Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Ricoh Theta S Digital Camera (Black)

Straight to the point - The beginning of more immersive photos and videos. Best tech right now

DendriticInvader

Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2016

The media could not be loaded.

First off, the reason I bought this is because of my interest in the latest tech. I've recently been getting into virtual reality (VR) and more immersive experiences. I heard about this item and couldn't help myself. Overall, I love my purchase and would buy it again. Hope this review helps you decide whether or not to purchase the camera.

My video is segmented into 4 different parts:
1: Design - how it looks and feels compared to others
2: Simple button functions
3. Phone connection and use with the app (VR and 360 preview)
4. Pictures with a video at the end ( unfortunately Amazon doesn't render the 360 video experience so you can't use it like its meant to be used. However, you get to see a bit of what its like.)

360 video capturing used to be a very expensive and tedious task- that is you had to purchase several cameras and align them then stitch the video together.That is where Ricoh came in. Ricoh started their 360 cameras several years ago and has seen much improvement since.
This Theta s is a big improvement from the previous m15 model. Why?
1. Full 1080p HD video and pictures at 14MP.
2. Less stitched up looking videos as experienced with the m15.
3. You get 25 minutes of video recording in one sitting vs 6 minutes on the m15.
4. Internal memory has been extended to 8GB
5. You get live preview with this model prior to taking your picture.
6. Sound quality has improved immensely - giving you more immersion.
7. Battery life has been extended. Albeit not by much.

This is a great introductory product for getting into the VR revolution that is predicted to boom this year with the release of VR headsets everywhere. It has a very sleek design with 2 cameras front and back that use fish eye view to stitch the photos and give a 360 experience. It comes with a case so as to protect the lenses when stored. They do have cases for this camera online so no worries there if you feel you need a better one. Underneath the device you can attach a stand that will be necessary as you'll see blurred pictures if you're moving too fast. The video has no problem with this. As far the tech goes, its still in its early stages and the quality of video is at its best without breaking the bank. Unfortunately, when uploading to Youtube you do get loss of quality which due to Youtube compression itself. Again, the tech is still climbing and this is where the standard is right now. The camera is at its best when taking pictures. The pictures are amazing and really good quality. To take pictures is simple. You click and voila the picture is stitched in the camera itself. If you do not want to be in the picture you can simply download the free app (iOS and Android) and use that to take the picture. You can connect to the camera using wifi and you get a distance of about 30 feet depending on how many walls are in between you and the camera. The app also allows you to preview the picture before its taken so you don't have to worry about not getting what you want. Additionally you can tweak the cameras settings to get an optimized image. The app software also allows you to experience your photos in Virtual Reality. Although it achieves this by giving you the same image twice - so you don't get a parallax effect. Thought there is software that allows you this opportunity. Overall, If you're looking to get started with the boom of VR and don't want to invest too much money this is the way to go!
Comment with questions if you need clarification or if I missed something. Hope I helped in your decision.

20 people found this helpful

Kindle Customer

Woweeeeee... Love It!

Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2016

AWESOME!! I received this camera yesterday and I really really really like it and the technology driving it -- it's super simple to setup and use -- it feels like you're holding a substantial remote control, the exterior has some type of material which gives you a bit more confidence that it won't slip from your grip -- for good reason too, the lens glass bulges from both sides of the devise -- my feeling is the camera could suffer major damage if you should drop it -- not that any camera wouldn't, but this one seems especially susceptible to scratches... just be careful....

I posted a few pictures to Facebook, which has recently added 360 functionality to the service(folks went wild over it) -- still picture quality was good, not great -- but the tech is so darn cool, that I'm happy with the results -- I know that future products will only get better -- I also took the pictures, with the capture button on the camera -- you have a bit more control over settings when using the smartphone app to capture, but it's kind of cumbersome to pull out your phone, turn on wifi and connect -- blah, blah, blah...

I shot a short video and used the Ricoh editing app for Mac to stitch it together -- video quality isn't as good as still pictures, not to mention if you're moving there's no stabilization, so anyone watching a video where the camera is moving might experience motion sickness if you're watching for a long time in an immersive situation. The Ricoh editing app, also crashed while I was using it, at which time I left it for another day-- the Andriod phone app seems to do a much better job...

That said, maybe some type of steady cam device would render a better result with the video -- I'm planning on doing a surround recording with a tetramic and this camera, if Amazon let's me post the link from youtube -- I'll be back to add to this review...

