Using RICOH360 App - Pros and Cons

jcasman · October 7, 2024, 8:19pm

I’m testing the RICOH360 App. I’m adding pros and cons here. I expect to add more information. If you have comments or more information, please add it in the replies. I will update this article.

General Information

The RICOH360:THETA Capture App (Android), version 1.12.1, updated on Sep 9, 2024, is in the Apple Store and Google Play. Info and links here plus direct links: iOS | Android

RICOH360 App includes the mobile app and also a web account.

In the Apple Store, it shows that the mobile app was released on Sep 11, 2023. It’s just over 1 year old. It’s review is at 3.2 stars but with only 34 reviews.

Compared to the RICOH THETA App which is 9 years old, released on Sep 2, 2015. It’s review is the same as the RICOH360 App at 3.2 stars but has collected 6.06K reviews over the years.

OK, here’s the info on the RICOH360 App I’m using:

App version 1.12.1
Storage Usage 2.2GB / 10GB
Using on iPhone 12, iOS version
In Camera Information on the LCD on my X it says Cloud Sync 3.27.2.
- I don’t know what this Cloud Sync is.

Major Points

Cloud account summary information is new and provides information on managing multiple THETAs and working with teams

Creation of a RICOH account is required
- reference
Logging in to cloud account is required to run the app
- This connects to and updates all the device management and working with teams data
It states clearly that the RICOH360 App is “Partially under development”

Open Questions

Can I add images through the mobile app?
- I have an icon showing a cloud with a line through it on the X LCD. This may be an indication that I can’t upload through the app properly currently. In THETA Support, here’s a table.

Ref: What does each icon displayed on the camera LED mean after setting ❝RICOH360❞ smartphone app ? - トピックス(米国)

Can I use the app with AP?
- I have used it with AP, taking a picture, moving it to my smartphone, then dropping the connection to the THETA in my smartphone settings, connecting to the local network, and uploading images.
Can I add members to a team?
Can I add a second team?

Details

I’m intending to turn this section into a table of information for easy scanning. Currently, this is main observations from using RICOH360 App.

Main Page for THETA (middle icon at bottom)

Gives great summary of camera info, all in one screen.

Under Detail Setting, Device Setting lets you set Sleep Delay, Auto Power Off, and Shutter Volume
Under Image Shoot Method, there is Shooting Method, Self-Timer, and Image Size. This is the same as the Gear icon settings during live preview when you’re taking pictures.
- Shooting Method (Normal or Time Shift)
- Self Timer (OFF, 2-10 sec)
- Image Size 11K (11008x5504) or 5.5K (5504x2752)
Under Video Capture Settings, it’s Self-Timer and Resolution/FPS. Video resolutions can be set to 2K (1920x96) at 30fps or 4K (3840x1920) at 30fps. It says:

Main Page for Photo/Videos (left icon at bottom)

You can see what images and videos are on the THETA, on the device you’re using to connect to the THETA (probably a smartphone or tablet), and what’s up in the RICOH360 cloud account.

Several observations, though I need to do more testing:

RAW preview images do not show, shows as black box

If I press the Capture button when I’m not connected, it checks password (SN) and connects through the app reliably.
Updated profile picture in browser shows up quickly. Little icon picture in upper right corner took longer.
Updated username (full name) in app shows up quickly in browser
Note: I changed the team name in the browser but it did not change on my 360RICOH app.
New photos (11K) can take 3-5 minutes to show
Upload through browser works. Transfer to Mac using USB-C cable and Image Capture app to desktop, then Add button in web browser works. Once uploaded through web browser interface, shows up in app quickly, listed under Cloud.

Gear icon, upper right corner, during live preview

Shows Image Shooting Method

Shooting Method (Normal or Time Shift)
Self Timer (OFF, 2-10 sec)
Image Size 11K (11008x5504) or 5.5K (5504x2752)

Preview

360, equirectangular, off

Can adjust EV, WB, Option Setting

craig · October 7, 2024, 8:39pm

you’re missing the iOS version. can you update and list the iOS version.

What’s the official RICOH position on the two apps? If they’re intended for different purposes, will the RICOH360 App replace the THETA app in the future?

