NewsMarch 2004

Previous news story    Next news story

Ricoh Caplio RX with world’s fastest shutter response

Ricoh has recently announced the release of the Caplio RX, a slim wide-angle 28mm digital camera that commands the world’s fastest shutter response time at only 0.12 seconds and quick start-up time. The Caplio RX is quicker, slimmer, lighter and even easier to use than its wide-angle lens predecessor the Caplio G4wide. The Caplio RX’s has a 3.24-megapixel CCD and a 3.6x optical zoom.

Press Release:

Announcing the Release of the Caplio RX

Ricoh launches the Caplio RX - a slim 28mm wide-angle digital camera with the world’s fastest shutter response* and quick start-up time

Tokyo,March 4th, 2004. Ricoh is extremely pleased to announce the release of the Caplio RX, a slim wide-angle 28mm digital camera that commands the world’s fastest shutter response and quick start-up time while delivering outstanding image quality and user-friendly functionality at a price well within reach to consumers.

The Caplio RX is quicker, slimmer, lighter and even easier to use than its wide-angle lens predecessor the Caplio G4wide, which made its debut in September of 2003. Relentless in their pursuit to build faster and more versatile digital cameras, the Caplio RX marks a tremendous leap forward for the Ricoh organization.

Caplio RX’s 28mm-100mm (35mm film camera equivalent format) wide zoom has a marvelous 75-degree angle of view – compared with just 62 degrees on conventional 35mm digital cameras. Consumers can take much improved landscape images, group photos and a host of other wide-angle opportunities that preserve more information onto a single image than the limited range of 35mm cameras.

Built with incredible speed, the Caplio RX boasts the world’s fastest shutter response time at only 0.12 seconds and extremely quick start-up time clocked at a mere 0.9 seconds – an impressive 50% improvement from the Caplio G4wide’s 1.8sec start-up ability. Occasions such as when a newborn baby shows off that tiny little smile or a rare antique car that happens to go whizzing by, owners of the Caplio RX can feel confident in capturing images of these precious moments in time. Too often conventional digital cameras disappoint consumers with their slow shutter response and start-up times – this latest digital camera from Ricoh certainly appears to have put an end to these problems.

The Caplio RX is also extremely portable and comfortable to hold. Weighing in at just 170 grams** and only 29mm thick, its sleek and curvy aluminum-alloy body feels nice in hand and fits perfectly in a shirt pocket. The Caplio RX’s stunning picture-taking abilities abound with a robust 3.24-megapixel CCD that includes a vastly improved image processor ensuring colours look sharper and cleaner even in large printed formats. Furthermore, its 3.6x optical plus 3.4x digital zoom delivers an outstanding combination of 12.2x zoom giving photographers plenty of opportunity to zoom into the tiniest details within any image.

Continuing to lead the field with its macro mode abilities, Ricoh’s Caplio RX takes gorgeous 1cm macros that bring out the very finest of sparkling jewelry and beautiful blooming flowers. Users can even operate a flash at a mere 9cm from objects without any whiteout effect.

“Clearly we have come a very long way in our digital camera making history. The release of the Caplio RX makes us all here at Ricoh extremely proud,” beams Mr. Katsunori Nakata, the General Manager of Ricoh’s Marketing Office. ”The Caplio RX is an absolute pleasure to operate. With it consumers have the shooting flexibility of a 28mm wide angle lens, the world’s fastest shutter response time of just 0.12 seconds, a 3.24 megapixel CCD that delivers amazingly clear photos and on top of that it’s as slim as a typical mobile phone and can shoot over four hundred photos on a single charge!*** The Caplio RX is truly a magical digital camera that’s made for people who simply want more out of life.”

* As of March 4th, 2004 for all auto focus digital camera
** Without battery
*** Up to 400 shots under normal usage conditions (with 50% flash and zoom usage, LCD on, 30 seconds between shots, reviews of all photos).

Main Features

28mm zoom - wide-open possibilities!
The Caplio RX digital camera’s wide-angle lens is such a joy to use. Enjoy fitting in more friends when taking a fun group photo (without having to stand an enormous distance away from the subjects!) or in times where a beautiful landscape seems to run on forever, with Caplio RX’s 28mm-100mm wide zoom lens it’s truly amazing how much scenery can be preserved on a single image. The angle of view is an incredible 75 degrees – compare this with just 62 degrees of conventional 35mm digital cameras and the results speak for themselves. It’s very practical and quite surprising just how many situations a wide-angle 28mm lens is terrifically handy for.

Super-quick shutter response and start-up time
“Quick, quick! The baby is smiling - take a picture!” In instances like these you will be very happy to own a Caplio RX digital camera. Incredibly, in about one second the camera is able to turn on and snap off a photo. The shutter response is the world’s fastest in its class at just 0.12 seconds – taking note that this time is calculated from the time the user presses the shutter button, rather than the time when focus lock is achieved.

