Steve'sDigicams

Heavymental · Sep 4, 2006, 8:53 AM

Well....there I was thinking the Panasonic was the only minicamera with a wideangle lens then I spot that the Ricoh is for sale in the UK now. I have a Olympus E-10 that is just too big to take with me on mountain biking trips or to pop intomy pocket so I need something smaller and I like the wideangle so the Panasonic looked like the camera for me. But I now see the Ricoh has a 7x zoom:shock:aswell as the 28mm wide. CourseI'm now wondering if this is just the beginning of a whole raft of minicams with wide angle lensesto hit the market and maybe I should wait until someone solves the noise issue and brings out a near faultless 28mm, big zoom pocket sized camera!?

In the meantime...which of the above is the best option?!

mtclimber · Sep 4, 2006, 10:17 AM

heavymental-

You might want to take look at the recent review of the Ricoh GR-D at dpreview.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/ricohgrd/

MT

Heavymental · Sep 4, 2006, 11:03 AM

Thanks for the headsup mtclimber but I'm really looking for something a bit cheaper than that. Hopefully less than £200 sterling really.

peripatetic · Sep 4, 2006, 12:43 PM

Do have a serious look at the Ricoh - it's one of the few advantages to living in the UK (in camera matters).

However in the review I saw the lens is very big and the zoom very slow. Naturally the bigger the zoom range the harder it is to make a good lens, and as you would expect a Leica 3x zoom ended up being a whole lot better than the 7x of the Ricoh.

Does the Ricoh have th image stabiliser? I think it does, anyway, it's worth checking.

The image quality of the FX01 seemed a fair bit better than the Ricoh in the test I saw, but if you want the convenience of the zoom range starting at a wide angle then there's only one camera that can do it for you.

I ended up with the FX01 - but mainly because it's my backup/pocket camera - I also have an SLR for more "serious" work.

mtclimber · Sep 4, 2006, 1:21 PM

Perhaps a Panasonic TZ-1 might fit the bill better.

MT

Heavymental · Sep 8, 2006, 9:33 AM

No wideangle lens on that one mtclimber. Thats why I have it narrowed down to the FX01 or the Ricoh R5.

RegBaron · Sep 8, 2006, 1:29 PM

Check out the ( Olympus C-8080 Wide Zoom ) at http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/olympusc8080wz/ ) they give it a High Rec but it may be to heavy

Heavymental · Sep 11, 2006, 4:33 AM

Yeah nice Camera that Reg. I'd like to have that as an alternative to the E-10 but its too big too take biking. I need something pocketable/mini/cigarette packet sized really.

Wibblemore · Oct 24, 2006, 2:54 PM

Hi Heavymetal,

I was in the same boat myself earlier this year and ended up going for the R4. I've not regretted it - it's not got the performance of an SLR, but it's not got the weight or the size either. The first holiday I took it on was to Snowdonia, and it went everywhere with me as it's small enough to fit in my handbag or a coat pocket.

Having the wide angle is a godsend, the macro is much better than my last camera and I'd never buy a camera with a zoom less than 130mm regardless as I use the zoom a lot. The only criticism I'd have of it is the lack of a viewfiner. It's worth getting the leather case as the lens cover leaves do look flimsy. I got mine online from Photosense, I think it was, cost me £250 but that included the case, one batteryand a 1G card. All I've bought since is another battery. And yes, it does have IS.

The other camera I was eyeing up was the Canon S80 - if that had had a bigger zoom that might have got my vote as it seem sturdier, if slightly bigger and heavier, and I liked the idea of an in-camera stitch facility. But it only went up to 105mm or thereabouts...

Good luck,

WM

Heavymental · Oct 25, 2006, 5:35 PM

Phew...glad you said that Wibblemore! I decided to get the R4 last night. My heart was in my mouth a bit when I saw the notification of a reply to this thread on my email just now, incase you said it was rubbish!:shock:

Had a quick look at the R4 in Jessops the other day (bit of a long drive hence I hadn't looked before) but they had none in so I ordered it from Amazon.Hopefully it'll arrive soon. Looking forward to getting it although I will miss not having a viewfinder as I prefer composing shots withone. Still, I will have my E-10 for the 'proper'camera fix. Sounds like a case will be a good purchase aswell but I've seen a little Crumpler one that looks good so will get one soon.

Prices have obviously come down a bit. They had the R4in Jessops on sale for £169 and I got mine on Amazon for a little less before postage. Also ordered a 1gb Viking SD card for about £11. I'm hoping the price doesn't reflect the quality! Hopefully it'll all be fine.

