The Beauty the eye sees, the beauty the mind imagines Eye opening superb image quality. Smooth Imaging Engine IV  +CMOS sensor

The CX1 features the highly evolved image processing engine Smooth Imaging Engine IV together with a CMOS sensor that enables high-speed image processing. For maximum enhancement of image beauty, the CX1 has the imaging power to brilliantly isolate one instant in time, and for high-sensitivity shooting it achieves noise reduction without compromising sharp resolution or color reproduction.

The addition of a customized circuit to the image processing engine has made it possible to include a pixel output interpolation algorithm that minimizes whiteout in high-contrast situations, thereby enabling you to faithfully capture the excitement seen by your eyes. With techniques that use R (red) and B (blue) information to interpolate G (green) information (which is prone to saturation), the CX1 expands dynamic range by up to +1 EV compared to conventional methods.

For scenes with both sunlight and shadow and scenes mixing flash and natural light (or fluorescent light, etc.) during flash photography, this function can define white balance to fit the light source of each segregated area of the image. This new capability is very powerful for people photography in scenes which could not be adequately handled by past auto white balance functions, which used an average setting for the entire image.
Ricoh's original (Double Retracting Lens System*) has made it possible to fit a 7.1x optical wide-angle zoom lens in a compact body that is both easy to carry and easy to operate. The lens can handle a wide range of shooting situations, including powerful telephoto shots as well as wide-angle shooting of both expansive landscapes and interior scenes with limited distance between camera and subject.
* Original Ricoh technology in which the lens can fit in a small space because part of it swings in a pendulum-like movement

Ability to handle a wide range of shooting situations. 28 mm wide-angle to 200 mm telephoto

Shooting at 28 mm wide-angle enables you to emphasize image breadth and depth. Telephoto shooting at 200 mm will bring far-away subjects up close and prominent while blurring the background. The 28-200 mm 7.1x optical zoom handles a wide variety of shooting situations. The intuitive operability of the CX1 is further enhanced by the ability to vary zoom speed with the zoom lever.

The step zoom function enables you to fix the optical zoom focal length at seven steps (28 mm, 35 mm, 50 mm, 85 mm, 105 mm, 135 mm, and 200 mm equivalent). For a zoom range beyond the 7.1x optical zoom (200 mm), the auto resize zoom takes you to a maximum of 38.6x (1,080 mm equivalent)* in five steps (recorded image resized to 7M, 5M, 3M, 1M, VGA). From the wide zoom range available, you can easily select the zoom position best for the shot you want to take.