Ricoh intros CX2 with wide-angle, 10.7X lens
updated 09:55 am EDT, Thu August 20, 2009
Ricoh CX2 Camera
Ricoh this morning revamped its most important non-pro camera by launching the CX2. The point-and-shoot has one of the longest reaches of any camera its size with a 10.7X zoom (28-300mm equivalent) lens; at its closest zoom, it's considered a wide-angle camera. Continuous shooting has also been sped up to 5 frames per second at full detail, while less professional photographers also get improved face detection and new shooting modes that replicate high-contrast black-and-white and miniature (tilt-shift) photography.
The CX2 inherits many of the other features that made the CX1 more advanced, including a 9-megapixel CMOS sensor that picks up more light than a CCD (between ISO 80 and 1,600). Video recording is limited to 640x480, but a special burst shot mode can capture 30 2-megapixel images in a single second.
Ricoh hasn't priced the camera or clarified its release date, but it's expected to ship first in Japan and possibly Europe. The company doesn't bring its cameras to the US. [via Akihabara]
Grizzled Veteran
Joined: Oct 1999
Stange
I've never understood why Ricoh don't sell their cameras (officially) in the United States. Surely the economies of scale would benefit everyone? It's unfortunate that cameras such as the GR1v and GX200 haven't reached a wider and appreciative audience. The fact that Panasonic appear to have "borrowed" Ricoh's optional EVF approach for the GF-1 is a testament to Ricoh's enthusiast conscious innovation. If only they could get the noise down a bit!