jadison
02-04-2002, 4:35 PM
Quirky camera leaves out some essential features.
http://neotech.8m.net/images/ricohcapliorr1.jpg
WHAT'S HOT: The Caplio RR1 ranks as one of the most unique-looking cameras we've tested, and it has many thoughtful design touches. A flip-up LCD panel on top of the thin case tilts and swivels, so you can see what you're shooting from almost any angle--even if your subject is yourself. The RR1 supplies two shutter buttons, one on top of the camera and one on the front; the latter is easier to use if you're relying on the optical viewfinder and shooting one-handed. Ricoh supplies an attractive, protective neoprene case to protect the camera.
Ricoh is one of the first camera vendors to supply ample storage as standard equipment--in addition to 8MB of internal memory, the RR1 comes with a 64MB SmartMedia card, which is worth at least $40. It also includes a rechargeable lithium ion battery and a charger. An optional $30 remote control will control many of the camera's functions, even erasing images.
Other unusual extras: You can crop images in the camera, saving storage space; a split-screen mode, in which your shot is recorded in half of the frame, and a second shot is recorded on the other half (useful for tricks like putting a man's head on a horse's body); and in addition to a continuous-shooting mode, you can shoot time exposures at intervals you set in the camera, from 30 seconds to 3 hours (although we think the camera's battery might have a hard time sticking around for the longer intervals; turning the LCD off or connecting the optional AC power might help).
WHAT'S NOT: Though it's a 4-megapixel model with many of the features you'd expect in a high-end camera, the RR1 lacks aperture- or shutter-priority modes or a full-manual mode. Every camera on the over-$500 chart offers one or more of these modes. Looking to compensate with preset program modes? The RR1 doesn't have those either.
The menus are organized well enough, but we found selecting items in them more irritating. Flipping up the LCD panel reveals several controls, including four buttons for up, down, left, and right; you must also use a Menu, Cancel, and Enter button. Sometimes you must hit the right arrow to make changes; other times you must press the Enter button. Sometimes you press Cancel to exit a menu item; sometimes you press Menu. A message at the bottom of the screen tells you to press Enter to select an item, but that doesn't do anything--if you've scrolled to the menu item, you've already selected it.
During image playback, shots show up in a little square in the middle of the LCD, pause for a few seconds, then appear full-screen. You can scroll through the smaller versions quickly, but other cameras let you scroll through full-screen shots more quickly.
The RR1's single rechargeable battery lasted for 71 minutes, or 202 shots. For an over-$500 camera, that's not unbearably short, but it's below the current average of nearly 90 minutes and 269 shots. A second battery costs $45.
WHAT ELSE: In most situations, the Ricoh takes above-average images. Outside shots, for example, show excellent sharpness (thanks in part to the high pixel count) and attractive colors, though some noise in the form of yellow speckling comes through. However, in more challenging settings, such as an indoor flash shot, images looked yellowish--the RR1's auto white-balance setting did not seem especially precise. The camera does have several white-balance settings, though, including a manual calibration. For the latter, you aim the camera at something white, then use the up-down arrow buttons to adjust the amount of red and the right-left buttons for the amount of blue. We prefer the method several other cameras use--pointing the camera at something white and pressing a button to automatically set it.
The camera's hefty storage lets you take long QuickTime movies with sound, but the image size is only 288-by-216 pixels, and the movies look pretty grainy. The optical viewfinder has a diopter adjustment for eyeglass wearers. An unusual text mode shoots images in one-bit (black-and-white) mode for easier readability. It works--we didn't try OCR on it, but it looked extremely clear.
Note that for this camera, you can't really shop around--you can only buy it directly from Ricoh or from Outpost.com.
UPSHOT: The Caplio RR1 takes attractive images in many situations, and its unusual design may appeal to some. But it lacks the sophisticated exposure controls nearly all cameras in this price range provide.
OVERVIEW:
4.13 megapixels, 2272 by 1704 maximum resolution, 35mm-105mm focal range (35mm equivalent), f2.6 to f3.4 aperture range, shutter speeds from 1 second to 1/2000 seconds, optical and LCD viewfinders, USB and video connections, 64MB SmartMedia card and 8MB internal memory, one rechargeable lithium ion battery, 10.9 ounces with batteries, MGI PhotoSuite. One-year parts and labor warranty, toll-call support for 15 hours on weekdays, plus weekends.
