod made from a $2 selfie stick and a $5 pocket tripod.

 

[ed9119]

niceeeee now u got me tempted

 

[pinholecam]

Nice review!

Ricoh Theta was in fact the first of such 360 cameras to come out, and at time of launch, most pundits thought it was a "stupid item" with nothing related to 'serious photography'.
2-3yrs later, and I think the buying market has proven otherwise.

Its good to see a camera company think outside the box and and coming up with something different.

I do think the concept will be big with cycling and other outdoor activities.

 

[ranchy]

Thank you for the review.

It is a fun camera with the right size.

One day, i will take up my own challenge and own one :X

 

[rty]

Hello guys, here's another sample of a shot in manual mode. ISO-100, 1/8000




Click on the image to view the full 360 spherical version

 

[rty]

Sample of indoor low-light shot (hand-held)


Click on the image