Anyway... I think all of those issues are small, because this thing is AWESOME!! We're only at the forefront of this type of product, so I'm really excited to see what comes next....

Solid consumer 360 degree camera.

vngo

Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2015

If you are expecting a pro level high resolution VR camera, then this camera is not for you. It takes several cameras and hours of editing to produce high definition 360 content. There is a 360 gopro rig that can produce much higher quality video for over 10 times the cost of this camera. What I feel this camera is best for is to make 360 videos more accessible to the average consumer. I'm sure the overall quality of videos will get better with each generation. We will probably see a 1440p video resolution for the next theta s generation.

Picture quality- Picture quality is a huge step up from the previous theta m15 model. Long exposures with a tripod produces clean and relatively detailed low light shots. Noise reduction mode works well to lower visible noise and increase sharpness. Connecting to a smartphone also opens up additional shooting modes and offers a live preview. You can also connect the camera to the google street view app and upload photo spheres to maps. The theta app also allows the option to move photos directly to your smartphone. These photos can be backup via google photos and viewed as photo spheres in the google app/webpage. The camera does struggle somewhat with scenes of varying exposures. The new firmware 1.21 does introduce HDR, which helps bring out more detail in shadows, but is overly saturated. The HDR option also introduces increased chromatic aberrations, especially in sunny conditions. Fortunately, you can edit these images and still be able to view them in 360. Overall, I found the images to be great and the 360 nature makes for an engaging viewing experience.

Video quality- Overall for $349 dollar device, I found the video quality to be adequate. There is a definite lack of resolution compared to a standalone video camera but the 360 nature of these videos makes for an engaging experience. The ability to change the view allows you the experience the video in ways a standard camera can’t offer. The video is defined not by its resolution but by its ability to offer a new way of interaction.
Overall, The product is an evolutionary advancement to consumer 360 cameras. Here is a link to view my photo samples in 360.

https://theta360.com/users/52458

3 people found this helpful

Great still camera, overstated video quality and frustrating software.

Seth Ward

Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2015

The camera itself is a lot of fun. Photo quality is great, and you can create some really fun shots even from a quick set-up. I appreciate the ease of use, especially after using Gigapan Epic, which has tremendous output at the cost of much time and effort.

Video is a bit of a disappointment. You can also do some fun things, but Ricoh is overselling the video quality. There may well be enough pixels to count as 1080p, but this is when you are looking at the full image peeled out onto a flat projection. Viewing any part of the image in spherical video is, of course, much lower quality. I am struggling to figure out a workflow to get a presentable quality video onto YouTube.

Which leads me to the real disappointment of this kit: the software. It's terrible. Documentation is non existent. Labels and tooltips have been poorly translated into English, making it hard to understand what different actions are really doing. Share options in iOS are inconsistent between photos (upload to Ricoh gallery only) and videos (limited share sheet, missing some standard options). The Theta+ app does not offer an iPad version, and the output of edited photos is down-sampled and trimmed to the dimensions of an iPhone screen. I've found I get the best output by simply positioning the view and taking a screen shot. The Mac desktop software is worthless to me as the camera drive doesn't mount correctly in El Capitan. Also worth noting that while Theta S is "compatible" with Google Business View, if you're looking to be a certified BV photographer, this camera doesn't have high enough resolution output to qualify your shots for that approval.

Overall, it's a great addition to my photo gear, and I'm glad I made the purchase. For still spherical photos, the Ricoh S is tops, and very easy to use. If your main use will be video you might want to shop around or wait for next year's version. I will look into 3rd-party apps and edit my review if it improves the experience any.

7 people found this helpful

Awesome little camera that takes decent 360 pictures and videos.

j031

Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2016

This product takes 360 degree photos or videos with one click of the button on the device. You can also pair with wifi to your mobile phone and control it through the phone. When attached to the phone it allows you to preview what the shot will look like. You also have complete control of the camera settings so you can adjust for lighting, etc.The pictures are decent quality and can be uploaded to Facebook and then displayed as in a 360 mode that Facebook supports natively now.

I've included a photo I took with the camera on a tripod/selfie stick in a frontier house in smoky mountain national park. I'm around one of the corners controlling with my phone. I uploaded it a full resolution, not sure if Amazon will down size it.

