Pentax Ricoh Imaging Company has announced a new Ricoh-brand digital camera. Like its predecessor GR DIGITAL IV, the new GR is a premium compact camera. Its pocket-sized body makes it ideal for everyday snapshot use. Yet, it packs a large format sensor to deliver high quality images and performance. The camera has a similar design as all GR-series models.
The all-new GR sports a newly developed 16.2 Megapixel APS-C size CMOS image sensor to produce high resolution images, According to Ricoh, it is the world’s smallest and lightest camera equipped with an APS-C CMOS sensor. The compact shooter also packs new GR ENGINE V image engine to offer high-sensitivity shooting at up to 25,600 ISO with minimal noise, and a new 18.3mm F2.8 GT lens with a lens construction that reduces ghosting, and nine-blade diaphragm to produce natural bokeh effect. It is capable of Full HD 1920×1080 video recording at 30fps in H.264 video format.
The high-speed auto focus system is able to focus on the subject in just 0.2 seconds and the AF Continuous Shooting can capture a series of photos at up to 4fps. It also features the Pentax-original Shutter-speed/Aperture-Priority (TAv) exposure mode that automatically sets the optimum ISO sensitivity based on the shutter speed and aperture. Other shooting functions include Multi-pattern AWB (auto white balance), Dynamic Range Compensation, Face Detection AF & AE, and Interval Composite mode. The Image Effect mode lets you add visual effects to photos.
Ricoh’s new GR comes with a 3-inch LCD display and HDMI output. It uses SD/SDHC/SDXC memory card for storage and is compatible with Eye-Fi card. Coming next month, the price is $799.99.
