In Jonathan's review of the R5 he lamented the shut-downs that he got on the camera and innocently suggested that they could fix the problems with a firmware update or two - because it would be a shame to ruin a camera with such potential!

Which is what they did. They have released two updates to the firmware to try and fix the issues. The first (which i missed) fixed colour issues with the LCD and improved the accuracy of the histogram and the macro AF.

The next, released yesterday (taking it to 1.44), seems to have more fixes to combat the error Jonathan was getting. It improves SD card write stability and the performance of auto white balance. If you have one, get the free upgrade from here

Stupid question

How do you know if this camera has been updated with the latest firmware (1.5?)

SAME QUESTION,
IM ABOUT TO BUY THIS CAMERA.HOW WOULD I KNOW THE CAMERA HAD BEEN UPDATED WITH THE LAST FIRMWARE?

The latest firmware is now 1.6! I would imagine that it would be pretty safe to go to the website and download the latest version of the firmware. My camera (Nikon) tells me what version it is using in the menu. Perhaps this one will too.

And Jack....

No need to SHOUT. LOL :)

You might find something in the manual. Manual

there is something on the ricoh home page...to tell you how to get your firmware version - something like you switch it off and then switch to movie moade. then switch on and hold down the playback and macro (flower) buttons or something - the link is here http://www.ricoh.com/r_dc/download/firmware/r5/procedure.html

i need a camera for interior room shots for a letting agent,  and also to be used on holiday by me and the kids  - is this the camera for me?