[Aristophanes]

Engadget has a short preview/review of the camera up on the site. They are not really happy with it. $400 is the reason

It's a $79 device. Good luck, Ricoh. Pricing is beyond reason these days.

[MariusCTM]

this is the big announcement? hahaha

[Asahiflex]

The panos are big!

[Cynog Ap Brychan]

In the IFA interview the question about resolution or number of MP was not really answered.
So, what is the best you can get if you connect the device to a PC?
The internal memory (approx. 4 GB) and the storage capacity (approx. 1200 pictures) result in about 3 MB per panorama.
With e.g. 3 bytes of color information per pixel one easily can estimate that this is a "Megapixelcam" (for $399/€399).

I presume its pictures are meant to be viewed on phones and tablets which have a resolution usually in the 2-3 megapixel range. A 3 MB JPEG could hold a fair amount of detail for that purpose. I like it - it's different and innovative, and I hope it succeeds and leads o n to bigger and better things. Will I buy one? No, but then, I'm an old fogey who's happy to be unconnected from the world.

[LaurenOE]

Oh snap.

From Engadget - "Once you're done, plug Theta into your computer using the bundled micro-USB cable to charge it up as you download shots -- each image will appear just like those above and below. What you do from there is up to you, but if you're like us, you might consider boxing this thing back up and shipping it off in exchange for a refund. Those 400 bucks could be put to better use".

Ouch.

1) Happy it says Ricoh on it.
2) Ricoh (hopefully) has exhausted ALL the R&D that Hoya had in the wings, and we can FINALLY move on to some new things.
Then again, there are *just* a few more things in the closet that need to come out. Namely FF.
3) Now I understand why the recent Ricoh branding has co-opted everything Pentax.
I think the industrial Ricoh cameras and the new GR are the only thing that is keeping the Ricoh camera brand alive.
When the soon to be released new Pentax comes along, Ricoh DESPERATELY needs to glean some shine from PENTAX.
"Float-by-association" Ricoh.

[D1N0]

You have to view it in their software i guess. https://theta360.com/en/support/download/

I picked a sample from endgadget and it works.

[fs999]

They cooperated with Microsoft ("revolution in photography")?
Maybe the next Pentax K-? will run Windows 8.

Oh noooooo !!!!

[froeschle]

I presume its pictures are meant to be viewed on phones and tablets which have a resolution usually in the 2-3 megapixel range. A 3 MB JPEG could hold a fair amount of detail for that purpose.

Probably Ricoh counts two pictures per panorama.
Then this would result into about 6 MP for one result.
This goes in line with the 6.4 MP reported by Engadget.
So, in fact, you have two "Megapixelcam"s in one device.

I just wanted to know how useful this could be.
Taking pictures and stitching to get spherical panoramas really is complex and annoying.
Maybe the output (at full resolution) is sufficient for a lot of web applications.

[mamethot]

Ricoh DESPERATELY needs to glean some shine from PENTAX.
"Float-by-association" Ricoh.

Indeed.

Instead:

[Wired]

Indeed.

Instead:

wait, does that say Canon?

[mamethot]

Looks like a big C to me

[siamthai]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=WKZKSWbrHOk#t=13

[cali92rs]

wait, does that say Canon?

I am sure people are going to downplay that, saying "its no big deal, it's just naysayers spouting doom and goom" etc....
But "little" mistakes like that add up and paint a picture of a company that is really in the dark when it comes to managing the brand.

[Mazhe]

Underwhelming, but at least, I laughed when microsoft-guy said that those were announing a future where you don't need to frame your pictures, juste shoot eveything and and crop what you like...

[froeschle]

You have to view it in their software i guess.
I picked a sample from endgadget and it works.

Yes, I also tried it.

Once you're done, plug Theta into your computer using the bundled micro-USB cable to charge it up as you download shots -- each image will appear just like those above and below. What you do from there is up to you

In fact this is good news.
One can e.g. manipulate the output and "correct" the nadir.
It is also possible to create a spherical panorama with other programs.

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).
Unfortunately, I cannot upload this file here as an attachment ("Invalid File") as a comparison.