User guide

Here’s a couple more

demo examples of just

what can be achieved

when using the Ricoh

CX3 when using different

modes.

In all fairness reproduced

photos here is not a really

true representation of the

quality of what the Ricoh is capable of producing. As a sort of

experiment however, I took two photos of my dog Trudy, one with the Ricoh and one using a different

digital compact camera and here are the results:

Both shots were taken using

full Auto mode. Now whether

perhaps because I’ve got a bit

of a shaky hand or not but

clearly the photo on the far left

taken with the Ricoh is not only

considerably sharper but also

much richer in tone and colour.

Incidentally, I chose Trudy as

my subject not just because she’s just gorgeous but also because she simply never keeps still for a second

and I thought that this was a great way of showing off just one of the Ricoh’s best attributes, in particular

the attributes of its ant-shake system which are clearly evident. In the second photo taken with another

digital camera, even though she appears to be resting on her cushion, she was continually shifting around

and therefore trying to frame her added to the test shot.

he Ricoh comes with a drivers CD and a USB/PC connecting cable which when connected will link you

directly to your PC or compatible printer. The CX3 User guide packed a whopping 136 pages of

information although it was a bit too compact in size for me. Going onto the Ricoh web site at

www.ricoh.com will give you access to all the available manuals and software updates and of course the

all-important Support section if you needed it. The Ricoh CX3 also comes with its own small charging unit

and mains lead for charging the battery and a phono/audio lead.

Memory-wise: without adding one of them SD memory card thingy’s, you can store on the Ricoh (so they

say), in the region of 402 to 705 pictures (I did find that with the Ricoh set to the highest mode the

number of photos that could actually be saved to the internal memory was somewhat less than these

quoted figures) . A 1gb card will allow you to store over a 1,000 photos and if you went really big and

installed the massive 32gb SD card, you can store something like 35,000+ photos. I would say that it

would also be best to invest in an SD memory card, apart from anything else it gives you that little extra

safe guard and additionally proves you with that extra simplicity and portability factor. Price-wise, I found

the best price on-line was around £224 with free delivery and even at that price I think that you should

expect something exceptional and with the Ricoh CX3 you do. As the old adage says: ‘You gets what you

pay for…’. More importantly however with a brand name as unique as Ricoh, you know you’re going to

get the best for your money with a quality to match. Yes there are cheaper compact digital cameras out

there but not, I would suggest with the same level of technical quality to match.