Crisp 3.24-megapixel CCD with 3.6x optical & 3.4x digital zoom
The Caplio RX takes beautiful pictures with a robust 3.24-megapixel CCD that includes a vastly improved image processor that ensures colours look sharper and cleaner even in large printed formats. Moreover, take advantage of its remarkable 3.6x optical plus 3.4x digital zoom that delivers an outstanding combination of 12.2x zoom (equivalent to a telephoto range of 28-340mm on a regular 35mm camera) – this gives photographers plenty of opportunity to zoom into the tiniest details within any image. The Caplio RX has also added 64 and 100 to its ISO for a total ISO light-sensitivity range of 64-800, which all translates into better quality image taking opportunities.

Best of breed – marvelous 1cm “wide” macros
When it comes to macro photography, the Ricoh Caplio digital camera series are in a league of their own - and the leader has just raised the standard yet again. The Caplio RX now boasts the ability to capture objects of 18mm(H) x 24mm (W) at a distance of just 1cm. Keep the camera still at this distance and take advantage of its auto-focus target functionality that allows the user to conveniently pan around the image in order to find the desired focus point. The practical applications of Caplio RX’s advanced 1cm macro capabilities are simply innumerable to count; gorgeous flowers, sparkling jewelry, literally grab the tinniest of details of any object. There is even a built-in flash for shots as close as 9cm that highlights objects while protecting against any unwanted whiteout effects.

Power that lives on and on
Amass 400 shots* between recharges when using the optional rechargeable lithium-ion battery or take advantage of a nearby power source and use the optional AC adapter. The Caplio RX also has the ability to switch to two AA alkaline (comes included) or nickel metal hydride batteries and a synchro monitor mode that conserves energy by turning the monitor on automatically only when the shutter button is pressed to preview a shot or operate the zoom. All this makes the Caplio RX ideal for the road warrior who demands the highest level of power flexibility, performance and efficiency.

* Up to 400 shots under normal usage conditions (with 50% flash and zoom usage, LCD on, 30 seconds between shots, reviews of all photos).

Slim, sleek and built for life
At just 29mm thick, the Caplio RX’s curved aluminum-alloy body was designed to fit perfectly in a shirt pocket and perfectly in hand. Next to the bright 1.8-inch TFT LCD monitor also features its trademark “Quick Review” functionality that conveniently displays the most recent picture taken at a simple press of a button.

Movie and sound functionality
The Caplio RX encourages creativity by enabling users to take up to 120 seconds of AVI video action clips in a video size of 160x120 and even records convenient "voice memo" stamps of up to eight seconds to photos taken. Caplio RX can also be used as a multipurpose voice recorder that has comes handy during a school lecture, important business meetings and taking verbal notes in situations when pen and paper are not the most practical.

Six scene modes
The Caplio RX comes equipped with six very useful scene modes (portrait, sports, landscape, night scene, text and high-sensitivity) that were intended to help the photographer capture various shooting situations in their best light. In high-sensitivity mode, the screen automatically illuminates subjects to aid in framing the picture in under-lit environments such as a candlelit dinner or trendy nightclub lounge.

Shoot, analyze and improve
Perfect a golf swing and analyze other action sequences by taking advantage of the Caplio RX's various continuous modes. In M-continuous mode, with the shutter button held down the camera memorizes the last 16 shots in one file for two seconds of footage. This comes in handy when uncertain about the start or finish of a particular action. In S-continuous mode, it can take a series of 16 shots in one file for two seconds of footage with just one press of the shutter button. When reviewing the 16 shots during playback, each frame can be enlarged individually, and can be quickly browsed back and forth through all 16 shots creating the feel of an animated movie.

Exposure, balance practicality
In tricky lighting situations, the convenient auto-bracket function allows the photographer to take three individual shots at one time at three different exposure settings. White balance bracket, on the other hand, applies tones of red, normal white, and blue to three separate images.

Internal 8MB memory and SD card
The Caplio RX comes equipped with a 8MB internal memory chip and can use optional Secure Digital memory cards that store plenty more information. These next-generation multimedia storage devices are quick, reliable and are compatible with an array of mobile and communications equipment. The Caplio RX is also compatible with MultiMedia Cards.

Instant PC transfers
Transferring files to a PC is extremely easy. Simply turn off the camera and link the Caplio RX up via a USB cable. The Ricoh Gate software installed on the computer will then instantly start transferring images to an automatically created folder at a rate of three megabytes per second.

