Ricoh Theta Z1 51GB
Ricoh Theta Z1 51GB
4K live streaming
360-degree live streaming supports 4K. Sending realistic images that are particular about quality to the world. Supports YouTube live streaming
USB 3.0 (TYPE-C)
The connector for external connection uses the next-generation USB 3.0 (Type-C), achieving a more comfortable transfer speed.
Magnesium alloy body
Magnesium alloy is used for the body, which provides both a luxury and durable finish.
RAW storage support
RAW development of 360-degree images is now possible with Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic CC. Stitching is also possible with the dedicated plug-in “RICOH THETA Stitcher
| Weight: | 200 Grams |
| Dimensions: | 13.2 x 4.8 x 3 centimetres |
| Brand: | Ricoh |
| Model: | RICOH THETA Z1 51GB |
| Part: | 910820 |
| Colour: | Black |
| Batteries Included: | 1 Lithium Ion batteries required. (included) |
| Dimensions: | 13.2 x 4.8 x 3 centimetres |
This is a very very good ‘still’ image 360 Camera. It does take video but I would not recommend you buying it for that purpose. There are plenty of 360 action type video cameras around and other models within the Ricoh range that are better suited for that. You do need to read very carefully the manual to set it up and take shots. It is ‘NOT’ intuitive. There is also a smartphone App to assist. I would recommend watching the various YouTube videos that are available and once you understand the multiple uses of the Mode, Fn and WiFi buttons then you will be absolutely ok. There are a number of plugins, Ricoh and third party’s that enhance and do excellent jobs. You will need to bracket to get commercial quality. In addition to stitching software, Ricoh and others, if you process the images in Topaz you will get some stunning sharp images.
do not have much experience with any other 360 camera. first one. good quality feel and easy to use. immediate downsides – the battery seems to be very quickly to run down, and also takes a minute or two to “link” to the phone to allow for photos to be taken.
la qualit est trs correcte mais le prix de la Z1 un peu lev. Pas assez d’autonomie en terme de batterie. Menus vraiment obscurs.
Pro’s – Small and compact, great for fun shots, lots of setting choices, easy to travel with.
Con’s – Overpriced, noisy images so Topaz Denoise is a must buy, unrepairable broken lens, poor battery life, dual fish eye app doesn’t work on iOS devices, indoor shoots don’t work well with PTGui because it leaves several stitching errors, you have to subscribe to Lightroom Classic to access the Ricoh Theta Stitcher, terrible blurred stitch line that runs right through the 360 which for me totally ruins the shot. Dynamic Range not great even at 5.6 aperture.
If high quality is not issue for you then you’ll love this 360 1 shot camera.
I originally tried the Theta V, but changed it for this one as the Theta V had a poorer image quality and connection issues. The Z1 has very detailed images, gives the option of jpeg or jpeg and raw images.
I bought this camera which is very good.
Unfortunately a lens broke and I would like to repair it.
I’m trying to get the seller’s details but Amazon hasn’t been able to do so at the moment.
I’m losing patience
Great picture quality, only downside is the battery life which is poor, just about lasts for a reasonable photo shoot.
Overall please but Ricoh please get the battery sorted!
The camera box was delivered unsealed, battery dies quick but it’s a high quality camera.
Fantastic product.
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I am using paired with the matterport app to create 3D virtual tours. Does the job well but the battery life is poor and the drain rate is pretty exceptional. I can be doing a property over three floors and by the third floor start to panic that it’s down to below 25%. About 1 hours work. I don’t mind that the battery is built in, many are. It’s the fact it’s not very powerful. In addition the 1/4 screw attachment is RIGHT next to the charge port, so you can’t charge whilst using (I’ve tried many adapters and they all cover the port) this is a material flaw in the design – surely put it on the side. The SD card is less of a problem, you can take 2240 images on this thing- who can’t manage that?! Are you scanning St. Paul’s cathedral?!
The Theta Z1 is in a class of it’s own with regards to build quality and picture quality. Absolutely great! The only things I think would make it perfect is if it had an SD card slot and came with stand like all of my other 360 cameras.
Die bertragung der Fotos geht schneller voran als bei der Theta V, auch ist die Lowlightqualitt deutlich besser.
Der Preis ist schon sehr hoch, wenn man nur selten 360 Fotos macht wrde ich mir diese Kamera nicht kaufen.
