The Ricoh Theta X consumer-grade 360° camera. With a 360 camera you can capture in every direction at once and mount it on your car, bicycle, or on a stick for walking.
It is a recommended 360 camera is the Ricoh Theta X because the it has built-in GPS and is natively natively supported by the Mapillary Desktop Uploader and Command Line Tools.
Equipment needed
Ricoh Theta X
Memory card (we recommend MicroSDXC 256GB and above)
Extra batteries or Power bank/battery pack - recommended for sessions over 30 minutes
Mounting equipment for driving & biking or a “long” selfie stick for walking (i.e. two connected sticks and a 200g weight for improved balance and stability)
Bluetooth remote control (optional)
Lens Guards (optional)
USB3-reader for MicroSDXC cards (optional)
Ensure the Firmware is updated
Older firmware versions do not record the GPS track in the video files, so a firmware upgrade is likely required before starting mapping operations; later firmware also seem to improve the stability and reduce the likelihood of experiencing overheating issues. (Current firmware at the time of writing is version 2.5.)
Ensure Wifi is off
Ensure that the Wifi symbol i gray (off), as the high-resolution modes do not work if the Wifi is on.
Ensure GPS is on
Ensure that the GPS symbol i blue (on), as videos or images without GPS cannot be processed by Mapillary.
Ensure Bluetooth is on
Ensure that the Bluetooth symbol i blue (on), as is required to be able to remote control the camera, while driving.
Ensure Video mode is selected
Ensure that the Video mode is selected.
Ensure the highest bitrate is selected
To ensure best image quality, in the Shooting settings, sub-menu “Bit rate” select the highest setting, (i.e. 120 Mbps (8K@10fps / 5.6K@10fps), 80 Mbps (8K@2fps / 5.6K@10fps), 16 Mbps (5.6K@2fps)).
Ensure memory card is inserted
The session is likely to to be cut short if you run out of storage, so it’s a good idea to always double check that the memory card is present before starting the camera.
Driving Setup
If you will be capturing while driving with your THeta X we recommend configuring it to shoot in the 8K10 mode, that is timelapse 360 video at 0.1s interval and 8K resolution.
Using 0.1s interval video while driving means that you will be able to capture enough imagery while driving and still keeping file-sizes relatively reasonable
Using these settings will allow you to capture for about 4:39:21 hours on a 256 GB SD card, (Alternatively ~7h in 5.7@10fps mode. Using only in-camera storage, this is reduced to 53min @8K/10fps or 1½h @5.7/10fps.)
Using these settings will allow you to capture for about 8¼ hours on a 256 GB SD card. )
(There isn’t much point to do denser capture, as the resolution is reduced without any positional accuracy improvement, thus reducing the usefulness of the captured images for mapping purposes.)
Tips:
Secure the camera onto a vehicle suction mount or your vehicle’s roof rack system
Place the camera close to the center of the vehicle with the LCD screen facing the back of the car. Adjust the angles of the mounts so that the camera’s lenses face the front and back of your vehicle.
Remove objects obstructing camera view (such as the vehicle antenna).
Connect and secure a power bank or connect to a charger, if your session will continue for 30 minutes or more. Note if external power is connected, it is recommended that battery is removed, as the camera has a tendency to switch to battery power only, and simply power off when the battery runs out.
Consider using the Theta app or a Bluetooth remote to start/stop recordings from inside the car; through a transparent sunroof is easiest, as the operation can then visually confirmed.
Consider also recording and uploading a directional view using a 4K DashCam, to can make it much easier to read road signs etc. (While the 360 camera may seem to have a high resolution, it needs to cover a 3x wider angle (~120 vs 360), the image is uslay much less sharp when zooming in on details.)
Biking Setup (up to ~13 mph or ~22 km/h)
If you will be capturing while biking with your Theta X we recommend configuring it to shoot in the 8K2 mode, that is timelapse 360 video at 0.5s interval and 8K resolution.
(If you want a denser capture, consider using the 8K10 mode.).
