Digital Home Thoughts: Ricoh R8 Review

"Announced on the 19th of February 2008, the Ricoh R8 is Ricoh's latest pocket zoom digital camera - and features a wide angle 7.1x optical zoom, image stabilisation, a 2.7" screen, VGA video recording, and a 10 megapixel sensor. The camera has moved more upmarket with a new, more professional design, and improved rubberised grip, whilst still remaining almost ultra compact in size. The Ricoh R8 is available from around £239 which makes it average value for money at the moment, but I wouldn't be surprised to see the price drop over time. The camera is enclosed in a metal body and is available in black, silver, or reviewed here: two tone silver and black. The camera is the compact for the amount of optical zoom and measures approx. 102.0 mm(W)x 58.3 mm(H) x 26.1 mm (excluding protrusions), and weighs approx. 168g. excluding battery and memory card."

7.1x optical zoom with image stabilization and a small form factor seems to be a killer combination and it is set at a reasonable price point - $400. The downside, of course, is the noise factor in the images at the slightly high ISO levels. I have not given this camera a shot yet but some of the photographs in this review worry me with respect to noise, The other downside, IMHO, is the slight lack of manual features. If this camera had some of the manual features like the G9 then I'd be running out to buy one now.