Ricoh Announces 10 Megapixels CX4 10.7x Optical Zoom With Back-illuminated CMOS
2010-08-19 13:35Average Camera Review Rating [9 reviews]
High-quality results over a wide tone range
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Seems that today is a popular day for camera announcements. Joining Canon & Nikon, Ricoh Japan has announced the Ricoh CX4, a digital compact camera with a 28-300mm equivalent superzoom lens. The CX4 features a 10 Megapixels back-illuminated CMOS sensor, new creative filters and a newly developed subject-tracking AF system.
The subject-tracking AF system can automatically track your subject, ensuring that photographs are in focus and correctly exposed whenever you choose to release the shutter. You'll find this feature indispensable for moving subjects and close-ups. The image stabilization system is also enhanced to provide an approximately 3.7-stop advantage when shooting hand held and a 'night landscape multi-shot mode' whereby four frames are taken in rapid succession and then combined into one sharp, well-exposed, low-noise image. The camera's noise reduction algorithm processes the image signal as it is output from the CMOS sensor, reducing noise without affecting resolution, tone, or color.
Other features include a large 920,000-dot, 3.0-inch high-definition VGA monitor that boasts high contrast and a wide viewing angle, high burst rates of about 5 frames per second (fps) during continuous shooting, and 720p HD movies with a frame size of 1,280 x 720 pixels. Ricoh plans to manufacture 50,000 CX4 cameras each month, with sales starting on 3rd September 2010 in Japan. Check out some sample photos below and also the following press announcement for more details:
Download: CX4 Product Brochure [in PDF]
Photo Album: Ricoh Announces 10 Megapixels CX4 10.7x Optical Zoom With Back-illuminated CMOS
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Ricoh Introduces the CX4, a Compact Digital Camera with 10.7x Optical Zoom (28-300 mm) Enhanced Blur Reduction Is Another Step Towards Blur-free Low-light Photography
August 19, 2010--TOKYO, Japan--Ricoh Co., Ltd. (helmed by president and CEO Shiro Kondo) today announced the release of the new CX4 compact digital camera. This new design offers high-power (10.7x), wide-angle 28-300 mm optical zoom and improved image-sensor-shift image stabilization in a workmanlike yet stylish package.
The new CX4's evolved image-sensor-shift image stabilization reduces blur on average by the equivalent of about 3.7 EV--3.7 shutter-speed stops--for improved performance under dim indoor lighting and at high zoom ratios.
The camera also offers a new "subject-tracking AF" autofocus system that automatically tracks your subject, ensuring that photographs are in focus and correctly exposed whenever you choose to release the shutter. You'll find this feature indispensable for moving subjects and close-ups.
In addition, Ricoh has further developed features designed to enhance the photographic experience, including a "night landscape multi-shot mode" that combines four exposures into a single photograph for reduced image noise, and a "creative shooting mode" that brings out the artist in everyone with soft focus, cross process, and toy camera effects. With portability enhanced by a newly-designed body featuring molded curves that make it easier to slip the camera into your pocket, the CX4 compact digital camera represents another advance in Ricoh's philosophy of designing "A tool you will want to use every day."
High sensitivity, low noise photography using improved blur reduction and high-performance noise-reduction for clear, high-quality results at high zoom ratios and under low light
- The CX4 offers completely reworked image-sensor-shift image stabilization, which reduces blur caused by camera movement--a phenomenon that is particularly likely to occur in close ups, at high zoom ratios, and in other similar situations. The effect is equivalent to increasing shutter speed by an average of about 3.7 stops.
- The camera's noise reduction algorithm processes the image signal as it is output from the CMOS sensor, reducing noise without affecting resolution, tone, or color. Setting noise reduction to "MAX" enables variance-estimation noise reduction that analyzes the distribution of noise in the data captured by the image sensor and optimizes processing for individual areas of the image.
- The back-illuminated, 10-megapixel CMOS image sensor offers improved low-light performance.
- Ricoh's unique retracting lens system allows a wide-angle, high-power (10.7x) zoom lens to be incorporated into a compact camera body only 29.4 mm thick.
- With picture angles that range from 28 mm (wide angle) to 300 mm (telephoto), this high-power zoom lens is adapted to almost any situation. Choose wide angles for landscapes or cramped interiors that limit the distance between camera and subject, or zoom in for compelling telephoto shots.
An autofocus system that automatically tracks the subject (subject-tracking AF)
- Subject-tracking AF automatically tracks the subject selected when the shutter-release button is pressed halfway, ensuring that photographs are in focus and correctly exposed whenever you choose to release the shutter. This feature is ideal for shots of active children and pets, as well as for photographs of flowers and other subjects that demand careful composition.
A "creative shooting mode" that offers a choice of six artistic effects
- Choose "soft focus mode" for an effect similar to that produced by soft-focus lenses. The strength of the effect can be selected from "weak" and "strong."
- Select "cross-process mode" for colors that differ markedly from those in normal photographs. Choose a color scheme from "basic," "magenta," and "yellow."
- "Toy camera mode" replicates the sharp contrast and saturated colours associated with toy cameras, together with their characteristic distortion and vignetting.
