A Good Camera for Party Animals: Ricoh R1
Written: Jul 21 '01
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Pros: ultra-slim, ultra-light. 24mm full-frame view.
Cons: Brand new ones cost too much for its spec.
The Bottom Line: Ricoh R1 is a good party camera. The cost efficiency of this ultra-slim, ultra-light chic camera is excellent, if you buy the used one.
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| uribou's Full Review: Ricoh GR-1 Date 35mm Film Camera |
Ricoh R1 is a cool camera. But I am not extremely happy with this, because I paid too much when I bought mine more than a few years ago, and also because some serious problems developed while I left it alone for a while.
Probably, I am not the luckiest person, regarding with Ricoh R1. The time I bought mine is when I got some fast bucks. I needed a decent 35mm camera. So I jumped into a discount camera store at Shinjuku in Tokyo, Japan. The sales person recommended me Ricoh R1, and it looked very nice. Without any deep thoughts, I bought one. The cost, I believe, was about US $250 at that time.
For the first few months, Ricoh R1 worked great. This little slim camera was almost always with me. But the problems developed after 6 months, and, eventually, I even forgot I owned this camera.
Anyway, let me be more specific.
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
Ricoh R1 is a very compact camera with a fully automatic 35mm lens shutter. The body is ultra-thin (117 x 61 x 25mm : W x H x D), and ultra-light (145g without battery). The lens part is equipped with 3 lenses: normal (30mm), panorama, and super wide panorama (24mm).
The features included are : passive 7-zone multi-autofocus, intelligent multi-mode flash, red-eye reduction, counters and so on.
The distance covered is from 0.35m to infinity. The speeds of the programmed electronic shutter range from 2 seconds to 1/400 seconds.
For more detailed information, please refer to the official information page at
General Information:
http://www.ricoh-cameras.co.uk/35mm/r1.htm
Major Specifications:
http://www.ricoh-cameras.co.uk/35mm/r1_spec.htm
PROS
Quite frankly speaking, most of the pros with Ricoh R1 are in its chic compactness. Ricoh R1 is perfect as a pocket camera. You might realize Ricoh R1 is a little longer than other pocket size cameras. But it's much thinner than others are, which enhances the so-called pocketablility. For amateur party-photo shooters, Ricoh R1 is the best to seize the moment.
Talking about the lenses, the 24mm full frame is very nice. Together with 30mm normal lens, this built-in 24mm wide panorama lens makes it very easy to capture the entire scene. (Note that the 24mm lens seems to have minor problems. See the cons part for details.)
The minor pros are the metallic body, the remote controller, and the huge selections of modes such as Super Nights. (Notice that these features might be extremely convenient, if you are in need. During the research before I started writing this review, I found some people pointing out Super Night mode lets you take the very interesting pictures.)
CONS
Let me first explain some minor problems which most of the users might realize.
The problem often discussed is the falloff at the both edges when you are in the 24mm mode. Compared to the sharpness in the normal 35mm mode, the 24mm mode is quite dull.
The 24mm full frame mode is great. But you should not expect the state-of-the-art quality. In other words, Ricoh R1 is a durable party camera at best. You can use Ricoh R1 at almost any time, but it seems impossible to sell your photo taken with Ricoh R1.
Other problems include the very slow reaction speed when you push the button, as well as the relatively long time for recharging the flash. Even if you are a party-animal photographer, the dull response of the shutter will bother you sometimes. Moreover, you might need some time to get accustomed to the passive auto focus, though you will not have to think much. (You just have to wait without moving your arms.)
Now, let me explain what made me uncomfortable.
I bought my Ricoh R1 more than a few years ago. Throughout the time when I traveled back and forth between the US and my country, I forgot where I put my Ricoh R1. And eventually, my little chic slim camera left in my shelf for more than 2 years.
Note that when it was left in cold, the camera was empty. It stayed stand-alone in the case without the battery and the film. The shelf has not been the fantastic place, but it has not been the terrible place, either.
To be fair, I have to point out that it might be my fault that I didn't go through the maintenance. But when I found my Ricoh R1 the other day, it didn't full-function. When I inserted a battery, my Ricoh R1 woke up, but it didn't stay focused on anything. Also, the monitor and the LCD were dead. Basically, it is functioning like a zombie.
TECHNICAL SUPPORT
Since I paid more than $200 for this camera, I am very reluctant to dump this. So, when I found this little zombie, I called the technical Ricoh's support for the help.
By the way, the official support page is located at
http://www.ricohcpg.com/repair_fs.htm
But the phone number you find at this page is not for 35mm cameras. If you have the problem with 35mm Ricoh cameras, you have to call at 1-800-225-1899.
The people on the other end of the phone line were nice. They gave me instructions to detect the problems.
In my case, the technical support rep and I reached the conclusion that my little camera would need the repair service. He gave me the procedure for sending my Ricoh R1, which is kind enough.
Nevertheless, here are my problems. The on-going price of used Ricoh R1 is somewhere between US $55 to US $100. Obviously, mine is used, and it's not in the good condition. If I send mine to Ricoh's repair service center for their estimates and repair service, I would definitely end up with more than $55.
Probably, my best choice is to shoot this camera on its head, and get another or something else in the same price range.
OVERALL
Ricoh R1 is a good party camera. I was very happy during the first few months after I bought mine, though I believe I paid too much. If I had bought a used Ricoh R1 at the decent price such as $80 or so, I would not have concerned about repairing this camera.
As I repeated, Ricoh R1 is a very slim chic light-weighted party camera, and the used one will cost much cheaper than several of disposable cameras will. (Consider the quality and the durability. The used ones will be much better deal than the disposable ones.)
If my Ricoh R1 hadn't become a zombie while he was staying at my shelf, also if I had bought this camera at the decent price tag, I would rate this product with 5 stars from the party animal's point of view. But since it broke under the in-box condition, I would like to deduct one star.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 250
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uribou
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Sushi party with Japanese girls?
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