Ricoh GRD III at last ...

[Matus]

It was a LONG and complicated process (as can be seen here), but finally last Saturday the decision was taken and now I am a fresh owner of GRD3.

Please do note - I have not bought a digital camera in last 5 years (but many film cameras).

On that Saturday I had in front of me Leica X1, Ricoh GXR, Fuji X100 and the GRD3. Narrowing the selection was not easy. I really like the format and size of the X1, but the AF is still on the slow side and the LCD screams for update. I actually got so much emotionally taken by the X1 that my wife even promised me the X2 for birthday (clever girl - the cameras exists only in our dreams right now)

GXR is quite hefty and in size closer to X100 than X1. The main reason against it was the focal length - I thought if I am going to pay around 1000 euro for a camera I want it to have my preferred focal length - which is 35. Otherwise I would "have to" get both 28 and 50 modules what would make the whole setup too large for purpose intended.

So choosing between X100 and GRD3 (I know, not really comparable cameras) and finally decided to go with the GRD3. The Fuji is obviously better in many respects, but the GRD3 is really small so can be put in a pocket temporarily (and suits have pockets on the small side) when I need to free my hands (already used that feature). It has very good layout and I really like the way it feels in hand (better than the X100 whose grip is slippery).

I really like the way the camera is thought out - some really useful features. I will be setting up the 3 separate modes when I get through the manual (full printed version attached - so I did not use my laptop in a plane to browse through!). I skipped the idea of the 21mm converter. If the lens would be 35 and converter would allow it to go to 24 I would get one, but 28 is wide enough.

I really enjoy the camera. It will take me some time to find my way with it, but it feels like it is worth it. I will share some shots once I get some worth your attention.

Kudos to Ricoh for bringing cameras like this one. I hope they will keep following their vision and listening to photographers.

 

[nightfly]

Good call.

It's the first digital camera that I've kept for more than a month.

 

[andersju]

Congrats! The original GRD is the only digital camera (among the too many that I've owned...) that I've been really happy with. It's just right, and the size is perfect - truly a camera that you can always have with you without thinking twice about it. Bought it in 2006 and it's still kicking. Shooting mostly at ISO 800 and loving the results. Can't wait to see some pictures!

 

[dallard]

GXR is quite hefty and in size closer to X100 than X1. The main reason against it was the focal length - I thought if I am going to pay around 1000 euro for a camera I want it to have my preferred focal length - which is 35. Otherwise I would "have to" get both 28 and 50 modules what would make the whole setup too large for purpose intended.

Congratulations on the purchase, it looks like a great camera and one of a kind in its class but I'm confused.
If you wouldn't buy the GXR because of the focal length, why was the fixed 28 in the GRDIII okay? Why not just get the GXR and the 28 module? Was it price?

 

[Matus]

Congratulations on the purchase, it looks like a great camera and one of a kind in its class but I'm confused.
If you wouldn't buy the GXR because of the focal length, why was the fixed 28 in the GRDIII okay? Why not just get the GXR and the 28 module? Was it price?

Fair point. The decision was - the GRD3 is much smaller and also cheaper. I actually do hope to get a camera in a class like X100, GXR or X1 in the future. But I really like 35mm. I could not get that in the GRD size class, so I made a compromise. If there would be 35mm APS-C module for GXR I would probably go for it instead. But I was not ready to compromise on the focal length for much higher price and larger size.

Just for the record - last digital camera I have bought was the Minolta 7D (I sold my Olympus C5060WZ - that was a great camera for its time). I got it shortly after Minolta announced its withdrawal from camera market and the prices went down to more reasonable. If the AF and metering would work better it would get more use.

 

[coelacanth]

Ahh. I've been thinking about GRDIII ever since it came out. Now the price has come down a bit ($200 down since the release?), it's looking very attractive. I really loved the GRD1 until it broke. I've heard Ricoh fixed many of the reliability issues with the GRDIII. Very very tempting indeed. I'm looking forward to your photos with the GRD, Matus!

 

[dallard]

Fair point. The decision was - the GRD3 is much smaller and also cheaper. I actually do hope to get a camera in a class like X100, GXR or X1 in the future. But I really like 35mm. I could not get that in the GRD size class, so I made a compromise. If there would be 35mm APS-C module for GXR I would probably go for it instead. But I was not ready to compromise on the focal length for much higher price and larger size.

Just for the record - last digital camera I have bought was the Minolta 7D (I sold my Olympus C5060WZ - that was a great camera for its time). I got it shortly after Minolta announced its withdrawal from camera market and the prices went down to more reasonable. If the AF and metering would work better it would get more use.

I see. The GXR system does cost quite a bit in the long run. I own one with the 28 and 50 "lensors" and paying for the same sensor twice is a bit irritating. But think of the possibilities for the future! Rumor has it they're going to make a 24-70ish aps zoom for it and the M module is coming out this fall. I think there was also talk about maybe making a m4/3 module as well.
Raving aside, I really like the looks of the GRDIII. At least Ricoh does things in a different and interesting way. I would love to get a GRDIII except that already having the GXR and 28 makes it redundant.
I'm wondering with Ricoh's recent purchase of Pentax from Hoya if the newer modules and cameras might take on more of a Pentax look in their color and rendering, or if they might use the Pentax aps sensor in a future module. It would be awesome to get what would essentially be a K-5 in a point and shoot body.

