Ricoh Caplio R1
- Reviewer
- Doug Harman
- Review Date
- 6 December 2004
- Manufacturer
- Ricoh
- Price as reviewed
- £200
- Latest price
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Reader review
User: Sylvain, Beijing China
Date Posted: 19 January 2005
Review: I bought mine in Beijing, China for 2400rmb a few days ago and was extremely disappointed at first because many of the pictures seemed out of focus. It turns out the LCD display is just not as sharp as that of my old Ixus and the default setting is also not very sharp. Setting the camera to "sharp" mode improves things a lot. But I still feel that the camera's autofocus isn't as good as the Ixus, especially in the dark. The exposure setting, especially when using the flash, isn't as good as my old Ixus either. The 28-135mm lens is awesome for range but only gives you F4.8 at full zoom. I felt sorry I didn't get a slightly bigger camera when taking pictures of pandas this morning under an overcast sky. My travel buddy was happily snapping great shots with his bigger Canon while I was tinkering and trying to get enough brightness without blur from the panda moving its jaw while chewing. The LCD display is also not very sharp, making the images look a lot worse than they actually are. On the other hand, I got some awesome shots at 28mm on a sunny day in Beijing. My verdict: The most useful pocket-size camera on a sunny day, but a much less desirable camera when it's dark and the subjects are moving.
Rating:
7 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: Martin T, Essex UK
Date Posted: 5 January 2005
Review: This camera has absolutely everything going for it - small size, the precious 28mm lens, brilliant macro, great battery life - but I've had to return mine because the results are just not sharp. I don't know what the problem is but the distinct lack of crispness compared to other cameras is a real turn-off. I only hope this is a one-off problem.
Rating:
6 people have rated this review helpful
Reader review
User: AL, Australia
Date Posted: 23 December 2004
Review: I have had this camera for a few weeks now. The lens cover is fine on mine - so it must be down to the model in the main review having an issue (and Iím always flicking on and off). The controls are all fine except the zoom/menu buttons have no feed back (click) - you just have to press hard - and this could be better. I brought it because of the fast start-up time really, which is excellent. Also the Lithium-Ion battery (included with the Kit option) is excellent - I got at least 400, maybe more, shots from a charge. Also you can use AA's if you want instead so I give it an A+ for this. The pictures are generally good quality although I find the lens slow (small aperture) but all cameras like this have this 'feature' - especially on zoom, so any low light pictures will be blurred without a flash. Other nice features are the menu system ñ itís straightforward and doesnít take much learning. <br>The main negative issues are: 1. The software bundle is truly hopeless. The connectivity software is intermittent a is truly hopeless. The connectivity software is intermittent and often refuses to connect even though it recognises the camera. I am going to use a card reader to bypass this but its no excuse. There is no photo editor either - just some a version of 'My Computer' that opens your images folder so you donít have to navigate down to them. 2. My camera decided to lock up a few times on a glider flight - not sure if the temperature affected it. After about 120 pictures all functions ceased - only way to recover it was to remove the battery. This has happened twice in 3 weeks so I'm not too impressed with the reliability - but it recovers to work again. 3. The buttons are a bit lifeless ñ this is not really an issue but some my complain, but the shutter is ok which is the important one. I can also see that the labels will rub off the metal buttons eventually (this has started on the top of the camera) as they have stupidly been printed directly rather than etched or on the body. <br>The good points: 1. Fato turn on/off - just pull the large lens cover over - you donít need to look to do this. 3. Wide angle lens is 24mm, which is worthwhile - you get more in the picture compared to some. The zoom is also good though I donít use this much. 4. The macro mode is nice and close ñ I havenít used it much but tests seem to indicate it works well. 5. The battery life is excellent - this is very important to me. Having the choice of lithium-ion and AAís is a real plus. 6. Size and shape - good basic rectangle shape slim enough to put into a pocket. 7. Menu and interface - easy and clear to use. Overall 8/10
Rating:
7 people have rated this review helpful
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Ricoh Caplio R1 Digital Camera
(4.19 Megapixel, Compact Camera, 4.8x Optical Zoom, 3.6x Digital Zoom, CCD Sensor, Video Capability Included, 1.8 in. LCD Panel, Bu...)
