Ricoh Caplio GX100

Imagine for a moment that you did not read the brand name of this compact camera, and we told you that it has the most user-friendly controls and one of the most powerful feature sets in its class. What brand would come to your mind? Canon? Sony? Perhaps Nikon?

Surprisingly, this is the Caplio GX100 from Ricoh, the quirky camera maker that once in a while, comes up with interesting models like this one. This camera has already gained a cult following of loyal fans who can appreciate its unique advantages, but unfortunately, it will remain a niche product in a world of typically novice compact camera photographers, and is best suited for photographic aficionados and those learning the ropes of technical photography.

Thanks to the "fast" F2.5 lens and an ISO 400 setting, this night scene needed only a relatively fast 1/30 second to expose.
Click to enlarge

Design
As you will read later, the Ricoh Caplio GX100 has several revolutionary features for a compact camera, but we doubt it will sell well. And the reason is because a typical compact camera buyer is a point-and-shoot photographer who places a strong weighting on brand, design and resolution when deciding on a purchase. In a market dominated by bigger compact camera brands like Canon and Sony, it is difficult for a lesser-known name like Ricoh to draw attention to its innovative strengths because it is not as pretty as, say, a typical Canon IXUS or a Sony Cyber-shot compact.

It has a plain, unattractive body design, clothed in a dull black that makes it unappealing to the design-conscious. Apart from a rubber grip on the right side, the rest of the camera is matt plastic. However, the chassis is still considered relatively slim, lightweight, well put together, and facilitates easy handling. Apart from that, the camera's control set is similar to an A-Series Canon PowerShot camera except for one fundamental difference -- it has two command dials -- which we feel is its greatest strength.

Shot in auto mode, this photo shows the GX100's vibrant interpretation of colours, as well as its weakness for resolving details in bright areas. Click to enlarge

Features
Any photographer worth his salt will tell you that a good camera is defined by its ability to provide as convenient and quick control over its settings as possible. The Ricoh Caplio GX100 shines where this factor is concerned. Its immediate predecessor, the Ricoh GR Digital, was the first camera to introduce two command dials into a compact camera; and the GX100 carries on that feature. Why have two command dials? For learned photographers who like shooting with full control over shutter speed and aperture settings, a dial to control each parameter will allow him to change either setting rapidly to compensate for changes in the scene/subject. This is opposed to leaving the interpretation of a scene to the camera's auto mode that often delivers results which are not what the photographer wants. Dual control dials are typically found on high-end dSLR cameras, so it is a revolutionary addition on a compact like the GX100.

In addition, the rear command dial is also a button. Pressing it brings up a menu showing the key shot settings of white balance, ISO and focus mode from which you can use the front dial to select the setting to change. Together, these two dials provide the most innovative, convenient and fastest way for a photographer to switch between these key settings. Another similarity to a dSLR the GX100 has is its special function button (Fn) on its top left corner. This button can be assigned to quickly access any one of a multitude of settings including auto bracketing and AE lock, in addition to the usual ISO, white balance and focus mode.

Pressing the rear control dial brings up shot setting which can be navigated using the front control dial. Click to enlarge

As for optics, the GX100 boasts of the widest angle lens in its class at 24mm (35mm format equivalent). With a wide-angle lens, it is capable of a diagonal view of about 20 degrees, allowing users to squeeze as much of a scene into the frame -- like scenery or indoor shots. The lens can also zoom out to 72mm, providing users composition flexibility. At the widest angle setting of 24mm, the GX100 has a maximum relative aperture setting of F2.5, allowing for very fast shots to be achieved with limited light (hence the term "fast lens"). However, at full 72mm telephoto zoom, the maximum relative aperture is a rather "slow" F4.4. To help reduce blurring caused by camera shake during slower exposures, the GX100 has CCD-shift vibration reduction technology where the CCD sensor module moves in direct and opposite magnitude to the shake detected.

The GX100's optional accessories include a wide-angle lens attachment that takes the lens down to an even wider 19mm. There's also an interesting tilting electronic viewfinder that helps framing in bright light which renders the LCD unreadable or when shooting small objects where a top view may be more comfortable. The electronic viewfinder attachment is available separately, or sold with the GX100 as a "kit package" option.

