With the Caplio R1V, Ricoh have produced a consumer camera with some advanced features. While some manufactures prefer to simplify and focus on ease of use, it’s refreshing to see features such as manual focus, ISO 64 to 800, histogram overlay, interval timer and long exposure modes. I would have loved to see aperture priority, shutter priority and manual exposure modes as well, but I guess you can’t have everything.
Design-wise, the wide angle and telephoto range of the zoom lens makes it very versatile and attractive, and the compact, all metal case adds to the durability. The shutter response times and startup speeds nothing short of impressive, ensuring that photographers do less waiting and more shooting. If you’re willing to overlook the image quality issues with noise and over-zealous metering, the Caplio R1V could be the camera for you.