360 Camera News and Info Virtual Tour Techniques

Theta Z1 takes 9 raw shots in 0.3 seconds with new plugin (but with a WARNING)

Ricoh Theta Z1 review and sample photos
Ricoh Theta Z1 review and sample photos

The Ricoh Theta Z1 can now take 9 raw DNG photos in as little as 0.3 seconds with the new Dual Fisheye Raw plugin, says Yoichi Hirota, the developer of the previous Dual Fisheye plugin.  Here are the details and a cautionary note.

Theta Z1 (reviewed here) is a 360 camera with 1-inch sensors, the largest among consumer and prosumer 360 cameras.  It is regarded as one of the best virtual tour cameras, with image quality approaching that of mirrorless or DSLR cameras, albeit with a lower resolution.

Dual Fisheye Raw plugin supports bracketing, burst, and HDR-DNG mode

Theta Z1 is one of only two 360 cameras that supports plugins, which expand its capabilities even further (the only other one is the Theta V).  One of the most popular plugins for the Theta Z1 is Yoichi Hirota’s Dual Fisheye Plugin, which enables the Theta Z1 to take multiple unstitched Raw DNG photos, which can be merged with third party HDR software and stitched with Theta Stitcher or with third party stitching software.

Mr. Hirota has developed a new version of the Dual Fisheye plugin called DualFisheye Raw.  It is similar to the previous plugin except that it enables the Theta Z1 to capture Raw shots much more quickly.  Mr. Hirota says it can capture 9 Raw shots in just 0.3 seconds, which is the fastest Raw capture available for any 360 camera.

The new plugin is available here.  Installation requires the Ricoh Theta desktop app.

WARNING

Theta Z1 error
Theta Z1 error

Here’s a note of caution: I tried to install it with a Mac and the plugin installer just kept loading.  After a couple of minutes, I disconnected it and now my Theta Z1 is getting an Error message and won’t startup.  I’m going to ask Ricoh for help.  Assuming it can be installed correctly, the DualFisheye Raw plugin looks promising.

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Mic Ty

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  • Your camera is bricked Mic? That’s a pretty serious caveat. Can you let us know how things develop please. I don’t think I’ll be downloading the new plug-in until we get the all-clear. Thanks for letting us know.

  • Since I do not want to brick my camera, did you find a fix for your problem?
    Also where is the difference in this plugin and the prior one? Why is it a different app and not just an update?
    Will the remote app work with the new plugin as well?
    The developer has released absolutely no info on his website.

    • UPDATE from Ichi:
      Let me note that the new plugin is just a beta. For business use, please still use the old one. Quality-wise they are almost equivalent.

      The new one shoots all images at the beginning, then starts processing later. You will have less chance of moving object.

      As for the built-in HDR Rendering, it doesn’t handle moving object, and has less dynamic range.

  • We need a tutorial for dualfisheye raw, Hirota has not yet even provided any FAQ nor instructions of any kind that I can find. I have two real estate shoots next week and I need to know.

  • BTW, I installed dualfisheye raw today via the windows theta app without incident. I have shot a test image and it worked but I have questions. For one, what about delayed shooting?

  • From Theta notifications in the Android app: End of Support for the “PC apps” on Mac OS X 10.12
    Jun. 30, 2021
    We hereby notify that we will end the support for the following apps on Mac OS X 10.12 on August 31, 2021.

    – Basic app
    – File transfer app
    – Movie converter app
    – Live streaming app

    After the date that support ends, we would like you to understand that we will no longer respond to questions about bugs on the applicable OSes and release of new apps.

  • Hey Mic did you find out the problem with the error, I had the same issue. Hugh Hou had the same problem with his but not the 51gb z1 for some reason. Ichi from DFE said to do a force reboot (long press wifi + power button). Haven’t tried that yet.