future grd?

[paulfish4570]

do y'all reckon the gr-d series would lose its charm with a larger sensor? say x100 size? 50mm equivalent instead of 28mm?

really, though, the only things keeping me from putting the gr-d IV at the top of my wish list are the sony rx100 and the gr-d's FL. i could always shoot the sony at 50mm equivalent.

aieeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! i am conflicted! i really want a quality pocket digital cam. i have handled the sony. is the gr-d build quality that much better? the sony looks like a waist-high drop would kill it; it does have a quality feel to it.

 

[rhl-oregon]

A waist high drop has apparently done in a member's Sony--don't recall the thread. GRD is built to last. I like many others toss it in packs or jackets without concern. The real issue for you may be getting too close for your/subjects' comfort. But it's such an unintimidating little box that no one who knows me seems to mind when I want to get a close up.

I also have the gxr to be able get 50mm+ distance. Not a pants-pocket cam, and the m mount makes it $750+ used, but the p10 or s10 modules keep it small, affordable, versatile plus you get AF, Snap option + decent resolution at near distances. With a 35 2.5 CV it's a small package but can do wonders.

But the Sony has better IQ, people say. Just don't ever drop it...

 

[paulfish4570]

thanks, robert. i enjoy your photos, by the way.
i'll look into the gxr packages ...

 

[rhl-oregon]

Thanks (for the compliment) + you're welcome, Paul.
Here's the GXR/35 2.5 CV combination. The resolution is great blown up (I think the Tumblr link will let you resize it up more).



And here is one from up close (and cropped) with the GRD at my mother's 90th birthday. No one paid attention to the little black box.

 

[johannielscom]

Paul,

Robert has been most kind in informing me on the beautiful GXR, which can be used with both AF lens modules and a Leica M module. Mine came yesterday and I am loving it! I really feel it can be an alternative for a GRD and support your M lenses and even after a day I think I can recommend it to you!

 

[paulfish4570]

thanks, robert and johan. i've been reading about the gxr today. it is compact, smaller than my x100 ...

 

[rhl-oregon]

I'll be in the South next week to do a reading for my new book, and I'll have the GXR and the ZM 50/2 (and maybe the Heliar 15 as a 21mm). You can take it for a spin! Just drive on up to Chapel Hill next Thursday. It's only--what?--500 miles or so from where you are in Bama...

Or maybe Johan and I can beam over for dinner, as soon as they get the teleporters working correctly.

 

[PatrickCheung]

I own a GRD3 and it's probably one of the coolest camera's I've ever put my hands on. I sold my X100 for it, just because the camera was too clunky and slow... not to mention big.

The GRD's Snap mode makes it a super quick shooter. It's pretty much ready to shoot the second it turns on. The larger DoF from the extremely wide lens (6mm for a 28mm equivalent) and small sensor make it hard to miss focus with the snap mode.

I feel like it's one of the most efficient digital compacts ever made. I never have to go into any menu system, setting exposure can be done in a jiffy with the dials, and as I said before, it's ready to shoot the second it turns on. These are things that I never experienced with the RX100 and X100.

It FEELS like a GR1... but digital. I feel like that alone is irreplaceable.

 

[rhl-oregon]

...And as for losing charm, I think the GRD would have to reach Texas Leica proportions. It might have to grow a little taller and wider to accommodate a bigger sensor. (Though in an analogous situation, I DON'T like those newer plus-sized Mini Coopers. They ought to be honest and call them Maxi Coopers.)

 

[Archlich]

Having used all GR cameras from the GR1 to GR21 then to the GRDs, I have to say although they are tough built with alloy construction, they are not known for toughness (quite on the opposite side, actually). None is guaranteed to survive a "waist-high drop" - few compact cameras are designed to be dropped anyway.

The later GRDs are not necessarily better built than the RX100 which also sports a die-cast alloy shell and precise assembly, but surely is better in handling with nice rubber grip, right proportion and point of weight.


