Samsung NX10

9 Rating

An affordable, interchangeable-lens system camera that provides DSLR features in a compact and portable body.Samsung expanded the interchangeable-lens compact (ILC) camera category with the announcement of its mirrorless NX10 system in early January. Styled like a traditional DSLR camera, but significantly slimmer (thanks to a shorter flange-back resulting from the elimination of the mirror box), the NX10 competes head-to-head with the Micro Four Thirds models introduced recently by Olympus and Panasonic.

Samsung EX1

8.5 Rating

A compact digicam with a fast, high-quality 3x zoom lens, P/A/S/M shooting modes and support for raw file capture – but only VGA video.The 10-megapixel EX1 is the new flagship of the company’s compact digital camera range. It features a new high-performance 1/1.7-inch (7.6 x 5.7 mm) CCD sensor plus a fast Schneider Kreuznach Varioplan lens with 3x optical zoom (24-72mm equivalent). It also boasts a 3-inch, swivelling AMOLED screen that provides users with a higher contrast ratio, deeper blacks and more accurate colours under most lighting conditions.

Samsung Digimax Pro815

8 Rating

An ultra-long zoom camera that produces excellent video clips with stereo sound. Image processing is rather slow and still picture quality is variable.Samsung’s new Digimax Pro815 camera is an interesting beast in several ways, combining the best features of a compact digicam (integrated lens, live preview and video capture) with much of the shooting versatility of a digital SLR. Its black polycarbonate body has the largest rear panel LCD of any still camera and a top-mounted 1.44-inch wide data LCD doubles as a viewer for waist-level shooting. A neat (and useful) concept! The fitted Schneider-Kreuznach Varioplan zoom lens covers the longest zoom range in a compact digicam (15x). [ia]

Ricoh GR Digital II

8.8 Rating

A slim and lightweight wide-angle digicam with features and performance to attract serious photo enthusiasts.A successor to the award-winning GR Digital, which was released in October 2005, Ricoh’s GR Digital II offers higher resolution and a new GR Engine II image processor but otherwise retains most of the features that made its predecessor popular with photo enthusiasts. Superficially, the diecast magnesium bodies of both cameras are almost identical, but the new model sports a slightly larger LCD.

Ricoh R8

8.5 Rating

An elegant slimline digicam with above-average resolution performance and some innovative features.Ricoh has dropped the ‘Caplio’ tag and simply labels its latest digicam the R8. The new model, which is a minor upgrade to the 8-megapixel R7, sports a 10-megapixel CCD imager, 7x optical zoom lens and 2.7-inch LCD. Its body is a tad squarer and its LCD monitor slightly larger with a significantly higher resolution. The zoom lens and image processor are essentially unchanged.

Ricoh CX5

8.5 Rating

A minor upgrade to the CX4 model with faster autofocusing, three new scene pre-sets and two new colour options.Aside from cosmetic modifications, nothing much has changed in Ricoh’s CX series of slimline digicams since the CX3 was released early last year. The sensor is the same 10-megapizel back-illuminated CMOS chip and the camera has the same retracting 10.7x optical zoom lens. But under the hood, there’s a new, faster ‘hybrid’ AF system plus three new scene modes.

Ricoh Caplio GX100

8.5 Rating

An elegant slimline digicam that provides many of the features and functions keen photographers require.As we noted in the Winter 2007 issue of Photo Review Australia magazine, there are few digicams that meet the needs of serious photographers. Ever an innovator, Ricoh has gone part of the way to provide a solution through its new Caplio GX100 model, which won the 2007 TIPA Award for the Best Prestige Camera. The GX100 has many of the features serious photographers require but, unfortunately, the physical dimensions of its sensor are rather small for its 10.1-megapixel resolution.

Ricoh G600

8 Rating

A shock-resistant, waterproof camera with high resolution and a 5x optical zoom lens.Ricoh’s G600 is the latest in a line of compact, point-and-shoot digicams that have been designed for the Japanese public works sector. Featuring a shock-proof, waterproof and dust-resisting body it is the most versatile models to date. With a 10-megapixel imager and 5x optical zoom lens equivalent to 28-140mm in 35mm format, it should appeal to adventurous photographers.

Ricoh GXR with GR S10 Camera Unit

8.8 Rating

A camera unit with a 1/1.75-inch CCD sensor and stabilised 3x optical zoom lenses for photographers who require versatility and pocketability.Having covered the camera body and A12 Macro camera module in our initial reviews, in this review we will focus on the Ricoh S10 camera unit, which appears to use the same sensor as the GR Digital III and GX200 and the same lens as the GX200. This unit will appeal to photographers who have been asking for a GR Digital III with a zoom lens.

Ricoh GXR with GR A12 Camera Unit

8.5 Rating

A camera unit with an APS-C sized CMOS sensor and 33mm f/2.5 prime lens for photographers who want high imaging performance.We’ve covered the main features of Ricoh’s GXR camera system in a separate review because it forms the basis for an entirely new system that accepts interchangeable sensor-plus-lens modules. In this review we will focus on the GR Lens A12 50mm f/2.5 Macro camera unit, which is based around a 23.6 x 15.7 mm CMOS sensor with an effective resolution of 12.3 megapixels. The other camera unit, the Ricoh Lens S10 24-72mm f/2.5-4.4 VC camera unit will be reviewed separately.