September 7, 2005 - Ricoh added to its line of Caplio compact digital point-and-shoots today with the release of the 7.1x optical zoom Caplio R3, featuring vibration reduction and automatic skew correction. The Caplio R3 is expected to be available at the end of this month; pricing has yet to be determined.
The Caplio R3 relies on a 1/2.5-inch CCD sensor to produce 5.13 effective megapixels of resolution. The camera features a vibration reduction system whereby the CCD shifts in the opposite direction of any vibration detected, eliminating blurring. Along with the vibration reduction, the Caplio R3 also features a skew correction algorithm that can automatically detect trapezoidal forms in images and correct them to rectangles, adjusting subjects shot at an angle to a flat perspective.
The Caplio R3 boasts a wide 7.1x optical zoom lens that has a 35mm equivalent range of 28-200mm and can focus as close as half an inch. Contributing to the Caplio R3’s slim 3.74 x 2.08 x 1.02 inch form, the lens only partly retracts into the camera’s body during lens storage. The lens opens to f/3.3 at its widest zoom, closing to f/4.8 in telephoto shooting, and can be manually focused.
While there is no optical viewfinder on the Caplio R3, the camera boasts a large 2.5-inch LCD screen, though it has a relatively few 114,000 pixels when compared to other manufacturers’ 2.5-inch LCD screens.
The Caplio R3 has an impressive 64-800 ISO range, compared to a maximum ISO of 400 in many competing point-and-shoots. Exposure compensation in a standard range of +/- 2 EV, adjustable in 1/3 EV steps, is offered on the Caplio R3 along with automatic exposure bracketing. Five preset white balance modes are also available on the camera in addition to Auto and Manual settings.
The Caplio R3 is available in a choice of silver or black and weighs in at 4.76 ounces without its rechargeable battery or an SD memory card.
