The Theta camera from Japanese firm Ricoh is the world's first handheld camera that takes fully spherical photos with just one shot.
It can be held up to any scene, and once the shutter button is pressed, the camera's 'ultra-slim twin-lens optical system' snaps the view from around, above and below the device automatically - creating seamless panoramas.
Ricoh unveiled the device at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin. It weighs 95g and fits comfortably in the palm of a hand, similar to a remote control.
The shutter button is positioned below the lens making it easy to take the photo using a thumb, and this reduces any shakiness caused by having to move fingers around the device to take the shot.
There isn't a viewing display on the device itself, instead, every image taken is automatically synced with paired smartphones and tablets wirelessly and can be rotated and zoomed into on the mobile screen.
Photos can then be cropped on the phone or tablet but other editing tools are limited. These images can be shared to Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr as well as Microsoft's Photosynth after they are uploaded to Ricoh's picture site theta360.com.
Ricoh announced that the device will cost £329 and is available for pre-order from October in France, Germany, UK and U.S.
When it launches, the Ricoh Theta will be compatible with the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 running on iOS 6.0 or above.
Plus the free Ricoh Theta iOS app will need to be download form the App Store.
The makers said it will be made available for Android phones 'before the end of the year.'
It can be held up to any scene, and once the shutter button is pressed, the camera's 'ultra-slim twin-lens optical system' snaps the view from around, above and below the device automatically - creating seamless panoramas.
Ricoh unveiled the device at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin. It weighs 95g and fits comfortably in the palm of a hand, similar to a remote control.
The shutter button is positioned below the lens making it easy to take the photo using a thumb, and this reduces any shakiness caused by having to move fingers around the device to take the shot.
There isn't a viewing display on the device itself, instead, every image taken is automatically synced with paired smartphones and tablets wirelessly and can be rotated and zoomed into on the mobile screen.
Photos can then be cropped on the phone or tablet but other editing tools are limited. These images can be shared to Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr as well as Microsoft's Photosynth after they are uploaded to Ricoh's picture site theta360.com.
Ricoh announced that the device will cost £329 and is available for pre-order from October in France, Germany, UK and U.S.
When it launches, the Ricoh Theta will be compatible with the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 running on iOS 6.0 or above.
Plus the free Ricoh Theta iOS app will need to be download form the App Store.
The makers said it will be made available for Android phones 'before the end of the year.'
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