Is this free? If there is a fee, how much is the fee for each THETA or team that is managed?

Are you sure you can’t use the app in an area without mobile data? For example, are you saying that if I go camping and want to take pictures of the mountains that I can’t use the RICOH360 app? Is this really the case?

Why is this an open question. It’s seems like the most basic operation. Did you try to connect in AP mode and the RICOH360 app could not take a picture. Why is the line above the bullet a question and the bullet seems to indicate that the app does work in AP mode???

Do you mean “connected in AP mode” or “connected to the Internet”

jcasman · October 7, 2024, 10:27pm

Updated.

I found this information in the FAQ. It appears like they intend for RICOH360 App to be the only app, but in the meantime, you can use both:

Only some functions are available at first, but the functionality of the app is planned to be expanded in future versions.

If you want to use functions that are not currently available, use the basic app “RICOH THETA”.

As far as I know, it’s free. However, I am currently stuck with only one team. And I can’t add members to the team. It’s possible - though I don’t know how - that I need to unlock those features.

This is how it appears to me currently.

I mean connected to the THETA in AP mode.

craig · October 8, 2024, 12:31am

If the official position is to provide the RICOH360 App for picture taking, then it would be more useful to evaluate the RICOH360 App versus the THETA App in terms of picture taking and not categorize each app for a different purposes, such as media management and picture taking.

Is it free to manage multiple cameras with the RICOH360 app? Can you register 20 (you can test 2) cameras and have the medial for each camera managed in the cloud for free?

It’s possible that the team management is not free. Try and find out the cost.

I mean connected to the THETA in AP mode.

If it’s connected to the camera in AP mode, does it use mobile data to connect to the cloud?

Does the RICOH360 mobile app need to be connected to the Internet only for the first registration? Or, does it need to be connected for every single picture taken?

Is there no way to take a picture without mobile data?

Sam_Rohn · October 16, 2024, 12:15am

New Ricoh360 app has a major UX design flaw with required login to open the app or control camera, this makes this app unsuitable for use in any location with unreliable or no internet connection

To demonstrate this issue, make sure to start with Ricoh360 app logged out before the following steps

Turn off cellular data on phone (to simulate being in an area w no cell or other internet service)
Connect phone wifi to camera, be sure wifi on camera and phone are not connected to any other network
Open Ricoh360 app, and enter login info
This will result in “no internet connection” error message, and in this state there is no way past this login page, and the app cannot be used to control camera

Yes, it will work if you were logged in last time app was used in an area with an internet connection, but if not or if the app login is reset through some update or accident, or if you use a 2nd phone w no sim, etc, the app is 100% useless if it cannot log in which is unacceptable for professional use of Theta cameras

The simple solution here would be to move the login to menu item (available after app launch) and not have it as a roadblock at front door

There is no other camera app that i know of that has this very unfortunate required login lockout limitation, not from gopro or insta360 or nikon or canon or sony etc etc

There is really NO good reason to lock users out of the app and camera this way other than to boost subscription numbers for a service many users do not use or need

Ricoh360 (new) app vs Ricoh THETA (old) app

New Ricoh360 app does not allow critical pro features such as AEB mode in Theta Z1, HDR-DNG in Theta X, plugins, etc

Ricoh had originally indicated the older app was depreciated in favor of new app and the old app had not been updated since that time, but after some recent pressure they updated the iOS version last week, and hopefully Android update is coming soon as there have been a few reports of Android 14 issues, otherwise the status of older app is somewhat ambiguous

No subscription service will remain free forever, and we really do not need more paid subscriptions in our lives, i believe the majority of users will not need these cloud and team features and will not appreciate the unnecessary login locking them out of operating their camera

There is a new page which seems to be promoting both apps equally, so perhaps they plan to maintain both a prosumer photography Ricoh THETA app and enterprise Ricoh360 app for now at least, but Ricoh has not been clear about any of this and seems to change their mind back and forth every few months

See my original topic on facebook for more info on these issues -

jcasman · November 5, 2024, 7:47pm

I’ve been testing the automatic upload functionality using the RICOH360 App. It’s it good feature that saves me time uploaded images. It also feels like a safe backup of my images.

