Which 360º Camera? Ricoh Theta S or Panono?

Ricoh Theta S 360º Still Image and Video Camera | Hilton San Francisco Union Square

Panono 360º Spherical Still Image Camera | Hilton San Francisco Union Square

Wow! I was I surprised.

I shot my hotel room today (30 July 2016) with:

✓ Ricoh Theta S
✓ Panono

While all 360º professional photographers in the MUG Forum would likely be (very) disappointed with the results of both cameras, the Ricoh Theta produced a far better result and is a much better value and is much more portable because it is much smaller and lighter.

I was surprised that the $350 Ricoh Theta S 360º spherical 2-lens, 2 meg camera performed far better than the $1,500 Panono 360º spherical 36 lenses, 30 meg camera.

While both Cameras did a poor job showcasing the view from the room, the Ricoh Theta S did not have the stitching problems of the Panono Camera.

The Ricoh Theta S also shoots 360º spherical video. The Panono does not.

Despite the above, I am not done testing.

I'd like to see how both cameras perform outdoors (likely the primary use for Matterport Pros).

After looking at both sets of 360º photo spheres (please see links above), what are your observations?

Best,

Dan

WGAN Forum Founder & WGAN-TV Podcast Host 31.32K Website Atlanta, Georgia Linked In Facebook Twitter YouTube TikTok Instragram Matterport Service Partner Google Street View Trusted Photographer Zillow Certified Photographer We Get Around Network Member	31.32K DanSmigrod private msg quote post Address this user	plus 1 plus 1 plus 1 1
	@Narvan891 Yes. the Panono has way more stitching errors than I expected from a $1,500 36-lens, ball camera. Plus, I expected the camera to have HDR. Perhaps they have not implemented that in the firmware? They do give you access to the unstitched images, but why bother. I might as well use my 8mm fish-eye with my Nodal Ninja rotator. (I was trying to replace that workflow.) I could have improved the Theta S stitching in the bathroom by making the camera parallel instead of perpendicular to the walls. Surprisingly, the outdoors does not look any better if I do parallel instead of perpendicular to the window (I tried both.) Unless the Panono does amazing outdoors - it might - it's likely I will sell it on eBay (I have two more 360º spherical cameras on order via Kickstarter and Indigogo.) @JC3DCX The Ricoh Theta S I have is the 3rd generation. I could imagine that the 4th generation will be out this Fall, so, if you do not have an immediate need, it might be worth waiting. (The learning I get now will apply to the 4th generation when it comes out, if I decide to upgrade.) @ron0987 Yes. $1,500 for these stitching errors + plus, what feels like no HDR. Even Matterport has a challenge with small, indoor spaces. That said, I have successfully scanned with Matterport in hotel rooms this size - examples - without all these challenges. I was curious if Ricoh Theta S or Panono were either potential solutions for tours or competitive to Matterport. At least for small spaces, they are not (unless the "quality" is acceptable. About the megs, that's a great question. As far as I know, I did not change any settings that would result lower resolution. Perhaps the 108 Megs is the original imagines instead of the stitched result? I am seeking a Matterport indoor + 360º 1-click spherical camera outdoor solution. I would prefer not to go back to my 8mm fish-eye/Nodal Ninja rotator and stitching. Best, Dan
	8 years ago	Post 5 • IP flag post

79	79 Narvan891 private msg quote post Address this user	plus 1 plus 1 plus 1 1
	Serious stitching errors on the Panono, but it seems crisper and a bit more vibrant - outside scene though, way more blown out and its surprising that the Theta handled the dynamic range of brightness so well, however the Theta seems a little muddier and not as sharp overall - but great stitching - definitely a good point about portability with the Theta vs the Panono. Price difference is extreme! Still waiting for my Indigogo Panono from 2 1/2 years ago from them!
	8 years ago	Post 2 • IP flag post

823	823 JC3DCX private msg quote post Address this user	plus 1 plus 1 plus 1 0
	I prefer the shot from the ricoh, and would be interested in purchasing one at a later stage
	8 years ago	Post 3 • IP flag post

3.26K	3.26K ron0987 private msg quote post Address this user	plus 1 plus 1 plus 1 0
	At $1500 with this kind of stitching issues seems to be extreme. I did not see this type of stitching issues on any of the promotional shots on any of the reviews. Dan did you send the company these shots and ask if this is the norm. I think this would be a deal killer for most at this price. Also not knowing about the camera, they advertise over 100 meg did you set it lower?
	8 years ago	Post 4 • IP flag post

3.26K	3.26K ron0987 private msg quote post Address this user	plus 1 plus 1 plus 1 0
	@Dan Your interest in the camera is the same as mine, looking for a good system to streamline panos, that would be a one step solution. Are the videos also as broken up as the still shots? I will use the videos but my primary goal is the single step panos. Thanks for the info. Ron
	8 years ago	Post 6 • IP flag post

49	49 manolohk private msg quote post Address this user	plus 1 plus 1 plus 1 3
	@DanSmigrod the Panono has an HDR mode. If you go to settings on the mobile app you can activate it and take HDR shots. Best, Manolo
	8 years ago	Post 8 • IP flag post

WGAN Forum Founder & WGAN-TV Podcast Host 31.32K Website Atlanta, Georgia Linked In Facebook Twitter YouTube TikTok Instragram Matterport Service Partner Google Street View Trusted Photographer Zillow Certified Photographer We Get Around Network Member	31.32K DanSmigrod private msg quote post Address this user	plus 1 plus 1 plus 1 2
	Ricoh Theta S 360º Still Image and Video Camera \| Hilton San Francisco Union Square Panono 360º Spherical Still Image Camera \| Hilton San Francisco Union Square Wow! I was I surprised. I shot my hotel room today (30 July 2016) with: ✓ Ricoh Theta S ✓ Panono While all 360º professional photographers in the MUG Forum would likely be (very) disappointed with the results of both cameras, the Ricoh Theta produced a far better result and is a much better value and is much more portable because it is much smaller and lighter. I was surprised that the $350 Ricoh Theta S 360º spherical 2-lens, 2 meg camera performed far better than the $1,500 Panono 360º spherical 36 lenses, 30 meg camera. While both Cameras did a poor job showcasing the view from the room, the Ricoh Theta S did not have the stitching problems of the Panono Camera. The Ricoh Theta S also shoots 360º spherical video. The Panono does not. Despite the above, I am not done testing. I'd like to see how both cameras perform outdoors (likely the primary use for Matterport Pros). After looking at both sets of 360º photo spheres (please see links above), what are your observations? Best, Dan
	8 years ago	Post 1 • IP flag post

49 Portland, Oregon	49 Jake private msg quote post Address this user	plus 1 plus 1 plus 1 0
	Has anybody used the iris360, or heard much feedback? I've been looking at one of these bad boys for exterior panos, and possibly some Google stuff. But $1,200 is a lot if the next version of the Theta can accomplish much of the same.
	8 years ago	Post 10 • IP flag post

34	34 Foundry45 private msg quote post Address this user	plus 1 plus 1 plus 1 0
	I think the Gear 360 should be in your list of candidates. It does 4k for video, vs the Ricoh's 2k. I'd be curious to see how the stills compare. Dan we have one if you want to borrow to compare. For video, you might be interested in a video I did recently comparing the Ricoh, Gear 360, Kodaks and GoPros: http://blog.foundry45.com/2016/06/29/360-camera-comparisons-gopro-ricoh-theta-gear-360-kodak-pixpro-sp360-4k/
	8 years ago	Post 11 • IP flag post

Which 360º Camera? Ricoh Theta S or Panono?2306