Ricoh CX3

The market for compact super-zoom cameras is really taking off. In fact, no less than 13 different models have been announced for launch with new releases due from heavyweight brands like Nikon and Sony. Ricoh has slightly updated its star model, and although the CX3 is very similar to the CX2 (see right), it is Ricoh’s first camera to feature a backlit sensor. This should go some way to help the Japanese manufacturer overcome its chronic digital noise issues.

Handling

To be honest, I might as well just paste a link to the test of the CX2 in this section, as the interfaces are all identical. That’s by no means a bad thing though, as the metal casing is impeccably well-made and offers good grip. In spite of its not-insignificant weight, the camera is well designed and can even be tailored to suit your personal needs. The quick-access menu, for example, is entirely customisable, and the CX3 can even save two sets of custom settings.

Its design is austere and undeniably masculine. It’s also a camera that’s geared more towards users who know what they’re doing, as advanced focusing options such as Snap and Infinity won’t mean much to beginners. Logically, the CX3 has the same drawback as the previous model, with a slight wobble in the zoom lens and room for improvement in the zoom’s construction.


The display still takes the form of a high-quality 3-inch VGA screen, and it's a real pleasure to look at. The glossy finish can be slightly off-putting in bright sunlight.

Speed

Well, there’s good news and bad news. The CX3 is a little bit slow to start up, but the focusing is fast and reacts quickly. Plus, you can break all kinds of records by bypassing the preset focus mode and switching to Snap or Infinity. The Snap mode offers a fixed focus setting of 2.5 m that’s fine for use in all kinds of day-to-day situations, whereas Infinity mode is similar to manual focusing and allows instant photo shooting.

What is surprising though, is that the recycling time between two photos is longer than with the CX2, at just over 2 seconds. That makes the CX3 slower than several competitors’ cameras. It’s a real shame too, as the burst mode is very fast, starting off at five frames per second and then continuing at 3.3 fps when the buffer memory is full (after three seconds).

Picture quality

Despite the addition of a back-illuminated CMOS sensor, which is naturally more sensitive than the regular CMOS sensor found in the CX2, Ricoh’s image processing is still far from perfect. There is certainly an improvement compared with the previous model, but smoothing is apparent from 400 ISO (Auto noise reduction) and the picture quality degrades significantly from 1600 ISO. Sony cameras with the same sensor retain slightly more detail, which could lead us to fear that Ricoh may be left lagging behind future users of backlit sensors such as Nikon and Fuji. However, at settings up to 800 ISO, the picture quality will be just fine in an 8”x10” print or an onscreen view.


The lens does its job properly, but is noticeably inferior to the best models out there. This is especially true at longest focal length, with some traces of coloured fringes and sharpness that’s barely above average.


Video

The CX3 films in 720p HD resolution. Picture quality is appropriately detailed but some noise is noticeable in shadowy areas. Plus, sound is recorded in mono and the microphone is fairly sensitive to breathing noises. On the whole, video isn’t this camera’s strong point and anyone who’s seriously interested in a video mode would be better off looking elsewhere.