Reviews

Ricoh’s first camera with a CMOS sensor features slimline styling and a 7x optical zoom lens.Offered in black, silver and Champagne Rose, the new Ricoh CX1 is the first Ricoh camera with a CMOS sensor that provides an effective resolution of 9.29 megapixels. Coupled to this sensor is a 7.1x optical zoom lens that covers a focal length range equivalent to 28-200mm in 35mm format. Maximum apertures range from a modest f/3.3 at the wide setting to f/5.2 at full optical zoom.

Ricoh’s Caplio RZ1 comes with six clip-on face plates that let you match the camera to your mood or outfit. Designed for ease of use, it has six scene settings (portrait, sports, landscape, might scene, text and high-sensitivity) plus a small real time histogram display.

A slimline digicam with some handy recording modes for everyday photographers.Ricoh’s Caplio R6 is an upgrade to the popular Caplio R5 model with a slimmer, but slightly longer, body that’s 30 grams lighter than its predecessor. Physically, the two cameras look very similar, which isn’t surprising as they share the same 7.24 megapixel CCD imager and 7.1x wide-angle zoom lens. The same CCD-shift vibration correction function appears in both cameras, although the R6 benefits from improvements to the correction algorithms. It also sports a larger 2.7-inch LCD and is available in silver, black and red. No viewfidner is provided.

Ricoh’s Caplio R1V is essentially a Caplio R1 with a 5-megapixel CCD. It’s a reflection of market trends that the company is offering the new model at the same price as its predecessor. The 4.8x retracting zoom lens covers the same angles of view and combines with a 3.6x digital zoom to offer up to 17x magnification.

The first digicam with the new Super CCD EXR sensor, which promises dynamic range expansion.Fujifilm’s FinePix F200EXR introduces a brand new image sensor. Significantly larger than the standard ‘1/2.3-inch’ type (6.16 x 4.62 mm) chip, the new Super CCD EXR sensor measures 8.08 x 6.01 mm. With an effective resolution of 12 megapixels, this sensor represents the latest generation of Super CCD technology. Designed primarily for point-and-shoot photographers, the F200EXR relies mainly on automated exposure controls.

Excellent value for money but some functional and performance limitations.Ricoh is pushing the ‘value for money’ message with its latest camera and, at $299, the Caplio RR630 is well ahead of most competitors. With a larger than average 6.1-megapixel sensor and 3x optical zoom lens, the RR630 has an odd mix of complex controls and functional limitations. The mode dial carries auto, P, Tv, Av and M settings as well as four scene settings (Night Scene, Landscape, Portrait and Sports) but sensitivity adjustment stops at ISO 200.

An ultra-compact 7-megapixel digicam with a 7x optical zoom lens and CCD-shift anti-shake technology.Ricoh’s Caplio R5 is an update to the popular R4 model and offers a higher-resolution sensor, CCD-shift anti-shake technology and a new “Smooth Imaging Engine II processor and peripheral circuitry, which deliver better performance at high sensitivities. Available in silver, black and red, it also boasts a new Auto Resize Zoom that magnifies by cropping, reducing image sizes to minimise quality loss.

A purpose-built digicam for the construction and resource industries that can also be used by adventurous photographers.Although neither the smallest nor sleekest-looking 8-megapixel digicam on the market, Ricoh’s Caplio 500SE is nevertheless a very interesting camera. For starters, it has been designed to meet the needs of a very specific target market: outdoor photographers who need to keep track of where shots were taken and photographers who use map-based workflows. Design features that tailor this otherwise fairly standard digicam to meet these requirements include a robust camera body with all-weather usability and the addition of a Bluetooth radio module that can receive NMEA data streams from external GPS devices.