Ricoh's 2007 travel zoom — 8MP, stabilised 28-200mm 7.1x lens, 2.7in screen, face detection
The Ricoh Caplio R7 was announced in August 2007 as the successor to the Caplio R6, continuing Ricoh's line of slim travel-zoom compacts. It kept the signature 28-200mm-equivalent stabilised lens in a body measuring only 20.6mm at its thinnest point, and was among the last Ricoh compacts to carry the Caplio name before the series became the R8 under plain Ricoh branding.
It uses an 8.15-megapixel sensor with Ricoh's Smooth Imaging Engine III processor. The 7.1x optical zoom covers a 28-200mm equivalent range and is stabilised by a CCD-shift correction system. A 2.7-inch LCD handles composition and review, and face detection assists focus and exposure. Storage is on SD cards and power comes from a DB-70 rechargeable lithium-ion battery charged in the BJ-7 charger.
Like its siblings the R7 is a one-camera travel kit, covering interiors and landscapes at 28mm and distant detail at 200mm without lens changes. Handling is quick and unfussy with Ricoh's typically direct menus. The small high-resolution sensor is happiest at low ISO in good light, and the step up from the R6 is modest — resolution and processing rather than optics.
Test the twin-section retracting lens through its full range; sluggish or stuck extension is the common fault on used R-series bodies. The DB-70 battery also fits the later R8, R10, CX1 and CX2, so spares are easy to source, but check a charger is included. Inspect the large screen for scratches since there is no viewfinder, and confirm the SD slot reads cards reliably.