Ricoh Theta SC2 Review: Compact 360-Degree Camera

2023-01-10 | Yvonne

Tip: The Ricoh Theta SC2 brings 360-degree photo and video capture to the masses with a one-button experience. I put it to the test for several weeks.

Ricoh Theta SC2 review: A compact 360-Degree cameraThe Ricoh Theta SC2 offers 360-degree video and photo capture for the masses. It's a simple one-button operation. It was put to the test over several weeks.

Ricoh Theta SC2

We like this

Compact
It is simple to use
Apps that are great

The Things We Hate

Subpar audio
There is no storage add-on

The Theta S2 360-degree camera captures videos and photos at a much lower price than any other, especially considering its high quality.

Ricoh Theta SC2 was purchased to allow our reviewer to test it. Continue reading to see the complete product review.

The price of 360-degree cameras has dropped over time as technology improved. Companies such as Nikon, GoPro and others have jumped on the bandwagon to offer more immersive video and photo content. Ricoh, with its expanding Theta line of cameras has been at forefront in this market.

Although it's niche in niche markets, its simplicity and small form factors make it an enjoyable product.

We took the Theta SC2 consumer-friendly camera for a test drive over the course of several weeks. This review will show you how the image quality and experience is when it's used on a daily basis. The sections below summarize everything, from its design to the closest competitors.

Design: Simple and clean

If you didn't know the Theta SC2 was a 360-degree camera, you might mistake it for a fancy-looking remote or—as was the case with my 18-month-old—a funky-looking smartphone. It doesn't even look like any other camera that I have ever seen, except for the two lenses at the sides.

If you didn't know the Theta SC2 was a 360-degree camera, you might mistake it for a fancy-looking remote or—as was the case with my 18-month-old—a funky-looking smartphone.

The 'Theta" branding is on one side of the device. The other has a small OLED screen with an oval-shaped button that displays the battery level and shooting mode. The device is extremely thin, with only one button or port on the side. On the other, there are four buttons, Power, WiFi, Mode and Timer. There are four USB ports on the top for the stereo microphone, while the bottom houses a tripod mount that is standard at 0.25 inches (20 cm) and a micro USB port to charge and transfer data.

Related Reading: Insta360 One X2 Review: A Great Waterproof 360 Camera

Start the setup process: Just connect and you can shoot

The Ricoh Theta SC2 works independently of a smartphone. However, to set it up, and then to transfer content to it, it will require pairing with either an Android or iOS phone. This review will be based on my experiences with the iOS app using an iPhone 11 Pro.

Pairing ThetaSC2 used to require you to open Theta and go to the Wi-Fi settings on your phone. Next, you would need to disconnect from any network, connect to an ad-hoc network created by the device, and then close the app. Although not unusual, it was not uncommon for smartphone/camera pairing.

Theta has updated its app to automatically connect to an ad-hoc network made by Theta SC2 when you input the serial number. This can be found on the bottom right of your device next to the barcode. This is a much more simple solution and allows for setup to be much easier.

After connecting, you don't need much to start shooting. The only thing that is required is to grant Theta app permissions to your photo library so it can save images from your device to your phone.

Image quality: Excellent enough

The ThetaSC2 has a pair 12-megapixel 1/2.3 inch CMOS sensors and a seven element F2 lens. You might think that two 12-megapixel sensors would produce a 24-megapixel image if you push the shutter. But, this is not true. Because of the extra image required to capture 360 degree images from just two lenses, there is a lot to be done to correct distortion and overlap. The final still image of the Theta SC2 measures 14.5 megapixels.

The final stitched video is at 4K resolution (3840x1920 pixels) and recorded at 30 frames per seconds (fps), in MP4 format. The final video will appear crisper than the 4K resolution, even though it can be viewed with a virtual reality viewer or 360-degree camera. Because the pixels have been stretched to make it fit on a virtual globe,

The SC2's video and still images are both decent. Although the dynamic range won't wow you, and video may be grainy at times, considering how much dynamic range smaller sensors must collect to make a pleasing final image, there is a lot of post processing that is required on the software side, which can degrade image quality.

The ThetaSC2 has a pair 12-megapixel 1/2.3 inch CMOS sensors and a F2 seven-element lens.

You can likely get better quality data from your sensors using more powerful software. Ricoh is aiming for simplicity with Theta SC2. This camera does all of the processing on-camera, making it simple to share images with friends or post them to social media. With this in mind, both still and video quality are acceptable.

Audio Quality: Acceptable

The built-in microphones are standard for compact cameras systems. Ricoh calls the device '360 degree spatial audio'. The effect won't be noticeable when you play the footage using your smartphone's speaker, but it will be evident when the video is viewed in 360-degree media players with stereo headphones.

For example, if you hear the car passing by or the dog barking, then the sound will change to match the movement of the vehicle. You can also rotate the view direction.

It's worth it

The Ricoh Theta SC2 costs $297. The Ricoh Theta SC2 is an incredible value, given the specs and the experience it has.

Ricoh Theta S2 vs. Yai 360 VR Camera

It's not easy to find a 360-degree camera that costs less than $500, but the Yi 360 VR camera is a good option. The price of the device is $349. This makes it $50 less expensive than Theta SC2.

Although the device is larger than the SC2, you can record unstitched video in 5.7K, while the SC2 only allows you to capture pre-stitched video in 4K. Yi's 360 app, while less intuitive than Theta's, allows you to browse still images as well as 360 VR video. You can also livestream 360 degree video to YouTube or Facebook, which is an excellent feature.

Although the Yi 360 VR camera is a bit more complicated, it offers better quality images if you are willing to use desktop software to combine the 5.7K of video footage. It's only $50 more so it may not be bad if you need that additional flexibility.

Final Verdict

It is well worth the effort for video and photo.

The Ricoh Theta SC2 makes 360-degree video and photography as simple as any other point-and shoot camera. This is no small feat given the processing power required to convert 360-degree media to a format that can be shared and viewed easily. Although it's niche in niche markets, its simplicity and small form factors make it an enjoyable product.

Specifications

Product name ThetaSC2
Product brand Ricoh
MPN 910800
Prices from $299.95
Date of Release November 2019.
Weight 3.6 oz.
Product dimensions 5.2x1.8x0.9in
Color Beige, Blue, Pink, White
Limited Warranty 1 Year
Compatible Android and iOS
Max Photo Resolution 5376x2688 pixels
Video Recording Resolution 4K (3840 × 1920 pixels) at 29.97fps
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are two options for connectivity

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