A couple of things that will get you started faster:
1. Download the Theta + and Theta S apps on your phone.
2. If you don't want your hand to look distorted set the camera on a flat surface and control with your phone or use a selfie stick and control with your phone. I got this selfie stick as it includes a mini-tripod on the bottom, Smatree® SmaPole Q3 Telescoping Pole / Selfie Stick +Folding 3 Legs Support Stand for GoPro Hero, Hero4, Hero3+/3/2/1 hd Cameras & 1/4" Threaded Hole Compact Cameras & Cell Phones, With Cell Phone Holder +Tripod Mount Adapter +Thumbscrew .
3. When taking a picture it puts the center of the image or the focus on the side opposite the picture taking button. So if you are taking a selfie it will look better if you put the button away from you and then struggle to find the button. This will put you in the initial focus and center when it stitches if not viewing in a 360 viewer.
4. When you share as a text message or email, which is pretty easy since it syncs with your phone, it will send as a "flattened" picture that looks a little distorted if you send as is. I would recommend downloading the Theta + app so you can edit the photos easily.
5. Sometimes, items close to the camera aren't stitch perfectly but it is still very good most of the time.

From a Theta m15 and Giroptic 360cam owner.

Allen C. Huffman

Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2016

Fantastic upgrade from the Ricoh Theta m15, and WAY BETTER overall than the 360cam from Giroptic.

My first experience with 360 photos was an old mirror attachment (SurroundPhoto) that connected to a normal camera. You would shoot images with the camera pointing up, and software would convert the round image in to a panorama. Those images had limited up/down viewing (they could not look directly up or down at all), and the setup was fragile and bulky.

When I learned of the Giroptic 360cam Kickstarter back in 2014, I signed up. They did not even come close to making their original delivery date of November 2014 -- I received my unit in summer of 2016! During the time I was waiting, I found out about the Ricoh Theta m15 (the second model). I bought one, and thought it was great, but the image quality was not great, and it did not have good low-light capability.

When the Theta S was announced, I sold my m15 and went to order the new model. Unfortunately, it was back ordered for months (I should have checked that before selling my m15). While I was waiting, my 360cam finally arrived. The Theta has spoiled me with how fast it was, and how convienient (it easily fits in a pocket). The 360cam was bulky and had such a large base, you could not look directly down (it would put a circular graphic at the bottom of the image). It was also painfully slow -- taking almost a minute just to turn on, and nearly as long to switch from photo to video mode. After a week of using it, I sold it and used the money to buy a Theta S.

The Theta S is everything the m15 was, but better. Better pictures in daylight, and much better pictures in low light. The controls are improved -- you can toggle between video and photo mode with a dedicated button (the earlier models required you to hold down a button while powering up). The power, WiFi and mode buttons are very simple. The only thing you need to remember is how to enable the new self-timer mode (that requires holding down WiFi while powering up).

The camera can be customized (self timer duration, etc.) using a mobile app. I have used the iOS app on my iPad and an old iPhone. The Theta can act like a WiFi base, and you connect your phone to it then run the app. You can trigger the camera via the phone, or toggle modes and adjust settings. You can also get a live preview of what the camera is seeing - very useful.

I was able to take about 350 pictures once day, and a short video (a few minutes lone) on a single batter charge. The next day, I took 100-200 more photos, and a 10+ minute video, and still have plenty of battery left. And, I never had to download to free up memory. The internal memory is more than enough for tons of photos.

I expect doing nothing but video shooting and using WiFi would fill up memory and run down batteries much faster ;-)

The only negative I have seen is an annoying red spot that appears in images taken in sunlight. From reading posts online, this is a defect of how the lenses work -- though I never noticed this with the m15. The spot is in different locations, too, so unless you use the video preview on a phone, I don't know if you can do anything to control where it will be when taking a photo in bright light.

Overall, I love this device. It's super easy to use, and you can share photos to Facebook and they play back in 360. You can also upload to the Theta website (public searchable, or unlisted to only those you give the link to can see it). There are also free plug ins for websites to let visitors view these photos. I use one of them on my Wordpress blog site.

I wish Ricoh had included a belt strap on the camera case like the m15 came with. I liked being able to carry it on my belt rather than have to carry a pouch or camera bag with me.

I will update this review with more details if my opinions change after using it for a few more months.

5 people found this helpful

This camera has serious issues with 360 video.. NOT ACCEPTABLE

Roman Pennington

Reviewed in the United States on December 24, 2016

Update: After owning this camera for awhile, I went back to edit my review and lower it, but I had already given in 1/5 stars. Most recently, the unit would not turn on. We had 2 Thetas set up to take pictures at an event and sometimes these things don't turn on when you want. I don't know if it has something to do with the battery level or what, but it's very annoying. User-un-friendly.

