Category: Photography

After being bowled over by Ricoh’s GR Digital camera (so good we went out and bought the thing), we were keen to review their new consumer-based point’n’shooter, the Caplio R4.

Despite boasting an impressive set of specs – a class-leading 7.1x optical wide zoom, (28-200 mm, 35 mm equiv), image stabilisation, 6 megapixel CCD and big LCD monitor – the Ricoh is a bijou little fella, measuring a pocketable 95 x 53 x 26 mm.

Getting to grips with the R4
Finished in an attractive black finish with a silver band and lens surround, the controls of the R4 are well laid out, with a gently contoured grip on the right hand side making it easier to keep a hold of the diminutive snapper.

A large and bright 2.5″ LCD 253k pixels screen dominates the rear of the camera, with a familiar four way controller/OK button supplemented by a zoom rocker switch.

A row of five buttons next to the LCD screen let users select voice/movie or still mode, playback, adjust, delete/self-timer and display options.

On the top plate there’s just the power switch, the large shutter release and a recessed button to turn the image stabilisation on/off.

That mighty lens
There’s no other way of saying it: when it comes to lenses, the Ricoh has got a whopper.

Starting at a pleasingly wide 28mm (perfect for landscapes) the zoom goes all the way up to a privacy-invading 200mm with the Double Retracting Lens System miraculously extending an elephantine protuberance out of the 26mm thin body.

Although it’s not the fastest lens in town (F3.3-4.8), the images were pretty sharp, although the whirring and grinding of the zoom and focus mechanism might not make this a suitable camera for snapping candids in a church.

The macro performance was particularly impressive, focussing down to an astonishing 1cm – we particularly liked being able to manually select the focus area by moving a cursor across the screen with the four way controller.

Exposure options
The Caplio offers a selection of auto scene modes including portrait, sports, landscape, night scene and text.

Although we’re not fans of cameras offering mile-long lists of presets covering every conceivable exposure option known to man, we fancy that Ricoh could have included a few more for new users.

In line with its point’n’shoot aspirations, there’s no manual controls to be found, although the ‘adjust’ button lets users quickly tweak white balance, exposure compensation and ISO ratings.

Twisting trapezoids
A curious ‘skew correction mode’ feature selectable through the scene mode menu automatically detects trapezoids in images and corrects the perspective so the object appears as if they were shot ‘head on’.

Although you could easily do this in Photoshop, it’s a fun feature and handy when you’re photographing things like whiteboards, documents and magazines.

There’s also the option to display an onscreen histogram, but we reckon that’s more likely to hinder than help the average snapper as they’re not the easiest of things to understand.

Using the camera
Generally, we were impressed with the performance of the Ricoh, which was responsive to the touch and fast in operation throughout our tests.

The camera’s interface was easy to understand and we rarely found ourselves getting lost in sub-menus.

Quick to start up (just over a second), the Ricoh proved to be a speedy performer with fast focusing and a near instantaneous shutter response guaranteeing that we got the shot.

Trying to take a fast sequence of shots in normal shooting mode made us a little too familiar with the ‘writing to card’ warning which appeared after just two photos, but in ‘continuous shooting’ mode the Ricoh rattled off five shots in rapid succession (we’re not convinced that the ability to fire off shots paparazzi-style is that important to the target audience anyway).

Like its big brother, the Ricoh GR, the G4 includes manual focus options – a welcome addition at this price range.

This lets users manually set the focus distance or use the preset ‘snap’ or ‘infinity’ options (great for parties and landscapes respectively).

Shaking all over
At the 200mm end of the zoom range, some kind of image stablisation is essential in all but the sunniest of climes, and it’s good to see Ricoh’s engineers squeezing in this feature into such a compact camera.

The R4’s vibration correction system – which moves the CCD in the opposite direction to counterbalance camera shake – proved to be pretty effective in use, although the recessed on/off control was needlessly awkward to activate.

