Ricoh Theta S Review

Operation and Theta App

The Theta S is very simple to operate in its standalone shooting mode.  To capture a photo, just turn the camera on with the On/Off button on the side, hold the camera up high and press the big shutter button on the front. For movie clips, hit the Still/Movie toggle on the side, press the shutter button to start recording and press it again to stop recording. 

When needed, the camera automatically corrects the orientation of still files, so you never have to worry about holding the Theta perfectly level.

An electronic shutter sound will chime every time you capture a photo or start video recording.  This sound can be disabled only through the smartphone app.

A notable improvement over previous Theta models is that LED indicators on the front show the state of operation: a blue light above the shutter button means that the camera is ready and a blue camera icon below the shutter button shows that the camera is in still photography mode. In movie mode a video camera icon is shown, and in live stream mode the word LIVE appears below the icon:

Theta S in live streaming mode

• Blue: Ready to shoot
• Flashing blue: Sleep mode. Sleep mode is entered after a set time (default is 5 minutes)
• Red: Either the camera is in live streaming mode, or an error has occurred related to the electronic compass/orientation sensor. It needs to be re-calibrated as described in the user's manual. Videos can still be captured.
• Flashing red: Some error state has occurred. Shooting not possible
• Unlit: Shooting not possible. This can have several reasons here under no more space in the memory, movie shooting in progress, or power is off

The time stamp of the images will only be set correctly if the camera has been connected at least once to the Theta S app.

Shooting with the Theta S Smart Phone App

The new dedicated smartphone/tablet app for the Theta S (called RICOH THETA S in Google Play and the Apple App Store) is free to download and gives users access to a host of additional functionality.  Most importantly, it can be used to view photos and control the camera remotely with live view.  Other features include the ability to manually adjust exposure settings, activate interval shooting, share on Facebook/Twitter, and transfer files.

Theta S app in Google Play

At first sight, the Theta S app looks very similar to the previous Theta app used with the original Theta and the Theta m15.  While it's home screen is not the most intuitive, once you connect to the Theta and experiment a little, things start to make sense.

You must first connect your device to the Theta's Wi-Fi network.  To do so, select the appropriate network from your phone's Wi-Fi menu, and enter the password as it appears on the sticker underneath the Theta.  Note that the first two letters are not part of the password, which consists of just 8 numbers.  The sticker on the Theta S we tested reads: XS00 138295 (printed on two lines).  Thus, the password would be 00138295.  This password is also part of the camera's network name (SSID), which is not a particularly clever choice when it comes to security.

The app's home screen includes three buttons: "App", "Photos", and "Camera".  "App" allows you to browse spherical files that have been downloaded to your smartphone from the camera.  "Photos" allows you to browse spherical files that have been stored elsewhere on the phone (this isn't an option you'll be accessing frequently).  Finally, "Camera" lets you see the files currently stored on the camera.  This is also where you can initiate file transfers.

Theta S app home (Android version)

Below these options is a large icon that shows whether or not the Theta is connected to your device.  The footer of the app includes 3 buttons: a shortcut to the camera manual (this will open your web browser), access to remote shooting, and access to camera settings.

"App" Button

The "App" screen is fairly straightforward: you can browse files on your device (sorted by date) and optionally delete files.  Tapping on a file will let you view it, pan, and zoom.  Both photos and videos are supported— previous versions of the Theta (and the corresponding app) only supported viewing of still photos.

The screenshots below illustrate still and video playback:

Panning and zooming are supported for both.

"Photos" Button

The second button will first ask you whether you want to open a photo or a video.  Once you make a selection, the app will open your device's native photo gallery app, through which you can browse for the file you want to open.

This is only useful if you've manually transferred spherical files to a different location than the default folder created by the Theta app.  Thus, we think this option should be removed entirely, or at least hidden away.

"Camera" Button

This screen allows you to easily transfer files and see which ones have already been transferred.  As in the "App" view, both photos and videos are supported; video transfers are new to the Theta S.

Wireless file transfer speeds will vary depending on how far away your Theta is.  It's best to keep the camera next to your device, as speeds can slow down significantly even at a distance of just a few meters.

It's convenient that the app shows which files have already been transferred.  This page could benefit from a "back" button to return to the home screen.

Remote Shooting

Tapping on the Theta logo at the bottom of the app will put you in remote shooting mode.  Completely new to the Theta S is live view: you can see what the camera sees either as a panorama or as a fullscreen image.  The panorama view is default, but this can be changed in the settings menu.  Due to the small size of the panorama, we prefer the fullscreen view on a smartphone.

When the full-screen view is selected, both panning and zooming is possible, as shown below:

We find the live view mode to be a fantastic addition to the Theta S; this feature was at the top of our wishlist after we reviewed the Theta m15.  While the live view resolution or framerate isn't stellar (about 480x360px per lens at 10 FPS), it's more than sufficient for effective composition and timing of captures.

