Ricoh R8-My first Non-Sony/Minolta camera purchase
Posted on: Sat, 07/05/2008 - 10:40pm
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Ricoh R8-My first Non-Sony/Minolta camera purchase
Yep you read right. :) I guess I am not so much of a brand snob after all eh?
Some might have caught on that I have been looking for a good compact camera for quite some time now. I had narrowed the field down to Panasonic, Sony, Nikon, and Ricoh (R7 and R8 both). Canon almost made it to the elimination round.
I'll make my decision making process short and sweet. Keeping in mind all digi-compacts nowadays seem to suffer in image quality to some sort of degree, I had to make a choice on an overall package taking the best of these brands in mind and giving in a little with my expectation in the IQ department.
My requirements (allowing myself to bend a little):
10mp or less (7.2 -8mp ideal)
At least 28mm wide angle, and 100mm and over telephoto a bonus
Ease of use
Good lens
Good price (400.00 and less)
Looks (though not really a big deal)
Best user interface
Best build quality
Some sort of actual grip
Good lcd 2.5" and larger (more resolution the better)
Decisions decisions-
What models I narrowed down too and why, just a basic outline... including a short explanation why I didn't pick them overall, the deal breaker.
Panasonic-TMZ-3 (28-200 range, compact, 7.2mp, excellent price, great glass, excellent LCD)
Noise reduction from that horrid Venus engine, yuck! Even at ISO 400 very blurry details. Killed it for me.
Sony W-170 (28-140 range, ovf, great glass, 10.1 mp, great looks, excellent price, surprisingly excellent IQ)
That damn user interface. Ugh, I tried to like it, but just cannot. I tried this one out at a local retailer. What a pity, such a great camera too overall. If you can get passed the UI, it is a steal. Sorry Sony, time to go back to the drawing board and offer a more complete package.
Nikon P-50 (28-102 range, ovf, price (wow), d-lighting, lots of battery options)
Just too simple, very beginner feel to it. LCD only 2.4" and 115k pixels, yuck, still earned my 3rd overall choice however.
Ricoh R7 (great price, 8.1mp, nice lcd, good IQ, Ricoh features, good looks)
Toss up, added both to my cart before finally choosing the R8. Decided for the new LCD and build and User interface over it... basically the newer design. Marginal IQ differences anyways.
Therefore the winner is the Ricoh R8, it is purchased and on the way. Why did it win?
-Best build quality hands down
-Best User interface (about as intuitive as our Sony DLSRs im guessing from what i've seen online so far)
-Best Ergonomics
-Best 2.7" LCD on the market of any compact @ 460,000 pixels
-Highest price (but I got a brand new one from Adorama for 275.00)
-Image quality: beats the 7.2mp TZ3 Panasonic, even though it has 3million more pixels. Splitting hairs with compacts IQ nowadays is an insane endeavor, none can match a DSLR quality (save the Sigma). Overall just barely squeaks by my standards
-Nice rubber (but small) wrap around grip
-No nonsense minimalist design (VERY VERY attractive to me)
-Unique Ricoh and usable features (such as customizable settings and time lapse photography)
-Engineers know how: what a photographer wants without the sales hype crud
-Best focal range of class (tied with Pana TZ3)
-Killer Macro performance
-It's even got video (I'm not picky there)
Can't wait to get it. I know I won't be expecting the world IQ wise, but I know already using this camera is going to be refreshing (as far as compacts are concerned).
__________________
-AlphaMountWorld Chef-
"You can't legislate morality or common sense."
The SD870 Elph.
Why eliminated? No grip at all, IQ with the rest of the crowd despite being 8mp vs 10.
Just in case anyone was wondering.
Carl
-AlphaMountWorld Chef-
"You can't legislate morality or common sense."
Well now I have to stop coming here.. What a bummer, J/k ... Congrats!! just a few moons ago I shot with what I thought was an very fine 35mm camera in the Ricoh rx-7 (loved that camera). Ricoh not just a copier company..:) I to want to get a qualified compact as I have been disappointed with Sony's offerings, so it will be interesting to see what your results are. Enjoy!!
See Ya!!
Kevin
"Vision Is Seeing Beyond Your Sight"
Yep Ricoh and Sony have always fascinated me. Sony used to seem loyal in the compact segment to the photographer but sadly they seem to be fading from that loyalty in terms of the specifications of the new cameras.
Ricoh is small and they aim to please, not just sell. They have always been a unique and innovative company as far back as I can remember.
Now Ricoh should just try and keep the larger of the compact sensors in the camera and keep the MP down. A 7mp image (especially in raw) can please even the pickiest photographer at 13x19 if the camera processes the image correctly and the photographer has done their job right.
I am seeing a slowing down for the first time with new models on the market in regards to MP. This is good. An emphasis on good balance of IQ vs. MP is the best compromise imo. Both are important.
Carl
-AlphaMountWorld Chef-
"You can't legislate morality or common sense."
Well, being blunt..I am not a fan of ricoh.
I think they have some great ideas, nice lenses, good build..manual controls etc. Just not seeing that IQ edge that the price dictates.
If they stopped pumping the megapixels, and used larger sensors, they could do major damage. Still, honestly..I have never really been satisfied with the small sensors for IQ, fine in good light..but they really struggle in lower light conditions.
Pretty much all compacts on the market all suffer.
So I picked the lesser of the evils :). To me the Ricohs have a big advantage with features and build and user interface etc. But if I've learned anything about equipment it is that it comes down to what spices and side dishes you like with your main course.
I can't wait to throw some images out randomly I take with it, to see if anyone even can tell the difference. hehe :)
Carl
-AlphaMountWorld Chef-
"You can't legislate morality or common sense."
The Pentax Optio W60
http://www.amazon.com/Pentax-W60-Waterproof-Digital-Silver/dp/B0019V2CW8...
But it isn't available yet.
Still looks like a good buy tho for those who require a wide angle. It is waterproof, dust proof too!
Oh the coolest trick it has is image merging.
"A Digital Wide function merges two shots into one image for ultra-wide-angle image capture (equivalent to a focal length of 21mm in 35mm format)."
Oh boy.
Carl
-AlphaMountWorld Chef-
"You can't legislate morality or common sense."
Hi Carl,
This is an interesting and good choice as far as a decent compact goes. From the times I have used the camera in the shop it seems to be very well built and the lens seems really sharp, especially in the corners which is no mean feat considering the range. The biggest issue I would have with it is the lack of RAW mode, having said that both the examples you have posted seem to be good.
Slightly disagree with Barry's comments with regard to price, in the UK the Ricoh is priced at just over £200 (so close to the $400 limit you set). With the range of the zoom, the build, the controls and general quality there isn't much to compare to it. The Panasonic TZ3 and TZ5 are both well made with a good lens, but and this is the deal killer for me, they smear a fair amount of detail out. Ok for the target market's 6x4 and 7x5 prints, but go bigger and you can see the smearing- this is one area where the Ricoh seems to do better.
It'll be interesting to see you views after a little longer using it.
Cheers
Andrew
Andrew
Head Waiter: AlphaMountWorld.com
That Adorama gave me a brand new one for $275.00 USD, they were supposed to send me a display model in like new condition instead. Oops!
It seems to hold onto detail much better than the Pana's cruddy Venus death trap processor. Shame, I really like the panasonic too, a lot. I love how it handles and the UI is exceptional. It was a deal killer for me. Pity too.
I have another camera waiting for me at home right now :) Woot!
Carl
-AlphaMountWorld Chef-
"You can't legislate morality or common sense."