Ricoh Caplio R7 Review

I bought this Ricoh camera after reading this review, and a few others all saying the same sort of thing.
First impressions were pretty good. Took decent photos straight out of the box. In fact, i have to say that as far as the actual photos it takes go, i cannot fault it. Photos are consistently sharp with vibrant colours.
Upon receipt i was slightly disappointed to find that the zoom lever wobbled slightly and generally didn't feel as solid as it's chromed appearance might have you believe. The rest of the controls all felt pretty solid and were easy to use though.
However, when i took the camera on holiday only 1 week after receiving it, the lens jammed half way out. I put this down to a grain of sand, but after forcing the lens to retract again could not see anything. Whenever i turned the camera back on, the same thing happened.
When i got back home, I sent the camera back and received a brand new one under warranty. I was rather alarmed to find that after just 1 more week, this camera suffered exactly the same fate. As it had been nowhere near the beach (or anywhere else sandy), i can only presume that this is down to a design fault in the lens, by which dirt is let down the side of the lens or perhaps a flaw in the mechanical side of the zoom. The camera did eventually start up again and i have been using it since, but it still occasionally does this jamming thing.
Overall, I would not recommend this camera as it has proved to be unreliable, even if the photos it produces are very good. What is the good of it if it refuses to turn on at just the right moment?

Avoid! Our camera lasted almost 10 months before the lens jammed... We returned it to Jessops, and after a long wait we received a replacement unit. 7 months later, exactly the same problem occured again. We returned it again, and Jessops said that this is a known problem with these cameras, and that is why they no longer stock Ricoh products! They have offered us a full refund! So, "Well done Jessops! But not so well done Ricoh..."