Ricoh R8 Digital Camera Review
The Ricoh R8 is a 10 megapixel digital camera. It has a 7.1x wide angle lens. The design is different to all the more standard digital cameras out there, with a stylish, retro look.
Why Buy the Ricoh R8?
The R8 is a step up from the more simple point and shoot cameras. This is true when it comes to build quality and picture quality. Among its features are image stabilisation, a 2.7 inch LCD screen (I found easy to see even in sunny conditions) and a face recognition setting for portraits. It also has an option to produce square photos.
Image Quality Ricoh R8 test shots
Outdoor 1 (Medium Zoom)
This is a shot with a lot of contrast. There are the bright areas of the boats and the wooden slats underneath the roof of the building. In addition there are plenty of shady areas under the trees. The R8 manages to bring out an impressive level of detail, especially in the lighter areas where it outperforms many cameras. This helps to make the detail on the boats stand out.
Outdoor 2 (No Zoom)
In this photo sharpness stands up well and the scene also shows vivid colours. Many digital cameras tend to lose sharpness when the lens is fully zoomed out, but this camera copes with the scene better than most cameras manage.
Outdoor 3 (Maximum Zoom)
As in the first test shot the light colours on the boats are handled well. There is a very small amount of purple fringing, but in my opinion the R8 handles this very well when you take into account the longer than standard zoom lens. Focusing is again above average.
Outdoor 4 (Building)
The R8 does very well in this test. The brickwork on the building is sharply focused. Even in the shady areas the camera does a good job. When it comes to focusing the R8 is up there with the best compact digital cameras.
Outdoor Portrait
Looking at this photo I can see that the colours are very strong. That is fair enough if you like strong colours, but they are a bit too powerful for my own taste. Otherwise the level of detail the R8 manages to pick out is impressive.
Indoor Portrait with Flash
The sharpness of this photo is very good indeed and the R8 picks out the eyes very well. The skin tones are overdone. They give areas of the cheeks and nose a vivid pink that does not exist. This can also be seen in the lips.
Indoor Portrait without Flash
When I looked at the indoor shot with flash I felt the skin tone problem may have been down to the light produced by the flash. Even with the flash turned off the skin tones are harsh. Otherwise the photo is o.k., but could do with a touch of extra brightness.
Colours
The colours produced by the R8 have a different feel to them than those produced by most other digital cameras I have tested. They are certainly vivid and have plenty of brightness too. In some cases the strength of colour is too much for me.
Macro
This is another example of a sharply focused shot with plenty of definition. The R8 is well above average when it comes to close up shots.
ISO 400 and ISO 1600
At ISO 400 you should still be able to take a decent shot in brighter conditions, but darker areas will attract noise. Picture quality has broken down even more than usual at ISO 1600.
Overall
I found focusing and definition to be some way above average. The R8 also handled contrasting scenes well. Colours are very strong and I would prefer to see these toned down in a number of my test shots.
Shutter Lag
Shutter lag times were 0.34 seconds for a single photo and 8.98 seconds for five photos. With flash on times increased to 0.51 seconds for a single shot and 14.4 seconds for five shots. All of these times are standard times.
It took 2.36 seconds to turn the R8 on and take a picture. This is in line with the majority of digital cameras I have tested recently.
You can compare this camera to other models by taking a look at the Shutter Lag Comparison Table.
Style: Ricoh have given the R8 a bit of an old fashioned look. This helps it to stand out from the crowd. It is available in black, silver and in a two tone version.
Dimensions: 102 x 58.3 x 26.1mm
Weight: 168g
Batteries: Ricoh estimates you should be able to get around 270 pictures before the lithium ion battery needs to be recharged. Both a battery and charger are supplied with the R8.
Memory cards: 24mb of storage have been built into the R8. This is enough for around 7 photos. The camera is also compatible with SD and SDHC cards.
Ease of use rating: Good. There are one or two extra features to get used to when compared to a more basic point and shoot model. If you are planning to use the R8 as a fully automatic camera then you should be up and running in no time.
Points I like:
LCD screen clarity - novel design - sharpness
Where it could improve:
Skin tones in some portrait shots
Alternatives
There are not that many digital cameras that strike me as a clear alternative to the R8. Other 10 megapixel cameras with a wide angle lens include: Samsung NV24HD.
Verdict:
I like the Ricoh R8. It is certainly worth considering alongside some of the more widely recognised brands such as Canon, Sony and Panasonic. Aside from some issues with colour the R8 takes a decent photo in most situations.
Front View
Back View
Top View
Sample Menus
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