The Ricoh THETA m15 isn’t your traditional camera, because it has lens both on the front and back, allowing you to take 360-degree spherical panoramic images and videos. The two images clicked at the same time are automatically stitched together, and its image processing does a rather fine job of it.
To click an image, you can either tap the shutter button on the camera itself or use the THETA app (free download for Android and iOS). The latter is quite useful if you have propped up the camera somewhere and want to take a photograph from afar. The THETA m15, which costs Rs.34,770 (www.ricohestore.co.in ), can also record 3-minute videos. The basic level of controls available through the app include exposure, ISO and shutter speed.
The quality of images depends entirely on the ambient lighting. Indoor shots in good light capture a fair amount of detail, but low or poorly distributed lighting can result in some fuzziness. Outdoor shots are rich and vivid, particularly on a bright and clear day.
The THETA app is extremely smooth to use—Wi-Fi can be used to view and transfer images.
This compact camera weighs just 95g, packs in a battery powerful enough for clicking about 200 photographs on a single charge, and also has 4 GB internal storage, enough for 1,200 images or 40 minutes of video.
The THETA m15 is a fun camera, perhaps one that could accompany the standard digital camera or DSLR on the next family vacation. The images are good enough to share on social networks. This uniqueness does come at a price, however—and that could be a stumbling block.
