Bryan Cacciatore, a photographer in Toronto, wanted to take aerial 360 degree photos, so he attached his Ricoh Theta to his DJI Phantom 3 Pro. He attached a tripod screw with a lanyard hook to his Theta, then used garden twist ties to secure the lanyard to a 3D-printed gimbal guard between the landing gear of his Phantom.
Unfortunately, the vibration of the drone eventually loosened the twist ties, and his Theta fell 90 meters / 270 feet into a field below. When he pointed his Phantom camera straight down, he realized that the Theta was gone and he immediately landed the drone to search for his Theta.
After spending hours looking for it, he could not find it. He decided to post on a Facebook bartering group called Bunz.
To his surprise, he was contacted by a woman who knew a girl who found the camera. Although he had offered a reward, the girl declined it. He nonetheless gave some toys to the little girl and a bottle of wine to the lady who put them in them in touch.
Here’s the shocker: he tried out the Theta and it still works! It had a “couple of nicks” at the top of the lens but otherwise appeared undamaged. But I hope Bryan will forgive me if I decide not to buy a gently used Theta from him.
Here’s one of the images Bryan took from the air:
Post from RICOH THETA. – Spherical Image – RICOH THETA
Here is the link to the story from Brian and local news.
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