The still shooting mode supports auto, shutter priority, ISO priority, and manual exposure.  The aperture value is not adjustable as it is fixed.  In auto mode, an exposure compensation value can be dialed in.  All modes also support white balance adjustment.  Note that in standalone mode (i.e. without the Theta S app), the Theta S will only shoot in auto mode.

After a photo is captured, you have the option to instantly review it, if the corresponding setting is enabled.

Manual exposure mode

Another new feature in the Theta S is the ability to switch to video mode directly through the app.  Simply tap on the camera icon at the top of the screen to access video mode.

The Theta S allows for larger video files (up to 1080/30p, half of the frame per lens) than the Theta m15.  You can also record much longer clips.  A smaller 720/15p resolution is available for quick snaps.

Video recording screen

We did not find overheating to be an issue with the camera while indoors, though the camera body itself does warm up fairly quickly.  The temperature never reached uncomfortable levels during our testing.

Note that live view is not available in video mode.  This would have been a handy feature, but it is likely beyond the processing capabilities of the current Theta hardware.

Settings

The settings screen is accessed through the cog wheel icon at the bottom of the app.  The most notable setting is the live view mode (panorama or full screen); live view can also be disabled to conserve power.  The remaining settings are self-explanatory.

Settings screen

This screen has been simplified considerably compared to previous versions of the app.  The Theta S app will no longer move photos from the camera (thus deleting them from the internal storage); photos must be deleted manually via the app or a USB connection.  Several other less useful settings have also been removed.

USB Mode

When connected to a computer via USB, the Theta will show up as a USB storage drive, just like any other Pentax camera. You can download or transfer photos (and even other files) to the camera's internal memory (7.5Gb of the 8Gb is user-accessible).

Live Streaming

The Theta also supports live streaming at 720/15p.  Live streaming can be done via USB or HDMI; the latter delivers slightly better image quality.  We tested live streaming using just a USB cord.  Note that the camera also charges over USB, so it won't run out of power while streaming assuming your USB port delivers a sufficient current.

Live streaming is activated by pressing the power button and the video button simultaneously while the camera is connected to a computer (in Theta m15 style).  The power light will turn red and the "live" light will illuminate on the camera body.

Capturing the live stream requires the installation of the "Theta UVC Register" driver application, which can be downloaded from the Theta web site under the "live streaming app" heading.  If you are using Windows 10, run this app in Windows 7 compatibility mode in order to avoid installation errors.  A Mac version is also available.

Once you install and run this program (when the Theta is connected), the Theta will be registered as a live streaming device.  Its audio/video feed can then be viewed and captured by free software such as MPC-HC.

Live streaming using MPC-HC

The Theta S user manual outlines the installation process for both the driver and MPC-HC.

Because the Theta S streams in a relatively low resolution and outputs an unprocessed image, we find the practical applications of the live streaming feature to be limited.   Additional software is needed to convert the raw output shown above into a pannable (or stitched) 360-degree image.  We are not currently aware of any software that does this in real time, though the Theta desktop app can process "raw" spherical video files for uploading to Youtube, etc.

Users interested in live spherical streaming for professional applications may wish to consider products such as the Orah 4i, which records at 4k/30p and includes software to process the output image.

Ricoh Theta Desktop App

The Theta S is compatible with the same desktop application as the Theta m15.  This app lets you view spherical photos and videos on your computer.  It also allows you to upload photos to theta360.com, which can in turn be shared on social media or even on the forum (using SPHERICAL BBCode).

Sample photo by JohnMFlores from the forum (view more here)

The desktop app also allows you to update the Theta's firmware.  A notable feature in the latest version of the app is the ability to convert spherical videos for uploading to Youtube with 360-degree panning support.  Previously, a separate script and a bit of technical knowledge was required for this.

The desktop app still requires you to drag-and-drop files from your computer/camera for viewing.  It does not have a photo browser of its own, which makes the user experience more tedious than it ought to be.

Additional Features Through Firmware

The v1.42 firmware update released on March 24, 2016, adds a handy self-timer mode to the Theta S.  To access the self-timer, hold the Wi-Fi button while turning on the camera.  The status LED will light up in green, and in standalone mode, photos will be captured five seconds after the shutter button is pressed.  When connected to the latest version of the Theta S app, the user can also change the self-timer delay.

An earlier update (v1.21) adds support for automatic HDR shooting via the smartphone app.  The HDR option will appear whenever the "auto" exposure mode is selected.

Verdict

Overall, the Theta S represents a considerable step forward over the Theta m15 when it comes to usability and features.  Most importantly, videos can now be viewed through the mobile app, and they can be recorded much more easily than before both through the app and in standalone mode.  Also, the addition of live view greatly increases the camera's versatility. Finally, the improved status lights and extra buttons on the camera make it more intuitive to operate.

Our main complaint does not lie with the camera itself, but rather the UI design of the mobile and desktop apps.  The Theta S app could benefit from an improved navigation system and a more intuitive home screen.  A photo browser similar to the mobile app's "App" view for the desktop app would also be a welcome addition.  Further streamlining of these apps could greatly enhance user-friendliness.