Ricoh RDC-7A 3 megapixel "Image Capturing Device" for mobile professionals with some unusual capabilities!<<Video, Power, Software :(Previous) | (Next): Reference: Datasheet>> Page 12:Test Results & ConclusionReview First Posted: 8/2/2000 |
Test Results
In keeping with our standard policy, our comments here are rather condensed, summarizing our key findings. For a full commentary on each of the test images, see the RDC-7's "pictures" page.
As with all Imaging Resource camera tests, we encourage you to let your own eyes be the judge of how well the devices performed. Explore the images on the pictures page, to see how well the RDC-7 performed, and how its images compare to other cameras you may be considering buying.
The RDC-7 generally produced very good images. Color accuracy was good, although the "subtractive primary" colors (yellow, cyan, and magenta) were a bit muted,, and skin tones were just a bit on the pinkish side. Overall color accuracy was quite good though. Choices for white balance selection were a bit limited, as befits a camera intended more for the point & shoot user than the photo enthusiast. The auto white balance setting worked very well in all but the most extreme lighting conditions (incandescent did better in our indoor portrait shot), and we found the color balance to be unusually neutral across the full tonal range. Tonal range was quite good as well, with the camera doing a good job of holding detail in both highlights and shadows, and what noise was present was fairly minimal in shadow areas. We did find that the RDC-7's flash is unusually well matched to indoor incandescent lighting, and the range of control for flash exposures is actually quite impressive.
The most unique feature of the RDC-7 is it's collection of "PRO" resolution modes, in which two successive, slightly shifted images are captured in rapid succession and then combined to result in a higher-resolution final image. We found that this genuinely increased camera resolution in the horizontal direction on our resolution target, but not in the vertical direction. On "natural" images though, the overall effect was definitely one of improved sharpness and detail. In normal exposure mode, we called the vertical resolution at 750-800 lines per picture height,, but aliasing began to be evident as early as 600 lines. (We did see more color artifacts in fine vertical detail than we're accustomed to on the current crop of 3 megapixel digicams.) Normal-mode horizontal resolution was 750 to 775 but aliasing again was visible as early as 600. As you'd expect, "standard" PRO mode (which just interpolates a large image up from the same basic CCD source data) showed no improvement in resolution over normal exposure mode, and in fact to our eye worsened matters a little bit. PRO-L mode is an interesting one, in that the camera uses two images captured in rapid succession, slightly shifted relative to each other to produce a single image at the normal 2048 x 1536 file size. Confirming the results of our "real world" tests, we found that PRO-L mode vertical resolution was about the same as that in normal exposure mode, but with the introduction of some fuzzy-looking "zipper" artifacts superimposed. By contrast, horizontal resolution is significantly improved in PRO-L mode, looking good to 900 lines or so, but minor color artifacts are visible starting at about 800. PRO-H mode again uses two images captured in rapid succession, with a CCD shift in between, but combines them in such a way as to produce a single image with the significantly larger image size of 3072 x 2304 pixels. Again confirming our "real-world" test results, horizontal resolution in PRO-H mode is significantly boosted, looking good to nearly 1000 lines per picture height, but does show artifacts starting back at about 800 lines. Vertical resolution in PRO-H mode does seem improved relative to that in other modes, showing good detail out to roughly 900 lines, but minor artifacts are again evident as far back as 600 lines. (We did see considerably less of the "zipper" artifacts in PRO-H mode though).
With either of the double-shot PRO resolution modes, it's important to note that they are really only usable with completely stationary objects: Any motion of the camera or subject produces very noticeable artifacts. Still, for stationary subjects, the improved resolution is quite noticeable. Normal-mode resolution is about average among current 3 megapixel digicams, but PRO mode options provide considerably more.
The RDC-7 is primarily a point & shoot camera, and as such, its exposure control is fairly limited. No control is provided over aperture or shutter speed, other than the time-exposure mode for low-light shooting. You do have a +/- 2EV exposure compensation adjustment, and can select increased light sensitivity settings of ISO 200 and 400, but that's about the extent of your exposure options. We did find that the higher ISO settings produced less noise than we've generally seen on current digicams, and the RDC-7's low light shooting was pretty good. We rated it as good to about 1/4 to 1/8 of a foot candle for low-light shooting, although image noise began to be an issue at that level. The autofocus stopped working at about 1 foot candle though, so you'll need to use the manual focus option for anything darker than a typical well-lit city night street scene.
The RDC-7's viewfinders (optical and LCD) weren't as accurate as we normally like to see, the optical covering 82-85% of the final image area, and the LCD 86-88%. We also found about 1 degree of rotation in the optical viewfinder, an annoying trait that you can learn to overcome fairly easily, but that we really feel users shouldn't be forced to. As you'd expect, the LCD viewfinder had no rotation error, so you'll want to use it if you're dealing with more critical framing.
The RDC-7 did very well in the macro category, capturing a minimum area of only 0.94 x 0.70 inches (23.77 x 17.83 mm), much smaller than most digicams can manage. The flash is disabled in macro mode though, which makes sense given how close the camera can focus.
Overall, the RDC-7 has about average image quality among the current crop of 3 megapixel digicams, but stands out in the areas of compact portability, video and sound recording, macro shooting, and its unusual "PRO" resolution modes. Designed for the "mobile professional", we'd judge it to be a good choice for users in that category.
Conclusion
With its sleek shape and very portable dimensions, the RDC-7 is a great choice for users who hold portability as a top priority. Image quality is good, about average for the current 3 megapixel category, but the camera is clearly designed for professionals on the move, rather than the photo enthusiast. Designed for the point & shoot user with portability and video/audio capability as key priorities, it offers only limited exposure controls (no aperture or shutter priority exposure modes, for instance), although flash exposure is surprisingly flexible. The extended-resolution "PRO" exposure modes are probably the most unusual aspect of the camera, and do in fact provide a significant boost in resolution. The downside though, is that these modes are only usable with stationary subjects. Some reviewers of the RDC-7 have reacted to how slow the camera is when shooting in PRO mode, but to focus solely on those modes as a measure of the camera's speed does it a disservice in our opinion: In ordinary shooting modes, it's about average in its shot to shot speed. The term "mobile professional" is already becoming a bit overused, but it does describe a significant group of potential digicam users out there, and we think the RDC-7 is well-suited to them. If you travel a lot & want a 3 megapixel digicam that slides easily into a shirt pocket and has some unique features to boot, the RDC-7 could easily be the camera you've been waiting for!
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