Price:
$699
Purchasing Info
http://www.ricohzone.com/
800/459-3968
*Courtesy of PCWorld HERE (http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,80043,tk,prx,00.asp)*
http://neotech.8m.net/images/ricohcapliorr1.jpg
WHAT'S HOT: The Caplio RR1 ranks as one of the most unique-looking cameras we've tested, and it has many thoughtful design touches. A flip-up LCD panel on top of the thin case tilts and swivels, so you can see what you're shooting from almost any angle--even if your subject is yourself. The RR1 supplies two shutter buttons, one on top of the camera and one on the front; the latter is easier to use if you're relying on the optical viewfinder and shooting one-handed. Ricoh supplies an attractive, protective neoprene case to protect the camera.
Ricoh is one of the first camera vendors to supply ample storage as standard equipment--in addition to 8MB of internal memory, the RR1 comes with a 64MB SmartMedia card, which is worth at least $40. It also includes a rechargeable lithium ion battery and a charger. An optional $30 remote control will control many of the camera's functions, even erasing images.
Other unusual extras: You can crop images in the camera, saving storage space; a split-screen mode, in which your shot is recorded in half of the frame, and a second shot is recorded on the other half (useful for tricks like putting a man's head on a horse's body); and in addition to a continuous-shooting mode, you can shoot time exposures at intervals you set in the camera, from 30 seconds to 3 hours (although we think the camera's battery might have a hard time sticking around for the longer intervals; turning the LCD off or connecting the optional AC power might help).
WHAT'S NOT: Though it's a 4-megapixel model with many of the features you'd expect in a high-end camera, the RR1 lacks aperture- or shutter-priority modes or a full-manual mode. Every camera on the over-$500 chart offers one or more of these modes. Looking to compensate with preset program modes? The RR1 doesn't have those either.
The menus are organized well enough, but we found selecting items in them more irritating. Flipping up the LCD panel reveals several controls, including four buttons for up, down, left, and right; you must also use a Menu, Cancel, and Enter button. Sometimes you must hit the right arrow to make changes; other times you must press the Enter button. Sometimes you press Cancel to exit a menu item; sometimes you press Menu. A message at the bottom of the screen tells you to press Enter to select an item, but that doesn't do anything--if you've scrolled to the menu item, you've already selected it.
During image playback, shots show up in a little square in the middle of the LCD, pause for a few seconds, then appear full-screen. You can scroll through the smaller versions quickly, but other cameras let you scroll through full-screen shots more quickly.
The RR1's single rechargeable battery lasted for 71 minutes, or 202 shots. For an over-$500 camera, that's not unbearably short, but it's below the current average of nearly 90 minutes and 269 shots. A second battery costs $45.
WHAT ELSE: In most situations, the Ricoh takes above-average images. Outside shots, for example, show excellent sharpness (thanks in part to the high pixel count) and attractive colors, though some noise in the form of yellow speckling comes through. However, in more challenging settings, such as an indoor flash shot, images looked yellowish--the RR1's auto white-balance setting did not seem especially precise. The camera does have several white-balance settings, though, including a manual calibration. For the latter, you aim the camera at something white, then use the up-down arrow buttons to adjust the amount of red and the right-left buttons for the amount of blue. We prefer the method several other cameras use--pointing the camera at something white and pressing a button to automatically set it.
The camera's hefty storage lets you take long QuickTime movies with sound, but the image size is only 288-by-216 pixels, and the movies look pretty grainy. The optical viewfinder has a diopter adjustment for eyeglass wearers. An unusual text mode shoots images in one-bit (black-and-white) mode for easier readability. It works--we didn't try OCR on it, but it looked extremely clear.
Note that for this camera, you can't really shop around--you can only buy it directly from Ricoh or from Outpost.com.
UPSHOT: The Caplio RR1 takes attractive images in many situations, and its unusual design may appeal to some. But it lacks the sophisticated exposure controls nearly all cameras in this price range provide.
OVERVIEW:
4.13 megapixels, 2272 by 1704 maximum resolution, 35mm-105mm focal range (35mm equivalent), f2.6 to f3.4 aperture range, shutter speeds from 1 second to 1/2000 seconds, optical and LCD viewfinders, USB and video connections, 64MB SmartMedia card and 8MB internal memory, one rechargeable lithium ion battery, 10.9 ounces with batteries, MGI PhotoSuite. One-year parts and labor warranty, toll-call support for 15 hours on weekdays, plus weekends.
Price:
$699
Purchasing Info
http://www.ricohzone.com/
800/459-3968
*Courtesy of PCWorld HERE (http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,80043,tk,prx,00.asp)*