When comparing LG 360 CAM vs Ricoh Theta SC, the Slant community recommends LG 360 CAM for most people. In the question“What are the best 360-degree cameras?” LG 360 CAM is ranked 6th while Ricoh Theta SC is ranked 11th. The most important reason people chose LG 360 CAM is:
The LG 360 camera has a small rectangular frame with a plastic sheath that slides over its lenses to protect them from scratches. It's rather short and a little thick, which may make it feel a bit bulky. But even then, it's small enough to be carried around and fits comfortably in a pocket.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Highly portable
The LG 360 camera has a small rectangular frame with a plastic sheath that slides over its lenses to protect them from scratches. It's rather short and a little thick, which may make it feel a bit bulky. But even then, it's small enough to be carried around and fits comfortably in a pocket.
Pro Good bang for the buck
Most good 360 degree cameras cost upward fo $300. LG 360 is one of the few (if not only) 360-degree cameras that costs $200 and has great specs.
Pro Easy to use
The camera on its own is very simple to use. It only has two buttons: a power button and a shutter button.
Most of the time though it will be used in tandem with a smartphone which again, is pretty easy to do. Connecting a phone to the camera consists of selecting it from the phone's Wi-Fi settings like any other wireless network.
Pro Storage capacity can be increased
The micro SD card can be quickly removed and replaced with another if the user requires more storage. In this sense, the user is not limited to the built-in storage capacity of some other options.
Pro Comes with a protective lens cover for carrying and storage
The camera is easy to damage due to the protruding lens. However, it comes with a hard shell cover which keeps it protected when in your pocket/bag.
Pro Clear stills in good lighting
The LG 360 has one of the higher MP specs at 16MP, and the images have good clarity in well-lit areas.
Pro Allows manually tuning ISO, white balance, shutter speed and aperture
Gives you the option of tweaking the camera settings for capturing images in difficult situations and/or adding an artistic effect.
Pro Multi-purpose lens cover
The lens cover not only provides protection, but it also doubles as a small stand.
Pro Sharp videos in bright locations
When taken in good lighting, the higher resolution results in a fairly clear and sharp video.
Pro Real-time live preview via a smartphone app
The smartphone app allows previewing the footage that the camera is capturing. It can also adjust settings such as exposure and white balance.
Pro Straightforward to use
This device is very easy to use. Simply switch between photo or video capture by pressing a toggle on the side of the camera and then press the button on the front of the camera.
Pro Comes with a protective sleeve for carrying and storage
The protective sleeve is not only highly practical, but it also looks very sleek and doesn't add much bulk.
Pro Reasonable stitching quality
The Ricoh Theta app is reasonably successful at stitching. While artifacts and splicing issues can occur, they will usually not be noticeable during a casual viewing, only revealing themselves upon closer inspection.
Pro Highly portable
The camera is small, making it easy to carry around. It can easily fit into a trouser pocket.
Pro Offers good degree of manual control over image capture
Allows manually tuning ISO, white balance, shutter speed, noise compression, and exposure compensation.
Pro Perfectly placed shutter button
The shutter button is placed far from the power button in order to avoid accidentally turning off the camera instead of pressing the shutter button.
Cons
Con Cannot view photos or videos directly on the camera
Since there's no screen on the camera, the only way to view what you captured is to transfer them to your phone or PC. For most photos this is not an issue as the process is very fast, but unfortunately it's quite slow for videos that are large in size.
Con Stitching quality is poor
Con Third-party software is required to edit video
Neither the mobile app, nor the desktop program that the camera comes with can edit the captured footage.
Con Poor video quality
The stitching in videos is much more evident than in the photos. The video loses a fair amount of clarity in low light settings.
Con It's easy to accidentally damage the device
You have to be extra careful in how you store the device due to its protruding lens design which makes it quite easy to damage.
Con Indicator lights are difficult to see in the daylight
When outdoors on a sunny day, the indicator lights can be very difficult to make out. For example, it can be difficult for the user clearly see whether the camera is recording or not.
Con Photos are out of focus
Only a small area at the center of each lens is capture properly in focus. Everything else is blurry to some degree with nearby areas being especially poor. Plus, the stitching quality is not that great either.
Con Pre order only
Con Non-removable battery
The device's battery cannot be replaced.
Con No expandable storage
The camera is limited to the 8 GB of storage that it comes with.
Con Doesn't support live streaming
Con Short recording time
One charge can only record for 5 minutes.
Con Low resolution video
Videos are recorded at 1080p and 30fps, which is relatively low as far as 360-degree cameras go.
Con The device can be easily damaged
You have to be extra careful in how you store the device due to its protruding lens design and the fact that it can easily fall over.