Ricoh Caplio R5 Digital Camera

LOOKS
I like cameras that fit nicely into your pocket and the R5 does that very well. It's not the smallest but it's perfectly acceptable size for a compact with smooth lines and metal bodied build to add to its appeal.

BUILD QUALITY

Metal framed bodies are always going to be tough but Richoh do need to look at the way the leaf bladed lens cap operates as I know of several owners whose lens caps have jammed, including myself.

FLASH

The flash is integral to the body and I think it's a good idea as pop up flashes are prone to break due to their often flimsy construction and the chance of them getting knocked because they stick out. However that is the only good thing I'm going to say about the flash because for most indoor shots it is pretty useless. Daylight fill in flash works fine but overall it is simply too weak for indoor shots.

SET UP

I cannot stress how important it is to set the camera up in the menu as getting it wrong it can make a huge difference to your final image. Leave it in default settings and the camera does itself an injustice. However a bit if tweaking will greatly improve its performance.
PIC QUALITY. Set it to F2816 (6M). ISO. Set the speed to 100 and leave it at that. Set the COLOUR DEPTH to vivid. SHARPNESS. set to sharp. WHITE BALANCE. Set to auto.

PICTURE QUALITY

If you take note of the above the R5 will give excellent results for most outdooor situations, even to A3 enlargement. Colours are strong and sharpness is good. I have a framed sunset on my wall taken with its predesessor R4 and it gets many compliments.

MACRO

One of Ricoh's strong points has always been its macro facility with most compacts focussing as close as 1CM. That means you can fill the frame with a bumble bee or similar and to me is a big bonus as most if its rivals can only manage 5CM or so. Remember to make sure the camera shake facility is on at all times as without you will get blur using macro mode.

SUMMARY

The R5 is a good camera for outdoor landscape use with the 28mm film equivelant lens turning in nice punchy vibrant images. It's also excellent for those who to get close up and personal with small objects. It looks good, feels good and overall is very nice and easy to use. Needs a better flash and less flimsy lens protector.