Ricoh CX5 review

Ricoh CX5: The fifth edition of the Ricoh CX range arrives

The CX range has always scored well in the rigorous DCE review tests – and with good reason. Ricoh models have provided users with an array of features at a reasonable price. Images produced from the very first CX1 to the most recent CX4 have always been consistently good and all models have been easy to use.

The CX5 appears to tick all the boxes, but from the outset there is one very obvious problem: the CX4 has not been on market shelves for long. Disappointingly, the CX5 does not seem to have many major differences from its predecessor, so it may be worth investing your money in the CX4, which will come down in value thanks to the arrival of the new model. However, the CX5 does have some positive aspects.

At first glance there are a couple of small upgrades, including the incorporation of super-resolution technology. This supposedly allows the model to record images at a higher quality than before, although there is not a noticeable difference in the image quality from the CX4.

One upgrade that is worthy of a mention is the zoom. The digital zoom appears to produce rather impressive results and the images produced at the fully extended 600mm were good with minimal shake. To keep the images at the optimum quality it is not recommended to take it past 300mm, but it is useful to have the extra if needed.  

There has also been a change in the AF technology and at full zoom the model was much quicker to pick the source of focus over its predecessors. There are also novel filters although these aren’t especially useful – unless you want your camera to incorporate a Cooking mode, Golf Swing Continuous mode, Fireworks mode and Night Landscape Multi-Shot mode.

The last major difference is that the CX5 is lighter and slightly slimmer than its predecessors. The boxy retro design will appeal to a mass audience and is available in pink, silver or black, but unlike some that have come before, there is no additional grip panel on the front and the finish over the whole body is smooth.  

The CX5 is easy to use and the menu systems are clear to navigate, but the back buttons are a little small in size and may prove fiddly for some.

The shutter is quick to react, meaning moments are never lost. Feature-wise the Ricoh CX5 holds a few novel settings that are unique to this model, and the DR mode is still one of the best in the compact market. Other unique creative modes include the cross-processing filter and the toy camera settings. These enable users to produce fun retro-looking images, which are at the height of fashion in the amateur market at the moment.

 For a compact camera the image quality produced by the CX5 is excellent. Colours across the spectrum are nicely balanced and even on a grey day the camera produced strong, saturated results. The auto WB is almost always accurate and rarely was there a problem with a colour cast. In low-light images the CX5 also appeared to produce good results although a little noise was evident in the dark areas. However, this is still only a compact camera so don’t expect miracles – occasionally there were a few glitches in the results.      

Even at the full retail price it’s hard to find anything of better value on the market. The Ricoh CX5 is another good camera, but let’s hope Ricoh holds back on the CX6 to let the CX5 claim its full reward.