Ricoh Caplio R3 (Compact with 28-200mm zoom and Stabilisation!)

[Davey]

Anyone tried this camera?

Reviews on the net are mixed. A friend of mine has it and picture quality was quite good.

It is the only camera it its class to have a > 7x zoom with 28mm wide angle, Image Stabilisation, 1cm Macro mode and Skew Correction. Furthermore, it is backed up with a 3 year warranty.

Price is also quite cheap, around $580-620.

Ricoh Singapore link here:
http://www.ricoh.com/r_dc/caplio/r3/index.html

Cheers,
Davey

[nuts]

Well, this came out abt 1 month after I got the R2
I'm pretty much pleased with the R2 and would have gotten the R3 for its Image Stabilisation, but someone must buy my R2 w/o me losing too much leh...

Originally Posted by Davey Anyone tried this camera? Reviews on the net are mixed. A friend of mine has it and picture quality was quite good, and its the only camera it its class to have a > 7x zoom with 28mm wide angle and Image Stabilisation. Price is also cheaper than Lumix FX-9 ... around $580-620. Ricoh Singapore link here: http://www.ricoh.com/r_dc/caplio/r3/index.html Cheers, Davey

[Davey]

Originally Posted by nuts Well, this came out abt 1 month after I got the R2 I'm pretty much pleased with the R2 and would have gotten the R3 for its Image Stabilisation, but someone must buy my R2 w/o me losing too much leh...

Can't help you much there. Anyway, I've already made up my mind when I found that I can get the R3 at only S$575 (with 256MB SD) and in Black colour!

Third party spare battery costs only $28.

[thamws]

Hi Davey, care to share where did you get it from?

[Davey]

Can try calling Alan Photo for a quote ...

[ziploc]

There is a review here where you can see the picture quality:

http://www.w4rmk.com/ricoh/RicohR3.htm

[Davey]

There are several reviews on the R3 and as mentioned earlier, they are mixed. Some say good, some say bad. Here is another:
http://www.trustedreviews.com/article.aspx?art=2050

The latest firmware update is available at Ricoh Website, dated 24 Nov 2005:
http://www.ricoh.com/r_dc/download/firmware/r3/win.html

Will feedback some comments on the camera after using it for the next few days ...

[Davey]

Can view some R3 shots over at http://kooshlog.blogspot.com

Latest firmware improves macro focusing and image stabilisation.
(http://www.ricoh.com/r_dc/download/firmware/r3/win.html)

[chriszzz]

Originally Posted by Davey There are several reviews on the R3 and as mentioned earlier, they are mixed. Some say good, some say bad. Here is another: http://www.trustedreviews.com/article.aspx?art=2050 The latest firmware update is available at Ricoh Website, dated 24 Nov 2005: http://www.ricoh.com/r_dc/download/firmware/r3/win.html Will feedback some comments on the camera after using it for the next few days ...

eh, waiting for yer feedback on the camera. I'm also considering buying, but darn, why only 5MP, and quite noisy at tat ( according to review) ? The Canons and Panasonics are all at least 6MP and are cleaner too !

[Davey]

Originally Posted by chriszzz eh, waiting for yer feedback on the camera. I'm also considering buying, but darn, why only 5MP, and quite noisy at tat ( according to review) ? The Canons and Panasonics are all at least 6MP and are cleaner too !

Sorry bro, not really doing a full fledged review but the following are my comments after using the camera for about 2 months:

Pros:
1. Camera is compact, light and extremely fast. <1s startup, <1s focus (non-macro) and almost instantaneous shutter release.
2. 28-200mm zoom is very versatile.
3. 1cm macro mode is fantastic, can combine with the long zoom for added versatility.
4. Battery life is very good, and spare battery is super cheap (around S$20).
5. S$500+ for the camera is relatively cheap considering the available features (i.e. wide angle, 7x zoom, image stabilisation, multi-shot, etc. ).

Cons:
1. Picture tends to be noisy compared to other cameras. Would recommend fixing the ISO at 64 or 100 and not "Auto".
2. Although it doesn't have a focus assist lamp, it is replaced by a pre-flash focus assist.
3. Lens protector tends to be a bit flimsy.
4. LCD Display not as good quality as the more expensive models.
5. Flash position not very good as it tends to get covered by fingers.

All that said, I would still recommend this as a versatile snapshot camera to carry around. Very quick to whip out, turn on and snap a photo. Photos and prints are still pretty good although a bit noisy. (Which is why I am still holding on to my Oly!) Anyway, the noise should not drastically affect the quality of your prints if you are printing no bigger than 8R. Maybe they can solve the noise problem by using a larger CCD with the R4 ... ?!

For more samples can refer to my blog @ http://kooshlog.blogspot.com , most of the pictures are (and will be) taken by the R3.

[chriszzz]

Hi Davey

Thanks for the quick review summary

your comments seem to be generally in line with the reviews posted online. I'm ok with all the negatives of the camera, since none is perfect, but noisy photos is a little off putting. However, at this point in time, there is no other option.

BTW, what is the silver camera with lens attachment that is in your avatar ?

[Davey]

Originally Posted by chriszzz Hi Davey BTW, what is the silver camera with lens attachment that is in your avatar ?

Hi Chriszzz,

that is my old Olympus C-750 with an adaptor ring to allow for attachments of various filters and lens hood. 4 MP only but less noisy than the R3. Advantage is the ability to use filters and attachment of a METZ TTL external flash. Good for "photography sessions" but a bit too bulky to bring out for casual event snapshots ...

BTW, I deliberated between the FX9, LX1 and R3 for a while before choosing the R3. FX9 is good but didn't have the versatile lens configuration, plus the R3 looks more like a "serious" camera than the FX9, which is designed to be more "fashionable". LX1 is great but size is much bigger, no built in lens cover, more expensive, noisy at higher ISOs ... blah blah. Also, not too sure about other brands but Ricoh gives a 3-year warranty for the R3. By the time I sell it to upgrade, the warranty may not have expired yet!

Anyway, each camera has its pros/cons and none are perfect. As long as it is able to meet your needs / budget, any brand/model doesn't really matter ...