Ricoh's New Vecnos Brand Will Focus On 360-Degree Cameras

Ricoh is launching a subsidiary called Vecnos that will focus on 360-degree camera products, according to the company. The Vecnos brand will operate with quite a bit of independence from Ricoh, according to its new CEO Shu Ubukata. The brand will kick things off with a new 360-degree camera product that looks like a cross between a wand and a long, slender microphone.

The market is filled with 360 cameras, which are capable of capturing 360-degree content. These types of images are now supported by most major platforms like Facebook, but they haven't quite caught on in a substantial way. Most consumers seem content with ordinary images captured using their smartphones that are easy to share with other people.

That hasn't stopped Ricoh from producing a number of 360 cameras with its Theta product line. According to a new report from WIRED, the company will take things a step farther by launching its new Vecnos brand. The initial product offered by Vecnos — which doesn't appear to have a name yet — will be a rod-shaped 360 camera that features four lenses and two buttons.

As with other 360 cameras, the new Vecnos model will be able to capture the entire environment around the photographer, not just the space in front of them. The imagery is stitched together into a 360-degree panorama that can be viewed using a smartphone, VR headset, or even a 360 image viewer in an ordinary web browser.

The camera will be easy to use, according to Vecnos CEO Ubukata, putting the technology in the hands of the average person. The camera will be joined by a companion mobile app that will make it easy to create 360 images and videos using the device. The resulting content could be shared directly with major platforms like TikTok.

It's unclear when the camera will be available to purchase and how much it will cost.