Considering the price range and feature set, we were also pleased with the picture quality – exposures were generally spot on and focusing was consistently good throughout.

Good for noise, bad for banding
Examining photos onscreen, we did notice some visible banding across just one or two images – usually in high contrast scenes. This rather blotted Ricoh’s copybook, with one photo taken of the Telecom Tower in London against a cloudy white sky bordering on unusable.

Noise levels were well under control at 64 -100 ISO, and still fairly reasonable up to 400 ISO.

By 800 ISO we were entering arctic snowstorm territory, but the results were still easily usable for 6″ x 4″ prints (after a bit of cleaning up with noise-reduction programs like Noise Ninja).

We didn’t see much in the way of pesky purple fringing (certainly far less than the Fuji F10/F11) and we were pleased with the lens performance overall.

Despite the big LCD screen and onboard image stabilisation, battery life was more than ample, and we were still powering on after taking over 250 photos.

Conclusion
The mid-range digital compact market is already saturated with some heavyweight contenders, but we feel the Ricoh’s compelling feature set, image stabilisation and enormous lens makes it a camera worthy of anyone’s shortlist.

Although we did have one or two problems with banding, we were won over by the R4’s speedy operation, easy-to-understand controls and comfortable handling.

Most of all, we loved having a proper wideangle zoom, with the 28mm setting adding real versatility to the camera – now you won’t have to herd your friends together into impossibly tight spaces when taking group shots.

Add to that the impressive 200mm telephoto range and the user-friendly controls all wrapped up in a pocket sized package and we think that Ricoh’s got a winner on its hands with the R4

The Caplio R4 should be on the shelves now for around £250 ($443, €361).

Rating
Ease of use: 85%
Picture quality:78%
Features: 80%
Value for money: 85%
Overall: 84%

Caplio R4 specifications
Sensor 1/2.5 ” Type CCD, 6.04 million effective pixels
Image sizes 2816 x 2112, o 2784 x 1856, 2048 x 1536, 1280 x 960, 640 x 480
Movie clips 320 x 240, 160 x 120
Sound WAV
File formats JPEG (Exif 2.2), AVI Motion JPEG
Lens 28-200mm equiv, F3.3-4.8, 7.1x optical zoom
Image stabilization CCD shift method
Digital zoom up to 3.6x
Focus Auto focus, Manual Focus, Snap
AF assist lamp Yes
Focus distance Normal: 0.3-1.0m, Macro: 0.01-0.14m
Metering 256 multi segment, Center weighted, Spot
ISO sensitivity Auto, ISO 64, ISO 100, ISO 200, ISO 400, ISO 800
Exposure compensation +/-2EV, 1/3 EV steps
Exposure bracketing -0.5EV, ±0, +0.5EV
Shuttter speed 8, 4, 2, 1-1/2000 secs
Aperture F3.3-4.8
Modes Still (Continuous, S-Continuous, M-Continuous)
Scene modes Portrait, Sports, Distant landscape, Night scene, Text, High sensitivity, Zoom macro, Skew correction
White balance Auto, Daylight, Overcast, Tungsten light 1 / 2, Fluorescent, Manual
Self timer 2 or 10 secs
Continuous shooting Continuous, S-Continuous, M-Continuous
Flash Auto, Red-eye reduction, Flash on / off, Slow synch
Range: 0.2-0.4m (wide) 0.14-1.8m (tele)
Viewfinder No
LCD monitor 2.5-inch TFT, 114,000 pixels
Connectivity USB 1.1, AV out
Storage 26MB internal memory, SD / MMC compatible
Weight (no batt) 135 g
Dimensions 95 x 53 x 26 mm

Ricoh

Before you start reading this review, let’s get a few things straight.

If you’re looking for an auto everything camera with a zillion hand-holding scene modes, big pretty icons and more wizards than a cauldron convention, this isn’t the camera for you.

