Ricoh adds new flagship to its all-around fun handheld Theta camera range
Since being launched in 2013, Ricoh’s Theta 360 degree camera has grown in number and capabilities. Now the company has added the latest iteration to the range – the Theta Z1.
Since being launched in 2013, Ricoh’s Theta 360 degree camera has grown in number and capabilities. Now the company has added the latest iteration to the range – the Theta Z1.
The Z1 becomes the new flagship model for the Theta line of 360° handheld cameras, which not only allow users to create immersive YouTube videos documenting their adventures, but have also found use in real estate and virtual reality content creation.
The
camera features a 1-inch back-illuminated CMOS image sensor that can
manage 23 megapixel (6,720 x 3,360 pixels) 360° stills, and is capable
of recording 4K 360° video footage at up to 30 frames per second. And
there’s cooked-in 3-axis image stabilization to help smooth out camera
shake.
As
well as JPEG stills, RAW format files can be saved to the camera’s 19
GB of internal storage, and there’s a multi-bracket mode for continuous
shooting with up to 19 settings applied.
Users
can quick check settings – such as shooting mode, F-number, ISO
sensitivity and remaining battery life – on the 0.93 inch OLED display
on the Theta Z’s body. For 360° video recording, there’s a built-in
four-channel microphone, with support for spatial audio.
The
Z1 runs an Android-based operating system that allows for plug-ins to
be installed for flexibility, and a new Time-shift Shooting mode is due
to be released next month that will help remove the photographer from
the all-around footage.
Elsewhere,
the camera has a manual light sensitivity of between ISO80 and
ISO6,400, though users can opt for Auto mode to allow the camera to make
adjustments itself. Bluetooth 4.2 and 802.11ac Wi-Fi cater for wireless
date transfer, and its Li-ion battery offers about 300 stills or 60
minutes of video recording per charge.
Visitors
to Japan’s CP+ 2019 photo and imaging expo later this week will be able
to get a closer look at the Theta Z1 ahead of its release in late March
for US$999.95.
Product page: Ricoh Theta Z1