I’m using it for stills, haven’t really used the video functionality much.
Pros:
– great picture quality (good lenses, good sensors)
– it runs android and you can make programs that run on the camera itself
– supports the DNG RAW format
– the companion Android app works well
– can use F2.1 aperture, so works well in low light
Cons:
– built-in battery, you can’t just bring more batteries with you
– can only use built-in storage space, you can’t just bring more SD cards with you
These couple of shortcomings are pretty odd, the Insta360 One X has neither of them, but the picture quality is way worse.
If you can program, the ability to make programs that run on the camera (they call them “plugins”) is invaluable.
The build quality is very nice, it doesn’t feel cheap at all.
The lenses are rather big, I’d recommend never to leave the Z1 anywhere without at least the soft case on, or scratches may well happen.
Flare resistance is frankly amazing. Bright sunlight appears to have zero impact upon the camera. There’s no exposure difference across the two lenses. The colour rendition is excellent. There will always be some chromatic aberration due to the nature of the lenses but LR corrects that easily, it’s a lot less aberration than the Theta S.
The video footage is much cleaner than the Theta S and contains what feels like a lot more detail.
Battery life is not fabulous, I managed to get it down from 100% to 15% in about an hour and a half of stills shooting. The sleep mode is useful here as you don’t have to power down the camera completely which means it responds to power up a lot more quickly.
The protective sock that comes with the camera is quite good at protecting it in use, just don’t get any sand in there or you’ll scratch the lenses.
As with the Theta S, storage is not upgradeable or removable by the user (unless you search for ways to do it on the web and thereby invalidate your warranty by doing so) and with the increased resolution and the better video you might start filling up fast. A JPEG is about 8Mb and the corresponding raw file is about 47Mb. So for one picture you’re taking up the equivalent of 7 times the space needed by one.
I’ll update again when I have something more to report.
[/Update]
Been playing with the Z1 for several hours now after it was delivered today. First thing to notice is that it’s thicker than the Theta S and heavier, although not by much. It’s made of metal and has a very high quality feel to it in the hand. The two lenses are bigger than the S and it also has an OLED display for settings which I have just realised automatically dims in low light.
I bought the Z1 for the increased resolution but mostly because it will shoot in raw. That’s where the sensor data is recorded directly to the card without being turned into a JPEG. This means you can adjust the image exposure much more than you could with a JPEG. To do that however you’ll need a program that will edit raw files. I’m using LR but there are plenty of others out there.
Taking photos with it is just as easy as the other Theta cameras in that you power it on, which takes a couple of seconds until it’s ready whereas the Theta S is ready to go almost instantly, then press the shutter button on the camera, it beeps, and you’ve taken a photo. Easy. It is controllable from your smartphone with all the usual settings you can control there including the switch from JPEG only to Raw+JPEG and GPS tagging.
One thing to note is that the preview image on the phone is far better than the Theta S, it’s much higher resolution and it updates more smoothly. I think it’s using the 5GHz wi-fi for this rather than the old 2.4GHz. Transferring images from the device to the phone via the Theta app is extremely quick. It must be 5 times faster than the Theta S. Although you can’t transfer the raw files to the phone. But as it’s taken a JPEG along with the raw file that’s no problem, you just transfer the JPEG instead.
Connecting it to the phone is easier than the old way of connecting to the camera’s wi-fi before using the app. Now it’s all done in the app and after me typo-ing the serial about 10 times I finally got it right and it connected straight away.
It’s USB C and you get a cable in the box but you can get excellent and inexpensive ones from Amazon. File transfer speed to the PC are also extremely fast.
Image quality is a significant step up from the Theta S. The resolution is about 25% higher but the main thing is the larger sensor which means much less noise. That lower noise is very noticeable when taking images indoors under domestic lighting. It’s pouring down with rain at the moment so I’ve not had a chance to get it outside and take some shots. I’ll update when I’ve done that.
There’s a pouch in the box for the camera but I’m going to get a hard case for it now. The pouch is good, the one for the Theta S was also good, but I want a bit more protection, and I’m looking for a lens cap. When the silicone covers come out I’ll get one of those for it too.
Thus far I’m impressed. It feels good, it’s easy to use, and the image quality really is much better. It’s still by far and away the most useful 360 camera available. So easy to use.