Ricoh launches GR Digital camera

Ricoh has just launches the 8.13 megapixel GR Digital digital camera.The new GR Digital inherits the superb image quality that made the award winning GR Series (first launched in 1996) of 35mm compact film cameras so popular, as well as the depictive performance to satisfy professional photographers, distilled into a compact 25mm thin body. With a high-quality feel and superb expandability, this is the perfect tool for professional photographers and advanced amateurs.

When planning the GR Digital, Ricoh’s engineers began by identifying the elements that provide the high picture quality demanded by discerning photographers. After much study, Ricoh placed special emphasis on resolution, noise level, color aberration correction, color reproduction, tone, and distortion characteristics. In order to achieve extremely high levels in each of these areas, Ricoh gave the GR Digital a CCD with 8,130,000 effective pixels, and also developed two key components: (1) a F2.4 fixed focal length GR lens with f = 5.9 mm (28 mm converted to 35 mm format camera) having high resolution and depictive power; and (2) a new GR Engine image-processing system featuring natural composition and rich, fine gradations while further lowering noise in all images.

These key components in turn translate into a high Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) rating for the central area of the image as well as the edges. MTF is a measure of contrast and resolution, and one of the most widely used standards for evaluating image quality. The GR Digital has the descriptive power to show each hair on a person's head, with superb reproductive capability all the way into the corners of the picture. The GR Digital’s images also reduce noise, giving greater continuity in dark areas, reproduces natural tones and gradations, and reduces blurring and distortion.

Item	Description
CCD	Effective 8.13 million pixels (8.30 million pixels), 1/1.8-inch primary-color CCD
Lens	Focal length f=5.9mm (equivalent to 28mm for film cameras) Aperture F:2.4~11, Lens structure 6 glass elements in 5 groups, 7 diaphragm blades
Shutter	Still 180, 120, 60, 30, 15, 8, 4, 2, 1-1/2000 sec. (electronic/mechanical shutter),During long-term exposure, has noise elimination function. Motion 1/30-1/ 2000 sec. (electronic shutter)
Picture Mode	Fine, Normal, RAW(DNG)*3
Exposure Adjustment	TTL-CCD photometric system: Multi (256 segments), Center Weight, Spot
White Balance	Auto/Fixed (Daylight, Overcast, Tungsten Light, Fluorescent Light, Manual, Advanced), White Balance-bracket function
Recording Media	SD Memory CardTM(3.3V 32/64/128/256/512MB/1GB), Multi Media CardTM, Built-in Memory 26MB
Recording Mode	Photo (Still, Continuous, S-Continuous, M-Continuous), Program Shift/Aperture-Priority/Manual exposure, Scene (Text, Sound), Motion
Recording Formats	Still : compression : JPEG8(Exif ver.2.21), RAW(DNG) Text : Tiff(MMR format/ITU-T.6) Video : AV1(Oopen DML Motion JPEG format compliant) , Audio : WAV(Exif ver.2.21 μlaw)
LCD Monitor	2.5 inch low temperature polysilicon TFT LCD (approx. 210,000 pixels)
Dimensions (W x D x H)	107.0 x 25.0 x 58.0 mm (excluding projections)
Weight	Approx. 170g (excluding battery, SD Memory Card, hand strap), Accessories (battery, hand strap) approx. 30g
Power Source	Rechargeable Battery (DB-60) x 1, AC adaptor (AC-4c), AAA Battery (alkaline/oxyride/NiMH rechargeable battery) x 2
Shooting Capacity	Based on CIPA standard Using DB-60: Approx. 250 pictures (Normal) Using AAA alkaline batteries: Approx. 30 pictures (Normal)