Ricoh Caplio R5 serious problems?

[clicknick]

Hi,
had wanted to buy Ricoh Caplio R5, but when I read the numerous complains about this camera from dpreview forum, I changed my mind immediately.

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/forum.asp?forum=1013

It seems that there are 3 major issue with the R5 that would make people not want to buy this camera, dispite it's great features

1) Zoom buttons not responsive, problematic and hard to use
2) Focusing problems, lots of OOF, and no focus assist light
3) Flash shots result in overexposure of subject

Any R5 users can share their views on this camera?

 

[clicknick]

No Ricoh R5 users in CS?

 

[Voyage]

Ricoh might be the next casualty of the cut-throat digital age in the near future.

Sorry if its too harsh.

 

[mpenza]

someone did a comparison of the R5 against a few other compacts with IS mechanism..... http://www.w4rmk.com/canon/canonsd800is.htm

 

[clicknick]

someone did a comparison of the R5 against a few other compacts with IS mechanism..... http://www.w4rmk.com/canon/canonsd800is.htm

And he has the same complains about R5

here's an extract:

The zoom control is terrible, very hard to press and get an accurate response.
Note: I had read a lot of complaints about the zoom control on the R5, and I thought "it can't be that bad". Well - it is! It might be a deal-breaker for this camera. You really have to mash your thumb against the little lever to get the zoom to move. The zoom control on the R3 and R4 was never very smooth, but the lever on the R5 stands out as the worst zoom control I have ever used (and I have owned over 50 different digital cameras).
The flash seems to blow out the shot too many times.

The camera has no low light assist lamp and therefore doesn't focus very well in low light. After further testing, getting a focus light at full zoom in moderate light is difficult, and almost impossible in low-light. This camera badly needs a focus assist lamp.

Sigh, so much potential in this camera.....

Does R4 has this same problem with focusing? R4 also no focus assist lamp right?