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Ricoh announces new GPS unit, new firmware for 500SE camera
It's been a while since we've seen any major updates for Ricoh's 500SE camera, but if you're in the mood, here's a heads up: the company has just announced its new SE-2 GPS module. Designed by EKA Technologies, Inc., this bad boy sports a new helix antenna, which should provide better reception and accuracy, and smaller fix times. Available in two flavors, the SE-2g (GPS only) has an MSRP of $169, while the SE-2c offers GPS and a 3-axis compass for direction information for an MSRP of $399. And if that weren't enough, the company has just announced new firmware for the camera that enhances its ability to store field data and embed it into images for GIS mapping applications. The new firmware also allows up to three attributes as well as GPS position, azimuth, and UTC (satellite time) to be imprinted directly onto images as they are captured. Pretty awesome, right? Full PR available after the break.
Ricoh's GR Digital encore: the 10 megapixel GR Digital II
After a two-year stint, Ricoh is finally rolling out a successor to their GR Digital -- the GR digital II. No really, that's the 10 megapixel GR II up there not their 10 megapixel GX100. The GR II boasts a 1/1.75-inch CCD, ISO 1600 max sensitivity, improved RAW and JPEG recordings, VGA video recordings, SDHC/SD card slot, and option for a Lithium-Ion power plant or pair of AAAs in a pinch. Right, just like the GX100. The GR II, however, is a tad smaller and lighter than the GX100 while offering a slightly larger, auto-rotating 2.7-inch LCD, and the same 28-mm (not 24 to 72-mm wide-angle) lens found on the original GR Digital. Expected in Japan on November 22nd for about ¥80,000 or right around 700 bucks.[Via Amateur Photographer]
Ricoh Caplio R7: 8.1 megapixel with 7.1x wide zoom
Ricoh keeps on keepin' on with another bump in specs for their R-series shooters. The R7 takes the R6 into 8.1 megapixel territory while maintaining the 7.1x wide zoom lens while tossing in their new Smooth Engine III image processing which should help quiet the noise at higher ISOs. Available in silver, black, and orange next month for a tax inclusive price of £230 in the UK. %Gallery-6452%[Via Impress]
Ricoh unveils forgettable Caplio RR750 point-and-shoot
We don't expect anyone to get too worked up over yet another ho hum Ricoh, but the firm is upgrading its middle-of-the-road (at best) RR730 with a slightly improved 7.16-megapixel CCD sensor and a higher resolution 2.5-inch LCD. The RR750 also touts a 3x optical zoom (and 4x of the nearly worthless digital variety), movie mode, 32MB of built-in memory, USB connectivity, an SD expansion slot, and it operates on a pair of AA cells. No word just yet on pricing nor availability, but considering the utterly lackluster feature set, we're such this one won't demand much.[Via LetsGoDigital]
Ricoh Caplio GX100 reviewed
The chaps over at PhotograhyBLOG have an extensive (as in six pages) review of the handsome Ricoh Caplio GX100 that we told you about in March. Opinions from the experts concerning this 10 megapixel camera seem largely favorable, with high marks for design, features and ease-of-use, and only a few minor quibbles in the image-quality department. They seemed particularly excited about the Caplio's use of a RAW storage format, which the competition has apparently been moving away from. But hey, it's your $700, so if you really want to know all the details, follow the link to the full review.
