GR digital compact camera and RICOH THETA spherical
imaging device named winners at Germany's
iF Design Awards 2014
RICOH IMAGING COMPANY, LTD. is pleased to announce that its GR digital compact camera and RICOH THETA spherical imaging device have been selected as winners at the internationally respected iF Design Awards 2014, hosted by iF International Forum Design GmbH. The GR digital compact camera was awarded the iF Product Design Award, while the RICOH THETA was named an iF Communication Design Award winner.
For this year's award selection, a total of 4,615 applications were submitted from 55 countries from around the world; 1,626 products were selected as winners in different categories. The two RICOH winners were praised highly for their superior design. The iF Product Design Award is presented to products that not only demonstrate originality and innovation in design, but also excel in operability, quality and eco-friendliness. The iF Communication Design Award is presented to products that not only demonstrate creativity and innovation in design, but also excel in target-user-specific communication and content, appearance and usability.
Established in 1953, the iF Design Awards are presented each year by iF International Forum Design GmbH to industrial products that demonstrate outstanding design quality. Manufacturers from around the globe submit applications for three different categories: product design, communication design, and package design. Winners in these categories gain international respect as superbly design products.
GR: iF Product Design Award 2014 winner
The GR is a digital compact camera boasting the highest image quality of the renowned GR series. It combines a newly designed GR lens assuring exceptional image description with a newly developed APS-C-size CMOS image sensor (16.2 effective megapixels), a high-performance GR ENGINE V imaging engine and an anti-aliasing filter-less design, to deliver beautiful, high-quality images. In addition to its compact, portable body, it provides a high-speed AF system with a continuous shooting function and an accessible control-button layout to assure quick response to all shutter opportunities. All this makes it ideal as an everyday, snapshot camera.
RICOH THETA: iF Communication Design Award 2014 winner
The RICOH THETA is the world's first digital imaging device that encapsulates a fully spherical scene surrounding the photographer with a single shutter release.* It features a proprietary ultra-small twin-lens folded optical system that captures the scene around, above and below the device for a fully spherical image. Its slim, lightweight design makes it a perfect handheld, go-anywhere imaging device. The user can transmit captured images via Wi-Fi to a smartphone, then view them on the smartphone screen using the dedicated free application, which also allows the user to edit size, shape and composition on the screen with simple fingertip control. The user can even upload the images to share them on social networks, or send them to friends and family members via e-mail or by using the LINE network.
* As a mass-produced, consumer product capable of capturing the scene around, above and below the device in a fully spherical image (as of January 2014, based on RICOH IMAGING research).