Ricoh brings a brand new entry-level model to its Theta Spherical Camera line-up. This is also the time because 4K-equivalent video recording has for some time been considered a qualitatively useful minimum in full-sphere panorama cameras. Unlike 2016, when the Ricoh Theta SC was originally released as a functional, price-reduced and colorful version of the Ricoh Theta S, the new Ricoh Theta SC2 is much more independent.

There are various color versions that remained. If you look at the set of photos, women seem to be the main target audience. Not professional or serious applications are in the foreground (for that Ricoh still has the Theta Z1 and V panoramic camera models), but the press release speaks of “Virtual Reality also for joy and fun photography has to be quite simple and not at all expensive.”

The Theta SC2 is not a bargain, there are cheaper cameras in this performance class. Unlike many competitors (which are now abundant in the 360-degree range), the Ricoh Theta models are for consistently simple and easy handling and mature hardware and software. Ricoh built a well-functioning ecosystem consisting of smartphone apps for Android and iOS and its own online platform theta360.com, which makes sharing the panoramic shots really easy. Since the Theta V, which finally saved videos in 4K data size, the quality of the videos is really fine.

And in fact, this step now makes the “beginner” version. It costs $299, $50 less than compared to the current Theta V panoramic digital camera but provides similar benchmarks and makes it so synonymous with this 2017 available camera competition. The latter has a bit more memory built-in, is more extensible, has some advanced features, and thus continues to exist for some users.

A key difference between the two models: a single video of the Theta SC2 only 3 minutes long, while the Theta V with up to 25 minutes at a time. For the regular 360 degrees VR videos maker, which usually makes rather short video clips and shares the Theta SC2 is sufficient. It offers a small OLED display, where the Theta V still works with simple LED status and sets otherwise completely on ease of use. These include so-called presets, which automatically ensure better or correctly exposed recordings. Part of the Theta V’s accessories is also compatible with the Theta SC2, including the TW-1 underwater case.

Price and Availability

The Ricoh Theta SC2 has been priced at $299.95 and it is now available to pre-order through Bhphotovideo and Amazon stores. It will be released on December 2, 2019, and comes in Beige, Blue, Pink and White color options.