- The CX4 also offers the "dynamic range double shot," "miniaturize," and "high-contrast B&W" modes made popular by the CX3.
- An output pixel interpolation algorithm with dedicated Smooth Imaging Engine IV logic circuits reduces loss of detail in highlights to faithfully recreate beautiful high-contrast scenes exactly as they appear to the naked eye.
- Multi-pattern auto white balance produces colors close to those seen by the human eye in portraits shot in a mixture of sunlight and shade or with both the flash and natural light. High-contrast scenes like these often prove challenging for other, less advanced white-balance algorithms.
Eleven scene modes that make it easy to adjust settings to suit your subject
- The CX4 features a new "night landscape multi-shot" mode that creates clear, beautiful photos of night scenes by automatically and precisely combining a series of exposures shot at high sensitivities to reduce the blur and noise normally associated with pictures taken under low light, allowing photographers to taste the joys of hand-held, tripod-free night photography.
- The eleven scene modes that were so well-received by users of the CX3--including "pets mode" for portraits of your favorite pet cat--are also included in the CX4.
A 920,000-dot, 3.0-inch high-definition VGA monitor
- The large, high-resolution LCD monitor boasts high contrast and a wide viewing angle. A fluorine coating keeps the monitor free of stains, while a hard coating and anti-reflection coating prevent scratches and ensure that the display in the monitor is clearly visible even outdoors in bright sunlight.
- Wide-gamut color reproduction (100% of sRGB) ensures that colors are displayed vividly and with high fidelity.
Many other features that reflect Ricoh's design philosophy: "A tool you will want to use every day"
- The CX4 offers high burst rates of about 5 frames per second (fps) during continuous shooting.
- Macro mode can be used to take photos at distances as close as 1 cm when the camera is zoomed out to a focal length equivalent to 31 mm in 35 mm format, or at distances as close as 28 cm when the camera is zoomed all the way in.
- "Scene auto mode" offers the ultimate in "point-and-shoot" photography: just point the CX4 at your subject and let the camera optimize settings for best results.
- The camera can record HD movies with a frame size of 1,280 x 720 pixels.
Ricoh CX4 Camera Reviews Roundup
| DPnow: "I was generally pleased with image quality from the CX4. The 10.7x zoom lens performs well and although we didn't lab test this camera, there were no major concerns about distortion or aberrations like fringing. There's no escaping that the images are highly processed by the, so this is not the kind of camera looking for image purity that can be massaged effectively in post-processing. But the CX4 is one of the bett..." - Nov 29 2010 More » | |
| Steve's Digicam: "Our outdoor sample images show that the camera handles exposures very well, even with the high dynamic range of the museum shot. It's color representation is very accurate, reproducing an image that is extremely close to what the photographer actually sees. In the wide zoom sample, the highlight areas are slightly overexposed but not blown out as we have seen with our other cameras lately. There are a few slig..." - Nov 25 2010 More » | |
| DigiCamReview: "Image quality is generally very good - with good colour, saturation and contrast. Noise can be noticeable but the processing engine produces photos that are quite smooth with few hot pixels, and detail is generally good (until ISO800 and above). To get the best results some tweaking may be required as images are can be slightly overexposed, on default settings, although I didn't notice any flash overexposure which u..." - Nov 16 2010 More » | |
| PhotoRadar: "Despite several shortcomings in the usability of the camera, the Ricoh CX4 actually delivers pretty good results. The colours are bright, punchy and sharp although the auto white balance can provide some odd results at times, so you might need to watch that, especially as you can't shoot RAW files and correct later. You have the option to shoot in 4 different formats, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 and 1:1 which is good for cr..." - Nov 10 2010 More » |
Ricoh CX4 Reviews Roundup [Total 10 Reviews] »
Ricoh CX4 Camera Recent User Reviews
Great macro & manual control, Vajira - Nov 15 2011
I got this camera specially for it's macro feature. Works great ! I am really impressed with the level of quality on the close up shots. All macro shots came up really well see for the results. Also the camera is great with the ability to change lots of settings to play with on lighting etc......
I have a few cameras and this one is my favourite, Penguin - Apr 03 2011
I own several digital cameras, Samsung TL500/EX1; Pentax K100D (DSLR) and Sigma DP1 (large sensor compact). It surprises me that amidst such stiff competition I prefer using this camera over and above the others. Here are the reasons why: 1. It is really compact and yet not fiddly to hold and use. 2. It feels really, really fast and responsive in use. 3. Picture quality is exce...
Ricoh CX4--Recommended, A. Sanborn - Nov 29 2010
This is an excellent camera for creative photographers. Here are the things I like. 1) The art filters are more imaginative and generally better executed on the CX4 than on cameras from other manufacturers. The "toy camera," "soft focus," and "cross process" are all very useful. The "high dynamic black and white" and the "sepia" are m...
Ricoh CX4--Recommended, A. Sanborn - Nov 29 2010
Amazon Verified Purchase ( What's this? ) This is an excellent camera for creative photographers. Here are the things I like. 1) The art filters are more imaginative and generally better executed on the CX4 than on cameras from other manufacturers. The "toy camera," "soft focus," and "cross process" are all very useful. The "high dyn...
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