Two weeks ago Saturday Shout wondered if the Sigma DP1 could be the ultimate compact camera for keen photographers. Just 10 days later, there’s a new contender in the shape of the Ricoh GX100. Ricoh are like Sigma - a relatively small company in a massive pond filled with much bigger fish - so they have to do things a little differently to make an impression. The new Ricoh GX100 certainly fits that bill. It offers a wide-angle, 24-72mm zoom lens, with an optional wide conversion lens that will provide 19mm if required. And unlike most recent digital cameras from the larger manufacturers with entry-level DSLRs, the GX100 provides both RAW and RAW + JPEG shooting modes. This new camera comes in two different versions, the more expensive offering a removable electronic view?nder, which provides an extra way of framing your images. Throw in a 10 megapixel sensor and a hot shoe which accepts an electronic view?nder, an external ?ash, or the external view?nder, and the Ricoh GX100 starts to look very interesting. There is one fundamental difference between this camera and the Sigma DP1, however, and that’s the size of the sensor, with the DP1 having a much larger APS-C sized sensor which will almost certainly provide better overall image quality. The GX100 does offer a more versatile focal range than the DP1, though, so photographers looking for a DSLR backup suddenly have two very interesting cameras to consider. Can the Ricoh GX100 be a contender? Shout out now...

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