Click photo for more images of the Ricoh R8.

Ricoh has upgraded its Caplio R7 point-and-shoot with the R8. The R8 uses a new 10-megapixel sensor and 460,000-pixel, 2.7-inch LCD, and retains the f/3.3-5.2, 28mm-200mm 7.1x zoom lens and sensor-shift optical image stabilization of its predecessor. Ricoh has made a few changes to the design of the ultracompact camera as well. The R8 sports a rubber grip, new strap eyelets, a metal top cover, and metal detailing on the lens barrel, mode dial, and shutter release. In addition, the camera’s Adjust button functions have been expanded for more efficient menu navigation.

Other notable new features include a 1:1 aspect ratio shooting mode, a minimum-aperture-priority mode that sets the lens at the minimum aperture and calculates exposure automatically, selectable autofocus and autoexposure points, and two selectable zoom speeds. There are also new fine-tuning controls for brightness, contrast, and color tone, as well as in-camera cropping.

Like previous Caplio R models, the R8 offers a macro mode that can focus as close as 1 centimeter at wide angle and 25 centimeters at telephoto, a top light-sensitivity setting of ISO 1600, and a shutter speed range of 1/2000 to 8 seconds. The camera does not offer manual or priority modes (except for the minimum-aperture mode), but it does provide some exposure flexibility with autobracketing and a spot meter.

Pricing and availability have not yet been announced.

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