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Ricoh unveils CX5 with hybrid AF, continues tradition of subtle improvements
The folks at Ricoh have dependable predictability down pat, and the CX5's specs are, for the most part, nothing new. We've talked up the CX line of compact superzooms since the release of the CX1 almost two years ago, and we've watched the company fine-tune the already impressive camera with each new edition. Every incarnation of the CX series is just a tad better than the last: you might recall the CX4 didn't make any big changes, either. The CX5 offers few marked signs of improvement (at least on paper) over its predecessor, but it does sport a hybrid AF that combines a distance sensor with contrast detection to bring focus rates down to two-tenths of a second: twice as fast as the CX4. Other than that -- you guessed it -- the CX5 sports the same specs as its predecessor (unless you count the addition of a "continuous golf swing" mode). So, if you're looking for a big step up from your CX4, you might want to wait for the next generation. Then again, we can't guarantee Ricoh will break with tradition.
Ricoh's CX1 camera gets reviewed
The kids at Photography Blog have finally got their hands on that Ricoh CX1 that won our respect not too long ago, and they've been cool enough to post a review online. The camera, the reviewer said, begins where the ol' R10 left off, throwing features like multi-pattern auto white balance, multi-target auto focus, and 4fps continuous shooting speed into the mix, making this "the best Ricoh point-and-shoot yet." That said, it can't all be groovy -- the review goes on to cite the camera's "bog-standard" 640 x 480 / 30fps video and rudimentary face detection as "nothing to write home about." Image quality -- often a deal-breaker for this company -- has greatly improved, with a new 9 megapixel CMOS sensor sporting "a now usable ISO range of 80-800." Of course, the big news is the camera's high dynamic range. DR mode is, for the most part, "radical and very effective." But there's much more to it -- hit that read link for all the gory details.
Ricoh's CX1 point and shoot combines two shots for greater dynamic range, glory
While high dynamic range is only recently getting some attention in the gaming and display worlds, for decades it's been a tool of serious photographers wanting eye-popping exposures. Now Ricoh's gone and offered it to the masses with its latest consumer digi cam, the CX1, creating a "dynamic range double shot" mode that takes two images nearly simultaneously with different exposures, then combines them automatically to present the best bits of both. It features a 9 megapixel CMOS sensor fronted by a 7.1x (28-200mm) lens and backed by a 3-inch LCD. VGA videos are a bit disappointing these days, but 120 frames per second can be captured at that resolution, which is good news for slow-mo junkies. UK release is mid-March for £299, about $430, and we expect/hope it'll be lighting up dim photos Stateside around the same time. %Gallery-45312%[Via PhotographyBLOG]
Microsoft and Cray deliver "mainstream" CX1 supercomputer: starts at $25k
C'mon, who here doesn't want their very own supercomputer to do, um, whatever they want with? In an effort to make sure every man, woman and child has an absurdly powerful number cruncher in their home (let's go with OSPP, or One Supercomputer Per Person), Microsoft has tag-teamed with the fabled Cray in order to "drive high productivity computing into the mainstream." The Cray CX1 Supercomputer comes loaded with Windows HPC Server 2008 and incorporates up to 8 nodes and 16 Intel Xeon CPUs (dual- or quad-core); additionally, it boasts up to 4TB of internal storage, 64GB of memory per node and interoperates nicely with Linux. The CX1 is said to be the most affordable supercomputer offered by Cray (not to mention the "world's highest-performing computer that uses standard office power"), but it'll still run you anywhere between $25,000 to well over $60,000. Chump change, right?[Via NetworkWorld]