If you’re after a camera with a ginormous zoom able to sweep in and capture the delicate fluttering of a wasp’s wings from 300 yards, move on.

And if you like your cameras to look mean’n’lean with big shiny lenses, all-swivellin’, flip-out LCD screens with hi-tech add-ons like optical image stabilisation and bleeping bells’n’whistles, walk on by.

You want to zoom in to a scene? Well, get walking because there’s no zoom at all, only a fixed wideangle lens.

Need to take a picture in a complex lighting situation? Then come back when you’ve learnt some photography basics because there’s no dial-full of scene modes to fall back on.

Less is more
Unlike any other digital compact we can think of, the Ricoh GR Digital is an 8 megapixel digital camera that seems to be unique in selling itself on having less whiz-bang features than its competitors.

Although this approach may not appeal to the point’n’shoot brigade, for enthusiasts fed up with the endless button pushing and dial spinning that comes with most compact digicams, this camera is a revelation.

Based on the legendary Ricoh GR1 35mm film camera, the GR is a no-holds barred landscape/street photographer’s dream offering a fast 28mm f2.4 lens, beautiful handling and dedicated manual controls giving full control over exposure.

An optional wide angle adapter provides an incredible, super-wide 21mm (film equiv) view – perfect for landscape/architectural photographers – although the removable lens mount ring looks a prime candidate to be promptly lost.

Sadly, there’s no built in optical viewfinder, although the big 2.5″ LCD 210k pixel screen performed well in bright light and can also display a live histogram display.

Pro users (with deep pockets) may be tempted to shell out for the optional Optical Viewfinder – this clips onto the hotshoe socket and offered the brightest view we’ve ever seen on a compact digicam.

Handling
Despite its non-bling, ultra-basic looks (one person mistook the £400 camera for a disposable!) when you pick up the Ricoh you can instantly feel the class – it’s tough, feels great, it’s just the right size in the hands with all the controls exactly where you want them to be.

The camera is one of the smallest digital cameras with ultra-wide angle lens, and fits easily in a pocket, measuring 107 x 25 x 58 mm (WxDxH).

Ricoh’s menu system proved very intuitive, with clearly labelled tabs guiding users through the various options available and the paper manual was one of the better ones we’ve read – and thankfully didn’t come in five hundred obscure languages.

The camera takes a proprietary lithium-ion rechargable battery which gave a reasonable battery life of around 230 shots, while Ricoh usefully include the option to use 2 AAA batteries in an emergency.

Although these are likely to pack in after only 25 shots or so, they could be a life saver when batteries fail unexpectedly.

Exposure and shooting options
Although there is one ‘Auto’ mode, to appreciate this camera you’ve got to switch to the advanced modes: Program Shift, Aperture Priority and Manual (there is a scene mode, but this only has a voice recording option and a setting for capturing text).

In Aperture Priority, turning the dial at the front of the camera directly changes aperture values, with the updated shutter speed appearing in the 2.5″ LCD screen.

In Manual mode, traditional photographers may feel a nostalgic tear welling up in their eyes as they see the welcome reappearance of a time-honoured -2 EV to +2EV needle displaying the exposure status.

In any shooting mode, important values like ISO rating, focus, white balance and exposure compensation could be brought up instantly by clicking on the rear control wheel and then scrolling to the required parameter.

Usefully, these options could be configured to suit the photographer’s preferences or the job in hand.

Shooting
The camera proved fairly nippy to start up and was ready to start snapping in about two seconds.

Despite the power under the hood, the camera was really easy to use and we rarely found ourselves having to consult the manual.

Focusing was very fast with minimal shutter lag, with shot to shot time roaring along with a delay of just over a second between shots when refocused (without flash).

Shooting in continuous mode managed around four, full frame shots in just over a second before the camera had to pause to write to the card.

However, it was a different story when shooting in RAW with the camera locking up for anything up to 15 seconds – a veritable lifetime for a street photographer.

