{"id":34552,"date":"2021-03-12T13:56:33","date_gmt":"2021-03-12T18:56:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dougbardwell.com\/db\/?p=34552"},"modified":"2021-03-12T13:56:33","modified_gmt":"2021-03-12T18:56:33","slug":"theta-z1-the-ultimate-360-still-and-video-camera","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dougbardwell.com\/db\/theta-z1-the-ultimate-360-still-and-video-camera\/","title":{"rendered":"Theta Z1 – The Ultimate 360\u00b0 Still And Video Camera"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

and why 360\u00b0 photography almost freaked me out.<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Welcome to the world of 360\u00b0 photography and videography. You\u2019ll be learning photo editing and video editing techniques totally different from those you\u2019ve always used. Such was the journey I took with the Ricoh Theta Z1<\/a> \u2013 flagship of their 360\u00b0 camera line.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Elegantly simple, The Theta Z1 exudes quality with its solid build and non-slip textured surface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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But, when your initial RAW image comes out looking like this, you know you are in for an exciting journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So much of the 360\u00b0 community is devoted to virtual walkthroughs and action cam videos, that I had trouble finding people using the camera for the specifics I wanted to shoot. My main use cases revolved around architectural interiors in panoramic mode for the printed page and for a new way to enjoy landscape photography.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what\u2019s different?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Everything.\u00a0 End of conversation.\u00a0 Well, not really, but that was my first impression.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m used to shooting with a DSLR camera that has a dozen buttons and dials, all relatively explanatory. There\u2019s a small LCD atop showing results of what you\u2019ve set and a large LCD screen on the reverse to look at your images after you\u2019ve taken a photo or video.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Granted, the more you know about photography, the better pictures you\u2019ll probably take; but, after 50 years of shooting, you really know what everything is supposed to do and how to make it perform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Now, consider the compact, high-end Z1 360\u00b0 camera with no room for all those dials and screens.\u00a0 Panic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step one, find the power button \u2013 no problem. The familiar power symbol was right there atop three other function buttons. Right below it was a button with the universal Wi-Fi and Bluetooth symbols. Next was a Mode button and then a Function button. \u00a0Under the lens is a shutter button, but that\u2019s it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spoiler alert: the real power of the Z1 is much easier to appreciate if you connect it to your smartphone and make the changes you want there. I discovered that in short order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Having read the manual (who still does that?) I knew there were dozens of shooting modes and special plugins to take advantage of, but unless using a smartphone, they all required a series of \u201cpush this button twice and then that button three times and then this button one more time\u201d kind of combinations.\u00a0 Combine that with understanding the color of the status lamp and what it indicated, and you\u2019re on your way to some crazy cool photography.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Start with this image from the camera,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Tweak it in Lightroom, and get this kind of flat 360\u00b0 view. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Or set up your Z1 like I did on this thin lightstand, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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go hide, and take a panoramic with the remote shutter from your smartphone, and end up with this view upstream and downstream, all at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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or crop in a little and get this from the same shot<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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or crop even more and get this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The choice is yours when you are shooting hi-res 360s. You’ve got more than 6.700 pixels in width to play with, so crop away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

High-quality specs mean high-quality images<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Z1 is a top-of-the-line camera with more capabilities than any of their other (easier to comprehend) cameras.\u00a0 But, if you\u2019ve got the desire to get the best images, this is the one you\u2019ll want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Specs:<\/strong>\u00a0 1.0\u201d Sensor size (x2) for great detail and low light shooting<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                20 MP front and 20 MP rear shooting<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                ISO 80 to 6400<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                19 GB of onboard storage \u2013 no card slots<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4K Video 3840×1920 \/ 56 Mbps (awesome for post editing)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                Live stream up to 3840 x 1920 at 120 Mbps and 30 fps<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                Still photos 6720 x 3360 in either JPEG or RAW DNG or Both<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                300 Stills per battery charge<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                40 \u2013 130 minutes of video per charge (depending on resolution)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Add to those impressive specs, the ability to add plugins that increase the capabilities of the camera and the incredibly diverse amount of images that can be processed from a\u00a0 360\u00b0 image, and your head quickly begins to spin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, all these animations were produced in the Theta+ software (on my smartphone) from the same still image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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