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Ricoh announces the GR Digital
Professional Grade High Resolution Compact Digital Camera
Tokyo, Japan - September 13 - Ricoh Co., Ltd. (president and CEO: Masamitsu Sakurai) announced today the October 21 launch of the GR Digital, a newly developed professional-grade high-resolution compact digital camera. In addition to a CCD with 8,130,000 effective pixels, the new digital camera boasts superb resolution through a newly developed high-performance lens, image-processing algorithms, and other innovations, as well as low noise and low chromatic aberration.
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.
Notes:Ten years have passed since Ricoh launched the Ricoh DC-1, the first Ricoh digital camera, in 1995. The Ricoh DC-1 was the world's first digital camera to support video.
- The closer the 50/mm and 150/mm curves are to 100%, the higher the contrast and resolution.
- 50 lines/mm and 150 lines/mm are equivalent to 10 lines/mm and 30 lines/mm, respectively, when converted to a 35mm format camera. In general, if a 10 line/mm 35mm format camera has an MTF of 80% or higher, it is considered to have excellent image quality, and at 60% or higher is considered to have satisfactory image quality.
- The alignment of the R and T characteristics is vital for blurring and other depictive characteristics.
During that time Ricoh have remained at the forefront of digital camera technology. Ricoh's leading edge technologies have seen many breakthroughs with such outstanding features as: 1cm macro, wide-angle high quality optical zoom lenses, ultra fast response times (start-up and shutter release lag) and unique linking of communications and GPS support functions.
