What a revolution! The world's first fully spherical camera lets you take 360-degree panorama photos in just ONE shot

• Ricoh Theta has a twin-lens system that takes photos around, above and below the device at the press of a button 
• It weighs 95g, can be held in the palm of a hand and synchronises wirelessly with smartphones and tablets
• The device will cost £329 and is available for pre-order from October in France, Germany, UK and U.S.

The Theta camera from Japanese firm Ricoh is the world's first handheld camera that takes fully spherical scenes, such as the examples pictured, with one shot. Its twin-lens system captures a scene around, above and below the device at the press of a button

 As you take in a beautiful sunset, look over breathtaking landscapes or want to capture the intensity of a crowd at a gig it can be a hassle having to spend time rotating your phone - and yourself - painfully slowly in a circle to capture panoramic views, but all that is about to change.
The Theta camera from Japanese firm Ricoh is the world's first handheld camera that takes fully spherical photos with just one shot.
It can be held up to any scene, and once the shutter button is pressed, the camera's 'ultra-slim twin-lens optical system' snaps the view from around, above and below the device automatically - creating seamless panoramas.

Ricoh Theta weighs 95g and fits comfortably in the palm of a hand, similar to a remote control. This means it is portable and can be used indoors and out. The shutter button is positioned below the lens making it easy to take the photo using a thumb, and this reduces shakiness

 Ricoh unveiled the device at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin. It weighs 95g and fits comfortably in the palm of a hand, similar to a remote control.
The shutter button is positioned below the lens making it easy to take the photo using a thumb, and this reduces any shakiness caused by having to move fingers around the device to take the shot.

There isn't a viewing display on the device itself, instead, every image taken is automatically synced with paired smartphones and tablets wirelessly and can be rotated and zoomed into on the mobile screen.

The Ricoh Theta camera, pictured, has a twin-lens optical system that takes 360-degree panorama photos at the press of the shutter

Photos can then be cropped on the phone or tablet but other editing tools are limited.
These images can be shared to Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr as well as Microsoft's Photosynth after they are uploaded to Ricoh's picture site theta360.com.
Ricoh announced that the device will cost £329 and is available for pre-order from October in France, Germany, UK and U.S.
When it launches, the Ricoh Theta will be compatible with the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 running on iOS 6.0 or above.
Plus the free Ricoh Theta iOS app will need to be download form the App Store.
The makers said it will be made available for Android phones 'before the end of the year.'
Wataru Ohtani, associate director of Ricoh’s New Business Development Centre said: 'The Ricoh Theta enables people to capture, explore and share their creativity and new visions of life.'
'By encapsulating everything and everybody within a cohesive sphere in one simple shot, it will help users to perceive the interconnections that we all share.
Noboru Akahane, president of Ricoh Imaging added: 'Its unprecedented capability to capture fully spherical images, coupled with affordability and user friendliness, makes the Ricoh Theta a tool that anybody can use to discover and share their powers of creativity.'

Ricoh Theta was used to capture the bedroom image on the left, and during a sailing trip, right. Ricoh announced the device will cost £329 and will go on sale in October. When it launches, the Ricoh Theta will be compatible with the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 running on iOS 6.0 or above