| Ricoh - Caplio GX100 + VF-1 Removable Electronic Viewfinder | 
 enlarge | Brand: Ricoh
Category: CE
Buy New: £249.00
New (6) from £249.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  7 reviews
Sales Rank: 44201
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.1
Dimensions (in): 8.7 x 4.3 x 5.7
MPN: ""
EAN: 4034756961311
ASIN: B000R3K2D0
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | Removeable electronic viewfinder included | | • | 10-megapixel CCD for high image quality | | • | 3x optical zoom | | • | Dimensions: 112 x 58 x 25 mm (4.4 x 2.3 x1.0 in) | | • | Weight (no batt): 220g (7.8oz) |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Ricoh hasbuilt uponthe concept of the GX8and now presentsits successor, the Caplio GX100, with an adjustable focus 24mm wide-angle lens with the performance of a 10.01-megapixel CCD sensor. Its built-in 3x optical zoom lets photographers broaden their scope for wide-angle shots or focus in closely on a particular subject. For optimum clarity in all circumstances, the Caplio GX100 includes an anti-vibration system with a CCD sensor off-setting. This system compensates for camera movement and lets you take clear pictures without a tripod in dimly-lit environments even without a flash,so you'll getmore realistic renderings with excellent quality.Also offeringa high sensitivity of 1600 ISO, this camera is unbeatable in all circumstances. It is easy to handle thanks to its intuitive ergonomics: the two user-friendly toggle controls are easy to use while the 2.5? (6.35cm) LCD screen offers a 170 viewing angle for perfect visibility.In addition toits ingenious design, the GX100 distinguishes itself with its various optional accessories adapted to your needs, with notably the removable electronic viewfinder that fixes onto the camera clamp for use in SLR mode (as with a digital reflex) and lets you benefit from complete image coverage when shooting. Superior to its predecessor on all points, the Caplio GX100 will stimulate your creativity and let you fully express your photographic talents.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
 Brilliantly thought out February 20, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
If you want a pretty small camera with a very wide-angle lens and SLR-like level of control, this could be the camera for you.
But if you want a camera you can leave on auto and snap away, it probably isn't for you.
You can probably tell from looking at it whether it's your kind of camera. If you already own an SLR, and like that sort of thing, you'll feel at home with the GX100. It's very solid, metal, quite heavy, with rubber pads in just the right places, and every control falls perfectly to hand. It's also very nicely constructed (so much so that most other small cameras look like toys in comparison).
In fact, I'd say that as far as ergonomics go, the GX100 is superior to my Canon 400D SLR. The best bit is the two `thumbwheels'. Actually one is just in front of the shutter for your finger. The one under your thumb is a rocker switch. In manual exposure mode, one sets the aperture, the other the shutter speed.
Press the thumb controller and you get instant access to things like exposure compensation, white balance etc. This is all customisable, so you can decide what's in the menu that pops up and even what comes first when you access it.
You can customise the Function button too (I set mine to exposure lock) and that button is right under your left forefinger if you hold the camera with two hands.
I could go on about the usability and controls, but suffice it to say that I doubt you'll find a camera that does it better than this.
It's so obvious when you start using the GX100 that somebody has really thought about the user.
For instance, if you change, say, white balance to something different, the camera warns you next time you switch it on. So that should be an end to shooting with weird settings that you forgot to return to default.
All the important controls are present, including a live histogram, different metering modes and focus modes, exposure bracketing, manual focus etc. One of the few omissions I noticed from an SLR feature-set was the ability to use 2nd curtain flash, but that's a very small thing. Really, the feature set is all you could want.
Oh, and did I mention the lens cap is tethered to the body (why doesn't everyone do this?) and you can, in a pinch, use AAA batteries instead of the rechargeable lithium-ion battery that comes with the camera (though two alkalines are only good for a measly 30 photos, compared with 340 for the lithium battery). The lithium battery, incidentally, is exactly the same one Panasonic use in their ultra-compact models, so if you have one of those, like I do, you don't need to buy a spare.
In addition, the LCD is sharp, with a very wide viewing angle that helps if you hold the camera high up or low down. The image stabiliser seems to work okay too, but not in movie mode.
The GX100 does macro better than most. You can focus as close as 1cm, or 4cm at full zoom. Full zoom macro gives you very nice background blur incidentally. You can use macro in movie mode.
There are some unusual features, like snap focus mode that lets you take instant in-focus photos from a few feet away to infinity, and step zoom mode that moves the zoom lens in steps equivalent to classic 35mm lenses.
Anyway, it's easy to get carried away by the build quality and the features, but what about the performance and the photos it takes?
The lens is really excellent: very sharp and high resolution, making the most of the 10MP. Most compact cameras have lenses that give you soft corners but not the GX100. Like an SLR, you have some leeway for extra sharpening if you shoot in RAW mode. it's nice to see so little purple fringing too. You expect some distortion at 24mm, but it's not terrible and easily fixed in software.
It's mostly a fast little camera - as fast as any other compact I've used, though nowhere near as fast as an SLR of course. Focus occasionally struggles in awkward light, but not often (there's a focus assist light). If you shoot in RAW mode things slow down a bit. It takes 5 or 6 seconds to write a file and you just have to wait. Make sure you get a fast (and big) SD or SDHC card if you intend to use the RAW mode. Each photo is about 15MB in this mode!
To get the best images, you should use RAW mode. You can correct problems with exposure, white balance etc before converting to jpeg for printing and this helps photo quality no end. The images I've got from my GX100 so far have exceeded my expectations. They are very smooth, natural and detailed, easily good enough for large prints. But only after a bit of work (which I enjoy) in the RAW converter and Photoshop.
Any downsides to this camera?
