john_elias

I haven't done any testing, and notice no difference so far. But the upgrade is supposed to, quote:

 

"1. The stability at the time of SD card writing was improved.

 

2. The stability of AF was improved"

 

 

Since I am using a high speed card, I have not noticed any difference to write times.

 

Re: auotfocus. I assume they are talking about low light conditions. I haven't tried it yet. But why not install it. It is easy and free

A guy pointed out on the net that Ricoh have a firmware update on their Japanese site. I tried it and it works.

 

http://www.ricoh.co.jp/dc/download/wingx.html

 

Download the GX-105.exe and double klik on it to unzip. Then open the library it creates (Caplio GX update). Run FirmUpdate.exe and follow the instructions, they are in English.

 

You can check your firmware version by setting the camera in "Setup" mode, then pres and hold the tele-zoom button and the Down button while you switch the camera on. If CPU2 is 1.0 then you need to upgrade.

You don't need additional software to open tiff files. The GX is supplied with a CD containing the program DU-10x. Use it to open tiff files, save them to your HD. Then you can open them in Photoshop or any other software that supports tiff

I have just uploaded some of my first pics taken with the Caplio GX.

 

The pics are just the way they came out of the camera: no cropping, levels, contrast or any correction. Of course they have been compressed

 

 

http://home20.inet.tele.dk/elias/

I have written the following mail to Letsgodigital in the hope that they will correct their errors.

 

"Hi Nederlands

 

I have just read your review on the Caplio GX. It contains one major mistake, which is unfair to this camera:

 

You write that in order to set the shutter speed, you have to go the menu. This is not neccessary.

 

In A/M mode, press the up arrow and turn the dial simultaneously to set the shutter speed. You will se an indicator on the screen that shows over/underexposure.

 

Your comment about the aperture, indicates that you don't really know much about photography. The widest aperture is never the same on wide and tele. This applies to all zoom lens, with perhaps one exeption.

 

I hope you will correct it, in order to be fair.

 

Best regards"

The Dutch guy has it all wrong. You don't have to go to the menu to set shutter speed.

 

In A/M mode, you set the shutter speed by pressing the up arrow and turning the wheel simultaneously. A small indicator pops up on the screen to show correct exposure.

 

It's a little awkward, but much better than using the menu.

Here is the reply I received from Ricoh:

 

"There is no difference using the AA or Li-ion battery, but the brand of SD media greatly influences the recording speed. During my

test I used two cards,

 

Sandisk: 40 seconds

 

RAM components: 15 seconds

 

both were 128Mb and the same image and settings.

 

2) The auxillary AF under low light for the GX is not a light which appears with the shutter release partially pressed. You can see a 'pre flash' appear before the main flash. It is like the

'red-eye' reduction but there is a much shorter lag time between the auxillary flash and the main flash. If you go to a dark area and take a picture you can readily see this auxillary flash. Of

course the flash on the camera must be enabled for it to work."

After using the GX for a few days, and after switching to a high speed sd card, I feel confident in saying it's a darn good camera, especially at this price.

 

It doesn't have all the bells and whistles of other fashionable cameras, (My Optio S has some fantastic "wow" features. It can even serve as an alram clock and say miaw when you switch it on, but cannot compete in focusing speed, image quality, manual settings, movie mode etc..)

Olivier

 

Sorry if I shouted at you. It's just that I am disappointed about the missing AF light.

 

On the positive side: the camera is much better at focusing in low light than any of the other digicams I have had. But it will not focus in total darkness.

 

I have written to Ricoh marketing this time about the misleading manuals and brochures. Interesting to see their reply.

Olivier

 

THERE IS NO IF LAMP ON THE GX

 

In the dark, when you press the shutter half way down, the red "out of focus" indicator keeps flashing. If you take the shot anyway, it will be overexposed.

 

Sorry to disappoint you.

I wrote to Ricoh Europe support with the following questions:

 

1. Using AA batteries, the write time are 60 seconds for a NC image to a normal SD card, and 30 seconds to high speed SD card.

