The
Ricoh RDC-7 can only be qualified as truly innovative. Shaped
somewhat like a pocket recorder, the RDC-7 is flat—barely 26.6mm
[1 in] thick—and designed to be held horizontally as well as vertically.
Extremely well-finished and covered by metal on both sides, the RDC-7
provides a fully internal 3X zoom and a 3.3 megapixel resolution.
The
2 inch LCD screen is articulated and can be raised up from its closed
position up to 135º; or once vertical rotated 180º so that it
can be folded back down onto the camera, facing up.
However, the LCD screen is not the only means of framing an image with
the RDC-7, an optical viewfinder is also provided, and it includes a diopter
corrector with a range of -2 to +1 dpt.
The
back of the camera presents the mode dial, which is almost centred. The
On/Off power switch activates the camera when pressed, and rotates along
with the dial. The zoom control is placed immediately behind the dial,
and made to protrude both on top and at the bottom, making it accessible
when the camera is held flat or vertically.
To the right of the dial, 2 small LEDs, indicate image storage (alternating
red-green), flash charging (flashing red), focus lock (solid green).
The top of the RDC-7
provides a group of buttons for quick access to some settings:
Self-timer
(10 seconds),
Picture
Resolution and Quality,
Flash
modes,
Internal
or Card memory selection.
The zoom
control, accessible from both sides of the camera and the shutter release
(2-stage) complete the controls located there.
The ergonomic design
of the RDC-7 is actually much more compatible with the use of the viewfinder
than the LCD screen. Indeed, when the screen is folded back flat on top
of the camera, and the photographer looking down at the screen, the index
finger of the right hand tends to migrate forward to provide a better
hold and ends up covering both the flash and microphone. Similarly, the
shutter release is positioned a little too far back to be comfortable,
unless the camera is at eye-level.
The
problem completely disappears when the viewfinder is used. Then the camera,
though thin, is easily controlled and fingers find both grip area and
controls naturally. The same holds true when the camera is used to vertical
shots.
To make the design easier to use vertically, Ricoh engineers have thoughtfully
added a second shutter release, also 2-stage, placed just below the lens
when the camera is held upright. A semitransparent dark red plastic piece,
shaped like an elongated tear drop, serves as a grip when the camera is
vertical, while the narrow top part covers the self-timer indicator lamp.
One caveat
when the camera is used vertically: the shutter release is very close
to the lens, and since the optical viewfinder is separate it is easy to
accidentally cover the lower part of the lens without realizing it.
