Photo gallery: Ricoh GXRIs it a bird, is it a plane? No, it's a brand new interchangeable lens system from Ricoh, the manufacturer that brings us serious cameras for photo enthusiasts. Before you start thinking "this is another Micro Four Thirds thing" in the vein of the Panasonic GF1 and Olympus E-P2, think again. This time, you get a lot more control rather than just swapping lenses; you get to change the sensor as well. But can it also cook you breakfast? Probably not, but we're pretty keen to see it try.
Upside
Essentially, the GXR is the main body of the camera, housing the 3-inch 920,000-dot screen and controls, as well as a small level of processing power. Another unit containing the lens and the image sensor slots into the main body.
The body-only component of the GXR. (Credit: Ricoh)
The camera will launch with two lens units; a GR lens unit that contains a 12.3-megapixel APS-C-sized CMOS sensor (yes, it's something to get excited about seeing as this sensor type is normally reserved for digital SLRs) and a Ricoh lens unit that has 3x optical zoom and a 10-megapixel CCD sensor.
The GR lens is a 50mm f/2.5 macro unit and has a manual focus ring, while the Ricoh lens is a 24-72mm f/2.5-2.2 unit.
One of the lens units that can be used on the GXR. (Credit: Ricoh)
Ricoh claims that the GXR is the world's smallest and lightest interchangeable lens camera, and with the Ricoh lens unit attached, it's just 325g without battery or card. To give you an idea of how light this is, the GF1 is 285g without any lens attached.
The GXR also comes with an optional external viewfinder and external flash unit. The viewfinder can be tilted 90 degrees and has 100 per cent field of view.
Downside
Proprietary is the name of the game here, so unlike the Micro Four Thirds cameras you can't mount any old lens on this camera. It's also another completely new format that may confuse many still unaccustomed to alternatives beyond the standard digital SLR universe.
Official retail pricing has yet to be announced, but tentative price indications show that the GXR camera body will retail for AU$616 + GST, the GR lens for AU$1100 + GST and the Ricoh lens for AU$616 + GST. The GXR will be available from December.
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