Ricoh R10 Review

The R10 features a wide angle 28mm - 200mm (7.1x) optical zoom lens. This double retracting lens makes it possible to fit the large zoom into the compact body. The aperture range is F3.3 (Wide) - F5.2 (Telephoto).

The contrast detection AF system has a focus range of approx. 30cm to infinity (wide-angle), approx. 1.0m to infinity (telephoto).

The built in flash offers Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye Reduction and Slow Synchro modes. Flash range is 7.9 in. to 9.8 ft. (20cm to 3.0m wide-angle and 25cm to 2.0m telephoto).

On the top you'll find the Power On/Off button, and Mode Dial which has positions for: Scene, Movie, My Mode 1 & 2, Auto and Easy. Next to that is the shutter release with the camera's zoom controls coupled around it.

The top button on the back of the camera is the play button, allowing you to enter play mode to view your images. Next is the 4-way, joystick controller. Pressing it left enables macro mode and right allows you to change your flash settings. In playback mode, left and right move to the next or previous image, while up and down jump a few images. There are then 4 buttons under the 4-way controller. First is the menu button, allowing you to change the camera's settings and access its various functions. The second button is the Fn button, which in auto shooting mode allows you to set your point of focus, and in playback mode allows you to view your flagged images. Next is the Self Timer/Delete button. Finally the bottom button is the DISP. button allowing you to change your display information.

The I/O ports are on the side: The Audio-Video Out lets you connect to a TV set with the supplied cable. The video signal is selectable for NTSC or PAL standard. The USB 2.0 (high-speed) port connects the camera to a computer to download the images and movies. The R10 is High-Speed USB, Mass storage compatible.

The R10 is equipped with 54MB of internal memory and also features a SD/MMC card slot. Ricoh does not specify the maximum card size allowed, however we had no problems using this OCZ (Class 6) 16GB SDHC card.

The R10 can be powered by either the included DB-70 3.6V 1000 mAh rechargeable Lithium-ion battery pack. Ricoh claims approx. 300 shots using the included Li-ion battery pack.