Ricoh announces the new Theta S Spherical Digital Camera!

I don’t know you but I really like Ricoh’s spherical camera idea. And just now they announced a new Theta S Spherical Camera which is already on preorder at BHphoto and Adorama. Read the press text via BH:

Spherical images have increased in popularity in recent years, and Ricoh has been at the forefront of consumer innovation with its popular Theta spherical camera line. The Theta S improves upon its predecessors by adding larger image sensors, a longer video-recording time, and two fast f/2 lenses with a folded optical system. It features dual 1/2.3″ 12MP sensors that output a 14.4MP equirectangular image, and can also capture 25-minute clips of full HD 1080p video at up to 30 fps. Videos can be streamed live via USB or HDMI, and a Live View function enables easy previewing on a mobile device. Furthering the Theta S’s ability to capture images in low light are the additions of manual exposure compensation and long exposures of up to 60 seconds. Internal memory has been increased from 4GB to 8GB, so you can store twice as many images and videos as the Theta m15.

A new Theta S app for smart devices allows you to adjust camera settings and improved Wi-Fi connectivity enables data transfer up to four times faster than the previous Theta m15. Sharing of your images and videos has also been made easier by the inclusion of a Google-supported Open Spherical Camera API that is compatible with Google’s services, such as Google Maps and Street View. You can also upload your files directly to theta360.com, or social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Tumblr, and YouTube.

An updated user interface and physical design includes a sure-grip rubber coating and a face-mounted LED mode indicator. A clear TH-1 Hard Case, and a white or black TS-1 Soft Case is available to help protect the Theta S; the Strap Attachment is available in silver, blue, orange, green, and gray.