Dpnow First-looks hands-on review - Ricoh Caplio GX
Budget digicam checklist:
| Typical UK Price:
| £235 |
| Typical US Price:
| US$N/A |
| Typical European price:
| €289 |
| Optical zoom range:
| 3x (28-84mm equiv) |
| Megapixels:
| 5.13 (actual) |
| Typical image size (high quality setting JPEG): | 1.8MB |
| Memory card type:
| SD/MMC (not supplied) |
| Internal memory:
| 16MB |
| Autofocus assist lamp:
| No |
| Battery type:
| 2xAA |
| Movie mode:
| AVI M-JPEG, up to 320x240, 15fps |
| Sound recorded in movies?
| Yes |
| Notable features:
| 28mm equivalent wide angle zoom, flash hot shoe, fast shutter response (claimed), very close focus capability, wide ISO range. |
| Weight:
| 245g (approx. with batteries and card) |
Rival models worth comparison: Casio QV-R41, Fujifilm FinePix F700, Kodak Easyshare CX7530, Canon PowerShot A85, Olympus C50Z
While Ricoh may be better known by the general public for copiers and fax machines, the company has been producing interesting digital camera designs for as long as anyone. Their latest model, the Caplio GX, offers true wide angle coverage coupled with a five megapixel specification at an unprecedented low price. In fact the GX is so cheap, one wonders if sacrifices have had to be made along the way.
On paper, the Caplio GX offers much. It has a 5MP 1/1.8 inch sensor, a 28mm (equivalent) widest zoom setting, flash hot shoe, ISO speed settings up to 1600, an ultra close focus feature, a choice of auto, manual, or scene-specific programmed exposure modes, 16MB of built in memory, a generous 1.8 inch LCD monitor, attractive styling (it generated many admiring comments) and Ricoh claims the shutter delay on the GX is one of the lowest of any digital camera.
We certainly found the camera mostly easy to use, but on occasion it did make us scratch our heads.
In the box you get USB and AV leads, a software CD, a wrist strap and a pair of AA alkaline batteries. As the camera has 16MB of internal memory, a memory card isn't supplied.
