Ricoh Theta S Field Test

Over the last 15 years and change, a whole lot of cameras have passed through my hands for review here at Imaging Resource, but almost all of them have shared the same basic feature-set. A lens, a sensor, a display and perhaps a viewfinder of some sort, as well as a battery compartment from which to draw power and a flash card slot on which to store your creations. And controls, often a whole bunch of them. (Or if not, a touch-screen user interface.)

The Ricoh Theta S is very, very different. In fact, it's probably one of the most unusual cameras we've ever received for review, and that's one of the things which made me really want to get my hands on it as soon as it landed in the office.

A perfect shooting opportunity, right as the Theta S landed on my desk
And as it happened, I had a great shooting opportunity lined up -- a whirlwind trip to California. Originally it was scheduled to attend a screening of Godfrey Reggio's Naqoyqatsi -- a part of my favorite film trilogy, and a masterpiece in my mind -- complete with live accompaniment by composer Philip Glass and his ensemble