More and more it seems like you have to buy a Digital SLR in order to get manual controls - not so with the Ricoh GX200 - it features full manual controls and more customisable buttons than most Digital SLRs! With this camera you can have all the great Digital SLR features, without the size, with the GX200 neatly fitting into coat pockets. Where the GX200 can't match a Digital SLR is in image quality - the GX200 shows excessive amounts of noise when used at ISO400 or above. If you can stick to the lower ISO settings, and want a compact wide angled digital camera with full manual controls then this is worth considering. The Ricoh GX200 has some unique features such as an electronic "spirit level", 1:1 aspect ratio photos, a 24mm wide angle lens, and more customisable buttons then necessarily needed! If you want a camera that can match a Digital SLR's features and controls, but definitely don't want the size of a DSLR, then the Ricoh GX200 is recommended!

Ricoh has tried to make a camera for the enthusiast photographer, a camera that the pro or enthusiast could slip into his pocket for a day and make sure he can still get a great shot. Design-wise, the company has pulled it off. The tough little camera is a beauty to hold and a joy to use, and I couldn't wait to see the pictures. It's the imaging aspect that's a disappointment though, and really lets the camera and Ricoh's ambitions down. The 12MP sensor and processing combination is frankly poor.




In fact I question the wisdom of such densely populated sensors on compact cameras. The small pixels are bound to produce more noise and processing will only get you so far.




Ultimately, the camera works well at lower ISOs and does have some fantastic features, such as the best EVF and monitor yet in a compact, the b/w conversion and square format are fun and the accessories available add up to a nice little system. It's just not as good as it should be,