First impressions of an R5

I received a black R5 in the mail today. I haven't had much of a chance to take any exciting photos. I am only going to comment on the design and quality.

This is my first Ricoh. My other modern camera is a Panasonic DMC-FX01 which I am very pleased with. I bought the R5 for the 28-200mm lens. Something this small with a zoom like that is unique. I had to try it.

The zoom mechanism makes quite a racket. I had heard the R4 was a bit noisy but it still surprised me. It is a strange sound too, not one you would expect. If everything didn't work perfectly I would think it was broken.

The controls are not as elegant on the Ricoh. It fore-goes the common top knob for a three position slider on the back edge. And for the zoom control there is a toggle switch on the back which is very odd. I can't say I hate it, but it certainly isn't what I would pick.

I have to say, the Ricoh does not feel as solid as the Panasonic. Not even close. To put it bluntly the Ricoh just seems cheap in co

mparison. The styling comes across as dated. I feel like I am using a camera that is a few years old.

So yeah, I am not mesmerized by the design and build. But I knew about all this when I bought it. And in the end I do not care if it feels a bit flimsy, I care if it takes nice photos!

I have just taken a few macro shots that you can look at on my Flickr page. I have not made any attempt to adjust any of the settings. The photos are boring and uninspired, so please don't blame the camera. I am at fault!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/skibler/

The macro is amazing. It sometimes has a bit of trouble focusing but I am inside and there isn't much light.

All in all I can't say the Ricoh has won me over yet. I think the "cheap" feel of it came as a surprise to me. If it felt like my Panasonic I probably wouldn't have felt like writing any of this. I guess I was expecting a Panasonic with a longer lens.

I am probably going to get jumped all over for being so negative. That is not the impression I hope to give. I think when I come home with some exciting photos I will feel much better. I will of course have the Ricoh in my pocket over the next days and weeks. I can't wait to make some good use of the lens.

That does not sound very good.

But honestly, the fotos in your link for the R5 are technically very good. The cat shot is nearly perfect.
What did you expect from a super compact camera with 28-200mm zoom?

I am not complaining about the quality of the photos, they are very good. I am not an expert but they look just as good as the Panasonic shots, and the Ricoh has a much wider range in the lens as well as smaller (better) macro capabilities.

Both are contructed of metal as far as I know. The Panasonic is slightly smaller and weighs more. That is probably what makes it feel more substantial and of higher quality build. I am sure both of them would be in poor repair if I dropped either of them. I don't think the Panasonic is any sturdier in reality, it just "feels" like it is.

In the end though I have no complaints. The Panasonic was actually quite a bit cheaper but it is a six month old model and I had to import the Ricoh since it is not currently sold in the States.

I at first thought the R4 was a bit plasticky, after having owned a metal optio555, but soon got used to this. In fact now I think of the R4 as being a bit more robust because the metal of the optio would bend in if impacted, and it could not be prised out again, whereas the plastic just gives and then bounces out. I found my confidence in the R4 grew with time.

Anyway, your images are look good, with good contrast and colour accuracy.

Brian

I've just bought an R4 - its at a very good price at a UK photochain store sale right now - and I have to say I'm delighted with it. The spec is almost unique (28-200mm with VR), and the quality of the images very good, sharp, nicely toned, and a real film like, rather than video like, quality.

Many digicams these days are superbly finished, I think we have Canon's Ixus range to thank for raising the standard, and though the Ricoh is not Ixus-like, it is exactly what I would expect for the price point, and perfectly acceptable.

Take the R5 for what it is, a very versatile yet well priced, little digicam, a photo tool, not a shiny photo jewel.

Andrew

Couldn't agree more with you. I have had my R4 for several months now and one of the things I like the most is the quality of the picture. It has a unique quality that others don't seem to have. As you said, it is a film like grain. That is one of the reasons I prefer 100 iso over 64. 64 is almost too clean. Welcome to a forum with a great bunch of people who use their cameras and are always ready with answers and comments and some great pictures.