This camera works well for still images, but for video, it's still not out of "alpha" status. The format the camera writes video files to is not compatible with anything... anything.. not even Ricoh's own systems. The video has to be converted into "spherical format" before it can be used. And Ricoh's software that does this is clunky and error-prone IF it works at all. (On my Win7 machine it gave an ambiguous error message saying I lacked the proper "graphics functions" whatever that means.. it still did the conversion but it said in lower resolution).

YouTube does support 360 video with the latest software, but it's nowhere near the high resolution you might expect, and it apparently takes an hour or more of post-processing after upload before the video will even appear as a 360 format, which will make you feel like somethings not working after it says the video is available and doesn't display it properly, nor does it say it's still processing the 360 version. For live video, that's just not practical right now. UVC Blender - a live video app that is available, will not install on my computer. The meta app Ricoh/YouTube recommends to help, also won't run properly so editing 360 video will destroy the meta tags and cause problems with later display. I have to wonder if they even tested these things... I have a very generic Win7 setup that should easily support these systems yet they barf and won't install or run properly.

Another problem with this camera: It's USB 2.0, not 3.0. And there's no removable storage, so if you record a lot of stuff, it'll take 40+ minutes to copy the data to your computer.

I really wanted to like this camera, but it's not ready for prime time. And it appears mainly to be software issues. Shame on you Ricoh!

2 people found this helpful

Almost perfect, no real competition (yet)

Michael Ellars

Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2015

I've had this camera for about two weeks now. It's technically a "work camera" but I borrowed it for "field testing" during an international trip. So far, it has far exceeded all expectations. It is not without its share of problems, but it's clearly better than anything else on the market at this price point.

PROS:
+ The "wow factor" is off the chart (at least for now). Even fairly technical people are blown away by the scrollable pictures and videos.
+ Dual lenses. Most of the competition uses a single lens, meaning you necessarily end up with a blind spot. The dual fish-eye lenses have fields of view that overlap just beyond the camera body, meaning very little falls outside its gaze. I tell my subjects, "If you can see the camera, it can see you."
+ The auto-stitching algorithm is fairly good at editing out the camera itself without cutting out anything else. The stitching in still photos is obvious only within a few inches of the camera, but sometimes it's really apparent in videos.
+ Smartphone app control. If I can't have a display on the device, at least there is a sweet and feature-rich control app. Much of the app's is not immediately obvious/somewhat esoteric (so -1 star), but it's still about as good as the manual controls on my point-and-shoot camera.
+ The compact form factor is amazing. It fits well even in jeans pockets (mens, front -- don't sit on it in a back pocket, which I hope should be obvious). My big discovery for field use is to attach this lightweight camera to a small flexible magnetic tripod that can then be "attached" to a variety of surfaces. Think an overhead metal window frame, a steel guard rail, or a metal sign.
+ Battery life seems very decent. I haven't completely run out of power yet, but a full charge apparently takes 4 hours or so. (My initial charge took about 3 hours.)
+ There are a lot of potentially game-changing commercial applications. Real estate previews, architectural/survey documentation, guided tours, etc. The tie-in to Cardboard for still images and YouTube's 360 Channel for videos is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

SO-SOS:
÷ The "wireless" connection is via WiFi. My guess is that this has to do with bandwidth. Some other reviews complain about using WiFi rather than Bluetooth, but I for one appreciate not having to use another battery-draining radio signal (I already have WiFi on most of the time, but adding Bluetooth drains my phone in less than an hour). The only downside to this for me is that it's annoying to have to switch between WiFi networks, which also means you can't stream at all and you have to switch back to a "real" network to share/upload. On the plus side, I can get about 20-25 feet away -- beyond the camera's view, like in another room -- and still control the shutter.
÷ Shutter delay when not using the smartphone app (i.e., when manually pressing the button on the camera) is nearly zero, but there's still a second or two needed between consecutive pictures.
÷ Built-in connections. There's a standard micro USB connection and a not-so-standard mini-HDMI connection. I haven’t used the latter but the former seems to work as expected. (You can also transfer files over the WiFi connection to a smartphone via the app.) Most important is the standard tripod mount, which allows the use of a variety of camera accessories. A handle of some kind (or short tripod) is highly recommended, best with a wrist strap.

