Ricoh Caplio R7

The Ricoh Caplio R7 is a camera that takes charge. Available in orange, silver and black flavours, this camera boasts a mini joystick plus the standard clickpad to navigate settings. Changing the white balance and exposure has never been easier and that c...

Wide angle lens; large zoom; joystick control

Jagged screen; no aperture or shutter priority

The Ricoh Caplio R7 is an outstanding compact camera, with all the features you could want packed into a sturdy, pocket-sized metal frame. It's not perfect and it's not cheap, but it is very much worth tracking down

The Ricoh Caplio R7 is a very interesting digital camera. It has 8 megapixels and a 7x wide, angle zoom lens. It has a few extra features when compared to other smaller compacts. Shutter lag times are low and I liked the test photos I managed to produce.

Shutter lag times, build quality, extra features, colours

Lowlight

The Caplio R7 has an excellent specification and low shutter lag times. It worked well in most outdoor situations and I really like the colours. With a longer than standard wide angle, zoom lens this camera has a lot going for it.

Ricoh's new Caplio R7 places a 7.1x zoom lens within a relatively slender body. At between 20mm and 23mm thick along the length of its body, it's a major feat of engineering.

Excellent zoom lens. Small size.

Noisy images. Poor stabilization.

The Caplio R7 is a great concept let down by a poor CCD. Most creatives will need to go for a larger model if they want high-zoom facilities