Other noteworthy features are the GX100's large 2.5-inch LCD that has a generous 230,000 pixels, making displayed images look detailed and sharp. The camera's 26MB of internal storage also gives users an extra 10 to 20 shots -- depending on resolution and photo subject -- if their SD card runs out of space.

This high contrast scene, shot in auto mode in very harsh and bright daylight, shows its somewhat limited dynamic range compared with other cameras in its price range. Click to enlarge

Performance, handling and image quality
In our field test, we found the GX100 superbly easy to use -- both as a point-and-shoot camera and on full manual mode -- thanks to its dual control dials. Shooting in situations where we wanted to alter shot settings constantly was a real breeze; and in full manual mode, no compact camera comes close to the user-friendliness of the GX100. As for startup and power-down timing, the GX100 is slightly slower to turn on and off compared with the leading models in the compact camera class as it has an extending lens. It also has a lens cap that adds its time to the total startup/shutdown time. Focusing was also slow compared with its peers, with the camera taking between 1 and 3 seconds to hunt down and focus on subjects -- especially in macro mode or in low-light environments.

In spite of our hopes that the GX100's image quality will match its excellent handling, we were disappointed to find it was mediocre instead. Although focus was sharp and its colours were pleasantly vibrant, the GX100 had trouble resolving detail in high-contrast scenes due to a weaker-than-average dynamic range. Overly bright subjects were sometimes overexposed and, conversely, subjects in dim lighting tended to be a little too dark -- we found ourselves often having to compensate by changing the exposure value (EV). Nevertheless, it is bad photographic practice to shoot subjects in overly harsh or shadowed conditions. Where the camera really shone was in neutrally lit daylight environments -- where sunlight is not as harsh (like in the morning or late afternoon) or when it is diffused by a cloud. See Ricoh's own gallery of the GX100's "model" shots.

At night and in low-light situations, the camera's large F2.5 relative aperture was excellent for capturing shots with faster shutter speeds, which makes the GX100 an ideal night landscape camera. However, when the situation required the use of higher ISO levels, the camera disappointed us again with photos showing higher-than-average grain for photos shot with an ISO 400 or higher setting.

A last area where the GX100 performs well in is macro photography. It can focus on tiny subjects at only 1cm away and the large F2.5 relative aperture allows for exposures to be captured quickly, reducing the risk of blurring caused by shaking hands. That said, the camera does take time to hunt for focus -- especially when shooting very small subjects.

This cactus was only 1cm away from the lens when this picture was taken. Click to enlarge

With its class-leading, easy-to-use, dSLR-like controls and features, we were very much hoping that the GX100 would match these strong advantages with at least a better-than-average image performance. However, its relatively poor dynamic range and high image noise were issues that disappointed us. Nevertheless, it is still a great camera for those learning the technical fundamentals of photography, as well as those who like to shoot in "ideal" lighting environments where lighting is not overly bright or dark. To emphasize how important control is to photography, the GX100 has garnered a strong cult following of fans who simply love using it -- despite the flaws we have pointed out in this review. Do an Internet search for forum comments on this camera and you will see the passion its fans have and how they have used the camera's high controllability to help mitigate its shortcomings. At the end of the day, it is this unique combination of superb controllability and its quirky shortcomings that give the GX100 perhaps the most intangible, but important, factor of any product -- character.

As an aside, Ricoh has a very similar model to the Caplio GX100 called the GR Digital II that is designed for photographic purists who like the unmatched quality of a prime lens with a fixed focal length. The two models look almost identical and share the same control system, but the GR Digital II has a superb prime lens that is fixed at a 28mm (35mm format) focal length instead of the GX100's zoom lens. For the lack of zoom capability, what the fixed lens of the GR Digital II offers instead is superior clarity and less distortion. Besides the fixed lens, other key differences are that the GR Digital II's flash has been offset to the left corner and it lacks the special function button of the GX100. Lastly, it cannot use the electronic viewfinder attachment of the GX100, but has an optical viewfinder attachment instead.

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