How about posting some pics of your "hometown" on the hometown thread here, along with your impressions of your new R5, for the rest of us to enjoy! Have fun with your new camera.
LG

Patbert, just relax, no one here will jump on you on this friendly forum

Your reaction is natural, you have a different camera now and have to give it a chance and some time to get use to it.

You just have to have fun, not to “desperately” look for amazing photos all the time, specially with a camera that has a learning curve like this one. I had some luck in my very first day, but had some hard days and still have once in a while.

If it helps, take a look at several recent threads about best R series photos. And you’re welcome to visit my flickr page. I have a Ricoh R3 set there with an “eclectic” variety of subjects and experiments.

Again, relax and shoot, have fun!

--
Cheers.............. Rui
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ruinog/sets/

patbert said:

The zoom mechanism makes quite a racket. I had heard the R4 was a
bit noisy but it still surprised me. It is a strange sound too, not
one you would expect. If everything didn't work perfectly I would
think it was broken.

Click to expand...

I actually like the noise. When shooting outside, and you can't clearly see the lcd, it lets you know when your shot is in focus. I use macro mode alot, even when shooting at a distance since it shows more detail, takes longer, and I have come to depend on that noise.

patbert said:

The controls are not as elegant on the Ricoh. It fore-goes the
common top knob for a three position slider on the back edge. And
for the zoom control there is a toggle switch on the back which is
very odd. I can't say I hate it, but it certainly isn't what I
would pick.

Click to expand...

They have moved the zoom button from my R4 but I will say that the layout of the buttons is what sold me on the R4, way easier to use especially with fingernails, than any other camera I've tried. The only thing I wish they'd do is move the adj button to the top button instead of the view.

patbert said:

I have to say, the Ricoh does not feel as solid as the Panasonic.
Not even close. To put it bluntly the Ricoh just seems cheap in co
mparison. The styling comes across as dated. I feel like I am using
a camera that is a few years old.

Click to expand...

Ahhh, but you can get it in stylish red, or blue in my case! : )

patbert said:

So yeah, I am not mesmerized by the design and build. But I knew
about all this when I bought it. And in the end I do not care if it
feels a bit flimsy, I care if it takes nice photos!

The macro is amazing. It sometimes has a bit of trouble focusing
but I am inside and there isn't much light.

Click to expand...

Get out and use it, don't forget the Zoom macro scene mode. Allows you to literally put the lens on what you are shooting! But beware, macro is addictive.

patbert said:

All in all I can't say the Ricoh has won me over yet.

Click to expand...

The proof is in the pics. I think when you start using it, Ricoh will win you over. And you won't have pics that look like watercolor at high iso. (of course, you will want to do some pp since Ricoh leaves the noise along with the detail)

patbert said:

I am probably going to get jumped all over for being so negative.
That is not the impression I hope to give.

Click to expand...

Nah, that's not what this forum is about. We are a friendly bunch and as I say in a later post, welcome.
LG
http://www.bytephoto.com/photopost/showgallery.php?cat=998&stype=2&si=lettingg0

lettingg0 said:

lettingg0 said:

I am probably going to get jumped all over for being so negative.
That is not the impression I hope to give.

Click to expand...

Nah, that's not what this forum is about. We are a friendly bunch
and as I say in a later post, welcome.
LG

Click to expand...

Ricoh, the thinking photographers camera . . .

Ricoh photographers love a bit of noise.

Ricoh, just do it (with apologies to Nike)

Andrew
(R4 & GX8)

Andrew Higgins said:

Ricoh, the thinking photographers camera . . .

Ricoh photographers love a bit of noise.

Ricoh, just do it (with apologies to Nike)

Click to expand...

I would add if its ok:

Ricoh for those with a yearning for film

Ricoh, when the moment doesn't linger

Ricoh, captures even more than you saw

Brian

http://www.flickr.com/photos/skibler/254694628/

I think this one turned out well. This was using the night scene mode, sitting on a table. I was quite intoxicated at the time.

