Ricoh has unveiled the latest in its compact camera line, the CX5, which comes equipped with a hybrid autofocusing system, a wide-angle, 10.7x optical zoom and a 10-megapixel resolution CMOS sensor.
By using a new combination of sensors, Ricoh has been able to reduce its autofocusing time to 0.2 second for wide-angle shots—nearly twice as fast as the preceding CX4 model. Developers achieved this focusing speed by using a passive AF sensor, which continuously measures the distance between the camera and subject, and a contrast AF sensor, which locks onto the highest contrast point of the subject.
The CX5 has also been improved with super-resolution and super-resolution zoom technology. The level of super-resolution can be set to off, weak or strong depending on how much sharpness and contrast is desired.
With this camera, Ricoh premiered a few unique "creative features" not yet out on the market, including cooking, firework and continuous golf swing scene modes. While in cooking mode, the brightness and color tone of the scene will be adjusted while the subject is set up.
Other specs to note with this model include 720p HD video capture and 5fps continuous shooting.
The CX5 is available in three colors — black, silver and pink —and sells for $399.