Updated This 16.2MP compact camera could put Ricoh back on the enthusiast photographers' radar.

A step up from the Ricoh CX5, the CX6 adds aperture/shutter priority, continuous AF shooting modes and speed. It's a quality compact.

Ricoh's GR Digital IV introduces a new AF system, image stabilisation and one of the finest LCD screens around.

Is the CX4 upgrade an expensive point and shoot camera, or does it offer something extra?

This water, dust and shockproof compact camera has a sleek minimalist design and high-resolution sensor

Is the CX4 an expensive point and shoot, or does it offer something extra?

Is this the barmiest idea ever? We get to grips with a compact that enables you to change the lens and sensor...

Can Ricoh's G600 possibly be as rugged as it looks?

Over the past couple of decades, photography has changed almost beyond recognition. The switch from film to digital is only part of it. Photographers have also migrated en masse, away from fixed focal length 'prime' lenses to embrace the do-it-all convenience of zooms.

Ricoh is marketing the compact camera as a lighter, more discreet alternative to the DSLR without limiting the user. Ricoh’s attempted to create this type of camera through its flagship Caplio series, but this time has done away with the Caplio moniker, simply calling it the R8.

This is not the time to be shy about your achievements - if you're any good at anything, make a noise about it. Take the Ricoh Caplio R7, a fine looking and well-built little camera that announces itself with possibly the loudest start-up noise of any compact.

This is one of those 'everything but the kitchen sink' cameras, featuring a wide-angle 3x optical zoom lens, rugged waterproof body and Bluetooth or Wi-Fi image transfer.

Digital camera manufacturers have yet to produce a must-have alternative to an SLR for pros. Compact cameras tend to be almost entirely focused on consumers, emphasising gimmicks and ease of use rather than manual controls and ultimate image quality

With manufacturers falling over themselves to differentiate their compacts from the alternatives, Ricoh's update of the R5, the R6, is cumbersomely described as 'the world's thinnest camera with a 28mm wide angle, 7.1x optical zoom lens'

You can't beat the convenience of a slimline compact camera. Slip it into a spare pocket and take it just about anywhere. However, with that portability comes an almost universal frustration...

Ricoh's digital compacts typically offer a combination of something a little different from the competition - a wide-angle lens here, high ISO sensitivity there, macro down to 1cm - plus very keen pricing

Wide-angle and teleconverters are available for compact cameras, but they're usually a poor substitute for a good optical zoom range - which happens to be the Caplio R30's strongest point.

With the market increasingly saturated with me-too camera models, manufacturers are branching out in more exotic directions. One area that possibly hasn't had enough interest is the adventure camera market.

These days it's a common trend amongst manufacturers to release new cameras with fewer and fewer differences from the preceeding model. Canon typified this when they released the successor to the EOS 20D

The R4 enters a competitive part of the compact market place. Priced at just under £250, the main flaw of its predecessor was the 5.2 megapixel sensor. So as expected, the R4 now sports a 6-megapixel sensor...

The new Caplio R30 has a really solid feel about it and the styling isvery slick and compact. Pick it up and you get an immediate sense ofgood quality, while the fact that the body slants backwards slightly atthe right hand edge...

For what seems like eons a debate has raged over who makes the best digital cameras? Is it technology firms who make up for a lack of optical knowledge with their ability to produce top-notch consumer electronic kit?

Ricoh has decided to build on the positive reviews of its Caplio R1camera with this quick-fire update. The R1v is almost identical to its predecessor; the main difference is the step up from a 4-megapixel CCD to a 5MP version, with a £30 price hike