Both flash recharge times and image playback were speedy enough and we were particularly impressed with the macro performance which focused up to an outrageously close 1cm.

ISO settings went from ISO64 up to ISO1600, with shutter speeds adjustable from a long 3 minutes to 1/2000 sec, and the GR Digital also records 320×240 movies with sound at 30fps.

Image quality
We were very impressed with image quality and colour, with the fast, wide 28mm f2.4 lens producing excellent results, with sharp pictures and little in the way of chromatic aberration.

Shooting in RAW and spending a little time in post-processing produced some stunning results, but shooting at low ISO/high quality JPEG should prove fine for most users.

Noise was pretty much under control at the lower ISO ratings although things, not surprisingly, got a little messy at 1600 – but the quality was still good enough to knock out a 6″ x 4″ print or web image.

Conclusion
The Ricoh GR Digital is a truly unique digital camera that stands out from the crowd by concentrating on the basics, offering a speedy performance, full creative control, a good battery life and a fast, crisp wide-angle lens that made it perfect for landscapes and cameos.

We fell in love with the camera’s lo-fi look, with its nondescript appearance barely attracting attention on the street, letting us get on with taking pictures unhindered.

Throughout the test period, the Ricoh constantly reminded us of our old 35mm super compact Olympus XA, a much loved camera which was hugely popular amongst pros and semi-pros. We’ve been looking for something to replace this camera for years. Maybe the Ricoh is it.

Because of its niche appeal, the Ricoh’s a tough camera to unreservedly recommend, but for keen street/landscape photographers looking for a rugged, flexible, high quality camera capable of the very highest results, we’d put the GR Digital right at the very top of the list.

Our verdict
Features: 75%
Ease of Use: 85%
Image Quality: 90%
Overall: 90%
Street price £400 (~$700, ~€585)

Ricoh GR Digital homepage
Ricoh GR Digital: inside story

Specifications
Sensor 1/1.8″ Type CCD, 8.1 million effective pixels
Image sizes 3264 x 2448, 3264 x 2176, 2592 x 1944, 2048 x 1536, 1280 x 960, 640 x 480
Text: 3264 x 2448, 2048 x 1536
Movie clips 320 x 240, 160 x 120
File formats
Still: JPEG, RAW, TIFF (TEXT ONLY)
Movie: AVI
Sound: WAV
Lens 28 mm (35 mm equiv), F 2.4 – F 11
Digital zoom Up to 4x
Focus Auto focus, Manual focus, Snap, Infinity
AF assist lamp Yes
Focus distance Normal: 30cm to infinity
Macro: 0.02 m to infinity
Metering 256 multi-point, Spot metering, Centre-weighted average
ISO sensitivity ISO 64, ISO 100, ISO 200, ISO 400, ISO 800, ISO 1600 (not available in RAW mode)
Exposure compensation +/-2EV, 1/3 EV steps
Exposure bracketing -0.5 EV, 0, +0.5 EV
Shutter speed 180 – 1/2000 sec
Modes Program, Aperture priority, Program shift AE
White balance Auto, Daylight, Overcast, Tungsten Light, Fluorescent light, Manual, Advanced
White bracketing Yes
Self timer 2 or 10 secs
Continuous shooting Yes
Flash Built-in pop-up, Auto, red-eye suppression, force flash, slow synchro, no flash
Range: Approx. 0.2 to 3 m (when ISO Auto is set)
Viewfinder External viewfinder via hotshoe
LCD monitor 2.5″ TFT LCD, 210,000 pixels
Connectivity USB 2.0
Storage SD card/26 MB internal memory
Power 1x rechargeable D-60 battery or 2x AAA batteries
Weight 170 g (6 oz) (no card, batteries or strap), 200 g (7.1 oz) (with batteries and strap)
Dimensions 107 x 25 x 58 mm (4.2 x 1 x 2.3 in)