I guess you won't like it if you take a lot of indoor shots because image quality is not great when you increase ISO above 200 (great for arty black and white work though). And the GX100 makes some odd grinding noises as it focuses and moves its lens - all quite normal apparently and something you soon accept.
The positives far outweigh the slight negatives. The Ricoh GX100 is an esoteric little camera that's beautifully made, a pleasure to own and use, and capable of some great images, as long as you're capable of taking a bit of care and trouble with your photography and - crucially - post processing.
 Worthwhile only if you are a very keen photographer December 17, 2007
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
Summary
If you are not in to photography but want a compact camera that is mainly automatic and takes good Jpeg images then save some money and look at other ultra compacts, especially if you want to be able to capture video. If however you are a keen photographer looking for a compact camera that gives you full creative control and records in RAW format then it is worth considering so read on.
I had four main requirements when searching for this particular camera; it had to be pocket size, capable of shooting in RAW format, have full manual control and produce high quality images
I did quite a lot of research to find these particular characteristics in a small compact camera and I only came up with three; the Leica D-Lux 3, the Canon G9 and the Ricoh GX100. So why go for the Ricoh? Well it's cheaper than the Leica, and smaller than the G9 and I think it is much more useable creatively than the other two.
First thing to say is that I have found that the image quality of the three digital camera that I have purchased have all improved after a hundred shots or so. I don't know why but initially the images all looked a bit washed out and not very sharp. So don't panic as this does seem to improve with time.
Build quality
The camera has a steel case and feels heavy and well constructed. The LCD display is of very good quality but I prefer to use the electronic viewfinder. In general the GX100 oozes quality and feels built to last.
Usability and features
What makes it more useable are the two thumb dials for changing camera settings on the fly. This feature is very reminiscent of most digital SLRs so I immediately felt at home. I would also recommend purchasing the electronic viewfinder kit and a lens hood accessory as adding these to the camera makes it feel like a small SLR and it can be held with much more stability. One problem when using the eye piece is that if fouls the pop up flash so they can't be used together. The screen is a good size and of high quality.
A couple of the 'nice' features are the ability to save two camera setups that can be selected from the camera mode dial and a short voice recording that can be added to an image, which is useful when out scouting for future locations.
As I have said it does shoot RAW but takes about 5 seconds to record to a SanDisk Extreme III SD card and this means that there is no continuous shooting option and this is a weakness. The Ricoh has some internal memory, which is next to useless and I would have like to see it used as an image buffer to reduce the lag between shots. The lens is of good quality and boasts a 24mm to 72mm equivalent lens, which is very wide for such a small camera but affords a more creative approach to a shot. I would suggest that those of you who want to capture wildlife look at a different camera (in fact get a D-SLR).
As well as some standard scene modes you have semi-automatic and full manual control. The use of the thumb wheels means that the GX100 is a great camera for street photography because you don't have to search through loads of menu options to get that fleeting shot.
Picture quality
The sensor is 10 megapixels and means that you can produce large format prints of high quality and using RAW and after processing, the images can be as good as those from my Nikon D80 SLR, which for those who do not know is a highly rated camera.
It is possible to adjust saturation, sharpening and contrast for jpeg images but I didn't notice a big difference between hard and normal or other combinations of settings. I don't use jpegs but they look as good as any other good quality compact so this is fine for holiday trips etc. But I would suggest that the people who buy this camera may be more interested in RAW.
It has optical image stabilisation which helps sharpen up the images and is unusual for a camera in this class.
The major problem is noise at higher sensitivities making the GX100 only useable for high quality prints up to ISO 200 and reasonable small prints can be made up to ISO 400 but beyond this the image quality is not good enough for framing. In its defence this is a problem for most compacts due to the size of the sensor. However for night scenes you can take long exposures due to the manual operation at low sensitivity, which produces very good results.
The GX100 also offers a video capture but the microphone is very poor and produces videos with terrible audio so this is an almost worthless feature.
Conclusion
This camera has a very narrow market and should only be considered by very keen photographers. In that role it has some major strengths including build quality, good picture quality, great usability and a lens that enables a great creative range. It however looses a star for its poor noise performance and its write time with RAW files. If I had large pockets in a financial sense I would go for a Leica, which will have superior optics. If I had large pockets in a 'size of my coat pocket' sense then I would have considered the Canon G9. Conditional recommendation.
Accepted July 11, 2007
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I have shown a test picture shot with the GX100 to the magazine that I freelance for, and the quality has been accepted (I usually shoot with the OLYMPUS E-400, and FUJIFILM S3 PRO ).
A very good camera with every conceivable mode, and you can customize all the functions!
 Lovely camera - awful noisy sensor July 11, 2007
5 out of 7 found this review helpful
This camera is almost perfect to use. It is a great size, the lens is fantastic and the shooting modes comprehensive and intuitive. The screen is also very good.
The downside is the pictures produced. They are very very noisy, even at ISO100. There is plenty of detail but the noise is intrusive. There is a good reason why most pictures you see taken with this camera at iso 400 and above are in black and white and that is because it hides the noise somewhat.
The fact is that at this price there are better options. My Fuji F31 takes pictures that blow this away in every possible respect. The only thing this camera has is a wide angle lens and a nice interface. Is that worth paying 200 more than the fuji? Not for me. I sold it on.
great handling and excellent results June 14, 2007
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
The camera is well designed and sits well in the hand. It delievers excellent quality shots and the wide lens affords lots of opportunities for creativity.The ability to take macros at 1 cm gives this camera a class beating performance, and the results really are stunning. The weight and build quality make it feel like a quality camera, and the raw times mentioned in other reviews really are not worth quibbling about. Colour rendering and picture quality are very good as is low light performance.... Its well worth the money in my opinion, just a shame they don't throw a camera case in with it!
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