The Ricoh Caplio R2, announced four months ago, offered a 28 - 135mm zoom range coupled with a five megapixel CCD image sensor and 2.5" LCD display (but no optical viewfinder). The new Ricoh Caplio R2S shares exactly the same hardware and a nearly identical body, the only noticeable styling differences being a rearrangement of the silk-screened text on the camera's front panel, and the removal of the engraved product name from the handgrip. The bulk of the changes are instead related to the camera's firmware.

Probably the most significant change is that the Caplio R2S' shutter can now be remotely controlled over its USB connection, allowing camera shake to be minimized. It is also now possible to store a group of custom settings in the camera, which are then automatically used when the R2S is powered on. These settings can include the zoom position, focus position, scene mode, burst mode, exposure compensation, white balance, image quality / size, focusing and metering area, ISO sensitivity, flash mode, macro mode, and quite a few more besides. Ricoh is also promoting the camera as compatible for direct printing to its IPSiO CX8800 and CX9800 color laser printers, although it is unclear whether this is actually a new feature using some proprietary connection type, since the original Caplio R2 and both of the printers are apparently PictBridge compatible. One last new feature is the ability to tag images with text or audio clips. Text can either be entered ahead of time over the USB connection, or entered using the camera's menu system and controls.

The Ricoh Caplio R2S is available immediately in Japan, at a price of ¥58,000 (approximately equivalent to US$523 / CAD$642 / £292 / €433, ignoring exchange rate fluctuations, taxes and duties). Monthly production is apparently set at 2,000 units.

Ricoh Caplio R2S
General
Camera Type	Compact
Manufacturer	Ricoh
Model Number	R2S
Dimensions	3.9 x 2.2 x 1.0" 100.2 x 55.0 x 25.8mm
Weight	195.0 g 6.8 oz
Planned Availability	Jun 2005
Image Capture
Sensor Type	1/2.5" CCD 5.19 megapixels (total) 5.02 megapixels (effective)
Filter Type	RGBG
Aspect Ratio	4:3
Image Dimensions	2560 x 1920 (4.9 megapixels) 2048 x 1536 (3.1 megapixels) 1280 x 960 (1.2 megapixels) 640 x 480 (0.3 megapixels)
Image Quality	2 levels
Image Preview / Review
Viewfinder	No
LCD	2.5", 114,000 pixels
Lens
Lens Type	4.8x optical zoom
Image Stabilization	No
Focal Length	4.6 - 22.2mm (actual) 28 - 135mm (35mm equivalent)
Aperture Range	f/3.3 (wide) / f/4.8 (tele) - ???
Focusing System	with AF assist lamp Manual Focus possible (0) steps
Focusing Range	Normal: 12" - infinity (30 cm - infinity) Macro: 0.4" - infinity (1.0 cm - infinity)
Exposure
ISO Sensitivity	Auto, 64, 100, 200, 400, 800
Shutter Speed	8 - 1/2000 second
Metering Modes	256-segment multi, center-weighted, spot
Exposure Compensation	+/- 2.0EV in 1/3EV increments
White Balance	Image Sensor - Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Incandescent 1 / 2, Fluorescent, One Touch, Manual
Internal Flash	Modes: Auto, Red-Eye Reduction, Forced, Slow Sync, Off Range: ISO Auto: 0.2 - 2.7m (wide); 0.13 - 2.1m (tele)
Creative
Scene Modes	Portrait, Sport, Landscape, Night, Text, High Sensitivity
Digital Zoom	3.6x
Self Timer	Yes, 2 or 10 seconds
Time Lapse	Yes
Movie Format	AVI (Open DML Motion JPEG) with audio 320x240 and 160x120 Max. frame-rate: 15 frames per second
Storage
Recording Medium	SD/MMC, Built-in
File System	Complies with Design Rule for Camera File System (DCF)
File Format	TIFF, JPEG (EXIF 2.21)
Connectivity
Video	Yes, NTSC / PAL switchable
Computer	USB 1.1
Other	DC In
Power
Battery Type	Rechargeable
Battery Form Factor	2 x AA or 1 x proprietary DB-50
Product Bundle
Software	Ricoh Gate La, Image Mixer 1.6, USB / WIA drivers, Mounter, Caplio Rescue, Acrobat Reader, DirectX, Ridoc Desk 2000 Lt, Caplio Transfer Software
Battery / Charger	1 x Proprietary DB-50 rechargeable battery and charger
Flash Memory	28.0MB built-in memory
Other
Digital Print Order Format (DPOF) compliant	Yes
Internal Microphone	Yes
Remote Control	Yes, USB tethered
Operating System Compatibility	Windows, MacOS