[Aristophanes]

Didn't theta symbolize death in Ancient Greece?

[LaurenOE]

Indeed.

Instead:

Wow.

Ricoh: Ok, artist-guy, we have this new 360 degree camera we want you to try.
The image you are going to take with it, will be on our website to highlight the coolness of the product.
You will be amongst the first folks to use the camera, and this will be WORLDWIDE exposure for you and your work.

Artist-Guy: Great! Sounds like fun!

Ricoh: Ok, here are some Non Disclosure Agreement papers we want you to sign and be sure to promote our product in only the best light.
After all, you are special to Ricoh and were chosen above all other Ricoh and Pentax users to showcase our new product.

Artist-Guy: [inside voice] - Hehe...Pentax? Ricoh?...the joke will be on them when I put my Canon MK-egg-on-your-face-III in the image!

Ricoh: Ok, looks like we are done here! Thanks Artist-Guy!

Months Later.....

Ricoh Marketing Boss: Yep, we got the images from the Artist-Guy, they are ready to put on the web! Do they look good?

Ricoh Marketing Person: Yep. (having not looked at the images or cared even a little bit to look closer or a closet Canon user who loans out Pentax gear to folks that don't shoot Pentax, so sees no problem).

Ricoh Marketing Boss: Cool. (No need to check! Who cares anyway?)

Today......

Voila! We have a Canon camera on launch day in a Ricoh advertisement!

PRICELESS!!!

I just had to go and get a screen grab myself.

[cali92rs]

With 360 degrees, you are never "behind" the shutter.

Good point...I could see this as somewhat interesting for doing indoor shots (thinking churches, architecture things like that), but you, the photographer, are always in the shot. How lame.

This thing is too expensive for the point-and-shoot instagram crowd, too gimmicky for the serious photgraphy crowd.

[MPrince]

Didn't theta symbolize death in Ancient Greece?

Yes, at least in Athens. The letter theta was used as an abbreviation for thanatos (death) and was used as a warning symbol much like the skull & crossbones is used today.

[froeschle]

From my last post here:

I have a mov-example, which I created using pictures of a K10D with a 8mm Fisheye (size is set to about 3.6MB and it looks really good).

Here you go: http://forum.digitalfotonetz.de/download.php?id=18087
Use a QuickTime player to view.
I think the tripod and panoramic head alone were more expensive than the Ricoh Theta.
If one could do something like this with a single shot...

Didn't theta symbolize death in Ancient Greece?

In fact this is a 4π camera.
Solid angle
Spherical coordinates are determined by (r,θ,φ).
Spherical coordinate system
φ is integrated over 2π or 360°.
The integration over θ yields the 4π.
The Ricoh Theta 360° so makes some sense - at least for marketing guys.

[panoguy]

Dear great gravy boats, those sample panos all suck (except the background of the minisite, which says "not shot with a Theta").

When I first saw the giant prototype way back when, I contacted Pentax Canada and US (no contacts in Japan) showing them just what I could do with such a cam to make them look good. I helped develop and demo a similar (3 lens) product called a Girocam, and showed them what I could do even with this low-tech stuff.... Crickets, and now this?

[Aristophanes]

Love the concept, but the price is insane for such a limited use product. It's a novelty camera. Fun, but nowhere near $399 fun.

Now I am starting to wonder if Ricoh, even after the decent price n the GR, has drunk some Kool-Aid from the price demons. Between this (and based on the Engadget review it looks like a bit of a brand media fiasco) and the new HD Limited prices, we see a company out of touch not just with its base, but reviewers, retailers....and everyone.

[reeftool]

Not anything that interests me. A Go Pro is a similar wide angle camera and is much more versatile.

[ak_kiwi]

Personally I like what Ricoh is doing - forget the type of camera and look at the fact they are getting into wireless, apps for phones and connections with Microsoft programs as examples.
I look forward to what is released between now and Christmas.

[D1N0]

Now put two 41mp nokia sensors in it and it would be awesome!

[RonHendriks1966]

Wow.

Ricoh: Ok, artist-guy, we have this new 360 degree camera we want you to try.
The image you are going to take with it, will be on our website to highlight the coolness of the product.
You will be amongst the first folks to use the camera, and this will be WORLDWIDE exposure for you and your work.

