Bring on the Theta

The Theta S is a unique camera. It brought to the masses - at least to me - the ability to capture a scene in its entirety, a global snapshot of what was going on around you at that particular moment in time. This ability was possible before through combination of multiple cameras after which the snaps would be stitched using a special software and then presented again using special monitors to whoever interested.

With Facebook embracing the 360 degree media for its user, the photos can just be uploaded to Facebook which would recognise the photo in its app and would display the photo appropriately. The user would then turn their mobile device around and the scene would be displayed as if they were at the focal point. All that was left was the ability to snap the initial picture readily and with minimal tweaking was ready to be presented to the timeline.

This was where the Theta S excelled. A quick push of the button on this camera with the twin 180 degree fish-eye lens, I just needed to link it via wifi to my phone and press upload to Facebook. Walla! It was that simple.

Considering the compact size of the camera and the size of the lens and sensor, the snap was remarkably sharp. Each sensor captured an 8MP image, and stitching them together would generate a16 MP file. This could then be transferred to the computer for a bit of Photoshop magic if needed, but for me, just a quick tweak on the phone with Snapseed was what was needed most of the time.

If you were feeling adventurous, there was the ability to capture a VR type video which could be uploaded into YouTube using the same concept. The resolution however was relatively poor as the upload was in 1080 HD resolution, which was expanded further to cover 360 degree. But as a prove of concept it was good enough, and I was sure in the next iteration of the device a 4K file could be coming out from the camera.

I have been using the camera for almost a month now and in the first few uploads everybody was fascinated by what was on offer. In fact some were disappointed if some of my uploads were in normal 2D format! They tried to turn their phones without success.

For practical purposes, I was really surprised why shop owners, interior decorators and estate agents had not been using these cameras. They could easily sell their products to show them to their clients just as easily in real life or on their website or social media. I know I would have ....

The camera did cost quite a bit - although less than the current crop of flagship mobile phones. You would also have to get used to its limitations, but on the whole I could see myself using more and more of this device in the future and am interested in seeing what the next generation of them brings .....

Let's Have a Look

There is always the obligatory first upload .... #theta360 - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA

Smitten

I managed to take the GR for a quick spin after work yesterday. Mind you I was on call. So, it was a quick escape while having dinner essentially.

Even on a 15 minutes spin, I could already see the potential. After my evening round, I went back to the apartment and downloaded the snaps onto my deskstop. I couldn't remember how many times I shook my head looking at the quality of the photos coming off the sensor.

There were a few observations though.

1) The camera tended to under expose. I disliked up the compensation by a third of a stop to get better exposure.

2) The on camera crop worked a treat. I programmed one of the function buttons to cycle through the standard 28mm, 35mm and 47mm zoom equivalent. A clever idea by Ricoh to build that feature in.

3) The jpeg capture was almost as good as the RAW provided that the underexposure was not too severe and could be corrected in post.

4) The black and white "filter" on camera was quite useful. I changed the setting to include some vignetting for better effect. It looked good.

On the whole, I still personally felt that snaps coming from my Fuji bodies were more pleasing colour wise. They also tended to get the white balance and skin tone more natural. The Ricoh may been some tweaking.

I was sure that there would be more snaps from this little gem in the coming fee days. Might take a couple of hours tomorrow afternoon to do a proper walk around Bukit Bintang may be.

A Thing of Beauty

I called my usual camera store to inquire if they have a used Ricoh GR in store after having a look at it at KLPF. I can see it being my designated pocket camera. I was lucky.

They just had a four-month old unit just in from last weekend and it was going for half the original price. Sounds fishy. But I must have a look.

After work, I stopped by the shop on my way home and had a closer look. I was smitten. It came with all the original parts and documentation. Plus it still held Ricoh manufacturer warranty for another 8 months. Shutter count acceptable. A bit of smudge here and there but no big deal. It was an aluminum body after all.

I paid extra for an external charger and a memory card. It still had the original pouch, not that I would be using that. Took it round the block for some snaps. My mind was made up.

I went home happy with the GR in hand. Would need to familiarise with the unit before I could really get the best of it. Maybe a photo walk or two. It was light and small enough to slip into my trouser pocket, although a bit bigger than the Sony RX100 III.

I took a series of snap at the apartment during lunch time and processed the jpeg. I still need to get the colour tone to my liking but certainly it had potential. More experimentation then.