Ricoh Caplio R3 Review
Thanks to my lovely wife I am one of the first owners of a Ricoh Caplio R3 in the UK so I thought I’d write a brief review to assist others who are considering this digital camera.
When considering a new compact digital I thought about what shortcomings have in the past meant that I have failed to capture the shot that I wanted, so first I’ll list my criteria :
1) Small factor and light. Many shots will be missed if you don’t have your camera with you because your compact is too bulky to carry with you at all times.
2) Start-up time. Missed a few perfect shot moments because the camera was busy booting up.
3) Focal length. Most compact digicams have only a 3x zoom around the 35-110mm mark which means at close range you are stepping back and at a distance you can’t get in close enough or disturb your subject and destroy the intimacy of “the moment”.
The R3 fulfilled these criteria so I took the plunge in spite of not being able to try it before buying on this occasion.
(Also considered : Panasonic LX1 - but with 4x zoom, £150-£200 more and added bulk and weight I chose the Ricoh.)
First impressions/construction :
The R3 is small and light, about the same weight as my mobile phone but only a little thicker. In spite of its lightness it has a reasonably quality feel to it with a plastic body and a metal band around the outside to give it added strength which together with the slightly kinked body on the right makes it easy to hold when shooting. The battery compartment door is a little fragile when open but fixes well when closed my only concern is for the lens guard which could get damaged in your pocket. So I recommend the official Ricoh bag for this camera which is one of the best I’ve seen, made in real leather its a snug fit, well designed and smart.
Start-up is impressively fast, the first time it almost startles you. You are not going to miss a shot. The motor is a little loud but I don’t think its an issue.
Use and features :
The large 2.5″ LCD is bright and easy to use, the resolution could have been better and the icons are a little “blocky” as a result but its not a hindrance to taking photos and when reviewing image quality (shall I take another?) you have enough resolution to be able to make the right call. The controls are easy to use and have a satisfying feel to them, I wouldn’t say this camera feels cheap at all. The menus are easy to navigate and straightforward with a quick access button with two programmable options for the more advanced features. Not as many scene modes as most digital compacts these days but all you will practically need. The zoom is responsive and the CCD shift IS system works well to give you an extra stop in low-light conditions. Keep it on all the time.
Taking photos :
In all auto mode its as easy as any other in its class, point - shoot. However keep an eye on those focus boxes as they can pick the wrong area for focussing on, if it troubles you switch to spot AF. Now this is where I come to the first major weakness of the R3, the auto focus in low-light conditions can get it very wrong sometimes but I have found that with practise you can overcome these issues. If its a group shot or a room set the scene mode to High Sensitivity as this seems to boost focussing ability and Night Scene mode seems to have no problems. If your subject is close use Portrait mode as this fixes the focus area to about 2m or use the flash. A point about the flash now. The first few times I used the flash I just got a blurred blob as a subject until it dawned on me that you have to push the button all the way in quickly as the AF uses a first flash to get an accurate reading. Problem solved.
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| 28mm adds drama to a simple scene. | Metering is accurate here. |
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| Low natural light captured well. | Standard flash (yes I’m drunk). |
Image quality :
In well lit daylight scenes the quality is excellent, good colour balance and sharp detailed images and no discernable fringing. High contrast scenes are handled with ease however the auto ISO tends to choose a little high rather than sacrificing f-stop so a little noise may creep into the shadows. You can fix the ISO though. This is where I get onto the second weakness of the R3, noise. Once you hit the ISO 150 mark there is discernable noise and past that its much worse. Its not as bad as some other compacts but its mostly in the colour region so pictures remain sharp. Ultimately in those lower light conditions you have to consider the R3 a 3 or 4 megapixel camera. But really, one pass with noise ninja and then resize to 2240×1680 (4M) and you have a high quality shot in low light. Its only a compact digicam after all and its tiny.
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| High Sensitivity setting, less light than it looks. | Night Scene, it was very dark out there. |
Conclusions :
Upside :
Small, light, fast, incredible zoom range (28-200mm), large LCD, battery goes on an on…
Downside :
Auto focus poor in low light, noise.
Overall I love this camera, it takes a little practice to get the hang of it and get the best out of it but its worth the effort I think. No other camera out at the moment has the compact form with such swift start-up and zoom capabilities, its quite a trail-blazer. The focusing problems are a little annoying and Ricoh could have easily got it right with a decent AF assist light (which they claim it has on the website specs). As long as you are philosophical about noise, that is small form will always bring noise with it on the larger resolution CCDs and don’t mind a moment of post processing effort then it won’t be a problem but its not really bad enough to worry about on the R3 I’d say.
Update : (28/12/05) - Before I got round to applying the firmware upgrade announced on the Ricoh website they posted a newer update, version 1.27 which I applied last week. Without a doubt there has been a marked improvement in the auto-focus of the R3, while it could still do with a photo light it gets it right all the time as it is now and if it can’t it lets you know on the LCD display beforehand. A very slight improvement in the vibration correction too.
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| Flash Fill, a dull afternoon. | Indoor ISO64, hard to hold it steady. |
Update : (24/01/06) - Since I wrote this review a few other reviews have started popping-up on the internet, here is a small sample :
Rather positive review : Epinions Ricoh Caplio R3 Review
Rather negative review : Photography Blog Ricoh Caplio R3 Review
I should also add that most of the digital camera magazines here in the UK have given it the thumbs-up, particularly What Digital Camera who have given it one of their “highly recommended” stamps of approval.
