Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time
vpnMentor reports that its research team discovered that Theta360’s photo-sharing platform has suffered something of a pretty major data breach. The leak, they say, has exposed at least 11 million public and private photographs on the system.
They say that while most personal information was not released, usernames, first and last names along with the captions were exposed in the database alongside the images. Images that many users had chosen to keep private.
Coming out of CP+ 2019, Ricoh has today announced their latest 360° camera, the Ricoh THETA Z1. The new model expands on the previous Theta V with a number of new features, the most noticeable of which is the somewhat giant leap from 12 to 23-megapixel still images – which can now be shot in Adobe DNG raw format as well as jpg. It also features a new processing algorithm offering HDR, interval composite shooting for things like star trails, as well as bracketing for up to 19 shots.
It’s been a long time coming, and one of the things that’s put many off buying into Ricoh for their 360° needs. The Theta S was, undoubtedly, a fantastic little 360° camera. But the lowly 1080p resolution was a big deal breaker for many. With other manufacturers coming out with their own 4K 360° cameras, Ricoh needed to catch up quick. And it looks like they finally have.
The Theta V shoots both 4K UHD 360° video as well as 12MP still photographs. As well as pre-recorded video, it also supports 4K streaming. It doesn’t state to which platforms it can live stream, but presumably at least the standard Facebook and YouTube. It also contains a built in 4 channel microphone, to provide “surround sound”.
Over the years we shared quite a few little planet videos. Most involved building an elaborate gopro rig which can hold six cameras. Kinda like this one.
But, camera makers realized the potential in photographing at 360 degrees, they’ve started making dedicated 360 cameras. This means that instead of 3D printing (or worse, buying) a 360 rig, you can buy a small camera like the Theta S and only use one camera.
With the Ricoh Theta m15 showing as discontinued for a couple of colours on B&H, and the demands of VR and 360° camera users already increasing far beyond the 1080p limits of the Theta S, now would be a great time for Ricoh to announce a new 4K VR camera,
According to Pentax Rumours, that’s exactly Ricoh are preparing to do, and are expecting an official announcement could be made during Photokina in September.
You can find out more about John on his website and follow his adventures on YouTube and Facebook.
can change a lens mid-rappel, swap a memory card while treading water, or use a camel as a light stand.
To see more of his work please visit his studio website blurMEDIAphotography, or follow him on Twitter, 500px, Google Plus or YouTube.
JP’s photography is available for licensing at Stocksy United.
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