Digicam Review has released a new review of the 6 megapixel Ricoh Caplio R4 and they indicate it seems quicker than it’s sibling the R3. Their verdict -
“The Ricoh Caplio R4 is a minor update to the Ricoh Caplio R3, with a higher resolution 6 megapixel sensor, a higher resolution screen, and longer battery life. I suspect that there have been more improvements made in the background as the camera seems quicker in operation, and I’ve been more impressed with image quality this time, particularly with the rich colours and good exposure. The Ricoh Caplio R4 is a stylish digital camera with a wide angle 7.1x optical zoom lens packed into a very compact metal body. The 6 megapixel camera features a 2.5″ screen and built in vibration correction – this helps produce blur free photos in low light or at full zoom. When using the camera you do need to be careful that ISO isn’t set to AUTO, otherwise you’ll end up with high noise in photos, but if you can manage to stick to ISO64 or IS100 then you should end up with some great photos – despite the camera having more megapixels – noise doesn’t seem higher than the R3. If having a lot of zoom power in a very compact camera is a priority then this is definitely worth considering. Ricoh are to be commended for innovation in providing such a large amount of zoom with image stabilsation in such a small and speedy camera. The Ricoh Caplio R4 is well worth considering as there are very few alternate digital cameras that offer so much, at such a competitive price.”
What I like:
Very compact and stylish with a solid metal body (will easily fit in pockets)
Built in Vibration Reduction image stabilisation helps acheive blur free low-light / zoom photos.
2.5″ screen, with 150,000 pixels
7.1x optical zoom lens
Very fast focusing (Spot AF) and shutter response,
Fast continuous shooting mode
Rich, accurate colours
Low-ish noise at ISO64
Full printed manual
Adjust button gives quick access to WB, ISO, Exposure compensation, Focus etc
Very good macro mode
What I don’t like:
Resets settings (eg Macro, Self-timer) when switching between photo/playback modes
High noise when set to ISO100 or higher (ISO400 and above very noisy)
Flash can over-expose images
Small memory card
Purple fringing slightly higher than average
Slightly soft images