So congrats on the purchase again! I'm looking forward to seeing some shots from the new cam.

 

[matthewm]

Great! Glad to see you arrived at the GRD3. I just bought my second one. I sold the first one and regretted it immediately. I was viewing some images after a trip out west where I used my Canon G10 and realized I had shot 99% of them at 28mm. I decided to part with it and get the GRD3 (again). I really couldn't be happier with my decision. It's a great little camera and opens up a whole world of possibilities that other cameras do not.

I, too am a fan of the 35mm focal length, but the 28 is just really unique and something I think is worth having.

Enjoy! Can't wait to see your images.

 

[Matus]

If Ricoh would come out with APS-C zoom module I might be interested as it would make a great travel camera, tough it is yet to be seen what size and performance it would offer. I would expect something like 24-70 or even 21-50, but the aperture should not be more than f/4. Now that makes the design challenging of the lens should not be too large. Looking at current NEX zoom lens - it is both slow and large. So let's see what Ricoh has up its sleeves.


But you guys really put me under pressure - everybody expecting great pics 🙂

 

[dallard]

But you guys really put me under pressure - everybody expecting great pics 🙂

Don't sweat it. You can always post the obligatory cat photo 😀

 

[silverbullet]

Congrats for your decision!
The GRDIII is a little black beast. Study the user manual and you are able to personalize it for different tasks out there.
At the moment I'm using the a bit weeker GRD2 but it's ok.

Michel Comte had the GRD3 for a promotional campaign and analyzing his b/w shots with the Ricoh I could see that he used mainly the lens wide open in order to minimize the DOF. The sensor is smaller compare to APS-C but with f 1.9 it's ok to get more creamy backgrounds if necessary.

Enjoy your Ricoh!

Here some samples from a loaner from Ricoh:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/36573929@N00/sets/72157623097883441/

 

[Archiver]

Yes, congratulations. I love my GRD III, and the images it produces have a unique character somewhere between film and the usual digital look. I find that Lightroom 3 really brings out great results from the raws. It is a lot smaller than the GXR and lighter, to boot.

 

[Matus]

I have to see about the RAW. Right now I am just shooting JPEG. I will try the RawTherapee as it made some great work with some of the test RAW files from DPreview. But first I have to get some decent shots - the ones I have so far are travel snaps at best. But Saturday is coming and I will have whole day alone in Boston. Let's see what can be done 🙂

 

[matthewm]

I have to see about the RAW. Right now I am just shooting JPEG. I will try the RawTherapee as it made some great work with some of the test RAW files from DPreview. But first I have to get some decent shots - the ones I have so far are travel snaps at best. But Saturday is coming and I will have whole day alone in Boston. Let's see what can be done 🙂

Well hurry it up, will ya!? I'm getting impatient over here and this hot weather is making me cranky. 🙂

 

[Lance]

I also bought the GRDIII a little under a week ago. It's a very lovely compliment to all the other stuff I have. I also bought a GR1s that is on its way... I guess I'm hooked. You just have to get used to 28mm focal length. Learn the strengths and weaknesses and work within those limits. Very satisfying.
I love 35mm too, but at times it is also very limiting. That is why I think the GR is a great compliment to my Leica M, witch I only have 35 and 50mm's for.

 

[janosh]

Will Ricoh vanish as a brand when the new, wildly expensive Pentax pocket thang appears?

 

[Archiver]

Will Ricoh vanish as a brand when the new, wildly expensive Pentax pocket thang appears?

I doubt that! I think that Ricoh is embedded firmly enough as a brand to be unaffected by what is essentially pocket jewelery. As many things as the Pentax Q has got right, I think it will remain a niche camera, even moreso than Ricoh. The target market for the Q seems to be very different. But we shall see!

As far as Raw Therapee vs Lightroom goes, I found that RT shows way too much chroma noise, and lacks batch processing. Lightroom's NR engine is very refined now and makes a lot of noise reduction programs redundant. But of course, it's up to the user to determine what they like the best.

 

[janosh]

fwiw, Ricoh is a non-entity in the US (except for the occasional gray market photocopier).

I doubt we'll ever see either Q or GRDIII in American distribution. We have more room in our pockets these days, than we did in 2008 :-( As well, I think American photographers are generally pretty engineering-design oriented, more than acquisition-oriented. Form follows function etc. That might suggest neither Q nor GRDIII will sell here.

 

[leicashot]

GRD III is a much more USABLE camera than the frustrating X100, and its size is a big plus.

Also, the 28mm focal length combined with the GR style make for better pictures. IMHO, the GRDIII picture thread is the best picture thread on this entire forum. Why? Because the pictures have 'depth of field' and 'content' instead of the usual pictures shot for 'bokeh' purposes only.

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=98682

 

[Matus]

OK guys, you have asked for it so here it comes. First snaps I manged to take. All of them are out-of-camera and in camera re-sized. I tried to turn off the noise reduction, but I think it is inevitable at ISO 1600.

I just realized how awful color quality has the LCD of my business DELL (I thought that my 3 year old MacBook was not good, but this is much worse) so I have no idea how these photos actually look

Sorry - no cats in Boston 😉

First two are ISO 1600 - bit too much noise suppression. But I will learn more how to handle that. I find that contrary to color shots, the BW can handle some noise and still look OK. Now I am also tempted to try software like Alien Skin for some cool effects (what I would normally not do with film photos)