I first learned about the Ricoh Theta 360 while visiting the Google office in NYC during the 2015 E-House Trip. We were discussing Google’s new initiatives to host virtual reality content on YouTube when a Google employee took out the camera to show us. After seeing the results I was hooked, there’s so much creative potential. So I got one to start experimenting with on a recent trip to Nicaragua.

The Theta 360 is a panoramic camera packaged into a sleek, easy to use form. It is made of a smooth plastic with aluminum siding. There is no display, no touch screen, not even a lens cover, just a few simple buttons and 2 bulbous wide angle lenses on opposing sides. It has sort of a funny design, when you hold the camera it reminds me of the “neuralyzer” from Men In Black.