I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical when first hearing about the THETA ($400) camera from RICOH. The first thought that came to mind was, “why would we want to carry around another device to snap photos?” This question along with a few other silly concerns I had were put to rest the moment I held my very own THETA.
Let’s start off with the box. Yes, the box. If the packaging was any indication of the quality of the product, we were already starting off on the right foot. I’m a packaging junkie and most times won’t buy food, gadgets or pretty much anything else unless the package is at least somewhat desirable. This drives my girlfriend crazy. The RICOH THETA box is in the vein of Apple’s many iProducts: crisp white, clean lettering, and minimal documentation. Definitely something you won’t mind keeping.
Finally, let me explain a little bit about the THETA remote and why you’ll love it. By simply clicking a button, you can instantly capture your complete surroundings — I’m talking a full 360-degrees. What’s even better is the ability to remotely trigger the THETA using your iPhone/Android device through Wi-Fi. The bottom of the remote features a tripod mount hole that should work with any old tripod or monopod you have lying around the house. Once you snap your photo you can instantly share to Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and the THETA360 site. Any photo you submitted to the THETA site can easily be embedded onto your website. Take the photo I took in Downtown Los Angeles shown below as an example.
In Downtown LA cruising! #theta360 – Spherical Image – RICOH THETA
All-in-all I would say what RICOH has created is pretty damn cool. The price point is a bit steep, but for the quality of the device and the novelty of what it can do, it just makes sense. Pick up your RICOH THETA over on Amazon today.
