Site Supporter Registered: April, 2011 Location: Oxford Posts: 160
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| | Review Date: August 29, 2017 | I can recommend the Ricoh Theta S: Yes |
Price: $300.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | a new perspective on photography | | Cons: | resolution not yet high enough in movie mode | |
The Theta S creates spherical images without having to take and stitch multiple shots or without breaking the bank for a complex rig and compositing software. It is simplicity itself in use.
There are now others breaking into this market, but Ricoh has stolen a march with the Theta and look to be staying ahead of the pack. If you buy one, you'll need an iphone or android phone to operate it effectively. Although it is also possible to use it as a stand alone camera, you wont see what you are taking or have taken without the phone. Windows phone doesn't support it, (I have a Nokia 1020 so depend on my partner allowing me to use her iphone if I want to preview or review my shots).
There are a number of accessories which I consider essential:
1. Protective neoprene cover with easily removable cap
2. Remote control shutter (wired usb)
3. Long selfie stick - unless you want your thumb and finger to feature prominently in images.
4. Extension stud so that usb remote can be connected
5. Monopod (with wide three toed foot so that it can be left standing without being held up)
6. If you want weather proofing, a perspex enclosure (like an inverted test tube)
and there are other attachments available from third party suppliers.
The selfie stick and a free standing monopod are, in my opinion essential, ironically because I don't like to photograph myself. Set it up and walk away, controling the shutter with your phone. If you are walking around with it, a long selfie stick puts you far enough away to not be too dominant in the resulting images. I don't worry about holding it level or vertical - the images are a 360° rotatable sphere.
Creative possibilities are endless. Don't ask me why but I have an image of the inside of my computer, and another inside my mouth checking my teeth, ( a tiger recently copied this idea with Nikon's equivalent) and I'm constantly looking for something or somewhere new to photograph. It is a fantastic camera for quirky architectural interiors. Inside a forest, or even in the middle of a trees are favourite locations, it's also a half decent movie camera although resolution needs to improve in this respect (Ricoh are working on it!) One of its nice features is that you don't have to point it at someone to photograph them, for example, leave it in the middle of a table at a meeting, and everyone is given equal coverage. It is quite an unobtrusive device. The viewer decides who to point the mouse at, place centre screen and zoom in on. It is an amazing panorama camera, a delight for landscape photographers.
Some drawbacks: Purple fringing is sometimes an issue, it doesn't function well with traditional software (LR and Photoshop) yet.The lens glass is vulnerable - take care and always use a protective hood when not in use (not supplied). Resolution is ok but needs to improve for movies. This is in the pipeline and when it arrives the new Theta will deserve a score of 10.
Nice things: It makes itself (and suitably slim selfie sticks) invisible, it's a lot of fun, it generates a fully immersive photograph - if you want to use a headset for viewing purposes you will find yourself in the centre of a 360 degree (vertical as well as horizontal) spherical image (personally I don't like headsets). It has a plethora of uses which most of us haven't even begun to realise. I like walking with it on a monopod and remote control, lifting it to random shots, and review pictures back at home. Great for 'small planet' photographs. Ricoh have released code to enable third parties to develop innovative software add-ons and new apps. Supported by Keenai (Ricoh's unlimited raw, jpeg and movie cloud storage).
Most importantly the Theta it is fun to use - its images give us a new perspective on life and the world around us.
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