$960–1,600
Unit Cost
Camera + housing + tripod
11K
Still Resolution
Ricoh Theta X equirectangular
360°
Field of View
Full spherical capture
Weekly
Capture Frequency
Scheduled or manual trigger
Capture Pipeline
360° Capture
Ricoh Theta X/Z1 via REST API or USB trigger
On-Device Store
Internal storage (46GB Theta X) or microSD
WiFi Transfer
WiFi AP → Pi or phone for upload
Worker
Cloudflare Worker → B2 storage
360° Viewer
Interactive spherical viewer for clients
Hardware
Camera Options
- Option A: Ricoh Theta X ($900–1,100) — 11K stills, touchscreen
- Option B: Ricoh Theta Z1 ($1,200–1,500) — 1-inch sensors, 23MP
- Lens: Dual fisheye, auto-stitched equirectangular
- API: Open Spherical Camera (OSC) REST API
- Trigger: USB, WiFi, Bluetooth, or on-device plugin
Housing & Mounting
- Housing: Custom weatherproof enclosure (camera not IP-rated)
- Dome: Clear acrylic dome for unobstructed 360° view
- Tripod: Fixed mount or magnetic base for repositioning
- Height: ~1.5m (eye level for natural perspective)
- Protection: Dust cover between captures
Power
- Battery: Internal Li-ion (Theta X: ~300 shots per charge)
- Charging: USB-C trickle charge between captures
- External: 5V USB power bank for extended deployment
- Daily use: Minimal — weekly capture schedule
- Standby: Camera sleeps between scheduled captures
Why Ricoh over Insta360
- API: Open Spherical Camera (OSC) REST API — fully documented
- USB trigger: Supported for headless automated capture
- Plugins: On-device plugins for custom scheduling
- Insta360: Better raw specs but poor programmability
- Verdict: Ricoh wins for automated/unattended deployments
Software Stack
Camera-Side
- API: Ricoh Open Spherical Camera (OSC) REST commands
- Scheduling: On-device plugin or Pi-triggered via WiFi/USB
- Storage: Internal (46GB) or microSD card
- Transfer: WiFi AP mode — HTTP download of equirectangular JPEG
- Metadata: EXIF + XMP with GPS, compass heading, timestamp
Server-Side
- Upload: Cloudflare Worker (TypeScript) — same pipeline
- Storage: Backblaze B2 (equirectangular JPEGs, ~15–25MB each)
- Viewer: Three.js or Pannellum WebGL 360° viewer
- Timeline: Date-picker to browse historical 360° captures
- Comparison: Side-by-side before/after 360° viewer
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
- Documents interior progress that exterior cameras cannot capture
- Interactive 360° viewer — high perceived value for clients
- Pairs perfectly with exterior DSLR timelapse
- Captures hidden work (framing, MEP, insulation) before concealment
- Useful for defect documentation and dispute resolution
Weaknesses
- No weather resistance — needs custom housing for site use
- Must reposition as building changes (walls go up, access shifts)
- Niche use case — not all clients need interior documentation
- Camera expensive and fragile on active construction sites
- Large file sizes (~15–25MB per 360° image)
Comparison vs Production DSLR
| Attribute | 360° Interior | Production DSLR |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Cost | $960–1,600 | $600–800 |
| Image Type | 360° equirectangular (11K) | Standard photo (18MP) |
| Coverage | Interior — full spherical | Exterior — single viewpoint |
| Capture Frequency | Weekly (manual or scheduled) | Every 5 min (automated) |
| Autonomy | Needs repositioning as building changes | Fixed position, fully autonomous |
| Weather Rating | Indoor only (needs housing for site) | IP65 enclosure, outdoor rated |
| Upload Pipeline | Same (Cloudflare Worker → B2) | Same (Cloudflare Worker → B2) |