For the THETA V and THETA Z1, this function is available only for videos recorded while “Stitching during shooting” is OFF. In that regard, the X3 is still just about the best, friendliest, and most exciting 360 camera on the market, and the software tools on phone, Mac & PC (as well as plugins for the likes of FCPX) have come a long way. We tried the X3 on a real vacation successfully, and another benefit of this camera's dominance is the range of accessories, including dive cases and more. Spherical images can now be created with slant correction and with Photo Sphere XMP meta data added by selecting "Write with top/bottom correction" in the "File" when the spherical image is displayed.

Here, we’ll give you some points to keep in mind when choosing a 360 camera for the first time. Clarify the desired function for your purpose The headline act on the Ricoh Theta X is undoubtedly its ability to shoot 5.7K 30fps 360° videos with image stabilization, and purportedly without stitching (more on that below). Does the Ricoh Theta Z1 take higher-quality images than other 360 cameras? Yes. Is it worth twice as much? That depends. If you need a 360 camera to take indoor images and video where lighting is less than ideal, the Z1's larger sensors definitely help. And although there aren't all that many plug-ins, I like that third-party developers can create plug-ins for the camera. Since its release in 2013 as the world's first hand-held 360° camera 1, "RICOH THETA" has been used in a multitude of environments and offers unlimited potential for image expression. 360° photography has become increasingly relevant, due to the rapid growth of the Virtual Reality market, the increasing number of social media services that are compatible with 360° images, and the growing demand for 360° images in the business market. The new RICOH THETA SC2 is an easy-to-use model, perfect for the 360 enthusiast, allowing anyone to capture high-quality spherical images. It snaps photos at approximately 14 megapixels, as well as smooth, immersive 360°spherical video at 30 frames per second in 4K (3840 x 1920 pixels). Additionally, the RICOH THETA SC2 comes with a variety of shooting modes such as "Face" mode, which recognizes human faces and applies skin smoothing, and "Night View" mode for shooting low-noise footage after the sun goes down. These modes allow the photographer to configure the camera with minimal effort.Whether the Ricoh Theta X is going to appeal to you will depend on what kind of content creator you are. If you're looking at this 360° camera as an alternative to a GoPro action camera, then bear in mind that its image stabilization – despite working on higher resolutions than on a GoPro – just isn’t as good. Vloggers should also look at the Theta X with suspicion purely because you can’t use an external microphone with it. As they need to capture a full 360 degrees of action, most 360 cams are designed with more than one bulbous lens. And, if you don't want half of the image to be the side of your head, you have to mount the camera pretty far from your body.

One small external upgrade from its predecessor is the addition of a small OLED display. Although smaller than the screen on the Theta Z1, the OLED display can be used to keep tabs on settings and battery life. There’s also a new self-timer button. Although the headline act for the Theta X is hi-res 360° videos with image stabilization, the two top resolutions – 5.7K 30fps and 4K 60fps, both with IS – cannot be controlled from the app at all. To use either of those you’re effectively app-less, needing to operate the Theta X solely from the device itself. It’s also not possible to shoot either of those top resolutions while the WiFi is switched-on. Camera performance: what kind of camera performance do you require for your purpose? For example, if you want to save memories with family and friends, or you want to create and publish works of art, or you want to shoot the starry night sky, and so on. All of these applications will require varying levels of image quality and camera performance. Ricoh has added three new shooting modes to the SC2: a ‘Face mode,’ which recognizes human faces in the frame and automatically applies skin smoothing; a new ‘Night View’ mode that helps to shoot low-noise footage in low-light environments; and a lens-by-lens exposure mode that controls the cameras independently for situations where one side of 360-degree exposure might be brighter than the other. The Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime components (version 14.0 or later) are required for video conversion. If the Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime is not installed, the installer will be displayed automatically. Follow the on-screen instructions to install it.

Striving for ease-of-use with amazing high performance

Videos shot with all RICOH THETA models are supported. Blur correction may not work depending on the shooting environment and conditions. A 360 camera is suitable for capturing the entire space. You can of course crop images later, but it’s not meant for capturing distant objects in high definition. For this purpose optical zoom lenses are optimal. You won’t regret it! Tips for choosing a 360 camera For a video shot while walking around the subject, you can view the subject from various directions like a frame-by-frame video. Field of view: do you want to capture the full 360 degrees or is a wide angle or ultra-wide angle lens sufficient?

We test cameras both in real-world shooting scenarios and in carefully controlled lab conditions. Our lab tests measure resolution, dynamic range, and signal-to-noise ratio. Resolution is measured using ISO resolution charts and quoted in line widths/picture height, which is independent of sensor size. Dynamic range is measured using DxO Analyzer test equipment and the results are expressed as EV values. DxO Analyzer is also used for noise analysis across the camera's ISO range, with results quoted as a signal-to-noise ratio. We typically choose three competing cameras to offer a performance comparison and some context.

Relative position information based on self-position estimation (this is not position information from a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System)) The Z1 was able to eliminate almost all the movement and keep the horizon fairly level. However, the footage still looked a bit wobbly. Similar videos shot with the GoPro Max and the Insta360 One X were much stabler. In low light the Theta X’s videos are better than expected, though still too noisy to be usable, but we were impressed by its low light photos. We got much cleaner images from a dusk shoot than we’ve seen on other 360º cameras. It’s just a shame that the Theta X can’t save images in any RAW formats for easier post-processing, which would be particularly useful for low-light and night shots.

By comparison, the Insta360 One X takes stills at 18MP (6080 x 3040), and its max video resolution is 5.7K (5760 x 2880) at 30 fps. The GoPro Max takes 16.6-MP photos at 5.6K video. An Easy-To-Use 360° camera that's simple to operate and capable of capturing high-quality spherical images and videosYou can’t edit or transfer the results to a smartphone via the app, which merely displays a thumbnail of 5.7K 30fps and 4K 60fps video. The only way to deal with it is to get it off the device by cabling it up to a laptop and editing it with Ricoh’s desktop software. That software is very basic, doing little more than letting you zoom in and out of 360º photos and straighten it. It’s a shame it can’t recrop 5.7K 30 fps footage into regular 16:9 content. The Ricoh Theta SC2 serves as a successor to the Theta SC and brings with it new and improved features. Inside, it features a 14-megapixel 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor capable of capturing 4K video (3840 x 1920 pixels) at up to 30 frames per second. The Theta SC2 features 14GB of internal storage. The Z1's magnesium body also feels solid, though the camera is not water-resistant, as is the case with the GoPro Max. Having said that, and despite all its great new features, the Insta360 X3 does feel like an evolution of the concept rather than a giant leap forward. For us, that’s only likely to come with 12K capture and the ability to reframe and export 4K movies. Most of the time, though, 360 is more about action than ultra-resolution (which might prove challenging to process for most).