Ricoh's new R10 wide compact camera helps you snap perfectly level shots

Only six months to the day after Ricoh's R8 announcement comes its replacement, the R10, announced yesterday. With much the same design as the R8--including the fairly wide f/3.3-5.2 28mm-200mm-equivalent 7.1x zoom lens. The most notable updates are the bigger 3-inch LCD and a new electronic level that takes a page from Ricoh's GX200 amd GR Digital II by utilizing an acceleration sensor to confirm that your subject is level when shooting (and to automatically rotate displayed image to horizontal or vertical orientation). Other new features include an easy shooting mode that displays only frequently used functions to simplify controls, an image flag function that lets you mark up to three favorite images for quick access and display, and a flash-intensity adjustment that gives you greater control over flash photography. The R10 also comes in a silver color (with a brownish grip) in addition to the original black and starts shipping in Japan on September 5. No word yet on U.S. pricing.