Artist-Guy: Great! Sounds like fun!

Ricoh: Ok, here are some Non Disclosure Agreement papers we want you to sign and be sure to promote our product in only the best light.
After all, you are special to Ricoh and were chosen above all other Ricoh and Pentax users to showcase our new product.

Artist-Guy: [inside voice] - Hehe...Pentax? Ricoh?...the joke will be on them when I put my Canon MK-egg-on-your-face-III in the image!

Ricoh: Ok, looks like we are done here! Thanks Artist-Guy!

Months Later.....

Ricoh Marketing Boss: Yep, we got the images from the Artist-Guy, they are ready to put on the web! Do they look good?

Ricoh Marketing Person: Yep. (having not looked at the images or cared even a little bit to look closer or a closet Canon user who loans out Pentax gear to folks that don't shoot Pentax, so sees no problem).

Ricoh Marketing Boss: Cool. (No need to check! Who cares anyway?)

Today......

Voila! We have a Canon camera on launch day in a Ricoh advertisement!

PRICELESS!!!

I just had to go and get a screen grab myself.

A few years ago when Canon took Océ over there was a first siteseeing from some Canon bigshots and prior to that there was a preparationteam to inspect Océ. Lot's off media offcourse that day. The housephotographer used Nikon progear wich was almost brandnew. It was removed from the premises and a new set off Canon progear was moved in that morning.

I would love to do that job for Ricoh, since you have to see every little detail.

[6BQ5]

I'm neutral on the Theta and that's because I see it as a gadget vs. a traditional photographic tool which would suit me better. This targeted to the younger crowd with some cash from a new job (or those willing to go into debt) who want to make "cool videos" filled with loud music. It's for the hipster artists who want to be creative in a way that is not me. That's fine with me. The pricing is really high and I think that will hamper sales. Those who pay $400 may have very high expectations and woe to them if those $400 valued expectations are not met!

[6BQ5]

Q hardly sells well if there's no special sale of it. And I think that will remain the recipe for selling the Q in large quantities. And I think that is how mirrorless market works anyway. And Pentax was prepared for it.

Because any kit with a new Q body lands in prices that some Nex or m4/3 goes on fire-sale, and then Q *is perceived* as not as good value as other "more capable" cameras. However, best part is, if Pentax / Ricoh is still earning money and not losing it — and I suspect they still earn money from Q sales — it's good.

That whole mirrorless market is cursed; cameras lose value so quickly, any money made is made in the introduction of a model, and in the end in fire sales, so the guy who has the lowest expenses overall, wins in the long run. That is why I have always beleved that only Pentax has done the mirrorless homework well.

Ricoh/Pentax, like any company, wants to sell their products at the absolute maximum price possible. There will be those who pay $500 for the Q7 in the beginning to be the first to try something (early adopters). Then the "on-sale" bunch will chime in at the $400 level. Bargain hunters will wait for the $350 level. And then there will be fire-sale people who will wait for $275. That's when the Q70 (or whatever the successor will be call) shall be released. Whatever money they haven't made up for from the sale of the camera will come from lenses and other accessories. Long term, Ricoh/Pentax will make money on the Q7 system if they manage the price and accessories right.

Same thing goes with the Theta although I didn't see what accessories they can get customers for. Maybe that will come later.

[mecrox]

Didn't theta symbolize death in Ancient Greece?

According to Wikipedia: "In classical Athens ... theta was used as a warning symbol of death, in the same way that skull and crossbones are used in modern times. It survives on potsherds used by Athenians when voting for the death penalty.[2] Petrus de Dacia in a document from 1291 relates the idea that theta was used to brand criminals as empty ciphers, and the branding rod was affixed to the crossbar spanning the circle." Yikes. OTOH, the ancient Egyptains apparently used it as a symbol of the cosmos "with a fiery circle representing the world, and a snake spanning the middle representing Agathos Daimon (literally: good spirit)". So, does owning the C21 version brand you with the Mark of the Beast?

[D1N0]

I imagine that in this case it had to do with geometry: Spherical coordinate system - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia