Tasco announces new pricing for Ricoh's interchangeable lens GXR

According to Tasco’s Stewart Pickersgill, General Manager – Digital Camera Sales Division, the move follows increasing competition in the compact interchangeable lens category.

“The digital camera market has always been a competitive one. A year ago, there were only two or three players in the compact interchangeable lens category – now there are half a dozen.

“People who are serious about image quality will always aspire to buy Ricoh, but we’ve had to respond to increasing competition in the category by reducing the price ofthe GXR offering.”

Setting it apart from other interchangeable lens cameras, the GXR utilises an innovative slide-in mount system to attach units which integrate lens, image sensor and image processing engine. The key advantage of this world-first design is a more finely tuned relationship between lens and sensor, resulting in the image quality one would expect from a DSLR.

The GXR represents a further evolution of Ricoh’s award-winning GR Digital and GX compact digital cameras. Like its predecessors, the GXR offers an irresistible combination - the superior image quality and advanced manual control of a SLR, with the pocketability and handling of a compact.

Three interchangeable camera units are currently available, with a fourth camera unit featuring a 28mm fixed-focal-length Ricoh GR lens and a high speed APS-C size CMOS sensor scheduled for release in October. Pickersgill says this demonstrates Ricoh’s commitment to the GXR system.

“The GXR is here to stay. Ricoh is listening to its customers and has mapped out the release of new camera units heading into 2011 and beyond.

“To fully utilise the GXR’s unique ability to accommodate interchangeable units other than camera units, Ricoh is also investigating possibilities for the development of a variety of devices, such as storage, printers and projectors.”

New recommended retail prices including GST
GXR camera body -$599 (was $699)
A12 50mm F2.5 MACRO camera unit - $949 (was $999)
S10 24-72mm F2.5-4.4 VC camera unit - $549 (was $649)
P10 28-300mm F3.5-5.6 VC camera unit - $449 (was $499)
GXR A12 soft kit - $1399 (was $1599)
GXR S10 hard kit* - To be announced 2 July, 2010
GXR P10 hard kit- $749 (was $799)
GXR dual soft kit (A12 + S10) - $1949 (was $2099)

The GXR camera system is available exclusively through the Ricoh Pro G Dealer Network. For a full list of Ricoh Pro G Dealers please visit:
http://www.tasco.com.au/CameraProducts/RicohProGDealer/tabid/630/List/0/Default.aspx

For sales and customer enquiries contact Ricoh’s Australian distributor, Tasco on 02 9938 3244 or visit www.tasco.com.au

* Ricoh will announce pricing for a GXR S10 hard kit in a separate announcement on Friday 2 July 2010. The term ‘hard kit’ refers to a GXR body and camera unit packaged and sold together. The term ‘soft kit’ refers to a GXR body and camera unit sold together but packaged separately.

Media note: View the image gallery here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/writeaway/sets/72157624197563237/