You connect both the THETA and you smartphone to the local network using client mode (CL) and then whenever you take a picture, it’s saved both to your smartphone and to your theta360.com account.

Public RICOH docs on Automatically uploading photos:

Remember, you’re opening an account on theta360.com in the cloud, and you’re using a mobile app to connect to the THETA and the cloud account through a local network.

I’m using:

RICOH360 App version 1.13.1 on my iPhone 12, running iOS 18.0.1. I’m using a THETA X running firmware version 2.61.0.

Note: I’m connecting to my THETA X called Client Mode, and shows a little CL in the Wi-Fi icon in the upper left corner when it’s going. (If it’s AP, that means you’re connecting directly from your smartphone to your THETA. This is an okay way to control the camera by itself, but for the automatic uploading capabilities, make sure the THETA is in Client Mode.)

Also make sure you have Automatic Upload turned ON

Connected over CL

Connected over AP

jcasman · November 5, 2024, 7:50pm

In the last image there, I’ve circled the calibration error icon. This means the internal compass in the THETA needs to be recalibrated. This is very quick to do, see details here:

craig · November 5, 2024, 11:31pm

What is the free storage limit of the cloud? What is the cost past the free storage limit?
Once in the cloud, how can we share the image in an email or chat? Is there a public link I can send? Is there a share by email button?
what was the problem with the cloud upload that you were talking about before lunch? Was the problem that you connected the camera and mobile app in AP mode?
If you are offline and you take the picture, are all the images on the camera later uploaded to the cloud in a batch?
If the camera is in client mode, do you need the mobile app? Or, does that cloud icon on the screen indicate that the camera is pushing up the images direct from the camera to the cloud using an internal technology that comes with the camera?

jcasman · November 6, 2024, 12:05am

10GB - reference here

There’s a link icon in the upper right hand corner. You can share that URL.

Screenshot 2024-11-05 at 1.56.27 PM

You get this confirmation:

By the way, the three dots allows you do download the image or delete it:

The pencil icon gets you AI Editing option:

I was having problems connecting in CL mode. I can connect my THETA X, I can see the solid Wi-Fi icon and CL. But I can’t connect my smartphone and communicate with the X using CL. I’ve done it plenty of times.

If you connect in AP mode and take pictures, you can later upload them when your smartphone is connected to the internet. There is a cloud icon with an arrow. I have done this with individual images, but I did not see how to do it in batch mode.

I believe if you are in CL mode and you use the physical shutter button that the images will be pushed up automatically. Which is cool. But I need to test this and verify.

craig · November 7, 2024, 6:23pm

Is there a published cost above 10GB? Or, should we recommend to delete images from the cloud to reduce storage?

Can you post the link in this topic?

I want to check the following:

if the link has a token with timeout attached to it. Or, if the link is permanently available.
if the link can be embedded into other applications
if the image has been processed in the cloud or if the image is the same 11K image with the full metadata from the camera

Does the RICOH360 App work with DNG images as well? Or, does it only work with JPG images?

Is it a better experience if you connect the camera and mobile app in CL mode instead of AP mode?

In the demo you showed me, the images from the camera did not appear in the RICOH360 app when you had the THETA and mobile phone connected in AP mode.

Is the cloud icon on the camera? So, when you reconnect the camera in CL mode, the last image is uploaded? Aren’t all the images that aren’t sync uploaded at one time?

Can you try it again?

Please try the X and Z1.

craig · November 8, 2024, 1:55am

@jcasman so, I just registered the THETA X with the RICOH360 app and the setup went fine.

I then took a picture, which went as I would normally expect.

While in AP mode, I also tried disconnecting from mobile data and took a picture. The image transfered from the THETA X to my Moto-G 2024 Android phone.

I switched to 5GHz wifi using the RICOH360 app settings. I had to turn off the WiFi of the X and turn it back on. after this, it became 5 GHz.

I can’t seem to see a way to log out of the app to switch accounts.

The settings also look pretty limited at the moment. However, I feel these will get better over time.