Using (timelapse) video mode while biking means that you will be able to capture enough imagery while still keeping the output file size relatively small. Having the camera shoot every 0.5 seconds is sufficient for biking (up to ~22 mph or 35 km/h), but too sparse for driving.
Using these settings will allow you to capture for about 8¼ hours on a 256 GB SD card
You can upload these captured .MP4 video files to Mapillary without processing them following the instructions at the bottom of this page.
Tips:
Mount the camera on you helmet for the best viewing angle and stability, though you need to be very careful to keep the helmet straight and level, and avoid rotating your head to the left or right.
Move slowly through changes of direction, to minimize the inaccuracies introduced by the GSP spale interpolation. (The GSP seems running at a fixed 1s sampling interval, so interpolation is used for the images in between.)
Walking Setup (up to ~3 mph or 5 km/h):
If you will be capturing while driving with your Theta X we recommend configuring it to shoot in the 8K2 mode, that is timelapse 360 video at 0.5s interval and 8K resolution.
(The camera currently don’t support 11K timelapse 360 video.)
Using (timelapse) video mode while walking means that you will be able to capture enough imagery while still keeping the output file size relatively small. Having the camera shoot every 2 seconds is sufficient for walking (up to ~3 mph or 5 km/h), but too sparse for biking or driving. (The Theta X does not supports interval photos.)
Using these settings will allow you to capture for about 8¼ hours on a 256 GB SD card. (Using only in-camera storage, this is reduced to a estimated 1½h @8K/2fps or 6½h @5.7/2fps, though in practice it might be longer.)
You can upload these captured .mp4 video files to Mapillary
Tips:
Charge your camera fully before embarking on a capture adventure or carry spare batteries a power bank & cable if your session will continue for more than 45~60 minutes
You can either hold the stick in your hand or fasten it to a backpack in a steady, upright position
Be sure to keep the camera at least 30 cm above your head to minimize interference from your head, when possible.
We recommend using a long selfie stick (1.8~2m) when walking - it is important to keep the camera very stable to achieve the wanted GPS accuracy. Also aid waling close to tall buildings, as the rado reflections amy trick the GPS receiver to believe its further from the wall than it actually is.
Always make sure to and start recordings with the camera in upright, or the resulting video files may end up with wrong orientation in the metadata - even if the seems to be less than 45 degrees.
Upload Theta X videos to Mapillary
Transfering the files from the camera to the computer is kind of slow, so it is recommended that the MicroSDXC cards is physical removed from the camera and inserted into (fast) MicroSDXC-card reader connected to the computer. Once the Theta X .mp4 videos are accessible on the computer, these can be uploaded as-is to Mapillary without any processing, as the camera stitched 360 videos in real time during the capture. Simply drag and drop the .mp4 files (or folder containing them) into the Mapillary Desktop Uploader. You’ll see a preview of the location on the map and can proceed to upload.
It normally takes less than 2 days to process your uploaded videos, after which you should be able to see your imagery on the map.
You can also upload videos using the Command Line Tools if you prefer.
Other Tip and Lessons Learned
Consider using the command line if you can, with a forced 0 degree orientation; as sometimes the camera gets confused and will store a horizontal rather than vertical orientation of the camera/images. (Unclear if this is influenced by the orientation of the camera when powered on, thou this seems likely. The orientation is locked once the start recording button is pressed, so correcting it during the timer countdown will have no effect.)
Consider attaching lens guards to the camera, as the accidents do happen, especially later part of a long session. While a accidentally brushing the camera against a branch might not seem to case any damage, it will eventually polish the lens and make the images blurry in places. (Ricoh seems to replace the cameras instead of a lens repair, with cost of about 3/4 of a new camera; make sure to remove the memory card, battery etc before sending the camera in for a replacement - as these will most likely not be returned.)
Legal considerations
Always keep in mind that it might not be appropriate/legal to take photos in some locations - check your local laws and regulations before you start mapping. Check other street view resources while planning a session - if they are also missing “recent” images for a specific area, there might a be a reason for this; check first, record later - as by the time you see a sign, you have already overstepped the boundary of what is allowed.