The Ricoh Theta Z1 and the QooCam 8K are two of the most popular 360 cameras on the market. They’re both great, but they offer different features. This blog post will compare these two cameras to help you decide which one is right for you!
About Cameras
QooCam 8K
Introducing the QooCam 8K, the perfect digital camera for capturing full view photos and videos. With its in-dual lens system, FOV of 200°, and LCD display, you can easily take stunning photos and videos with ease. Plus, the Dot Matrix OLED makes viewing your footage even more enjoyable. And with wifi connectivity, you can easily share your photos and videos with others.
Ricoh Theta Z1
If you’re looking to shoot smooth, immersive 360-degree videos in 4K resolution, the Ricoh Theta Z1 is the perfect camera for you. With its 23MP back-illuminated CMOS sensor and 0.93-inch OLED panel, this camera delivers stunning visuals with incredible detail and clarity. Plus, its dual communication capabilities let you connect wirelessly to other devices or transfer files quickly and easily. And with a USB Type-C port, you can easily charge and power your camera on the go. So if you’re looking for a powerful and versatile 360-degree video camera, the Ricoh Theta Z1 is definitely worth considering.
Photo Quality
You are probably trying to decide between these two cameras because you want the best 360 camera for taking photos.
Both cameras can shoot 360-degree images of excellent quality, which is great for Google Street View or real estate virtual tours. The Theta Z is the best choice if you are looking for the highest quality images.
The Z1 camera has a larger sensor, which allows for greater detail, light colors and a wider dynamic range. Variable aperture is the only 360 camera that allows for greater control under different lighting conditions.
The QooCam 8K can’t take great pictures in dim lighting. This is where the Z1 excels. QooCam can shoot images in DNG8 format. DNG8 allows the camera to stack eight RAW images into one. This allows the camera to achieve maximum dynamic range without needing more sophisticated hardware. The Z1 camera has a larger sensor, which allows it to capture more detail, light colors, and an impressive dynamic range. The Z1 360 camera is the only one with a variable aperture, which allows for more precise control under different lighting conditions.
DNG 8 can produce excellent results, but it can also lead to noisy images at low light settings and color issues. It takes three programs and a lot of manual work to combine the images and produce the final result.
Adobe Lightroom’s bespoke plugin makes it easy to edit Z1 images. Drag your image into the program to activate the plugin. Now you can edit and export your image as usual.
Video Quality
QooCam is the best camera to shoot video. QooCam is the first consumer 360-camera that can record 8K resolution video. This allows for extremely sharp footage. Ricoh’s 4K resolution is limited by its superior lenses.
The QooCam was also capable of shooting 10bit video. This allows for millions more colors and vibrant videos. Although the QooCam can shoot professional-quality videos in good conditions, it still struggles with low light.
The 8K video is a problem with the QooCam. You’ll need a powerful computer to process and stitch 8K video. Kandao has developed a method to edit 8K videos from your smartphone using proxies. However, desktop software is required for the best results.
Design
The Ricoh Theta Z-Series can be recognized by its small size, smooth curves and round edges. It also features a color ring to match your style or mood!
Both the Ricoh Theta Z1 and QooCam 8K have a similar design. They can stand on their own, and they both have two fish eye lenses. They also both have a few manual controls on the body. There are several significant distinctions that impact usability, the QooCam 8K, for example, has a big touchscreen while the Z1 only has a basic display.
The QooCam does not require a connection to your phone, making it considerably more user-friendly due to the touchscreen. The Z1 can show you its current condition, but for more complex manual operation, you’ll need to connect to your phone.
Audio
The Theta Z1 has 4 microphones that can record ambisonic sound, making it a great companion for 360 videos. Although the QooCam doesn’t have two microphones, it has an audio out port that allows you to attach a better microphone.
Battery
Battery While neither camera has an incredible battery life, I found that the Z1 could last for around an hour shooting video while the QooCam takes about 40 minutes. You can double this time frame if you are only taking photos.
Conclusions
After comparing the technical specifications of the Ricoh Theta Z1 and the QooCam, it is clear that the QooCam outperforms the Ricoh Theta Z1 in almost every category. In terms of video quality, and features, the QooCam clearly wins.
The only areas where the Ricoh Theta beats the QooCam are in terms of weight, price and image quality. However, even in these categories, the difference is not significant. Overall, we believe that the QooCam is a much better option than the Ricoh Theta Z1 and recommend purchasing it over its competitor. Thanks for reading!
