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New Ricoh Theta Z1 is here! 10 things you always wanted to know about Theta with Ricoh Theta’s General Manager

New Theta Z1 is here! 10 things you always wanted to know about Theta
New Theta Z1 is here! 10 things you always wanted to know about Theta

The new Ricoh Theta Z1 is here. The difference is the 51GB capacity. But you’re wondering will Theta Z1 ever have higher resolution video? Or will there be a cheaper version? I asked thee and other questions with Ricoh Theta’s General Manager. Here’s the video.

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Mic Ty

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  • Thx a lot for this interview Mic! It’s a clear insight into the strategy of the Ricoh Theta Department.
    Considering the answers, I think Ricoh has no plans to compete against Insta360. They will stay in their niche. The spinoff of Vecnos was a logical result of this decision. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t see a great future for Vecnos, and also not for the Theta SC2…

  • Storage space would be less of an issue on the Z1 if Ricoh would fix their raw implementation. Currently, three copies of the image are stored when raw mode is used: raw, uncompressed data in the DNG file, a full-resolution JPEG embedded in the DNG file, and the separate JPEG file. At the very least, the JPEG embedded in the DNG file should be removed and an option to save the DNG file without the separate JPEG file should be added. Furthermore, lossless DNG compression should be implemented, which would decrease the DNG size (significantly in some cases) without any loss of quality.

    • Lossless DNG is very computationally intensive and would actually slow down save-out significantly unless hardware accelerated (and there are little to no hardware acceleration options for LJ92).

      That said, I’m guessing they are bit-padding their sensor’s readout (probably 12 bits?) up to 16 bits which wastes space. Just bitpacking samples can save a significant amount of size.

      I won’t be able to see if this was answered or covered in the interview at all until tonight, but for me the big disappointment has been that they are selling a camera device that uses an Android camera API that has been deprecated since 2015. Why won’t they support Camera2? Built in support for burst capture is a big step forward.

  • Yes, 360 will grow if the cost is not prohibitive. For myself, my Theta S is now part of any kit I take since it is small and light. I would love a Z1, but I cannot justify the cost, even though my Theta is now my second most used camera. More and more people will see the potential for the unique additional dimension to their shooting which a DSLR can not do, even though the DSLR platform is regarded as the king of versatility.
    Once DSLR quality single images can be obtained with built in stitching and dedicated processing for enthusiast and amateur/ point and shoot use, a very large number of enthusiasts will be ok with such a camera in their regular kit. It will be like a replacement for the superwide angle lens in their kit. That amateur market is huge-vastly more than professionals doing virtual tours.
    For the Ricoh company, once they can get the cost and ease of use to that certain level, huge sales will emerge-it will be like having your ultra wide angle lens as a stand alone camera and about the same size as that lens. Why would you bother having the ultra wide angle lens in your camera bag? Better ditch the 4.5mm f/2.8 circular fisheye while I still can!

  • Is it a new sensor? Faster CPU? Does it still have lots of noise at ISO 100? Where’s the new review with more memory?