Interesting review. Have you tested the camera’s AF with the new firmware? It’s supposed to improve things quite a bit:
http://www.ricoh.com/r_dc/download/firmware/r3/win.html
Prog.
Not as yet. My plan was to use the camera for a few days/a week to get used to it before making the firmware upgrade so that I could asses whether there really was any discernable improvement to the focussing. I will post an update with my thoughts then.
tnx for interesting review, i like this is the most reasonable comment on R3 up todate ! After following from early beginning the blog of Mark G, i’ve been very confused of many comments. People really seem not to understand what they really need and want….
By the way, i expect to receive my R3 tomorrow !!
PS. that noise-it is always there, if you select to by 5M/small CCD camera.You have to be prepared to live with it in certain conditions ! As said-it is always compromise between money and technical possibilities.
I have anyway high hopes- atleast until tomorrow evening….
Tnx to you
Jorma T
Thanks for the review. I was wondering if you can comment on R3’s image stabilization device… Have read different review on its capabilities. Thanks!
wc
I have carried out a few tests myself with the CCD Image Stabilisation and while I will caution that it is not as effective as some optical IS systems I’ve seen (the lenses alone cost twice as much as this camera) on Digital SLR, it is definitely a useful addition and quite effective. Even when inebriated and dancing I got crisp shots every time, so it does the job.
Hello, and thank you for your review. Many thanks, Tony
any chance you could put the Noise Ninja profile up for the Ricoh R3? Would be useful and would love to clean up some of my noise
Hi, I read your entire review because I have the same criteria as you: quick startup, small size, large focal length. I am still wandering if Ricoh R3 is the best for me, because I read that the zoom is actually in several fixed steps and if you want to zoom to a level between 2 steps, it’s not possible.
I am already an onwer on R3, and am new to camera too. May I know where and how to upgrade the firmware?
The instructions can be found here :
Firmware load instructions.
and the firmware itself here :
Firmware download page.
Hi, I so want to buy the R3, I’ve been reading up on it for the past couple of months. It’s not on the market here in Aussie as yet but should be out soon. I love the features, the zoom, the look and size. But like so many before me, I too have been spooked by the bad lens and noise issues.
Your review has somewhat settled my fears and perhaps even given me an excuse to buy the R3. My alternative is the Canon 750, which has better quality pictures and performance (see reviews anywhere)…but I hate it! It is the ugliest compact I’ve ever seen, it’s too bling bling, I just can’t bring myself to buy and use it!
Thanks for the review anyway…
Hi Steve,
I’m glad you found my review useful. I have just got back from a skiing trip in Italy so its the first time I’ve seriously used the R3. The things which were apparent to me were :
1) The battery power is astonishing, I didn’t have to charge it once while away.
2) The size is perfect, easily pocketable and light.
3) The wide to zoom lens gives you great photographic creativity options and I don’t think you can criticise the lens quality (certainly not at the price).
4) Most pictures display some noise, you will need to get some noise-reduction software. I use Neat Image which gave me very pleasing results.
Almost all of my photos have been tweaked in Photoshop but you can take a look for yourself : Skiing in Cortina.
Thanks for your review of the R3. I found it very helpful. I was just about to buy one and then I saw that the R4 will be available in a few weeks. It seems to offer significant improvements. It is very frustrating to potential purchasers (and to reviewers) that all new cameras become ‘old’ so soon. Your comments on the R4 would be appreciated…….
I like your photos, and I have been watching the R3 since its release last year. It is very difficult to get a good review from the big reviewers, that is what makes your review of great value to those investigating this camera and susequently the R4.
I like many have been concerned by excessive noise, and there is some visible in the deep blue sky of even ISO 64 images. But on closer inspection, I have begun to suspect that the default in camera sharpening is a bit too much. It not only produces a slight halo around edges, but also amplifies noise.
I downloaded one at full size, and in PSP9 simply applied edge preserving smoothing noise reduction, and the skies then looked quite smooth. I compared this to my 5mp 1/1.8 CCD optio 555 and found that it was similair at 100% magnification. At normal viewing size, it looks excellent.
Can you tell me if in camera sharpening can be reduce in increments, as well as turned off completely. I think with a little less sharpening, this would be a very good camera as the lens and colour redition are quite good.
Thanks
Brian
JEG VIL HA LITT IS!!! ELLERS
Hi, Wolfie, thanks for your review, it is very useful to me, by the way, do you hae any review on the new model of Ricoh R4? and there is one things that i am not undersatnd, there is somethings that looks like LED that sit at the right hand side of the flash in the R3/R4, what is it anyway? is it an AF assist light? but seems like no function at all. thanks for your reply and take care, cheers!
Hello Howard,
I haven’t done a review of the R4, I’ve managed to have a little play with one though and my impression is that its very similar. Principally you have a larger image size and the slightly improved LCD resolution, and that’s all really. I can confirm that those are sensors next to the flash and that there is definitely no AF assist light, although in all fairness the latest firmware upgrades on the R3 and the R4 give quite acceptable auto-focus function.
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Jessie…
Thanks for the post. I couldn’t agree with you more….