Inside Story
To meet future expectations
"The people who purchased a GXR were attracted by the camera units that went on sale in December. At the same time, in addition to being satisfied by the wide range of options available, they also have strong expectations with regard to the future evolution of the line," said Wakumoto. Ricoh receives many questions asking about the units to be introduced in the future.
"I want to pursue the possibilities
inherent in digital cameras." (Akihiko
Okamoto)
"All that I can say at this time is that we are planning the release of a camera unit with a high-magnification zoom lens with a range of about 28 to 300 mm," said Akihiko Okamoto, Marketing Group member in the Personal MultiMedia Products Company Planning Office. There are also strong expectations with respect to the fact that GXR camera units can use a large image sensor in a small body.
Plans for creation of units other than camera units
Okamoto also talked about concepts for units with devices that go beyond the digital camera. The diverse concepts include a printer unit that would make it possible to print out images on the spot, a projector unit that could project on the wall images stored in the body's internal memory or the SD card, a storage unit that could store a huge volume of image data, and a RICOPY unit that could contain a compact copy machine.
"Rather than just creating a digital camera to do the same thing that film cameras have always done, we thought we could widen the scope to include capabilities that are inherent in digital technology. Today we are moving steadily forward on work for the introduction of new units. We are thinking about some units that are really going to surprise people. We will continue developing the GXR as a product for long-term use," said Okamoto. The GXR interchangeable unit camera system continues to attract attention not only for bringing a new concept to digital cameras but also for the potential new value of its ability to give birth to units that transcend the bounds of the digital camera.
Additional GXR informationGXR information will also be presented in GR BLOG, which is an official Ricoh blog.(Japanese)
- *Lens focal lengths in the text are all converted to 35 mm film camera equivalents.
