Ricoh has taken to IFA to announce the Theta V as the latest addition to its Theta family of 360-degree cameras. The new model offers 4K video capture at 30fps for the first time on a Theta camera, along with 360-degree spatial audio recording.
The Theta V retains the series’ lightweight, compact body making it easy to carry around with you, and it can also connect to a smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. 360-degree videos and images taken from the 14MP sensor can be exported to a virtual reality headset, so you can view as if you’re actually part of the scene.
360-degree images and video can be uploaded to Facebook, Line or Ricoh’s dedicated Theta website, with videos being accompanied by 360-degree sound captured via the 4-channel microphone.
If you’re exporting video and photo content to your computer, it will transfer quickly and easily thanks to high-speed transfer.
Ricoh says the quality of images and video has been vastly improved over previous generations of the Theta camera, thanks to a new image sensor, Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and Qualcomm’s Connected Camera Platform.
The exposure accuracy and white balance algorithm has been updated too, and benefits from Ricoh’s imaging expertise in other areas such as DSLRs and its GR premium compact camera.
Ricoh has built the Theta V on Android, meaning it’s open-source and capable of receiving future firmware updates to upgrade various features.
The Ricoh Theta V will be available from the end of September for £400, along with a couple of optional accessories, including a £250 3D microphone for more accurate sound recording, avaiable from the end of September, and a £180 underwater housing that lets you take the camera down to 30 metres, which is available from October.
Sоurсе: pocket-lint.com
