360-degree cameras are not something that has really penetrated the professional market yet on a grand scale, but as far as the consumer end of photography these cameras are becoming quite the party trick. It’s been four years since Ricoh introduced their first Theta 360-degree camera and now they are launching their fifth iteration on the concept, the Ricoh Theta V.With the Theta V you get some pretty hefty specs, including 4K 360-degree video capture, as well as livestreaming support built in. These are huge, specifically the live streaming which is one area these cameras have been seeing a lot of growth in, with people holding events setting these up to stream to various 360-degree compatible services. Plus that addition of 4K, making for an even more beautiful view for stream viewers – it is hard to find a fault with that.
Additionally, the Theta V will see some improvements to the still image quality and also received a huge boost to data transfer speeds, which was likely essential for the 4K to work adequately. But wait, there is more!
Ricoh is also launching a new 3D Spatial Audio mic that you can purchase as an add-on to the Theta V. When connected the Theta V it’s capable of true to life 3D audio to go along with the 360-degree video. Which will make for an even more immersive 360-degree ‘VR’ experience. Though, it should be noted that this upgrade is not going to be cheap.
The Theta V will retail for $429.95: not an insignificant chunk of change on its own. But then if you add to that the 3D microphone, which is expected to retail in the $269 neighborhood, you are looking at a really expensive setup for your average consumer. But with the increase in quality here, maybe we will see more professionals try to integrate this into their businesses.
Time will tell. You can get more information about the Ricoh Theta V over on the Ricoh website.
