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Using the Ricoh Theta S to Create Tiny Planets

It's a distinctive look that isn't for every occasion or taste, but creating tiny planets can be a fun way to put one of the new breed of 360-degree cameras to use.

01 havecamerawilltravel com 5 1068x577 - Using the Ricoh Theta S to Create Tiny Planets

Categories: 360°
Tags: Ricoh Theta S 360-Degree Camera
Last updated about 1 month ago // Originally published about 4 years ago

The new generation of 360-degree cameras is best known for creating interactive virtual reality photos and videos. But there are some other things you can do with them, like creating so-called tiny planets.

If you’ve never heard of tiny planets, they take the natural distortion of a 360-degree spherical image and amp it up to the nth degree. They get their name from the distinctive look of many of the ones on this page that look, well, like tiny planets. But you can also change the nature of the distortion and even invert it and end up with other effects, like some of the interior shots here.

These are real photos–not generated graphics. They basically go to town with the fish-eye distortion. Instead of the usual 180° or so of a standard fish-eye lens, these have 360° to play with.

I’ve shot some of Washington DC’s monuments with a Ricoh Theta S, so I decided to try some fun experiments of seeing how they’d come out as tiny planets. I patched them with Pano2VR to replace the nadir, and ran them through Circular Studio.

You don’t need to use the Ricoh Theta S, of course. You can even do it by shooting with a DSLR and stitching the images to create equirectangular panoramas. Technically can you use any image–it doesn’t have to be a panorama, but they give the best results. But the advantage of using the new breed of 360 cameras, including the new Nikon KeyMission 360, is that they’re so quick–with a single click, you end up with a spherical image without any need to mess with stitching or shooting multiple images.

Here are some of the results.

Netherlands Carillon.

Netherlands Carillon.

Inside the Lincoln Memorial.

Inside the Lincoln Memorial.

Washington Monument.

Washington Monument.

Outside the Lincoln Memorial.

Outside the Lincoln Memorial.

Netherlands Carillon.

Netherlands Carillon.

Jefferson Memorial.

Jefferson Memorial.

Iwo Jima Memorial.

Iwo Jima Memorial.

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Union Station. The main pattern is the ceiling.

Union Station. The main pattern is the ceiling.

Jefferson Memorial.

Jefferson Memorial.

Freer Gallery.

Freer Gallery.

MLK Memorial.

MLK Memorial.

Arlington National Cemetery.

Arlington National Cemetery.

Japanese Lantern at the Tidal Basin.

Japanese Lantern at the Tidal Basin.

Peacock Room at the Freer Gallery.

Peacock Room at the Freer Gallery.

Tiny Planet Generators

If you’re looking to try out generating tiny planets without forking out for a software license, Kuula includes a simple and free generator as one of their built-in features. You can then right-click on the generated image and save it as a PNG.

If you want much more flexibility and many more features, I’ve found Circular Studio to be very good–it’s Mac only.

Ricoh Theta S

Ricoh Theta S Digital Camera (Black)
Ricoh Theta S Digital Camera (Black)
  • 360 Degree Spherical Panorama images and Spherical Videos up to 25 minutes
  • Live view function on mobile device; Wi Fi communications protocol: HTTP (open spherical camera API 7...
Check Price at Amazon

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By David Coleman
Instagram: @havecamerawilltraveldc

Last updated on December 10, 2020

Categories: 360°
Tags: Ricoh Theta S 360-Degree Camera

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News & Deals

With the holidays fast approaching, there’s some great deals on photography gear and services available. I’ve put together a roundup of Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2020 Photography Deals. It’s a running list as new deals are announced, so be sure to check back.

Canon announces new EOS Rebel T8i DSLR. Canon has announced their new T8i DSLR. 24MP APS-C cropped CMOS sensor, 4K24 video, and updated image processing and detection systems. It’s available for preorder from B&H Photo.

New Firmware for the Ricoh GR III. Ricoh has release firmware v1.31 for the GR III. Release notes are: “Corrected — When shooting with the multiple exposure, in rare cases the live view may not display correctly. Improved stability for general performance.” You can download it here.

New Canon 1D X Mark III Pro DSLR Announced. Canon has announced their new flagship model of pro DSLR, the 1D X Mark III. They’re sticking with a 20.1MP CMOS sensor, but it’s a new and improved version and boasts an incredible native ISO range of ISO 100 to ISO 102400 and an extended range that goes up to a jaw-dropping ISO 819200. With revamped autofocus, a new image processor, and all sorts of other bells and whistles, it’s no wonder that Canon is billing it as “The Ultimate EOS.”

New Manfrotto Pro Rugged Memory Cards. Manfrotto, an Italian probably best known for their tripods and studio accessories, has launched a new Pro Rugged range of high-end SD, microSD, and CompactFlash cards. While they don’t have a huge selection of sizes and speeds, the cards are aiming for very fast cards that can put up with rugged demands. For instance, they claim that their V90 rated SD cards can withstand three times the force (20kg / 45 lbs) of a regular SD card. I’ve ordered some to run through my speed tests.

New Sony Alpha a7 firmware released. A firmware update for the Sony a7R IV now lets you control external Sony flashes from the camera’s own menu system. Up to 15 flashes in five groups can be controlled via the camera. It also applies to the a7R III and a7 III.

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I take photos. I travel. I do it for a living. Seven continents. Dozens of countries. Up mountains. Under water. And a bunch of places in between.

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