Ricoh RDC-5000

For a camera that costs just £553, the Ricoh RDC-5000 boasts some impressive statistics. Top of the list is a 2.3 megapixel CCD, which translates into 1,792 x 1,200 maximum resolution, with a 2.3x optical zoom to help capture even more detail. But we're now getting to the stage at which the ergonomics of a digital camera are almost as important in its appeal as those headlining statistics. Ricoh describes the RDC-5000 as 'elegant', but this - especially when compared to Canon's stylish PowerShot A50 (reviewed issue 60, p166) - is open to debate. Despite its smoothed corners and the brushed silver effect, the RDC-5000's square design still faintly resembles a brick, and its aesthetics are further undermined by the grey plastic casing on the rear of the camera.

Where the RDC-5000 does excel is in its ease of use. Unlike the indecipherable options we sometimes come across, switching it on is as simple as sliding the on/off switch. The clear icons on the mode dial at the top of the camera - for setup, taking photos, playback, deleting and transferring photos to the PC - make operation straightforward. Images on the 1.8in TFT screen are generally crisp, although the picture does become grainy in dark conditions. Ricoh is thoughtful enough to provide a protective cover for the screen when the camera is off, but we were disappointed to see that this can't be left in place if taking a photo through the viewfinder. This will mean the screen is subject to the usual greasy finger smears.

The on-screen menus are intuitive, but don't expect a huge amount of control over how to take pictures. You can adjust white balance to the extent of telling the camera if you're shooting under certain conditions - such as fluorescent light or on an overcast day - but there is little reason to switch from automatic setting. You can also adjust exposure levels to plus or minus 2.0EV if you so wish, but only in 0.5EV steps.

It's commendably easy to switch between quality and size of photos, using the Pic button on top of the camera. An uncompressed 1,792 x 1,200 resolution picture using 24-bit colour works out at over 6Mb, and for this reason Ricoh - like so many of its competitors - uses JPEG compression. In the RDC-5000's case, there are three choices: Fine, Normal and Economy. Although JPEG compression makes sense in general, it's a shame that Ricoh doesn't offer a raw image facility for when you want the best quality possible. After all, you can crop and compress photos after you've transferred them to your PC.

Thanks to the camera's 8Mb of RAM, it can take nine top-quality 1,792 x 1,200 resolution pictures, 19 at normal and 38 at economy. Dropping the resolution to 900 x 600 means you can fit in 29, 55 and 99, respectively. Buy an optional SmartMedia memory card, currently with capacities up to 32Mb, and you can fit in even more images.

At its best quality setting, the RDC-5000 was an impressive performer. It captured detail well and although there were some artefacts due to image compression, the final image was far better than that shown by the 2.3 million-pixel FujiFilm MX-2700 (reviewed issue 56, p176). However, there are better performers for a similar price, most notably the Nikon CoolPix 950 (reviewed issue 58, p166), which captures excellent levels of detail and has a much superior overall image quality. Its only weakness is a street price £100 higher than the RDC-5000's £499.

Lower down the price scale is the Minolta DimÅge Ex-Zoom 1500 (reviewed issue 53, p177). It may only contain a 1.5 megapixel CCD, and is thus limited to a maximum resolution of 1,344 x 1,008, but it captures a high level of detail for its £429 street price.