CX1 PRODUCT IMAGES

Used the Ricoh earlier today for these images, combined in Photoshop, illustrating the benefits of the Joby Gorillapod ...which I plan to put to much more use shortly.

Whereas the Panasonic LX3 can be set for slow shutter times - fantastic results (for night shots, especially) with a tripod, the CX1 has unfortunately far less control ... but redeemed itself with some daylight product images here that were exactly as I'd hoped.

There's a reason why Ricoh cameras are famed for their macro peformance ...

LONDON - CAMDEN MARKET

It's all about the colour on this image ...CX1 colour rendition is great - good job, considering there isn't a RAW file option, and isn't likely to be in the future, either.

In the compact camera market, Fuji had previously built a great reputation for fantastic colour rendering, and made some really excellent cameras ...F10, F11, F30 ... to the extent that it would previously have been awkward for its users to change to another brand. The feeling was that they'd have to 'put up' with the way the image would look, from a colour viewpoint ... clearly an area that Ricoh have worked very hard at, and a good sign for future models.

SHILLINGFORD ST, ISLINGTON

A b&w image from this morning - Shillingford Street, London Borough of Islington, on an overcast but reasonably bright day.

Islington is hugely mixed ... in this part, there's a superb Greek coffee bar, which also sells some unidentifiable food and odd ingredients, a high-end kitchen showroom, interior designers, music shop, you name it ... makes for an interesting place.

LIKE CAMERAS ?

Just as well ... they really are everywhere. These taken at the long end of the zoom on CX1 ... definitely something my LX3 unfortunately can't manage, which is why I use them both.

What's impressive is that I've not had a single blurred image with the CX1 due to camera shake - the image stabilisation works brilliantly at all focal lengths, right up to 200mm, which along with its ultra fast-focusing ability means its easy to grab a shot when there's little time.

E-P1 £799 ...or £24.95 ?

Well the new Olympus E-P1, after so much speculation, should see the light of day in the UK sometime around early July. No doubt, a great camera, with the 'dream spec' for some photographers. So much anticipation & excitement.

Suggestion from me : whether you're planning to buy it or not, invest less than £25 -first - in what's probably the most interesting general photography book I've read in ages. Absolutely guaranteed to improve your photography ...can the same be said of the E-P1 ?

ARTIST'S IMPRESSION ?

LX3 f/4.5, 1/640, ISO80, -0.7EV

Struck me when processing this image earlier how similar it looks to some of those architectural 'Artist's impression' images you see in marketing brochures for new housing and commercial developments ... this image shot at the Hub, Milton Keynes ... one of the most recent, and therefore thoroughly modern in styling - very fitting for this modern city.

LX3 DYNAMIC BW

LX3 f/4.5, 1/2000, ISO80, -1.3EV

Digging through a 'to be processed' folder of fairly recent LX3 images, reminding myself just how great a camera it is - and the 'Dynamic Black & White' output, with a very film-like feel, was one of the big attractions in acquiring an LX3. Advantage over the CX1 is the customisation of the 'film' type, which perhaps Ricoh will learn from ?