Ricoh Theta Z1 Review
We've aggregated 13 high-signal reviews and 1 live retailer price below.
Our editorial take on the Ricoh Theta Z1
The Ricoh Theta Z1 is a premium 360-degree camera built for creators who need RAW capability and serious image quality in a compact form. With dual 1-inch back-illuminated CMOS sensors, it's one of the few 360 cameras that can shoot 23-megapixel stills in Adobe DNG format, giving you real latitude in post. Reviewers appreciate the magnesium alloy construction and sharp OLED status display, which lend the Z1 a noticeably premium feel. The camera handles bright skies well, and RAW files offer more recovery headroom in shadows than cheaper alternatives.
At around a thousand dollars, the Z1 sits at the high end of the 360 camera market, targeting serious hobbyists and professionals. It offers aperture priority, shutter priority, ISO priority, and full manual modes, plus 4K live streaming and 3-axis rotational stabilization. The built-in 4-channel mic array supports spatial audio, and the 51 GB of internal storage holds roughly 900 RAW images or over 6,000 JPEGs. Battery life is the main practical drawback, clocking in at about 60 minutes of video or 300 photos. The lack of expandable storage is also limiting for extended shoots, though the generous internal capacity mitigates this for most use cases.
- Dual 1-inch sensors deliver strong image quality and RAW capture
- Magnesium alloy body with premium fit and finish
- Sharp, high-contrast OLED status display
- Better highlight recovery in bright skies; more shadow detail in RAW
- Full manual controls including aperture, shutter, and ISO priority modes
- Battery life limited to roughly 60 minutes of video or 300 photos
- No expandable storage; fixed 51 GB internal capacity
- High price point at around $1,000
Synthesized by Geared editors from aggregated expert reviews.
Best reviews
The highest-signal reviews from creators and editorial blogs.
Video reviews
Editorial reviews
The magnesium alloy body has a matt finish and does have a real quality feel. The OLED status display is sharp and clear with lots of contrast ...
The new sensors bring a worthwhile increase in still resolution, too. As well as being a good four times larger than the 12-megapixel, 1/2.3- ...
Pros · Good low-light images · Sturdy, easy-to-use design · Quality videos · Third-party plug-ins increase functionality. Cons. -. Expensive. -.
It's not the perfect camera; you'll find the battery life to be less than ideal and there's no way to expand the 19GB of storage. This is more than made up for ...
My experience so far is the Z1 handles bright skies better but shadows about the same as the SC. I can recover a little extra from the Z1's raw ...
Community ratings
Tap a star. That's it. Save the words for the comments below.
0 ratings
Comments
Ask questions, share your experience, reply to other owners.
No comments yet. Start the conversation.
Specs
- Usb
- USB-C
- Wireless
- 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
- Card Slot
- No (51 GB internal storage)
- Mic Input
- Built-in 4-channel microphone (4.0 Surround)
- Battery
- Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery Pack
- Waterproof
- No
- Battery Life
- Approximately 60 min video, 300 photos
- Weight Grams
- 182 g
- Dimensions Mm
- 132.5 x 48.2 x 29.7 mm
- Optical Zoom
- None (360-degree dual-lens)
- Aperture Range
- f/2.1, f/3.5, f/5.6
- Min Focus Distance
- 40 cm
- Max Frame Rate 4k
- 30 fps
- Max Video Resolution
- 3840 x 1920 (4K 360-degree)
- Iso Native
- 80 to 1600 (Manual: 800 to 3200)
- Raw Format
- Adobe DNG
- Tripod Mount
- 1/4 inch-20 Female
- Body Material
- Magnesium alloy
- Lens Elements
- 14 elements in 10 groups (per lens)
- Compatible App
- THETA+ (iOS/Android), THETA Stitcher with Lightroom Classic CC
- Iso Range Auto
- 800 to 1600
- Live Streaming
- Yes (4K)
- Shooting Modes
- Auto, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, ISO Priority, Manual
- Iso Range Manual
- 80 to 6400
- Actual Megapixels
- 23 MP (7296 x 2648 per sensor)
- Video Capacity 2k
- Approximately 360 min (25 min per clip)
- Video Capacity 4k
- Approximately 110 min (5 min per clip)
- Operating Humidity
- up to 90%
- Photo Capacity Raw
- Approximately 900 RAW photos
- Still Image Output
- 23 MP raw (7296 x 3648), 23 MP JPEG (6720 x 3360)
- Photo Capacity Jpeg
- Approximately 6350 JPEG photos
- Shutter Speed Range
- 1/25000 to 60 seconds
- Operating Temperature
- 0 to 40 C (32 to 104 F)
- Internal Storage Capacity
- 51 GB
- Sensor Size
- 1.0-inch type
- Sensor Type
- 1.0-inch back-illuminated CMOS (2 sensors)
- Effective Megapixels
- 20 MP (6720 x 3360, per sensor pair)
- Rear Screen
- 0.93-inch OLED
- Release Date
- May 2021
- Launch Price Usd
- $996.95
- Stabilization
- 3-axis rotational stabilization
Where to buy
Live prices from retailers. We earn a small commission when you click through - never affects ranking.
- B&H Photonew● In stock$997Buy
More Compact Cameras
Other gear in Compact Cameras, ranked by score.
More from Ricoh
Other Ricoh gear, ranked by score.