Ricoh Caplio RX Specifications

Recording Format	Still: JPEG(Exit ver. 2.21)DCF*1 support, DPOF support Text:TIFF(MMR system) Motion: AVI(Open DML Motion JPEG format compliant) Sound: WAV(Exit ver. 2.21)
Video Signal Method	NTSC/PAL switchable
Recording Media	SD Memory CardTM(3.3V 8/16/32/64/128/256/512MB), MultiMediaCardTM(16/32/64MB) Built-in memory(8MB)
CCD	1/2.7-inch primary-color CCD with 3.34 million square pixels(effective 3.24million pixels)
Resolution	Still: 2,048 x1,536, 1,280 x 960, 640 x 480 Text: 2,048 x1,536, 1,280 x 960 Motion: 320 x 240, 160 x 120
Recording Mode	Still(Continuous, S-Continuous, M-Continuous), Scene(Portrait, Sports, Landscape, Night Scene, Text, High-sensitivity), Motion, Sound
Picture Mode	Fine, Normal
Storage capacity (No. of pictures) (Internal 8MB Memory)*2	Still: 4(2,048 x1,536 Fine), 8(2,048 x1,536 Normal) 8(1,280 x 960 Fine), 14(1,280 x 960 Normal) 43(640 x 480 Normal)
Storage capacity(time) (Internal 8MB Memory)*3	Motion: 18seconds(320 x 240),65seconds(160 x120) Sound: 14minutes 2seconds
Storage data capacity	Still: Approx. 1.29MB(2,048 x1,536 Fine), Approx. 671KB(2,048 x1,536 Normal) Approx. 686KB(1,280 x 960 Fine), Approx. 356KB(1,280 x 960 Normal) Approx. 82KB(640 x 480 Normal)
Lens	Focal range f: 4.3-15.3mm(equivalent to 28-100mm for 35mm film camera) Brightness F: 3.1(W)-5.8(T) Lens structure 8 glass elements in 8 groups
Digital Zoom	x3.4(Maximum x12.2 in combination with optical zoom)
Shutter	Still: 8, 4, 2, 1-1/2,000sec. (electronic/mechanical shutter) Motion: 1/30-1/2,000sec.(electronic shutter)
Object distance	Approx. 0.3m-? (Macro: Approx. 0.01m-? , Telemacro: Approx. 0.13m-? )
ISO Sensitivity	Auto(equivalent to ISO125), ISO64, ISO100, ISO200, ISO400, ISO800
View Finder	Real-image optical zoom finder
LCD Monitor	1.8-inch translucent amorphous silicon TFT LCD(approx. 85,000 pixels)
Flash*4	Auto(automatic flash in backlight), Red-eye Reduction, On, Slow Synchro, Off Distance:0.2-3.0m(W), 0.14-2.5m(T) (ISO800)
Focus	Autofocus, Manual Focus, Fixed Focus(Snap), ?
Exposure Adjustment	TTL-CCD photometric system: Multi(256 segments), Center Weight, Spot
Exposure Compensation	Manual compensation(+2.0-2.0EV in 1/3EV steps), Auto-bracket(-0.5EV, �0, +0.5EV
White Balance	Auto, Daylight, Overcast, Tungsten Light, Fluorescent Light, Manual(One Push), White Balance Bracket
Self Timer	Delay: Approx. 10sec., 2sec.
Interval Timer	Shooting interval: 30sec. -3hours
PC Interface	USB 1.1(compatible with PCs with Windows98/98SE/2000 Professional/Me/XP Home Edition/XP Professional pre-installed or Macintosh with Mac OS 8.6-9.2.2 or Mac OS X10.1.2-10.3)
AV Interface	Audio Out, Video Out
Power Source	Optional rechargeable lithium-ion battery, 2 AA batteries(alkaline, nickel, NiMH), or optional AC adapter
Shooting Capacity*5	Using DB43: Approx. 4,300pictures(continuous), approx. 400pictures(normal) Continuous reproduction of still pictures: Approx. 340minutes Using AA alkaline batteries: Approx. 150pictures(normal)
Dimensions(W x D x H)	111.6 x 29.0 x 56.0mm(excluding projection)
Weight	Approx. 165g(excluding battery, SD Memory Card, hand strap)
Operating temperature	0-40�C

Footnotes

1. DCF is the abbreviation of JEITA Standard "Design rule for Camera Files system."
   ( It does not guarantee perfect inter-camera compatibility. )
2. General guide for still-picture recording capacity
3. Maximum. 30sec. per shot(320 x 240), maximum 120sec. per shot(160 x 120)
4. Maximum flash range is effective at ISO800
5. Under Ricoh measurement parameters (room temperature) . Actual performance may vary depending on the conditions of use.
   Continuous mode: 640 x 480 flash off, zoom not used, and Monitor Display off (power-saving mode)
   Normal mode: Approx. 30-second intervals, using flash and zoom for 1 out of 2 photos, and Monitor Display off(power-saving mode)
   AA alkaline batteries allow usage of approx. 75 minutes.

Click here for Ricoh