Omnidirectional Camera Takes 360° Photos & Sends Them To Your Phone

There is definitely no shortage when it comes to smartphone cameras, but there is a revolution going on right now, and there is no stopping it. It has everything to do with photos, and we’re taking billions of them each year. But with such popularity also comes also a demand for an upgrade. Smartphone photographers want more and better gear to allow them to grow as photographers. A new omnidirectional camera could be the one gadget that makes all smartphone photographers smile again.

You have to agree that continuously taking photos with that very same smartphone camera does get a little bit boring after a while. Sure, Instagram and all those photo filter services help creativity, but the fact remains that it’s still just an ordinary digital camera. Maybe that is what Ricoh is trying to change with their newly announced omnidirectional camera. It can do what no smartphone camera can do, and it will definitely inject a whole new level of awareness and dimension into your photos.

This omnidirectional camera shoots photos in 360-degree view. This means when you look at the photo, you will be able to see everything, and I really mean everything, around you when the photo is taken. You can look around in the photo just like in reality. It’s a whole new dimension to photos that could very well change how we view photos in the future.

The effect is achieved with two fish-eye lenses that each have a 180 degree view. Combined, they will capture a 360 degree picture and then send it via wi-fi to your smartphone. The omnidirectional camera is not very bulky either compared to earlier products and versions. The developers behind it, Ricoh, think this could very well be the future of photography. It all depends on the demand, and how people like their photos to be viewed. I personally have to agree that being able to look around in photos is way more exciting than just looking at them head on. The unlimited possibilities this would mean are just the beginning of a new era of smartphone photography. When it will be released is yet unknown as the developers want to release it commercially if enough people show interest in the idea. But first, they would like to perfect it, and make it smaller to make it even more mobile.

Ricoh’s Omnidirectional Camera Concept