dreamsandart
Well-known
The Ricoh is now being shipped here in Japan and mine is in transit from Amazon. With that in mind I headed into Yodobashi Camera this morning to see if I could actually handle one compared to the Nikon Coolpix A. The Ricoh GR was available yesterday I was told. 13 in stock and 5 left when I arrived in the late morning. With all the discussion of the low light focus issue with the Ricoh I was feeling I'd jumped in too soon, so I really wanted to compare the handling, menu, and see for myself if the focus was as bad as I'm reading.
The Nikon handling was OK but really didn't work for me. In general OK, but its not the camera for me.
The Ricoh GR felt very good in the hand from the start, it was much better than the Nikon. Went through the menu and functions and everything 'clicked' for me. I spent a good 20 minutes with it in my hand snapping off the shutter in the showroom and yes, sometimes on flat NO contrast subjects (can't say the show room itself was 'low light') it hunted and locked on at out of focus and needed to try again, but was fast with everything else I pointed it at. Although my very limited time was no real test, it seemed to be better than OK.
The 21mm adapter was another reason for the Ricoh and it was an eye-opener, really nice to have the option although it does add bulk and weight which defeats the purpose of a compact in the Ricoh size, but it does make a compact 21mm. 21mm, 1:1 format, and B&W is very cool and my desire for another Hassablad SWC could be put on the back burner for now (not that it could replace an SWC, but size and cost does have its advantages ;-)
Was almost ready to cancel my order and go into 'wait and see' mode, but since its on its way… I may as well try it out and see how it really works. Firmware updates may help the low light issue I hope, but that may be down the line longer than I want to wait if it turns out to be the deal braker.
So it should be here in later today or tomorrow. Only other problem for me now is Leica's Mini M was announced. Wait for that, and see what it is? Whatever it is I'm sure it will be many times more money, but it could be interesting.
The Nikon handling was OK but really didn't work for me. In general OK, but its not the camera for me.
The Ricoh GR felt very good in the hand from the start, it was much better than the Nikon. Went through the menu and functions and everything 'clicked' for me. I spent a good 20 minutes with it in my hand snapping off the shutter in the showroom and yes, sometimes on flat NO contrast subjects (can't say the show room itself was 'low light') it hunted and locked on at out of focus and needed to try again, but was fast with everything else I pointed it at. Although my very limited time was no real test, it seemed to be better than OK.
The 21mm adapter was another reason for the Ricoh and it was an eye-opener, really nice to have the option although it does add bulk and weight which defeats the purpose of a compact in the Ricoh size, but it does make a compact 21mm. 21mm, 1:1 format, and B&W is very cool and my desire for another Hassablad SWC could be put on the back burner for now (not that it could replace an SWC, but size and cost does have its advantages ;-)
Was almost ready to cancel my order and go into 'wait and see' mode, but since its on its way… I may as well try it out and see how it really works. Firmware updates may help the low light issue I hope, but that may be down the line longer than I want to wait if it turns out to be the deal braker.
So it should be here in later today or tomorrow. Only other problem for me now is Leica's Mini M was announced. Wait for that, and see what it is? Whatever it is I'm sure it will be many times more money, but it could be interesting.
dogbunny
Registered Boozer
*patiently waiting to see some RFFer's shots with it*
It's a leaf shutter... it's quiet. I guess I'm the only one happy with it.
kuvvy
Well-known
Archiver
Veteran
I've had mine for a day so far, although I haven't had much time to shoot. This weekend I'll take it for a really good spin. So far, it is shaping up to be a wonderful camera and potential new favourite.
The image quality and sharpness is stellar, somewhere between the GXR-M (no AA filter) and the Leica M9. The way it renders highly detailed objects like bushes and trees is almost tear-inducingly detailed. Bokeh is smooth, and the 'look' of flat expanses of colour is 'creamy'.
The shutter sound is noticeable. Certainly not as quiet at the Fuji X100 or X10, but a touch less than the GXR aps-c modules. AF sound is so quiet that it is inaudible in all but the most quiet surrounds, and lens extension is fast and quiet, too. I've made a request to Ricoh for the addition of the GXR-M's electronic shutter function, which is totally and utterly silent, so I hope that comes to pass.
As many others have noted, AF is very fast in bright light and hunts a bit in low light. It unfortunately hunts more than the GRD III under similar lighting conditions, but the ability to rapidly set Snap distances mitigates that a bit.
Only a whisker taller than the GRD III, the GR is almost 5-7mm longer, which is immediately noticeable. The grip protrudes a bit more, making it feel almost GXR-like. All Ricoh controls and ergonomics are present and accounted for, and the new dedicated button for AEL/AFL is a great addition, as that frees the Function buttons for other things.
If you don't want to upgrade to Lightroom 5 from 4, download the Adobe Camera Profile for the GR from SeriousCompacts.com and follow the instructions for where to place it. It normalizes the over saturated reds of the Embedded profile that Adobe reads.
