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Team Behind Ricoh Theta Create 360 Camera Aiming To 'Reinvent The Selfie'

Vecnos, a new startup company funded by Ricoh, is to release a compact 360-degree camera featuring a four-lens optical system.

Posted: 10/03/2020 - 14:34

Vecnos

Vecnos, an offshoot company funded by Ricoh, has announced that it is expecting to launch a new 360-degree camera later this year which offers the next level of miniaturisation.

Vecnos has been founded by the core team that launched the Ricoh Theta camera back in 2013. There have been several incarnations of that 360 camera, the most recent being the Theta SC2 which is capable of 4K video recording.

While the Ricoh Theta series only featured 2 ultra-wide cameras to create a 360 spherical image, the new Vecnos camera will feature a proprietary four-lens optical system with three lenses on the side and one on top. This enables them to keep the design ultra-slim and pen shaped. 

Ricoh Company, Ltd. President and CEO Yoshinori 'Jake' Yamashita says: "Ricoh has always been committed to supporting innovation in visual communications. As part of our new business development initiatives, a team led by Shu Ubukata was formed in 2018 to create specialised cameras for a new generation of consumers. Ultimately, we all realised that it made sense for this highly entrepreneurial team to be spun out into its own venture. And with that, Vecnos was born. Ricoh is proud to be the lead investor in a young company with a Ricoh pedigree and a vision to build revolutionary products."

There's a Vecnos app that can be used to enhance and share images. The aim with the Vecnos 360 camera is to create a more immersive social media experience for younger generations. The camera is currently still a prototype.

Members photos with related tags: Theta

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