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NEWS: Understanding the Ricoh GXR

Chris Hall — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:10:00 +0000

What's going on inside?

To best understand what the new GXR interchangeable lens camera from Ricoh is all about, take a look at the diagram above we grabbed from the press presentation.

The lens units are so much more than optics: they are a complete imaging unit. Packed in behind the glass you have the sensor, which will differ between lenses, as well as processors and motion sensors. The "camera" won't be limited by what you have in the main body, moreover, it will be defined by what you have in the lens unit.

The launch lenses are the GR Lens A12 50mm F2.5 Macro and the Ricoh Lens S10 24-72mm F2.5-4.4 VC (vibration compensation). The properties of these lenses are entirely different – it isn't just the focal length.

The GR lens has a 12.3-mexapixel 23.6 x 15.7mm CMOS sensor and it is capable of 720p HD movie capture: it costs ?600 and will give you a 16:9 aspect image. The Ricoh lens has a 10-megapixel 1/1.7-inch CCD sensor and will only be good for VGA quality video: it's half the price of the GR lens, giving you a 4:3 aspect image.

The former is what you might expect from a DLSR camera, the latter, a compact camera. But what happens if you don't want to bump down to a lesser quality sensor just because you want a zoom lens?

The other side of the diagram shows what is packed into the body itself: another image processor, the battery, memory, flash, LCD and all the connectivity. Not only will you be able to buy different lens units, but in the future, potentially, you could be buying an entirely different body that fits with the system.

The two are connected by a single interface and as a sealed unit, you don't have to worry about dust and debris getting onto your imaging sensor, which Ricoh are pushing as a significant bonus of the system.

Check out the magnesium alloy body below and if you want to get heavy with pictures, head over to our hands-on photo gallery.

Tags: Cameras Compact cameras Digital cameras Ricoh Ricoh GXR

Understanding the Ricoh GXR originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:10:00 +0000

NEWS: PHOTOS: Ricoh GXR hands-on

Chris Hall — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:00:00 +0000

All the pieces, all the angles

Pocket-lint was on hand to grab some shots of the new Ricoh GXR interchangeable unit system camera.

The GXR takes the fight to Micro Four Thirds, offering a system which lives in the small form factor of a compact camera, whilst offering interchangeable lens units.

Each lens unit pairs up the glass with the sensor and a processor unit, rather than using a sensor built-in to the body of the camera. The body, in effect, becomes little more than a battery pack and control unit.

Those sealed lens units offer the advantage of being sealed, so protect the sensor from dust or dirt ingress, an inherent problem with traditional SLR/DSLR cameras and the new Micro Four Thirds system cameras.

The hotshoe offers an accessory attachment point which, like the Panasonic Lumix GF1 or Olympus Pen EP-2, can accept an electronic viewfinder or a flash.

Feast your eyes on our hands-on pics below and why not head over and read the news story, or check out our First Look of the GXR? Links below.

NEWS: Ricoh GXR interchangeable unit camera system launches

Chris Hall — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:00:00 +0000

Compact body, changeable lenses

Ricoh has announced the launch of the GXR, which they are calling an "interchangeable unit camera system".

It is a new system for the company, as Ricoh tackles the challenge of increasing quality whilst still remaining compact. The name comes from a fusion of the GX and XR series of Ricoh cameras.

Kazunobu Saiki, General Manager Ricoh Europe, described the GXR as "drastically expanding the shooting range" available to photographers.

The GXR features interchangeable lens units which slide on to the main body of the camera. This allows the body of the camera to stick to small dimensions whilst giving the user the flexibility to chop and change lenses depending on their shooting requirements.

The GXR body features a built-in flash and 3-inch 920k-dot screen around the back, with the option of purchasing an additional electronic viewfinder which connects to the hot shoe on the top. The dimensions of the body are 113.9 x 70.2 x 28.9mm.

The real unique feature of the GXR system is the use of a sealed lens unit which also contains the imaging sensor, meaning that there is no risk of dust or dirt ingress – which is a risk on DSLR cameras and their smaller Micro Four Thirds challengers.

At launch you'll be able to get two lens units: the GR Lens A12 50mm F2.5 Macro and the Ricoh Lens S10 24-72mm F2.5-4.4 VC. The GR lens gives you 12.3-megapixels on a CMOS sensor, whilst the Ricoh lens presents you with 10-megapixels and a CCD sensor.

Ricoh is looking to launch more lenses in early Q2 2010 to expand the offering.

The Ricoh GXR will be available from December 2009 and the pricing lines this up as an enthusiast model. The GXR body will cost you ?419, the GR lens ?600, the Ricoh lens ?330. The EVF will be ?219 and the accessory flash will be ?239.

Why not check out all our hands-on photos?

NEWS: Ricoh GXR digital camera breaks cover early

Stuart Miles — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:38:08 +0000

Swap out lens and sensor

Ricoh?is expected to announce a new digital camera tomorrow called the GXR, which features a number of different interchangeable lens components in what it hopes will be a breakthrough in the way cameras work, according to a video posted by mistake by Which.co.uk.

The camera will come with interchangeable lens compartments that slot into the camera casing, which, looking at the video, appears to be nothing more than a battery and flash housing.?

The move makes it smaller than the current?Micro Four Thirds?offerings from Olympus and Panasonic, according to Which.co.uk journalist Ben Stevens in a video which has since been pulled from YouTube.

Ricoh will start the new system off with two lens/sensor combos 24-72mm F/2.5-4.4?with a 10-megapixel sensor and VGA film capabilities. ?

The A12 will come with a 50mm F/2.5 Macro lens, shoot video in HD and come with a 12-megapixel sensor.?

Launching in December, Which says the body will cost ?420 while the two 50mm macro ?600 and the 24-72mm ?300.

Ricoh has declined to comment on the news.

Expect more details, very shortly.

UPDATE: This is now official. You can find out more information at our?Ricoh?homepage

Tags: Cameras Digital cameras Ricoh Ricoh GXR 10 megapixels 12 megapixels

Ricoh GXR digital camera breaks cover early originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:38:08 +0000