Background: Currently renting a non-Ricoh camera, to see 360 photography works for my application … it does, but the camera’s image quality is horrible. And the rented camera’s viewer, though intuitive, is sluggish & leaves something to be desired.
Suspect that the Ricoh Theta V will solve the camera problem. But need a good viewer. Hardware options:
Windows 7 --> Have a billion color monitor with a resolution of 2560x1440.
IOS --> Coworker showed me a Facebook app that changed perspective of the 360 photo, just by moving the iPad around … have a mini iPad 2.
VR Headset --> Don’t own one, but open to the idea, if that what it takes to make a 360 photo shine.
Have to think a fair percentage of the Theta V owners are taking stills, so what is the best way to view them?
A headset like the HTC Vive will give you the best experience, but you don’t need it. In addition to the iPad 2, do you have a mobile phone? Putting your mobile phone a headset without integrated screen would work.
This is one of the more expensive mobile phone headsets at $99, but it would work if you have a newer Android phone.
Have a low-powered Android smartphone: LG Premier LTE. And my GTX-780 Ti video card (great for DSLR photography), sounds underpowered for VR headsets.
What about the Oculus Go? Resolution-wise, it’s a match for my PC’s monitor. Been doing lots of googling about headsets, and viewing 360 photos are very rarely mentioned. Wondering if the HTC Vive & Oculus Rift are overkill for photography … agree or disagree?
Going the Sony headset route, means getting a playstation. Daydream reads as being tied too tightly to the phone. (Still irritated that I need to have my smartphone at full charge to remotely control my rental 360 camera.)
Another headset possibility: Lenovo’s Mirage Solo.
I have a GTX 750 Ti with a i7 quad core. It works for me with the HTC Vive for basic applications. As this is considerably under the spec for HTC Vive, I suggest you borrow an HTC Vive or buy one from a place with a return policy just in case.
The Oculus Go will probably work, but it’s new, so not many people have tested it.
IMO, it’s overkill for most applications. However, some people have specialized applications like training.
This company has a bunch of information on their site:
Looking at their customer stories and blog is a good place to start.
This is another good source of information:
It depends on what environment you imagine the person viewing the 360 images are in. If it’s a kiosk at a real estate office, you can get them to put on a headset.
My understanding is that most sales demos are done using a tablet using a web browser view.
NY Times standardized on smart phones to reach the widest audience.
Not into the VR experience (ever watch the TV series, Tek Wars? Visited the RoundMe site, and could see becoming addicted to it :)). But your point about using a headset on an under-powered system is a good one: Planning on using the headset as a photo viewer, which is not as demanding as watching videos or playing games.
Your idea about trying purchasing a headset from some place w. a good return is a prudent one. But I need better test material, compared to the pictures I’m taking w. the rental 360 camera. Could you point me to a gallery of 360 photos taken w. the Ricoh Theta V? Specifically, looking for outdoor pics, since that’s how I would be using the technology.
Downloaded a handful of pics from Flickr, with the purpose of viewing them in a VR headset. Will report back the results.
Just as a FYI, the entire purpose of this exercise in renting a 360 camera, and determining the optimum way of viewing ==> Document trike rides. A 360 camera can be mounted high above the trike, and is much faster to setup compared to a DSLR on a tripod. Taking 360 photos will highlight both the seasonal & long term evolution of these bike trails.