You will wait long for a GRD with 50mm equivalent lens - in fact, you will be hard pressed to find any in the P&S-dom, film or digital. 45-50mm fixed lens cameras are things of the past (pre-'70s), and are rarely seen after the wides became widely available. On the other hand, the survival of the rather eccentric GR line depends largely on the series's cult status as a "snapshot" camera, especially in Japan, and in recent years Ricoh had been promoting the idea avidly. Such identity is maintained through the 28mm focal length of the "GR" lens on small GR cameras. Something they might consider too dire to change.

According to some sources Ricoh had recently filed patents for 28/2.5 equivalent lenses for M43 and APS-C formats respectively. The later might be for a new GXR A16 module; the former, as I am anticipated to see, might be for a future large-sensor GRD model.

 

[dallard]

You could easily get a GXR and the 28mm module on the used market for not much more than the price of a new GRD. I used to have that GXR combo and although not as fast to focus as the GRD the results are quite nice. It will fit in a jacket pocket as well. Just remember to get an AcMaxx protector for the screen as all Ricoh's have the problem of the UV coating coming off.
With the 28:

R0012909 by daviz121, on Flickr

R0013199 by daviz121, on Flickr

 

[dallard]

I own a GRD3 and it's probably one of the coolest camera's I've ever put my hands on. I sold my X100 for it, just because the camera was too clunky and slow... not to mention big.

The GRD's Snap mode makes it a super quick shooter. It's pretty much ready to shoot the second it turns on. The larger DoF from the extremely wide lens (6mm for a 28mm equivalent) and small sensor make it hard to miss focus with the snap mode.

I feel like it's one of the most efficient digital compacts ever made. I never have to go into any menu system, setting exposure can be done in a jiffy with the dials, and as I said before, it's ready to shoot the second it turns on. These are things that I never experienced with the RX100 and X100.

It FEELS like a GR1... but digital. I feel like that alone is irreplaceable.

How are you processing these if you don't mind me asking?

 

[PatrickCheung]

I got a PM about it just now... Here's my reply:

Thanks for the compliment!

I'm a boy with very little time on my hands, and I don't do much processing to my photos 😛 That's the best part, actually... I don't need to do much to get that look, the camera provides it.

That said, I made a little preset for it on Lightroom 4, I use it for pretty much all my photos, but made a few tweaks for the GRD3.

Basic
Contrast: 50
Highlights: 10
Shadows: -10
Whites: 10
Blacks: -10

Clarity: 20

Tone Curve

Highlights: 50
Lights: 25
Darks: -5
Shadows: -10

Sharpening

Ammount: as needed...

That's pretty much it! Adjust as needed per photo! I usually like to underexpose when shooting to get a little more grain in the photo. Correct the exposure later in Lightroom!

 

[Jamie Pillers]

Paul, I've owned a gr-d II, gx100, and gx200. I've loved them all. And I think many of more interesting street photographs have been made with these cameras. HOWEVER, like you I wish they'd update the sensor to something like 12 or 14Mp. The 28mm FL doesn't bother me too much because the camera is so small that no one really notices it and thus you can 'get in close' with it. However if I could choose, I'd rather have a 35mm FL on the GR-D V. 🙂

By the way, the two things that I love most about the gr-d design are the SNAP function and the grip. I've never understood why other manufacturers haven't included a larger grip area like the ricoh's. The ricoh grip is BY FAR more comfortable and makes for FAR BETTER one-handed use of the camera.

 

[PatrickCheung]

Agreed, with regards to the Snap function and grip!

The reason why most designers don't like the grip is probably because it looks kinda silly... I know I didn't like the grip aesthetically at first, though it grows on you.

 

[Michael Markey]

I have the first model Grd ,Paul.
I try not to take it out much because if I do I tend to use nothing else 🙂.

I`d like it to have better IQ at higher Iso but I guess the later models have improved on that.

I treat mine somewhat roughly as others will testify...seems to work OK.

 

[jsrockit]

I've been waiting for a APS-C GRD for a few years now. Looks like 1" sensor could be more of a reality though.