 

Would it make any difference if I use the special Ricoh battery?

 

2. In the manual, pages 38 and 52, there is a reference to "AF auxiliary lamp", but I cannot see any lamp light up in low-light conditions.

 

 

Their reply was:

 

"Dear sir,

 

For the question 1, the batteries do not change anything for the writing time on a sd card. We advise you to use rechargeable batteries NIMH of minimum 1800 mAh.

The recording time is normal in uncompressed mode.

 

2. There is no such function on the camera. Probably, a function that

disappeared in the development but stayed in the manual. Sorry for that.

 

Regards,"

 

**********************************************************

Your technical Support Center RICOH

Frederic

Good news

 

Just got a Toshiba high speed card. The write-times are reduced by a good 50%

Dean G

 

I have just returned from the wholesaler's home, where I tried a high speed sd card in the GX. Surprise!! It cuts down write times to about half, despite what someone told Ingemar.

 

He wouldn't let me have the card (it was his private card) but I ordered one for myself.

 

"Normal" produces good prints. Unless you have a super printer, there is not much to gain from "Fine".

 

I think the compression and default sharpening are a little harsh, but you can set the latter to your taste.

 

The build qaulity is fairly good, although the optical viewer is primitive.

 

I love the "Adj" button. You can press it with your thumb and use your forefinger to spin the wheel. That gives you quick access to the essential controls without messing around with menus and fiddly buttons, and it's programmable.

 

Another thing I like: The display can be turned off to save power, but will immediately come to life when you touch the release button, and switch itself off when lift your finger.

 

I agree with you about the Leica and the Lumix. They have a great lens, a nice flash, and very good controls, but they are too bulky. At that price, you can get a dslr that will produce better images.

Dean G

 

I have tested the Panasonic Lumix equivalent to the Leica Digilux 2. Theres is very little distortion at 28 mm. But we are talking about a camera that weighs almost 3 times more, costs almost four times more.

 

So, all in all, I think the GX is a good buy, although I would have liked it to be a digital GR1v

The times I mention are for 2592 x 1944 Fine, without flash. If you stick to 2592 x 1944 Normal, then write times are acceptable, because the buffer can store almost twice as many pics. For non- compressed, write time to the card is 1 minute, yes one minute, but if you use the internal memory, it is 28 seconds.

 

Flash takes only a few seconds to charge.

 

I will let you know after testing a high speed card.

I have checked again. In Fine mode, I can only take 2 consecutive pics. Then I have to wait 17 seconds for the next shot. If I try to do anything else, I have to wait further 4-5 seconds while it finishes writing.

 

The dealer promised to lend me a high speed sd card to see if it makes any difference.

 

But as I mentioned earlier, the delay in Normal mode is acceptable, and the difference in quality is hardly noticeable.

 

Another strange thing: It is mentioned in the manuals and all the literature I have seen, that there is an AF auxiliary lamp that should fire in poor lighting conditions. No such thing!!!! But if I select "red eye" flash, and press the shutter release in TOTAL DARKNESS, the camera will produce a properly exposed and fairly sharp picture.

 

Despite these annoyances, I think it has some good features that are only available on bulkier and much more expensive cameras. It's a good buy at this price.

 

Just make sure you have plenty of batteries for it.

When I saw the Caplio GX, I thought it is the digital answer to GR1v, which I love. So I rushed out and got one. Here are my initial experiences:

 

1. The lens distortion at wide angle is disappointing.

 

2. If you choose Fine image setting, you can only take two shots.Then the camera locks for about 20 seconds before you can take another shot.

 

3. In Normal mode, the delay is acceptable, provided you don't shoot too fast. Normal mode is almost as good as Fine. I can hardly see any difference.

 

4. It compresses pics so much, the file size equals a 3.2 megapixel shot. I can't help wonder if the image quality could be improved with less compression.

 

Sorry GR1v fans. You get a lot of camera for the price, but it is no digital GR1v.

 

John