Ricoh GR Digital Digital Camera

The controls are similar to a digital SLR for adjustment of shutter speed and appature. There are also manual modes, and appature prioroty. It's much smaller than a DSLR - I had no idea how small until I got it. It's much easier to take places and keep in my pocket.

The metering seems better than DLSRs I've tried - it copes well with bright backgrounds amd night shots. ISO can be varied from 100 (very sharp) to 1600 (grainy but useful). It's probably not for everyone becuase it has a fixed focal length lens. It's also a very wide angle lens, which takes some getting used to.

Ignore reviews which complain about too much grain and noise at high ISO values. They are comparing high ISO with low ISO settings, and it's not surprising there's more noise at higher ISOs. Compared to high ISO film it's got very similar performance, and is quite acceptable.

A fantastic little camera. the design is simple and intuitive, construction is based on a metal chassis so it's very rugged, picture quality is superb due to the GR lens, shutter lag is virtually non-existent......and lastly as its a few years old they can be bought for a little over £100, so a bargain. I had a Panasonic LX2 which was great (until it broke....) but now i have the Ricoh i wish i'd got this first as its far better in every way......other than not having a zoom lens, which i never use so don't miss it.