The anticipation had been killing us, Ricoh teased us for many months with the prospect of a new 360º camera, but the day has finally come where they officially launched their new product. The Ricoh Theta X will finally be available to buy in March of 2022!
Announced today (January 24, 2022) by Ricoh Company Ltd in a press release that leaves very little to the imagination, Ricoh promises a camera with a large touch screen, interchangeable battery (woohoo!) and an external memory card amongst many other interesting features.
Ricoh also renewed and improved the CMOS image sensor, main processor and lens design, incorporating a new sensor with approx 48MP. This means still images with a max output of 60MP!
Image sizes of 11K and 5.5K are now possible and the enhanced image stabilisation will guarantee vivid and smooth shooting for 360 degree videos.
With all this extra shooting power, it is no wonder they decided to allow you to change batteries as well as memory cards now. This is one of the best upgrades in my honest opinion. It was a much needed feature that many people asked for since the Ricoh Theta Z1 launched in May of 2019. (that’s right! It’s been nearly 3 years!)
Furthermore, Ricoh have finally addressed the compatibility with smartphones allowing the user to connect wirelessly to a smartphone without entering an SSID. The transfer of images to your phone from the camera has also been improved and promises to be 1.5 times faster than before. Moreover, it now has real-time processing such as top/bottom correction while shooting video.
Here’s the full list of features you can expect from the Ricoh Theta X when it goes on sale this March 2022:
- Large LCD Touch Screen for enhanced shooting
- External Memory Card
- Improved image quality with a max 60MP output
- 2 Image sizes: 11K for HR indoor shooting & 5.5K for quick and easy use
- Wireless high speed transfers of still images without SSID
- Improved image stabilisation at up to 5.7 K, 30fps video
- More accurate GPS position thanks to the built in GPS (QZSS) and A-GPS
- Magnesium alloy body that is more durable & high-end
- Thin & Lightweight
- USB type-C port to the side of the main body to power the camera even during tripod use
- Time Shift Shooting - capture images without being in the frame
- Exposure compensation and white balance can be adjusted with the camera itself before livestreaming
Summary
Overall, we for one are very excited to try this new camera, the price point, even though it has not yet been confirmed by Ricoh, is estimated to be between 700$ & 800$ which is lower than the Ricoh Theta Z1 that is currently sold from around 999$.
So is the Z1 still the better camera to buy?
The proof will be revealed in March when we can finally get our hands on one of these new cameras. Until then it will be a bit of guess work, putting the features next to each other.
As far as we can see, and if we can believe all the information that is currently out there, this Ricoh Theta X may make the Ricoh Theta Z1 obsolete as the image resolution will be far superior (60MP for the X compared to the 23MP in the Z1) , it has this external memory which is a massive plus, but even the internal memory has almost tripled to 46GB (19GB in the Z1). And if the price point is indeed what out fellow virtual tour enthousiasts anticipate, then it’s an even better deal! Better camera, less money!
We’re excited to see how the new LCD screen and the Time Shift Shooting will work, more about that when we actually get our hands on one!
One thing that worries many professional photographers however is the fact this new Ricoh theta X does not seem to allow shooting in RAW. Something many pro’s would need. However the question is, with a 60MP output, do you really need RAW anymore?
Another downpoint is that the sensor sizes are half that of the Z1. This would suggest a lower quality image, but then, the image size is 60MP! So, how did they manage that? More pixels in a smaller area?
I guess we’ll just have to wait a few more weeks to find out and give you the real verdict!
What do you think about this news? Would you replace your current 360º camera? Let us know in the comments below.
