Instead of having a camera body and then lenses you screw in for wide angle or zoom, Ricoh's new GXR model actually comes in two parts. First, there's the body with an image sensor, a 7.5cm LCD display, flash and a card slot for the memory. The second component in the GXR design is a lens unit that actually features its own image sensor and processing engine, the shutter, aperture control, and auto-focus driver - all in an enclosed unit that slides in to the body. The result, according to Ricoh, is the smallest camera on the market that lets you change lenses for different situations. The downside is that every time you want to buy a new lens for the GXR, you are basically paying for all the components of a new camera except the display. Then again, it also means you'll be able to upgrade the GXR lenses in future as higher image quality and different zoom configurations are designed. So far, Ricoh has announced two lens components. The A12 lens is a 12.3-megapixel fixed-focus 50mm Macro lens offering an aperture of f2.5 and a minimum focus distance of 7cm. The S10 model gives you 10.1-megapixel images with a 24-72mm, f2.5-f4.4 lens. The Ricoh GXR is expected to hit Japanese store shelves in December. The body is listed for around HK$4,500 while the A12 and S10 lens units will sell for around HK$6,000 and HK$3,500 respectively. Pros: exchange lens in a point-and-shoot form factor, can upgrade to new technology on the same platform Cons: basically have to buy a new camera with every new lens