CONS:
- Works best with a tripod. There is no good way to hold the camera in your hand that doesn’t result in an odd/awkward view of your hand and (usually) arm.
- It's hard to judge the focal distance and resulting clarity of the image, at least at first. I'm sure that will lessen as I use the camera more, but for now I recommend having the primary subject(s) within 3 feet (1 meter) of the camera.
- The included camera "case" is just a thin neoprene sleeve. Supposedly that's enough to protect the glass lenses, but I don't like how tightly the sleeve slides over the lenses, which bulge out from the camera body by about 1/8" or so. My solution is to use a small lint-free cloth (originally designed for eyeglass cleaning) draped over the top of the camera, covering the lenses with a scratch-free material as the neoprene slides over that. Bonus: The same cloth can be used to clean the lenses should they get smudged. (-1 star for not including the $0.25 cloth to begin with.)
- No native display, just a couple of potentially ambiguous LEDs. This design decision was probably made for a combination of price, size, weight and battery life reasons. While the smartphone app is useful, I'd like an option to use the camera with more control than just "still/video" and "start/stop" options.
- WiFi signal loss can be very frustrating. It doesn't happen often, but from time to time the WiFi connection between smartphone app and camera gets "lost" and both must be rebooted.
- When using the smartphone app, there is a delay between shots because each picture must be processed and downloaded. It takes 20-30 seconds or so to round-trip between pictures.

Bottom Line: This is a great gadget for the value. I am really looking forward to future developments in this direction of technology. If you're the type that doesn't like to wait, it's worth getting right now. The few specific annoyances are greatly outweighed by the general awesomeness of this innovative product.

2 people found this helpful

Nearly perfect. An awesome value and highly recommended product.

ReviewsByDeal

Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2015

If you are expecting pro quality video, you are looking at the wrong camera, but those are an order of magnitude more expensive. For the market it serves, this camera is nearly flawless. I will not go into hyper-technical detail with this review, but simply explain why as a casual user this is one fantastic value.

First of all, before you even turn it on, the camera feels nice. It has a nice weight and solid build quality that makes it not feel like it is going to fall apart at a moments notice. The first thing you'll notice are the big fish eye lenses on both sides and if you are like me will religiously protected those lenses from scratches by keeping it in the cushioned case and always have a secure grip on it. Although it is cheaper than some, it is still too expensive of a camera to not handle sure-handedly.

The user interface is a little clunky. It is not very intuitive, which is one of the reasons why this didn't get a 5 star review. After you learn how it is supposed to work, it all makes sense, but expect some minor frustration with it at first.

The stills are phenomenal. It is sensitive to low light conditions, as at higher ISO, the noise ruins the image, but with any normal lighting you would have in an occupied building it works great. The shutter is a little slow, in auto, but you can set ISO or shutter priority or use Auto to satisfy your needs of the moment. I posted some of my 3-d shots on this review, one of a church and one of a field. They look great in my Gear VR and really show you the value of the camera. There was no special preparation for the shots, just point and shoot.

Video, however, is not the greatest quality. It is enough to do some simple projects and learn VR techniques as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the medium, but you will not win any academy awards with it. But it is a $350 camera, so to expect that is a little unreasonable.

The sound is good enough. Generally, I have found that you want VR to be close to your subject since the number of pixels on your subject goes down quickly as they move away. I estimated that you have about 5 pixels per degree, so extending your thumb at arms length would be 10 pixels wide. Your little finger would be 5. So when filming, you want to be close to the camera and therefore the pickup on the mic is pretty good.

If you are expecting zoom, you have come to the wrong place. There is no zoom and really there is no place for it if you are using VR, since it would have to greatly distort your field of view.

The best way to share images is probably with the viewer on the manufacturers website. Some social media sites also support the format. If you have Gear VR, you are in luck because they are available straight away by just downloading them to your linked smartphone. For video, your best bet is YouTube, but you need to download a tool to inject VR metadata. (Google it).

One of two things would have convinced me to give it 5 stars. Easier share options, especially with Gear VR or higher resolution on video. The stills are nearly perfect, but it's clear 1080p is not quite enough for VR, but 4k would likely look marvelous. Maybe the next generation will have it.

This is one of the best gadgets I've owned and with a Samsung Gear VR, you can really enjoy your 360 stills and learn the ropes of 360 video.

7 people found this helpful