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The newly announced RICOH THETA X 360 camera offers up to 60MP stills, 5.7K30p, or up to 4K60p video, direct USB-C live streaming, a large 2.25″ touch-screen display, and a removable battery. On top of the 48GB internal storage, the camera also has a microSD card slot.
The Japanese company Ricoh offers a wide variety of products for offices (such as printers) as well as IT services. In the photography world, Ricoh (Ricoh Imaging) is known as a company behind the camera brand Pentax. While still somewhat popular among stills photographers, Pentax DSLR cameras did not make any headlines in the filmmaking world for years and they lost track of the competition. I am curious if Ricoh will resurrect the brand and come up with its own mirrorless system in the future.
In the world of 360 photo & video, on the other hand, Ricoh has been quite active in recent years with its RICOH THETA line of 360 cameras. First RICOH THETA 360 camera was released already back in 2013. In 2017, we informed you about the RICOH THETA V 360 camera. Now, Ricoh announces a new model with the RICOH THETA X. Let’s take a look at its features and specs.
RICOH THETA X – 60MP stills, 5.7K30p video
The RICOH THETA X is equipped with two 1/2″ type sensors and two f/2.4 ultra-wide-angle lenses. Each sensor has approximately 48MP resolution, so the resulting stills images, when stitched together, can have up to 60MP (11008 x 5504) in resolution (available only in JPEG).
When it comes to video capabilities, the following resolutions and frame-rates are available (all in MPEG-4 H.264 compression in MP4 container with AAC-LC mono audio):
- 5.7K: 5760 x 2880 /30fps /120Mbps,64Mbps,32Mbps
- 4K: 3840 x 1920 /60fps /120Mbps,64Mbps,32Mbps
- 4K: 3840 x 1920 /30fps /100Mbps,54Mbps,32Mbps
- 2K: 1920 960 /30fps / 32Mbps,16Mbps,8Mbps
RICOH THETA X features an internal storage of around 46GB plus it has a microSDXC card slot. The camera also supports live streaming over USB in 4K (3840 x 1920) 30fps, 100Mbps.
If the camera temperature increases, shooting will end automatically. Both 5.7K30p and 4K60p modes offer approximately 10 minutes of maximum recording time (tested at an ambient temperature of 25°C). The maximum time for streaming in 4K30p is approximately 25 minutes (at an ambient temperature of 25°C). Ricoh said that a future firmware update will add 2K mode to increase the maximum time for 2K30p live streaming.
Display, battery, connectivity
One of the most interesting features of the RICOH THETA X is the fairly large 2.25″ full-color touch-screen display (360 x 640 dots). When not using a smartphone to control the camera, the display can be used for scene preview, adjusting shooting settings, or viewing captured images. A dedicated RICOH THETA+ app is available for both PC and smartphone.
With the external dimensions of 51.7 x 136.2 x 29mm, RICOH THETA X is quite portable. The camera weighs approximately 170g (including battery and microSD card). The camera body is made out of magnesium alloy for increased durability and better heat management. With built-in GPS and support for A-GPS function, the camera can save accurate positional information.
When it comes to connectivity, on top of the USB-C 3.2 gen 1 connector, the THETA X offers both 802.11 Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0. The camera is being powered by a 1350mAh battery, which is not built-in so it can be replaced. One full battery provides approximately 220 photos or 30 minutes of 5.7K30p video (or up to 55 minutes of 4K30p video). The USB-C port also supports power delivery for extended shooting times.
Price and availability
The new RICOH THETA X should be officially launched in March 2022. There is currently no information about the exact price. We will update the article as soon as we know it. I think with the Insta360 ONE X2 ($430) on the market, the THETA X will not have an easy position.
Do you use 360 cameras for your work? What do you think about the new RICOH THETA X? Did you work with any of the previous THETA models? Let us know in the comments section underneath the article.
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