After discovering sensor dust in his Ricoh GX100 for the third time this year, Serious Compacts contributor Wouter Brandsma has posted an open letter to Ricoh on his blog. At this point, I think that Ricoh ought to offer a replacement for Wouter's GX100. The best thing for Ricoh would be to replace it with a GX200. Through his wonderful photos on his blog, on Flickr, and in the GetDPI forums, Wouter has influenced many people to buy the GX100. His GX100 thread in the GetDPI forums should be required reading for anyone considering the camera. I can think of no one better to represent the capabilities of the GX200.

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Today, Ricoh announced the successor to the GX100. It is unsurprisingly called GX200 and boasts some interesting new features. It now has a RAW buffer, the electronic leveler from the GRD II and also records RAW in the 1:1 format.

Features:
- 12MP 1/1.7" CCD with a new "Smooth Engine III"
- 2.7" 460k-pixel LCD
- 1:1 RAW and RAW buffer that allows 5 successive RAW shots in continuous or bracketing mode
- Electronic leveler and sensor orientation
- Mode dial has now MY 1, MY 2 and MY 3 for quick changes to user settings
- In addition to the FN1 there is now and FN2 button that is user programmable
- Flash compensation has been added (+/- 2EV)
- Automatic dynamic range correction for high contrast scenes
- New b&w color filters and color bracketing option
- In-camera white balance correction
- A new 135mm tele adapter (TC-1) lens and a new optional automatic lens cap (LC-1) that allows the camera to start without removing it. Both accessories will also fit on the GX-100 from the looks of it.

All other specs should be identical to the GX100.

Addendum:
PhotographyBLOG has 36 full-res in-camera JPEG and six RAW (DNG) format GX200 image samples for download.

Addendum:
Discussion of the GX200 ongoing in our discussion area.

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Mayank Bhatnagar started a thread in our discussion area regarding Canon's plans to use new CMOS sensors in compact cameras. As some may recall, this news was announced last summer. Rumors are circulating that we will see the first Canon compacts with larger sensors in time for Photokina in September of this year. While we've yet to see any good evidence for these rumors, Gordon Buck has posted evidence at Light Description that we will at least see a new G-series Powershot this year. Could the G10 feature a CMOS sensor, somewhat larger than the sensors found in the G-series to date? Or, as some rumors have suggested, could we see two advanced compacts from Canon at Photokina - one a G9 replacement, the other incorporating a larger (?CMOS) sensor?

It is likely that Panasonic, Canon, and Ricoh will introduce replacements for the LX2, G9, and GX100, respectively, in time for Photokina. We have reason to believe that both Canon and Panasonic are working to implement larger sensor designs in compacts, though we don't know when these compacts will be available, nor do we know whether they will supplement or replace existing lines. If anyone has more information, let us know!

Update: The Popular Photography briefly posted a G10 announcement containing some of the specifications (link).

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If one is in the market for a current model compact camera with RAW capability and an optical zoom lens covering wide to telephoto, there are basically two choices, the Panasonic DMC-LX2 (including the Leica version, D-LUX 3) and the Ricoh Caplio GX100. Both of these are highly capable compact cameras. Recently, we have been providing quite a bit of GX100 coverage. To see some excellent work with the D-LUX 3, check out Jim Radcliffe's D-LUX 3 page here.

When faced with the prospect of buying one versus the other, I personally went for the GX100 due to its wider wide and, arguably, rawer RAW. I also liked having a hot shoe, mainly for the prospect of attaching an external viewfinder. However, the LX/D-LUX series has several notable strengths including a native 16:9 sensor, a format which I greatly enjoyed with the LX1. Since the "28mm equivalent" is based on the diagonal angle of view (AOV), a 16:9 format also means that the horizontal AOV at 28mm equivalent is significantly wider (and the vertical AOV significantly shorter) than it would be for a camera with a 4:3 aspect ratio. For a side-by-side view of the features offered by these two cameras, look to DPReview's feature comparison here.

The GX100 and LX2 offer widely distinct feature sets yet stand together and alone in their class. With these two cameras, Ricoh and Panasonic are leading the way with regards to what can be done with an excellent wide zoom lens and user access to RAW in a compact camera. The reason for this post is that we are hearing rumors (and in some cases more than just rumors) that both the GX100 and LX2 replacements will be introduced for Photokina in September. Panasonic made a point of holding back the LX2 replacement while introducing eight new models for PMA, and the Lets Go interview (via 1001 Noisy Cameras) suggests that Panasonic knows the importance of the LX2 in their lineup. Ichiro Kitao, Product Planning Manager Panasonic Optical Group, had the following to say when asked about the advanced compact camera market, particularly in relation to the Canon G9:

I think it is a very important segment. We have a camera in the pipeline for that segment; the Panasonic LX2. It is the year of the Photokina show so you can expect a lot from us. I suppose you can compare the Lumix LX2 to Canon's G9 camera. Not only the enhanced amateur is using this camera; we know that there are professionals too that use the Panasonic LX2 as an extra camera and for personal use. The concept of the Lumix LX2 is different than that of the PowerShot G9. We try to aim more at the emotional aspect of a compact camera. However; the possibilities of both cameras are quite alike.

Some have speculated that all we'll see is a couple of 12MP sensors thrown into the same old bodies, but I am more optimistic than that. Ricoh and Panasonic each have strong recent records of innovation. Invigorated by the introduction of the Sigma DP1 in the high end compact space, I believe both companies will come ready to battle for the advanced compact segment at Photokina this year. If Sigma brings out a DP series camera featuring a zoom lens, things will be even more interesting. What do you want to see in these upcoming serious compacts? Let us know in the thread over in the SeriousCompacts.com discussion forum on Flickr.

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