One thing I have noticed that is sort of silly is the review function. As soon as you take a picture there is an option for it to display it for half a second or a second etc. The problem is that it is showing you the "unsharpened" image. As in, when you are browsing photos when you skip to the next one it first shows you a blurry image and then takes an extra second to do a second pass and show all the detail. The result is that everything looks blurry in the half second review. Even a two second review never does the second pass to bring out the detail. At first I thought all the pictures it was taking were out of focus! I have since turned the review feature off.

The macro function is quite amazing, no arguing that!

When I got my R4 awhile back I was also shocked at what felt like a cheap, mostly plastic, camera. Espccially since the camera it was replacing had an all metal chasis. However, it has held up very well and it is always on my belt or in my pocket whenever I go out.

At first the controls felt awkward, but it's just a matter of getting used to them. Once I did I had an appreciation for them. (I understand that they moved some controls around with the R5 and maybe that was a mistake).

So, give it a few weeks to grow on you. I'm sure you'll like it, especially if macros are your thing.

brianj said:

Andrew Higgins said:

Ricoh, the thinking photographers camera . . .

Ricoh photographers love a bit of noise.

Ricoh, just do it (with apologies to Nike)

Click to expand...

I would add if its ok:

Ricoh for those with a yearning for film

Ricoh, when the moment doesn't linger

Ricoh, captures even more than you saw

Click to expand...

How about Ricoh the camera for people who actually USE their cameras!
LG : )

lettingg0 said:

How about Ricoh the camera for people who actually USE their cameras!

Click to expand...

Love it.

Brian

brianj said:

lettingg0 said:

How about Ricoh the camera for people who actually USE their cameras!

Click to expand...

Love it.

Click to expand...

We are SUCH a boring bunch to the other forums though, no fighting, no controversy, no complaining, Just happy camera users, shooting and posting away!!
LG

We may be a boring bunch but our pictures aren't boring!

LG: Are you going to upgrade to the R5 for its better LCD screen?

Eric74 said:

We may be a boring bunch but our pictures aren't boring!

Click to expand...

I love this "boring" forum. Life has enough conflict without making such a wonderful thing as photography one of them!

Eric74 said:

LG: Are you going to upgrade to the R5 for its better LCD screen?

Click to expand...

I had thought of it but I think I am going to wait to see what happens with the next one. I also am actually thinking of researching a dlsr so I can exchange lenses for even wider angle and more zoom. I am really getting into this photography stuff as a hobby and have had a few people inquire about if I sell pics...

But I am definately waiting until the next R to trade up. I would love a better screen, most the time I am shooting blind) but can't justify it financially right nowm when the R4 works so great. Maybe if I hit the lottery....
LG

Eric74 said:

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Hello, I'd like to say a bit to nice people here in this forum.

I am not very familiar with cameras, even Ricoh cameras, but you all are kindly, honesty, and it's good here, like a cozy room.

KKS.

lettingg0 said:

I also am actually thinking of
researching a dlsr so I can exchange lenses for even wider angle
and more zoom.

Click to expand...

One problem with owning a DSLR is the DSLR forums, there's some arrogant idiots there who are not very helpful - but to balance that there are a few very wise people who do keep on trying to help people with problems.

As for DSLR I do have drawers full of Nikon film SLR stuff but waited until something logical (to me) appeared in digital, and that was the Olympus 4/3 system, that now Panasonic have joined and also Sigma and Leica make lenses for.

Learn about the slowly growing 4/3 thing at http://www.four-thirds.org/en/index.html and next year's PMA in late February should see some decent expansions of the range.

Problems with DSLR = cost, complexity, bulk and weight, and inconvenience to carry and use, people shy away when it's pointed at them, great target for thieves.

Plusses = good image quality, wider lens range, settings more controllable, better flash arrangements.

In truth after we bought the R3 the DSLR seems to be partially sidelined, we are plotting and planning a re-visit to Thailand and a visit to Vietnam and there's really some doubt in me as to whether to carry the DSLR or to take an R5. The DSLR may get reserved for car type trips within Australia and the R3 and R5 (to buy) will be the thing to carry always but especially for overseas trips.

LG, email me if you want to discuss pros and cons of DSLR ownership.

Regards............. Guy

Here is my impression of the R5

[ @]

Pretty good, eh?