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Ricoh Caplio GX100 - The Review!
Can the high-end Ricoh Caplio GX100 compact camera win over new support? Compact cameras tend to be entirely focused on consumers, emphasizing gimmicks & ease of use rather than manual controls & image quality. But not this time.
The 10MP GX100 aims to change all that. It boasts the latest technology such as face-detection systems and ultra-high ISO speeds found on many fashionable compacts in favor of a spread of one-touch dials and custom controls, with the flexibility of an impressive super wide 24mm equiv zoom.
The metal matt-black case of the Ricoh Caplio GX100 reiterates Ricoh's intentions. It's a small and tough package, with a rubberised grip on the right-hand side and precise, almost military-looking controls. These have been extremely well thought out. The key power, Auto mode and playback controls are highlighted in green, with more advanced functions marked in white. The top-mounted mode dial is flush to the case (resisting accidental knocks), and the four-way menu pad is fast and accurate to use. Two key controls are the Adjust and Up-Down dials. The Adjust dial pulls up a customizable overlaid menu of four features. We went for exposure compensation, ISO, drive and AF/MF, but you could choose bracketing, metering, quality and much more. If that weren't enough, there's also a programmable Function button to the left of the flash. 
The speedy Up-Down dial then controls all settings, enabling you to adjust a whole spread in seconds, without taking your eye from the scene. The slightly hesitant 24-72mm zoom lens is controlled by a vertical zoom lever, to the accompaniment of clicks. The lens is very good, with hardly any chromatic aberration and only a smear of softness at wide angle. Aperture Priority mode offers six settings, from a f/2.5 at 24mm to a useful f/15.8 at telephoto. You get Manual mode but no Shutter Priority. A CCD-shift stabilization system seems only marginally effective. The 2.5-inch LCD is sharp and bright, with a one-touch power boost for bright days. However, it does freeze momentarily when you half press the shutter - very annoying when tracking moving subjects. There's no optical viewfinder but there is an (world's first) option to add a separate electronic viewfinder on the hotshoe. Look at the above images.
The Ricoh Caplio GX100 colors are punchy, smooth and accurate with noise very controlled up to ISO 400 and even ISO 1600 images retaining enough saturation and detail to be worth the effort. Full-quality JPEGs have good levels of detail and sharpness, although never rivaling that of a DSLR. The manual pop-up flash is blinding: perfect for filling a room but too fierce for any kind of portrait, where you should switch to Soft flash mode. Don't worry if you burn through the Ricoh's 380 shot lithium-ion battery life, as you can swap it for a brace of AAA cells in an emergency.
Will the Ricoh Caplio GX100 tempt users away from their D-SLRs? Probably not. Despite an excellent control system, useful manual options & good image quality, it seems better suited to those enthusiasts keen to expand their knowledge & ability, but we doubt it'll steal the heart of any photo professional.
It is a shame there isn't a larger market for Ricoh's smart and sophisticated approach to cameras. The wide-angle lens is beautiful, ease of use is almost perfect & images are great. Unfortunately, it may be a little too expensive for amateurs, so shop around as the price varies greatly!
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