The image quality and sharpness is stellar, somewhere between the GXR-M (no AA filter) and the Leica M9. The way it renders highly detailed objects like bushes and trees is almost tear-inducingly detailed. Bokeh is smooth, and the 'look' of flat expanses of colour is 'creamy'.
The shutter sound is noticeable. Certainly not as quiet at the Fuji X100 or X10, but a touch less than the GXR aps-c modules. AF sound is so quiet that it is inaudible in all but the most quiet surrounds, and lens extension is fast and quiet, too. I've made a request to Ricoh for the addition of the GXR-M's electronic shutter function, which is totally and utterly silent, so I hope that comes to pass.
As many others have noted, AF is very fast in bright light and hunts a bit in low light. It unfortunately hunts more than the GRD III under similar lighting conditions, but the ability to rapidly set Snap distances mitigates that a bit.
Only a whisker taller than the GRD III, the GR is almost 5-7mm longer, which is immediately noticeable. The grip protrudes a bit more, making it feel almost GXR-like. All Ricoh controls and ergonomics are present and accounted for, and the new dedicated button for AEL/AFL is a great addition, as that frees the Function buttons for other things.
If you don't want to upgrade to Lightroom 5 from 4, download the Adobe Camera Profile for the GR from SeriousCompacts.com and follow the instructions for where to place it. It normalizes the over saturated reds of the Embedded profile that Adobe reads.
dogbunny
Registered Boozer
Looks good Kuvvy, I like the second one.
db
db
kdemas
Enjoy Life.
Looking forward to mine arriving tomorrow.
I'm very happy with this camera. I haven't used anything else since getting it. Fast enough AF on the street, great IQ, great color, great lens, small size, fast operation, and native 2:3 aspect ratio. I find that an LCD works great with a 28mm lens. My fujis are lonely.
erikhaugsby
killer of threads
I'm a bit behind-the-times when it comes to software. Do you know if this profile would work in Photoshop, specifically CS4 with ACR 5.0.0.178?
kdemas
Enjoy Life.
New Member of the Camera Family
New Member of the Camera Family
Well, the GR just got dropped off by UPS and I quickly popped a battery and card in. I've owned all the GR series except the III and still own a IV.
Initial impressions...the camera feels "bigger" and "hollower" than the IV. By bigger I mean, a lot bigger in hand (for me). I know it's only about a centimeter or so longer and slightly higher but the camera feels completely different to my grip. The larger front grip is nice, the buttons feel "OK".
Shooting will have to wait until tomorrow but I had to take a pic of it next to the IV in front of my very dirty computer screen. Looking forward to seeing what this new little beast can do!
New Member of the Camera Family
Well, the GR just got dropped off by UPS and I quickly popped a battery and card in. I've owned all the GR series except the III and still own a IV.
Initial impressions...the camera feels "bigger" and "hollower" than the IV. By bigger I mean, a lot bigger in hand (for me). I know it's only about a centimeter or so longer and slightly higher but the camera feels completely different to my grip. The larger front grip is nice, the buttons feel "OK".
Shooting will have to wait until tomorrow but I had to take a pic of it next to the IV in front of my very dirty computer screen. Looking forward to seeing what this new little beast can do!
Archiver
Veteran
I'm not sure, but you could try updating Adobe Camera Raw first, and if that doesn't work, place the profile into the folder for ACR, as described here:
http://www.seriouscompacts.com/f38/...-raw-color-issue-correct-color-profile-18918/
FrozenInTime
Well-known
Still it's a good bit smaller and more pocketable than the GXR.
I thought I found a software bug in mine : could not assign White Balance to the ADJ button like on the GRD IV. Then found it was already a dedicated button - these Ricoh engineers are so clued in
Do we have enough people for a Bay Area Ricoh photo walk ?
kdemas
Enjoy Life.
Still it's a good bit smaller and more pocketable than the GXR.
I thought I found a software bug in mine : could not assign White Balance to the ADJ button like on the GRD IV. Then found it was already a dedicated button - these Ricoh engineers are so clued in
Do we have enough people for a Bay Area Ricoh photo walk ?
Mike got one as well. Maybe when he's back from Japan.
400tx
Member
Does the 4 battery work with the 5? My buddy has both and he said his 4 battery doesn't work on the 5. I only have a 5.
FrozenInTime
Well-known
The DB-60 ( as supplied with the GRDIII ) and DB-65 ( as supplied with the GRD IV and V ) both work just fine in my V.
DavidKKHansen
Well-known
urban_alchemist
Well-known
Seems very (overly?) positive on the camera. I'll wait and see what the firmware updates look like - I really really want to want this camera, and though the SNAP function can work, I'd prefer the option of fast AF or snap rather than relying exclusively on it.
Funny how this'll be the first GR I don't buy.
Maybe GR v.2 (what are they going to call it?!?!) will get there...
erikhaugsby
killer of threads
What's keeping you from buying it? Concerns about AF, or/and something else?
urban_alchemist
Well-known
Just the AF. I've been seriously burned by even ok APS-C compacts before; don't want to fall out of love with the GR series!
reiki_
Well-known
Well, maybe the future fw updates speed it up , I hope.