The Ricoh Caplio R2 offers an unusually wide 28 - 135mm zoom range, coupled with a 5.02 effective megapixel RGB CCD image sensor. The camera forgoes any form of optical viewfinder, instead offering one of the larger 2.5" LCD displays that seem to be in vogue this year.

The camera offers versatility in its selection of power source - either a bundled proprietary DB-50 rechargeable battery, or two AA batteries that can be purchased just about anywhere if you're caught with an uncharged battery. Images are stored in 28MB of built-in memory, or on Secure Digital / MultiMediaCard media. They can be transferred to a computer over a USB 1.1 connection, or viewed on a TV courtesy of a switchable NTSC / PAL video connection.

The Ricoh Caplio R2 will ship from March 18th, with monthly production of 50,000 units. Pricing has not been publicly disclosed at this time.

Twelve sample images shot with the camera can be seen on Ricoh Japan's website.

Ricoh Caplio R2
General
Camera Type	Compact
Manufacturer	Ricoh
Model Number	R2
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	Mar 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
Internal Microphone	Yes
Remote Control	No
Operating System Compatibility	Windows, MacOS
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