Ricoh Theta SC - Review 2022

Ricoh is a pioneer in the 360-degree imaging space, releasing its beginning Theta camera in 2022. It has continued to develop the series, adding video along the way. Only even though its latest entry, the Theta SC ($299.99), supports video, it's built around notwithstanding image capture. If video is a priority, you're better off with a unlike camera—the Samsung Gear 360 and Nikon KeyMission 360 are solid choices. Merely if yous're more than interested in even so capture, the Theta SC's ergonomics make it a improve choice.

Blueprint

The Theta SC features a candy bar design—slim, long, and hands held in the hand. Information technology measures five.1 past i.8 by 0.9 inches (HWD) and weighs a mere three.half-dozen ounces. Lenses bulge out of each side, toward the pinnacle, and the in-camera microphone tin can be found at that place also. You lot can buy the SC in beige, blue, pink, or white.

Lucy, with some editing in the Theta+ app #theta360 - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA

The shutter push, under 1 of the lenses, is big and easy to press. It sits in an indented area, which serves as a natural pollex rest. Power, Wi-Fi, and a Photo/Video toggle sit in a cavalcade on the narrow edge of the photographic camera. Backlit indicators let you know if the Wi-Fi is active, and if the camera is set to record stills or video.

Memory is internal. In that location's 16GB, enough to store well more than 1,000 images. Yous can offload images via USB—a micro USB port is used for file transfers and for charging the internal battery. The tripod socket is also on the bottom, although you tin only set the SC on a flat surface and it will stand up on its ain.

Remote Control App

Ricoh Theta SC : Remote App You lot can certainly use the Theta equally a handheld camera—the shutter button makes that piece of cake. But doing and then means you're going to be in every photo. If y'all want to shoot an prototype that isn't a selfie, you can reach for the Theta Due south app for Android or iOS. Information technology's the same app yous use with the Theta S—the SC features all of the same hardware, minus an HDMI output and support for live streaming.

The app shows y'all a live feed from the camera, in a view that you lot takes upwardly most of the screen and lets you motion around the frame by swiping your finger, or 1 that stretches the camera view into a panoramic strip. The latter gives you access to manual exposure controls. Yous tin can set ISO and shutter speed to your liking, or but shoot in semi automatic manner and accommodate EV bounty to brighten or darken a scene. Transmission White Residue control is also an choice. You can't change the f-cease—each lens has fixed discontinuity and focus. Information technology also lets you transfer images and videos to your phone, but behave in mind that transfers, especially videos, are on the slow side.

Editing Apps

To get the nearly out of the SC you'll need to install three apps on your telephone—the normal Theta Southward app, equally well as Theta+ for epitome editing and Theta+ Video for movies. Information technology'southward a fragmented system—I'm non quite sure why all of the functionality isn't built into the primary command app.

Theta+ has tools to arrange contrast, exposure, white residuum, and the like, or use Instagram-way filters. It tin also take multiple images captured at intervals and combine them into a time-lapse video, and it can output photos in diverse projection formats, so you tin can share them on social media sites that don't support 360, like Instagram. The shot below is done in the popular Footling Planet style.

All of the telephone apps back up sharing via a variety of social platforms when outputting an image without 360-caste navigation. You can use a third-party service to host images if yous'd like (we oftentimes share 360 photos using Vizor), and upload videos to YouTube or Facebook. Ricoh offers a deject storage service for Theta owners, which is what nosotros used to embed the images in this review. Your photos finish up there automatically when you lot share them via the app, but videos practise not.

There are as well desktop editing tools available for Mac and Windows systems. I tested the latest version on a MacBook Pro, which still had an older version of the software installed. The upgrade was painless, just a quick download and install, but if you're a outset-fourth dimension user you'll have to install Adobe Air to get it to piece of work. That'southward non something most users have on their systems.

Jim'due south Steaks, West Philadelphia. (Edited in Theta+) #theta360 - Spherical Epitome - RICOH THETA

The desktop software is actually only needed for video—it stitches the dual view into an equirectangular projection, set for editing in Premiere Pro or similar application, or straight upload to YouTube. Images are prepare to upload to a 360-degree hosting site without any need to run them through an app.

Image and Video Quality

The Theta SC puts images kickoff, merely expect photo quality that's on par with a expert smartphone or a low-price point-and-shoot. Images are 14.4MP in resolution and in brightly lit and outdoor situations, they're but as good equally you get from a comparable camera. Dynamic range is a bit limited, a product of the minor 1/2.iii-inch image sensors that back each lens, simply that'south the same story with every 360-degree photographic camera we've seen. At that place is some purple fringing at high-dissimilarity areas, which tin be distracting.

It does have a hit in dim lite. Photos lose detail at higher ISO sensitivities. But again, this is something you experience with any camera with modest image sensors. At ISO 800 the prototype quality is on par with a flagship smartphone.

At dinner after the Sony a9 launch. #theta360 - Spherical Epitome - RICOH THETA

You tin can go other cameras with more pixels—the Nikon KeyMission 360 shoots stills at 30MP, simply its squarish form factor isn't equally conducive to handheld employ. And, while yous become more pixels from the Nikon, its image output is on the soft side when viewed at full resolution—it'south more of a video photographic camera. For screen viewing, which is what y'all're going to likely employ the Theta for, image quality is fine at lower ISOs.

Video quality is, well, non good. Shooting at 1080p and and so stretching video to one,920 by 960 pixels, projected in a sphere, takes the life out of moving images. This isn't a surprise. Even 360-degree cameras that shoot at 4K deliver footage with underwhelming sharpness. Quality is ameliorate than some of the smartphone add-on cameras nosotros've seen that shoot at the same resolution, like the Giroptic iO, simply if you want a video camera, get with Nikon or Samsung instead. Ricoh does have a 4K Theta on the horizon, but details, including the release date and price, aren't known.

Conclusions

If yous're a stills-first photographer and want a 360-caste camera, the Theta SC is a solid option. It's easy to use, merely offers manual exposure control if desired, and has established app support for Android, iOS, and desktop systems. It's pocket-sized, and so yous tin can slide it in your pocket, and its course factor makes it very comfortable to concord and snap a quick photo. Information technology can also be set up downwards on a flat surface, or mounted on a tripod for remote functioning. We call back the Nikon KeyMission 360 and Samsung Gear 360 are better options for video, but the Theta series remains a practiced alternative for all the same imaging.