BIOS: Technology Means Business

Following on from the success of the 300G last year, Ricoh has announced the 500G Wide.

This model has the same characteristic tough body of its predecessor, the Caplio 400G with superior water and dust resistance, a wide-angle optical 3x zoom (equivalent to 28-85mm for a 35mm camera), and support for linkage with Construction CALS and other business systems.

It goes further, however, with new features, such as more rugged impact resistance, a flash range of 10m, and an antiblur function. It is designed specially for customers who will use it on construction sites, for insurance loss appraisal in disaster areas, in schools, and in other outdoor situations.

Ricoh has been the leader in water and dust-resistant digital cameras since the launch of the Ricoh RDC-100G in July 1999, and the launch of the 500G consolidates their dominance in the field.

A shock resistant structure and stronger camera cone create a robust body able to withstand falls from 1m onto 26 surfaces, in compliance with US Department of Defense “MIL Standard 810F” (previous models withstood 90cm). It can cope with rough handling outdoors.

The Caplio 500G Wide boasts the same impressive water resistance as its predecessor’s, surpassing JIS protection grade 7 performance. Besides taking pictures in the rain, it can even take pictures underwater in depths of up to 1m. Dust resistance satisfies JIS protection grade 6. Pictures can be taken in environments with high concentrations of dust and sand. The skilful placement of large buttons makes operation easy, even with gloves on.

The high-capacity flash has an effective range of up to 10m for wide-angle and 6.5m for telephoto, broadening the range of photographic opportunities. (Previous models effective flash range went up to 5m).

The antiblur function raises ISO sensitivity to allow photography at faster shutter speeds. This feature is superbly effective for photography indoors and in other dark situations.

The wide-zoom lens, equivalent to 28-85mm, was also popular on previous models. It can cover the whole of a large building, or frame pictures well in confined areas, while the 3x optical zoom can reach subjects that are too inaccessible to shoot from closer. For even wider shots, there is an optional wide conversion lens that is equivalent to 22mm.

The CALS mode switches immediately to the optimum picture quality for electronic delivery to construction CALS (1280x960 resolution, edge sharpening). The Camera Memo function can be used to attach memos, containing information such as the location, to the photograph data. Such memos facilitate later searching and cataloguing of images.

The high sense mode can monitor subjects clearly, even in dark places. It’s easy to take pictures at night, or in dim locations such as indoors and inside ducting. It also handles fire fighting-related work on fire scenes.

The large, high-detail 2.5-inch LCD monitor is a new addition. There is also an optical viewfinder, so the photographer can use whichever is right for the situation, for more reliable photography.

Superior response time with only 0.10 seconds elapsing between pressing the shutter and the start of exposure, and start-up time of approximately 1.2 seconds (when the flash is off). The large-capacity lithium ion battery provided with the camera gives battery life long enough for 400 continuous shots (CIPA standard). If the battery runs out AA-size batteries can be used instead, and an optional AC adapter can be used indoors.

Macro mode gets as close as 1cm from the subject. Skew correction mode can compensate for photographs taken at an angle, so that they look as if they were shot from the front. Performs powerfully in various situations, such as message boards and display panels.

When the camera is connected to the personal computer via a USB cable, it is recognized as an external storage device, so images in the camera can be transferred to the computer without using special software. Single-action transfer is also available from the special software.

The Caplio 500G Wide is compliant with the PictBridge standard that allows direct connection to a printer without routing through a personal computer. More diverse printing is possible, such as printing onto forms registered to the printer, when connected to Ricoh’s high-speed colour laser printers and MFP.

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