Ricoh's Caplio GX100: not a DSLR, not a point-and-shoot -- just hot
Ricoh just announced this, the Caplio GX100 followup to their GX8. The new shooter neatly bridges the DSLR and compact shooter set by offering a 10 megapixel, 1/1.75-inch CCD sensor coupled to a 24 to 72-mm wide (3x) zoom lens with optional 19-mm conversion lens to get even wider. The Smooth Imaging Engine II takes care of the image processing while CCD-shift-type vibration correction helps keep the blurring to a minimum. Around back you'll find a 2.5-inch LCD with 170-degree viewing angle. Otherwise, you can opt for a hot-shoe attachable electronic viewfinder which, besides being useful on a sunny day, provides 100% image coverage with synchronized focal length and no parallax error. It even supports those new(ish) SDHC cards and AAA batteries for those times you find the rechargeable flat. All this in a highly compact, 25-mm thin chassis with RAW support. When and for how much are the critical questions we're all asking. %Gallery-2332%[Via LetsGoDigital]
Ricoh Caplio 500SE Model W rocks WiFi and Bluetooth
If you're looking for the perfect camera to take on your next vacation to the Amazon rainforest or Sahara desert, look no further than Ricoh's upcoming Caplio 500SE; like the 500G that preceded it, this 8 megapixel ruggedized shooter also sports a water-, shock-, and dust-resistant casing, but throws in some sweet wireless action to offload your pics no matter where you are. The high end Model W not only features a WEP- and WAP-secured WiFi radio like several other products on the market, but is one of the first imaging devices to also include Bluetooth 2.0 in the mix. No hotspot? No problem -- just transfer the pics over to your smartphone and release them onto the Internet wherever a cellular connection is available. Besides the dual radios, you're getting a 3x optical zoom, 2.5-inch LCD, 26MB of internal memory (enhanced via SD), and rather underwhelming QVGA video capture that may not even include sound. Still, this is a hell of a package (both in terms of its feature set and its weight: 482 grams fully loaded) with a price to match -- ¥130,200 ($1,100) for the Model W and ¥115,500 ($990) for the WiFi-less Model B when they ship sometime this winter and September 1st, respectively.[Via The Raw Feed and dottocomu]
Ricoh launches Caplio R5 compact with 7x wide-angle zoom
Ricoh has released an update to its zoomerific Caplio R4 compact digital camera today, the not-too-surprisingly-named Caplio R5. Like the R4, it packs a massive 7.1x optical zoom equivalent to 28–200 mm and also ups the megapixels to a respectable 7.0. Otherwise, the main improvements to this model look to be a new vibration correction function and an all new image processing engine, which promises to increase the quality of images shot in low-light conditions and at high ISO levels (all the way up to ISO 1600) -- if true, that would correct some of main complaints with the R4. No word on price yet, unfortunately, but we wouldn't expect it to be too far off from the sub-$450 pricetag of the R4.[Via DP Review]
Ricoh's six megapixel Caplio RR660 point-and-shoot
Aren't economies of scale just the best? For example, the same $235 that'll buy you Ricoh's six megapixel Caplio RR630 point-and-shoot camera today will soon get you its upcoming replacement which adds almost half an inch to the display but still manages to drop about 20 vital grams from the overall weight. When it ships next month, the 130-gram RR660 will offer the same resolution (actually, it's .01 megapixels lower, but close enough) and 3x zoom as the RR630, along with a 2.4-inch TFT-LCD, 16MB of internal memory (supported by an SD slot), and the usual assortment of pre-programmed scene settings for hassle-free snapshots. Doesn't sound too bad, but it still seems like you're getting a better deal from other six megapixel models like the Canon A540 or Nikon Coolpix L2. -- we'll wait until we see a review or two to pass final judgement, though.
Ricoh Caplio 500G 8 megapixel ruggedized wide-angle digicam
Ricoh has long been a player in the niche market for ruggedized wide-angle digicams, and the company's latest entrant, the 500G, continues to up the ante. Like the 400G and 300G before it, the 8 megapixel Caplio 500G is shock and water resistant, dust-proof, and has a wide-angle zoom lens. The latest version can withstand regular falls from about 3 feet, can handle ISO ranges from 64 to 1600, and has a wide-angle lens that zooms from 28-85 mm. We have no idea whether or not it takes good pics; the point with this one is that it'll take pics in places you won't want to go with other cameras, such as construction sites and offshore oil rigs. Pricing hasn't been announced, but the 3.2 megapixel Caplio 400G went for a premium price of $370, and we expect this one to be priced above other point-and-shoots as well.