Cheers,

Tom

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Sep 4, 2006, 8:53 AM	#1
Heavymental Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 34	Well....there I was thinking the Panasonic was the only minicamera with a wideangle lens then I spot that the Ricoh is for sale in the UK now. I have a Olympus E-10 that is just too big to take with me on mountain biking trips or to pop intomy pocket so I need something smaller and I like the wideangle so the Panasonic looked like the camera for me. But I now see the Ricoh has a 7x zoom:shock:aswell as the 28mm wide. CourseI'm now wondering if this is just the beginning of a whole raft of minicams with wide angle lensesto hit the market and maybe I should wait until someone solves the noise issue and brings out a near faultless 28mm, big zoom pocket sized camera!? In the meantime...which of the above is the best option?!

Sep 4, 2006, 10:17 AM	#2
mtclimber Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Oregon, USA Posts: 18,143	heavymental- You might want to take look at the recent review of the Ricoh GR-D at dpreview. http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/ricohgrd/ MT

Sep 4, 2006, 11:03 AM	#3
Heavymental Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 34	Thanks for the headsup mtclimber but I'm really looking for something a bit cheaper than that. Hopefully less than £200 sterling really.

Sep 4, 2006, 12:43 PM	#4
peripatetic Super Moderator Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 3,599	Do have a serious look at the Ricoh - it's one of the few advantages to living in the UK (in camera matters). However in the review I saw the lens is very big and the zoom very slow. Naturally the bigger the zoom range the harder it is to make a good lens, and as you would expect a Leica 3x zoom ended up being a whole lot better than the 7x of the Ricoh. Does the Ricoh have th image stabiliser? I think it does, anyway, it's worth checking. The image quality of the FX01 seemed a fair bit better than the Ricoh in the test I saw, but if you want the convenience of the zoom range starting at a wide angle then there's only one camera that can do it for you. I ended up with the FX01 - but mainly because it's my backup/pocket camera - I also have an SLR for more "serious" work.

Sep 4, 2006, 1:21 PM	#5
mtclimber Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Oregon, USA Posts: 18,143	Perhaps a Panasonic TZ-1 might fit the bill better. MT

Sep 8, 2006, 9:33 AM	#6
Heavymental Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 34	No wideangle lens on that one mtclimber. Thats why I have it narrowed down to the FX01 or the Ricoh R5.

Sep 8, 2006, 1:29 PM	#7
RegBaron Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 35	Check out the ( Olympus C-8080 Wide Zoom ) at http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/olympusc8080wz/ ) they give it a High Rec but it may be to heavy

Sep 11, 2006, 4:33 AM	#8
Heavymental Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 34	Yeah nice Camera that Reg. I'd like to have that as an alternative to the E-10 but its too big too take biking. I need something pocketable/mini/cigarette packet sized really.

Oct 24, 2006, 2:54 PM	#9
Wibblemore Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 47	Hi Heavymetal, I was in the same boat myself earlier this year and ended up going for the R4. I've not regretted it - it's not got the performance of an SLR, but it's not got the weight or the size either. The first holiday I took it on was to Snowdonia, and it went everywhere with me as it's small enough to fit in my handbag or a coat pocket. Having the wide angle is a godsend, the macro is much better than my last camera and I'd never buy a camera with a zoom less than 130mm regardless as I use the zoom a lot. The only criticism I'd have of it is the lack of a viewfiner. It's worth getting the leather case as the lens cover leaves do look flimsy. I got mine online from Photosense, I think it was, cost me £250 but that included the case, one batteryand a 1G card. All I've bought since is another battery. And yes, it does have IS. The other camera I was eyeing up was the Canon S80 - if that had had a bigger zoom that might have got my vote as it seem sturdier, if slightly bigger and heavier, and I liked the idea of an in-camera stitch facility. But it only went up to 105mm or thereabouts... Good luck, WM

Oct 25, 2006, 5:35 PM	#10
Heavymental Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 34	Phew...glad you said that Wibblemore! I decided to get the R4 last night. My heart was in my mouth a bit when I saw the notification of a reply to this thread on my email just now, incase you said it was rubbish!:shock: Had a quick look at the R4 in Jessops the other day (bit of a long drive hence I hadn't looked before) but they had none in so I ordered it from Amazon.Hopefully it'll arrive soon. Looking forward to getting it although I will miss not having a viewfinder as I prefer composing shots withone. Still, I will have my E-10 for the 'proper'camera fix. Sounds like a case will be a good purchase aswell but I've seen a little Crumpler one that looks good so will get one soon. Prices have obviously come down a bit. They had the R4in Jessops on sale for £169 and I got mine on Amazon for a little less before postage. Also ordered a 1gb Viking SD card for about £11. I'm hoping the price doesn't reflect the quality! Hopefully it'll all be fine. Cheers, Tom