Ricoh G700SE Review

Ricoh G700SE Overview

Posted: 09/21/2010

The Ricoh G700SE is very closely related to the Ricoh G700, a model with a lengthy list of features making it well-suited to industrial and cleanroom usage. Differences include the addition of wireless LAN and bluetooth connectivity, and a connection for external GPS and laser barcode reader accessories. The G700SE body is water- and dustproof to the highest standards in the Japanese JIS 2-8 and European IEC 529 specifications, and merits an IP68 rating. This means that it is considered to offer complete protection against dust, and allows immersion beyond one meter underwater in conditions defined by the manufacturer. In the case of the Ricoh G700SE, underwater use is said to be possible at up to a depth of five meters, for as long as two hours. With the GPS or laser barcode reader accessories attached, the rating falls to IP64 class, with the lower second digit indicating a reduction of the waterproofing level -- either accessory can resist splashing water, but not direct water jets or immersion.

The G700SE is also shockproof to the MIL-STD-810F Method 516.5 procedure IV, the Transit Drop test, which requires that up to five samples of the camera be dropped a total of 26 times onto two-inch thick plywood over concrete, so that it will land on each of its faces, edges, and corners. The G700SE body passes this test from 2.0 meters, even when powered on. With its optional wide-angle converter lens attached, it will still pass the test from 1.5 meters -- the same height from which the previous G600 model could pass this test body-only. With the laser barcode reader attached, the maximum drop height is also 1.5 meters, and with the GPS accessory mounted the shock protection can handle a 1.2 meter drop. The G700SE can also be operated at temperatures between -10C and 40C.

Just like the G700, the G700SE's body is made from materials that allow cleaning with ethanol and hypochlorous acid-based disinfectants. This allows use in environments such as medical facilities, and those producing items such as pharmaceuticals, food, and cosmetics, where hygiene is a must. The G700SE's controls also feature large buttons, making the camera conducive to use with gloved hands.

Further features of the Ricoh G700SE make it well-suited to business and industrial use, including a security function that allows password protection of the camera at various levels -- for example, preventing use of the camera altogether, preventing image playback, restricting camera settings changes, or even setting the camera to only allow use of write-once, read-many (WORM) memory cards from SanDisk. The G700SE can also be set to secure images as they're captured, so that any subsequent modifications to the images can be detected using the supplied Ricoh EC1 software package.

Another feature that's particularly unusual is that, even without its laser barcode reader accessory, the Ricoh G700SE can read a variety of linear and matrix barcodes by placing them in front of the lens, and then store the information from the barcode as a camera memo in the EXIF header of an image. Compatible barcode types include the following:

Linear: EAN-13/8 (JAN-13/8), UPC-A/E, UPC/EAN (with add-ons), Interleaved 2 of 5, CODEBAR (NW-7), CODE 39, CODE 93, CODE 128 TYPE C, GS1-128 (EAN-128), and RSS (GS1 DataBar)

Matrix: QR Code, Micro QR Code, DataMatrix(ECC200), PDF417, Micro PDF417, MaxiCode, EAN・UCC Composite(GS1 DataBar Composite)

The Ricoh G700SE has a twelve megapixel CCD image sensor, coupled to a Ricoh-branded, prism-folded 5x optical zoom lens with 37mm lens thread. The lens provides 35mm-equivalent focal lengths ranging from a useful 28mm wide angle to a moderate 140mm telephoto. There's no optical or mechanical stabilization, with the Ricoh G700SE instead relying on digital image stabilization, which generally works by raising ISO sensitivities (and noise), or sometimes using software deblurring techniques. Maximum aperture ranges from f/3.5 to f/5.5 across the zoom range. Both automatic contrast detection and manual focusing are possible, with a minimum focusing distance in macro mode of just one centimeter. ISO sensitivities range from 64 to 3,200 equivalents, shutter speeds from 1/1,500 to eight seconds, and metering modes include 256-segment multi, center-weighted, and spot. A selection of six scene modes includes a Firefighting option, again hinting at this camera's unusually workmanlike design.

There's no optical or electronic viewfinder on the Ricoh G700SE, with a high-res 920,000 dot 3.0-inch LCD display catering for all interaction. JPEG still images and 720p AVI MotionJPEG movies are stored in 103MB of internal memory, or on SD / SDHC cards, including SanDisk's single-write WORM media.

The new Bluetooth and wireless LAN functions allow transfer of data from the G700SE without a cable. The camera body complies with the Bluetooth v2.1 EDR and 802.11b/g standards. In addition to data transfer, the Bluetooth connectivity can be used to allow the Ricoh G700SE to obtain a position fix from certain Bluetooth devices that include a GPS receiver. The WiFi connectivity supports WPS button connection, for simple setup. Both WiFi and Bluetooth radios can be operated simultaneously. Connectivity also includes video output of unspecified type, and USB 2.0 High Speed data. Optional accessories include a DW-5 wide conversion lens, which when attached gives a very generous 22mm-equivalent field of view.

No plans have been announced to bring the Ricoh G700SE to the United States market. Japanese-market pricing and availability for the Ricoh G700SE was not available at press time, but we do know that its GPS and laser barcode reader accessories will be sold separately from the camera itself. The optional GP-1 GPS unit includes electronic compass and GPS log functions, and the optional BR-1 laser barcode reader can identify one-dimensional barcodes.