The Ricoh Theta X is a pocket-sized 360° camera that lets you create immersive virtual tours

It's been almost a decade since Ricoh launched one of the first 360-degree cameras, and the company has just released a new Theta model that brings in some useful…but not entirely unique features.

The Theta X is built around two 48MP sensors and two lenses that together can take 60MP spherical photos or 5.7K/30p video. Compared to other Theta products, such as the flagship Theta Z1, here you will additionally count on the presence of a practical 2.25-inch touchscreen, interchangeable batteries and expandable memory.

While we've seen large touchscreens on 360 cameras before, like the Kandao QooCam 8K, this is the first time a touchscreen has been integrated into a Ricoh Theta camera. This is a significant usability benefit, as it allows you to preview footage and view 360-degree photos on camera, rather than depending on a companion mobile app.

Other advantages of the Theta X include a relatively high-end magnesium alloy body, the ability to power the device - even while recording videos - from external batteries via its USB-C port , and an integrated GPS to geolocate your creations. As the camera runs on Android OS, it is also open to third-party plug-ins, to extend its functionality.

This customization remains one of the main attractions of Ricoh Theta cameras to this day. It invites you, for example, to livestream without cables and without the need for a PC nearby. Another practical option offered: the automatic blurring of faces that appear in a public shot.

These kinds of features, along with the price of the Ricoh Theta X, mean that this camera is aimed more at professionals than videographers or globetrotters. However, it will attract beyond its main target, as a versatile device. You can buy it from March at a price of 999 €.

A new era for 360 cameras?

The question that usually arises when launching a new 360 camera is “who exactly is it for”? While Insta360's competitors are clearly targeting content creators, it seems the Ricoh Theta X is aimed more at businesses.

Ricoh says the pandemic has created an increased need for immersive images and virtual tours, and so designed the Theta X for shooting 360-degree photos and videos in areas such as real estate or automotive.

This explains why the Theta X relies so much on flexibility, with removable batteries and a micro SD slot that allow it to last all day when in use. Ricoh further assures that the camera's real-time processing will reduce editing times, which can be lengthy on 360-degree video footage.

When the original Theta was launched in 2013, it was aimed primarily at artists and videographers, but at the time, 360 cameras were hampered by limited editing techniques and a lack of platforms on which to publish said creations.

In recent years, however, their appeal has mostly been in the ability to post-process all your shots, from any angle. That's the strength of Insta360 cameras, and while the Ricoh Theta X instead seems to be targeting businesses' alternative need to provide virtual tours in a world resolved on social distancing, both make for compelling potential benchmarks that cameras could see 360 degrees finally finding their niche in 2022.