I guess one question is how long do I stay logged in. If I take this camping and I haven’t used the RICOH360 app in a while, it may be a problem.

I need to keep using this every day instead of the RICOH THETA app to form a better opinion.

jcasman · November 8, 2024, 2:01am

I used the RICOH360 App today to take several pictures. It’s an easy AP connection. I have been using the app for a while and have not needed to log back in. I don’t have an exact answer, so I’ll keep monitoring, but it does not seem to require me to sign in very often.

craig · November 8, 2024, 5:42pm

I thought there might be less videos resolution settings compared to the THETA app, but when I compared the apps, they seemed the same. I can’t find microphone gain, video bitrate on the RICOH360 App, but there are some advantages such as the 360 preview perspective.

RICOH360 App

video resolution

both 360 and equirectangular live preview

I believe this is an advantage of the RICOH360 App.

found logout screen

I found the logout screen under Account.

RICOH THETA app

Video Resolution

Video Bitrate

Microphone Gain

jcasman · November 26, 2024, 5:29am

RICOH has updated the RICOH360 App FAQ.

When I start the RICOH 360 app, I am sometimes asked to log in. Is there any way to use the app without logging in, as I want to use it in places without internet access?

A. Currently, you need to log in to use the app.

We are planning to change the specifications this winter to make it more convenient to use.
*This is information as of November 2024, so the timing of the response may change.

And

Is there any way to use RICOH360 without using the cloud?

The RICOH360 App can be used without using the Cloud. The Cloud is only used when uploading images to the Cloud or when linking the THETA device to the Cloud.

Therefore, if you only link the THETA device to the RICOH360 App, you can take still images and videos, use presets, transfer images displayed on the THETA tab to the Device tab, update the firmware, and configure the device settings.

Please only perform the “Registering RICOH THETA to the smartphone” step in the THETA and RICOH360 App Linking Procedure, and do not perform the “Connecting cameras to the cloud” step.

For X and Z1, please do not set up automatic upload. This is because when automatic upload is set up, the images stored on the THETA device will be uploaded to the Cloud immediately.

* Please be careful not to upload the images displayed in the “Device” tab to the Cloud.
If you use the operations available in the “Device” tab (viewing images, selecting multiple images, deleting, downloading to a smartphone) except for uploading images to the Cloud, you will not use the Cloud.

** When using RICOH360(Web browser), please do not upload images. This is because the destination for uploading images is the Cloud.*

jcasman · November 26, 2024, 5:30am

Also noticed this interesting answer in the updated FAQ:

Q16. Can I use Plug-ins with the RICOH360 app?

A. This is planned for this winter.
*This is App Information as of November 2024, so the support period may change.

Sam_Rohn · November 26, 2024, 4:04pm

unfortunately it seems that service registration and login will still be required to use the Ricoh360 THETA capture app to operate a THETA camera, which will be a show stopper for many users

Q17. Can I use the RICOH360 App (Mobile) without sign-up (user registration)?

A. Sign-up (user registration) is required to use RICOH360 App (Mobile).

craig · November 26, 2024, 4:16pm

@jcasman when I was reading the FAQ, it occurred to me that some people do not want to have a connection to the cloud for privacy reasons. Initially, I thought it was just convenience. However, I now realize that there are some cases where the camera can’t be used due to security reasons that prohibit access to third-party services that are not registered with a government or large organization.

Sam_Rohn · November 29, 2024, 3:29am

Ricoh has just updated Ricoh THETA Capture App to v1.14.0 on November 28 2024

RICOH360 App Version Update Notice <v1.14.0>

Function improvement

The login specification has been changed so that the login status is maintained even in offline environments. This enables remote shooting, image viewing, downloading, etc. while offline.

unfortunately this does NOT solve the forced registration and required login problem, the app cannot get past the login screen and camera cannot be controlled unless the user is registered and logged in which is unacceptable for many professional use cases for many reasons as explained in great detail elsewhere

to be very blunt here, the reality of this situation is that Ricoh needs to add a simple “Skip Login” option to solve this problem, or users who cannot work with this limitation will choose another brand of camera which they can work with