Ricoh's new Theta A1 announcement promotes ruggedness, connectivity and speed in the field. It looks a lot like the brand, with over a decade's heritage in 360, is making a play against the action camera brands Insta360 and GoPro that are topping the best 360 cameras guide at the moment!
The new Theta A1 was rumored recently, with discussion of a new battery being a key part of the leaks. A long-lasting replaceable 1,485 mAh battery is now a highlight of the official announcement, as is an optimized video codec that will further improve battery performance.
UPDATE: We now know the price of the camea will be €799 (approximately £675 or $912, though US pricing will depend on tariffs at the time). The time in question will not be until September this year.
"We’re meeting the expectations of field professionals: robustness, speed, and integration," said Thomas Servan, managing director of Ricoh Futures EMEA. "It embodies our vision of useful, connected technology that aligns with the operational needs of our clients.”
It is interesting that Ricoh seems to pitch the camera more toward professional customers, even though we've seen so much growth in the 'action camera' end of 360 cameras. Oddly, though, the needs seem to coincide: "rugged, waterproof, dustproof and extreme temperature-resistant casing" says the press release!
The camera's spec sheet promises 60MP (11,008 x 5504) stills and has some interesting video formats, up to 8K (but at a maximum of 10fps) but also including 5.7K and 4K.
There is even a 2fps option for the 8K, at a choice of 8, 16 or 24Mbps data rates – a lot of potential flexibility for any professional concerned with managing the data as much as quality. There is also the option of 2K or 4K live streaming.
The Ricoh Theta A1 now sits in the company's lineup alongside the Theta Z1, which offers the highest resolution for precision scanning, and the Theta X with its integrated screen for versatility. That screen, by the way, makes it a more obvious contender for the consumer space than this business-like piece of kit.
You will notice that the Theta SC2 no longer appears in what Ricoh calls its "newly restructured 360° camera lineup, focused squarely on professional use cases."
All models, including the new Theta A1, are based on Theta Twin architecture, so compatibility with other Ricoh systems should be straightforward. The APIs and SDKs for this system have been public since 2013, and the Ricoh360 application will work with this camera as well as the others.
The device is approximately 225g, IP64 dust and waterproof, and 142mm high (5.9 inches). The 7-element lenses are f/2.4 and the nearest focusing distance is 40cm.
Each 1/2-inch sensor is approximately 48MP though, of course, because of the shape some of this data is lost, hence the 60MP files. Files are saved to the 27.5GB internal storage.
As noted, the pricing information for Europe is set at €799 and the date is no more precise than "set for September" – we'll keep you posted.
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Check our guide to the best action cameras to get an idea what kind of thing a more rugged camera is expected to face. If you're interested in 360, don't just check the best 360 camera guide – we also have an Insta360 X4 vs X5 comparison. And have you heard the latest DJI Osmo 360 rumor?
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