Ricoh today unveiled the Ricoh R8 Digital Camera. Picking up where the Ricoh Caplio R7 left off (but boldly dropping the 'Caplio' brand) the R8 looks set to be a strong release from camp Ricoh.
This 10megapixel compact is available in either black or silver and is aimed at the keen enthusiast or pro photographer - if you're looking for a discreet camera for 'candid photography' as Ricoh describe it, then the Ricoh R8 Digital Camera could well be right up your alley.
Ricoh are renowned for super close up macro - something which has not been shied away from in this release. The Ricoh R8 Digital Camera boasts macro as close as 1cm from the lens. As if that's not enough, the standard expectations from a high end compact are in place - including Vibration Reduction, Face Detection and Manual White Balance control.
The 2.7” TFT LCD screen packs in 460,000pixels (that's double the R7), and your shots now benefit from the new SIE III image processing engine - so expect high quality images when coupled with the wide 7.1x (28-200mm) optical zoom.
Other upgrades include the control panel benefiting from being simplified (Adjustment and Cross key panels becoming one multifunctional panel), a touch sensitive zoom mode, optional 1:1 square aspect ratio and the ability to preview 20 thumbnails on screen (compared to a previous maximum of 12). It's the little things that make a big difference, backed up by the overall hefty weight of Ricoh's high-end standards and this ought to be a true pro-grade 'point and shoot' compact.
Available March 7th. RRP £250.
www.ricoh.co.uk
